South Strand area shelters have new space and grant funding | Myrtle Beach Sun News

South Grand Strand animals will soon be receiving a new care option with the opening of a clinic in Georgetown and getting some population control and a cleaner estuary in Murrells Inlet thanks to a recent grant awarded from PetSmart Charities to Coastal Animal Rescue, according to press releases.

The Saint Francis Animal Center recently announced a new veterinary clinic is opening on March 17, which will be an expansion of the center’s existing spay, neuter, and vaccine clinic.

The new clinic will offer affordable care in a wide range of services including, treatment and preventative care, according to a press release. The shelter veterinarian will see patients between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the new clinic room.

The Saint Francis Animal Center is a 501 nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment for abandoned or mistreated dogs and cats until they find a home.

Murrells Inlet cats will also be receiving special attention soon when Coastal Animal Rescue workers use newly awarded grant funds to gather 1,000 free-roaming cats in a trap-neuter-return initiative, designed to help control the population, according to a press release.

Grant funds from PetSmart Charities working to reduce the cat population will also be used to help with watershed draining to the Murrells Inlet saltwater estuary.

The estuary, which is a body of water containing both fresh and saltwater, has been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control as an area contributing to high levels of bacteria from animals, including pet and feral cat waste, according to the release.

A meeting about Coastal Animal Rescue’s goals is being held at 7 p.m. March 16 in the Inlet Square Mall Conference Room.

For more information about Coastal Animal Rescue, a 501 nonprofit organization designed to shelter dogs and cats and place them in permanent homes, call 652-4500 or visit www.coastalanimalrescue.org.

For more information about Saint Francis Animal Center, call 546-0780 or email them at wellnessclinic@sfanimals.org.