Some of the best ideas start small: a $20,000 grant, nine zip codes, and a goal to reach 300 community cats in a year. That was the Purrvention Project when it began in January 2026. Six months later, it has already grown into something much bigger, and it's a story we can't wait to share.
Where It Started
Earlier this year, Heaven Can Wait Animal Society was awarded a Rachael Ray Save Them All Grant, funded by the Rachael Ray Foundation and administered by Best Friends Animal Society. The grant gave us the resources to launch the Purrvention Project, a focused effort to bring spay/neuter and vaccination services to specific, high-need zip codes across Southern Nevada where trapping had recently been discontinued by other organizations.
These are areas where community cat populations had been climbing while access to care was shrinking. The Purrvention Project was built to close that gap, one cat at a time, in partnership with the trappers and caretakers who know these colonies best.
"This Rachael Ray Save Them All grant means that we can save more cats' lives," said Rachel Bergen, Executive Director at Heaven Can Wait Animal Society, when the grant was announced. "This will help us, and our community, reduce overpopulation and unnecessary euthanasia."
A Goal Reached Early, and a Need That Kept Growing
The original goal was ambitious: TNVR 300 community cats by the end of 2026. We hit that mark in the middle of April, over eight months ahead of schedule.
But the need didn't stop there. Our trapping partners kept bringing in cats from these underserved neighborhoods, and the demand made one thing clear: this project was filling a real gap in our community. So when the grant funding was fully used, our own Community Cat Action Fund stepped in to keep the momentum going. From January 2026 to June 2026, the Purrvention Project has supported nearly 600 community cats total, with hundreds of those cats reached through community-funded support after the grant wrapped up.
Each and every one of those cats represents a colony that's healthier and more stable, fewer litters born into uncertain conditions, and less pressure on Southern Nevada's shelter system.
Kelly's First Night Trapping
One of our favorite parts of this project has been watching new volunteers step up. Kelly, a lifelong animal lover, had just begun volunteering with Heaven Can Wait when she learned about a warehouse colony on the edge of town, cared for for years by the people who worked there. Among the cats were two longtime residents, Tiger Mama and Big Mama, both unaltered and, understandably, drawing more and more cats to the property.
On her very first trapping effort through the Purrvention Project, Kelly trapped eight cats in a single night. Not long after, she returned and trapped four more. In a short amount of time, twelve cats, including Tiger Mama and Big Mama, received spay/neuter surgery and vaccinations, and the warehouse workers finally had a sustainable path forward for the colony they'd grown to love.
Kelly said it best: "I am incredibly grateful for the Rachael Ray Grant and for any and all contributions that people make to help us do what we do. The physical job of TNR is inherently difficult, stressful, and expensive, and it's very easy to become overwhelmed. Grants like that and personal donations alleviate a lot of that stress and allow us to concentrate on our work."
Best Friends Animal Society loved this story, too!
A Family Finds Its Way Home
A Family Finds Its Way HomeNot every colony story looks the same, and one of our favorites from this year involves a caretaker who had quietly managed a small, steady colony for years, until it wasn't so small anymore. A mother cat and her four kittens had joined the group, along with an older female and an unsocialized male.
Through the Purrvention Project, the whole group was trapped. The unsocialized male was neutered, vaccinated, and returned to his outdoor home. The older female was spayed, vaccinated, and placed with a rescue partner for a peaceful retirement. The mother and her four kittens were kept safe together until they were old enough for surgery, and once their story was shared, it caught the community's attention. All five found loving homes. The mother and two of her kittens now live together with one adopter, while her two remaining kittens went to a close friend of his, and the two households already have playdates planned.
Seven lives changed, all made possible through this project. Check out this adorable family on our YouTube channel.
The Next Chapter Is Up to Us
The grant that started the Purrvention Project has done exactly what it was meant to do: prove that this kind of targeted, community-driven TNVR work makes a measurable difference. Now that the grant term has ended, the need in these zip codes hasn't. Our Community Cat Action Fund is what keeps this project alive, covering the spay/neuter and vaccination services for community cats in the areas that need it most.
And giving isn't the only way to help. No matter your zip code, if you have a colony of community cats near your home or workplace in Southern Nevada, we'd love to help you get them TNVR'd. Just reach out to us at 702-655-4800, or email us at info@hcws.org to get started. You can also find answers to many questions about community cats and our programming on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Interested in becoming a rockstar trapper like Kelly? We're always looking for more caring volunteers to join this work. And if you're already feeding a community cat colony, keeping up that care matters more than you know. If you ever need supplies, guidance, or support, give us a call at 702-655-4800, or email us at info@hcws.org.
Every gift to the Community Cat Action Fund helps us say yes to another trapper, another colony, another cat who would otherwise be left without care. Please help the Purrvention Project keep its momentum going into its next chapter and consider making a gift to the Community Cat Action Fund today.
Together, we can keep this story going, one cat, one colony, and one community at a time.
