A group of Marvel superheroes will use their superpowers to help animals today — right here in McKean County.
Mckean County’s chapter of No Feline Left Behind organization, along with the Main Street Movie House, will present an advance premiere showing of “Avengers: Infinity War” today.
The event will benefit No Feline Left Behind, a group that recently formed a local chapter to help with the stray cat population.
The world premiere of the film won’t be until Friday.
“Owners of the Movie House have given NFLB this opportunity to help raise funds for spaying, neutering and vaccinating stray and feral cats in McKean County,” explained Rhonda Gray, an NFLB board member.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. today, and the movie will begin at 7 p.m.
Prior to showtime, attendees will have a chance to meet superhero impersonators and have their picture taken with the characters.
NFLB will also sell raffle tickets, as well as a chances on a superhero basket, which “kids of all ages will enjoy,” she said, noting it includes some collector’s pieces.
Attendees are invited to come dressed as their favorite superheroes, too, and anyone who dresses up will have an extra chance to win the superhero basket.
NFLB had been selling presale tickets that included admission to the film, refreshments and a chance at the superhero basket. All the proceeds from presale tickets will go to No Feline Left Behind.
While the presale tickets are not longer available, some tickets will still be available at the door.
Movie House owners Todd and Tammi Hennard brought up the idea of the film fundraiser at a meeting with NFLB board members.
“They’re very big pet supporters,” Gray said of the Hennards. “They’ve always supported efforts from all the animal activists around here.”
“This seems to be kind of a superhero kid weekend,” Gray said.
In addition to NFLB’s Avengers-themed benefit this week, the third annual CASA of McKean County Superhero 5K and Kids Fun Run will be this Saturday, followed by the Bradford Family YMCA’s sixth annual Kids Fest.
Since No Feline Left Behind formed a few months ago, it has worked quickly to become part of the community.
As of Wednesday, the local group has helped 189 cats — well over its goal of helping 100 cats per year.
“As of the beginning of April, we are now an official 501(c)(3) — completely nonprofit,” said Gray.
This means that donations to the organization are tax deductible, she noted.
Donations or memorials for friends or family members who have lost pets can be mailed to No Feline Left Behind at P.O. Box 783, Bradford, PA 16701.
She invites anyone who is having an issue with neighborhood cats or has a similar issue that needs attention to contact NFLB.
More information can be found at the No Feline Left Behind Facebook page or by emailing nflbmckean@gmail.com.
While the organization is not an adoption agency or a shelter, they have helped some cats find new homes.
“When we find a few cats that are super, super friendly, then we find foster homes for them,” she said.
The group has put some cats up for adoption, and it currently has eight cats in foster care.
Locally, it can cost anywhere from $105 to $150 per animal to get it spayed or neutered and get vaccines for rabies and distemper, said Gray. Proceeds from this event will help with that expense.
“We operate completely on donations and fundraising,” she noted, though she added the group is applying for grant money, too.
NFLB is planning for fundraisers in the future. For one, the board is developing an Amazon wish list of supplies such as food, medical supplies, humane trapping supplies and blankets. The list will be completed soon.
The group has started attending municipal meetings to share information about the group, and members are planning to have an informational meet-and-greet in the community soon.
She hopes to change the public’s perception of stray cats.
“They’re community cats. They didn’t ask to be thrown out there,” Gray said. “If they’re out there, somebody along the line decided they didn’t want the cat anymore. We have an opportunity to control the population of cats in a humane and community-friendly manner.”
She said the group is “gaining on the situation,” but added that it will take time to bring the stray cat population under control. She explained that a female cat can become pregnant as young as four months and have two to three litters per year. Litters generally have three to five kittens each.
“It’s really necessary that the community realizes that the problem isn’t going to go away overnight,” Gray said.
She noted that cats have some benefit, as they can keep the population of unwanted rodents down.
Gray encourages people to read about the trap-neuter-vaccinate-release (TNVR) approach that the organization uses. She also asked that people look up the actual definition of a feral cat, which she said isn’t the wild animal people believe it is. A feral cat, she said, is basically a cat that is forced to live outside. Tips can be found on the NFLB Facebook, too.
