Who We Are
CARMA is an all-volunteer organization. All trapping, transportation, fostering and fundraising is done by a small army of dedicated volunteers. Each chapter is funded by donations, various fundraising projects and through occasional grants and bequests. Our largest expenditure is veterinary services. Additional expenditures within each chapter include foster supplies, transportation, trapping supplies, insurance, phone plans, bank fees, fundraising costs, marketing, postage and office supplies. All donations in excess of $10 are acknowledged with an official receipt for income tax purposes.
What We Do
Trap Neuter Return (TNR) started in Denmark in the mid 1970s and has been practiced in Europe and several parts of North America for decades. This program came to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in 2006 when two ladies began working with homeless cats in the Baie Verte, NB and Amherst, NS area. Ca-r-ma.org-Cat Rescue Maritimes (commonly known as CARMA) received certification as a Canadian registered charity, registration number 835850561RR0001, on January 1, 2007. It rapidly became apparent that there was a huge need for TNR throughout New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and several chapters of the organization quickly formed.
Each CARMA chapter operates independently within the constitution and guidelines of the charity. Our mission is to humanely reduce the population of homeless cats and kittens through TNR, fostering and adoption. Where someone is feeding one or more homeless cats and is willing to continue to do so, we live trap the cats, have them spayed/neutered and provided with minor medical care as needed, then they are returned to their caregiver. We may take adoptable animals, mainly kittens, from the colony, to foster, spay/neuter and place in approved adoptive homes. Where resources allow, we may also assist caregivers in providing food and shelter for the colony. CARMA, however, is not a shelter and is unable to do the following: provide shelter services for unwanted animals; provide services for pets/owned animals; intervene in cases of animal hoarding or abuse.