Jan. 25.  McKayla Wabalas chose Lake Norman Lucky Cat as the focus of her Gold Award Project during 2015. Wabalas and Robin Byrd, founder of Lake Norman Lucky Cat, developed the Pattering Paws 5K Family Fun Walk & Run.  Sponsored by Lake Norman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, the event’s purpose is to raise community awareness about trap-neuter-return, a humane method of managing feral cats in the local community.

The first annual Pattering Paws event was held in March of 2015 in Huntersville.

Lake Norman Lucky Cat deemed the event a success.  The nonprofit’s spay/neuter numbers increased from 232 “lucky cats” in 2014 to nearly 600 in 2015, which prevented millions of future kittens from becoming additional feral cats in the community.  The Girl Scouts presented Wabalas with the prestigious Gold Award in December.

Lake Norman Lucky Cat strives to educate the public about about its methods, to end the euthanasia of cats taken to shelters, and to facilitate low-cost spay/neuter and vaccination services.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the top honor in the Girl Scouts of the USA.  Nationally, only 5.4 percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the award.

The Girl Scout must plan and implement an individual “Take Action” project that reaches beyond the Girl Scout organization and provides lasting benefit to the girl’s larger community.  The girl’s vision is then used to complete a service project to achieve that goal.  A minimum of 80 hours of work and planning are required to complete the project.