Mel and her 1 1/2 year old cat Sparkle have many happy years ahead of them thanks to the VDACS/Animal Advocates CatSnip program. About a year ago, a skinny, bedraggled black and white kitten walked in the door and flopped down on the family's kitchen floor. Sandra, Mel's mother, didn't have the heart to send Sparkle back out into the cold. Unfortunately, the family could never manage to save enough money to get Sparkle spayed so when Sandra saw the CatSnip ad in our local paper she phoned immediately. Sparkle was one of the first CatSnip cats spayed by Dr. Kristina Ringness. When she examined the black & white cat she was sure she was pregnant but she soon found out that Sparkle was actually suffering from a raging uterine infection.

Today, Sparkle is back to her bouncy self. She doesn't know how close she came to dying but her family certainly does and they are very grateful to VDACS and Animal Advocates for saving Sparkle's life.