Cat Hair Raises $325 For Needy Families

(Taekwonweirdo)

A Tennessee veterinary hospital was able to make the lives of several area families brighter this holiday season with a little help from one of my favorite renewable resources: Cat hair!

The staff at Jonesborough Animal Hospital collected the hair to sell to Greer Laboratories in Lenoir, N.C., who purchases bags of healthy fluff from veterinary clinics for use in formulating allergy injections for cats. It took hospital staffers nearly a year to gather 2.5 pounds of "assorted colored" fur to donate, which they sent in for a $325 pay-out.

After some debate over what to do with the funds, the big-hearted bunch decided to put the money towards helping those less fortunate than themselves. 20 employees made additional contributions to the collection, which left them with enough cash to adopt three Angel Tree children from area elementary schools, buy stocking stuffers for a school, and purchase food for a family of eight.

The kitty hair came from healthy cats who had procedures done at the hospital, as well as cats whose owners had them shaved. The clinic hopes to continue the tradition in the future and have already begun collecting hair for their next donation; However, since the laboratory typically prefers 5-pound bags, they're storing the hair in a freezer until they reach their hairy goal.

Via Johnson City Press