The Owl House

Firefighter saves...and adopts!...a cat from a fire

2012-03-05T04:47:00.001-08:00

The story is here.

I always enjoy going over to Google Images and googling "firefighter cats" for photos of firefighters who have saved cats and other animals from fires.

Sigh.

2012-03-04T17:34:00.003-08:00

I wish that we could say in the United States that we had a rescued shelter pet on guard at The White House.

Double sigh. Canada, too.

Returned "Luther" to the barn. More kitties to go...

2012-03-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

The farm owners weren't home, so Tigger the house cat came back with me. At least Tigger uses the litterbox. Luther peed on top of his feral cat den and pooped inside it. In fact, not a single tiger/white cat from this barn will use a litterbox when caged. They all use their towels, which has made clean-up extremely unpleasant.

Lots more kitties to go. These cats still need to be caught.

The cows are always curious as to what I'm up to.

And we're off!

2012-03-03T08:20:00.002-08:00

"damned SoftPaws. why did you put these on me?"

Because you are going to your new home, Tortellini!

On animal shelters, tornadoes, and national groups

2012-03-03T04:50:00.014-08:00

Tornadoes have once again swept across the midwest and south. I know we'd like to believe the increased disasters (along with our frighteningly snowless winter her in central NYS) are just a passing thing.

I think we need to get used to it. I expect we'll see more tornadoes here in NY this summer as well. That said, there are a number of groups who have stepped forward into the ever-increasing need for disaster relief. It is frightening how well-organized the response has had to become.

Leading the way is the ASPCA, who is already on-site in Taney County and Branson, MO. ASPCA has not one, but several, regional response teams.. IFAW also has a response trailer, co-funded by the Petfinder.com Foundation. In addition, Petsmart Charities has their Emergency Relief Waggin. There are also countless regional and local County/Disaster Animal Response Teams (CARTS or DARTS) across the United States.

I'm sure I've missed a few and I'll plug them in as the day goes on.

National groups have been getting a lot of flack lately for stumping for donations by advertising that they "help shelter pets," as if they run a physical shelter network. However, in the area of disaster response, national groups have stepped up to the plate, and more will be needed of them in the future.

Hurricane Katrina was a huge wake-up call, where way too many "suits" from too many national groups were bumping into one another being inefficient. It was the first huge disaster that required organizations to work in close proximity, and even on top of one another. Even Petfinder, which is a "virtual" web-based adoption portal (for whom I work) sent staff to take photos of the pets in emergency shelters, because there simply wasn't anyone else to do it. There was no power, so there were no computers. Organizations who normally did not do this type of response found themselves in a whole new world.

After Katrina it became clear that national groups needed to train and trust competent field personnel to respond and run disaster response. National groups needed to be more willing to work together, to be able to cover the many disasters occurring sometimes simultaneously across the U.S.

I have been to several of the ASPCA training programs on disaster mitigation that they give for the sheltering community, and they are practical and excellent.

When donating to national groups, if you are uncertain where your money is going, feel free to earmark it for US disaster relief, and you can be fairly certain it's being used properly.

You can always feel comfortable clicking that little button on checkout for Petsmart Charities, and in giving to the Petco Foundation as well. Both of those charities are generous to the max, and their administrators are on the road responding or teaching, in addition to assessing needs and distributing funds. There are no slackers at either of those charities, I can assure you.

You can also sign up to get trained to be a part of your local CART/DART. Call your county government to be directed properly.

On Facebook, here is the link to a Tornado pets page to keep updated nationally on animal shelter/tornado impacts: https://www.facebook.com/USTornadoPets

You can always give directly to shelters who have been impacted by a disaster. If you are the skeptical sort and want to be sure 100% of your money goes to supplies, gift cards to Walmart or Tractor Supply go a long, long way. If you are going to give a gift card, be as generous as you can. If someone has to go to a store, $100 makes the trip far more worthwhile than $25.

One sad heads-up when giving gift cards during disasters: make a phone call to be sure the store hasn't been flattened, too.

Inevitably I hear people say "How can you worry about animals when there are people who need help." I cannot say enough:

HELPING ANIMALS HELPS PEOPLE.

Look at the gentleman in the top photo. Don't you think he wants to be able to go somewhere, now, where both he and his dog will be accepted? Lacking that, don't you think he wants to know there is a place where his dog can temporarily be cared for? If his dog were missing, would he not be able to more easily concentrate on himself or his family if he knew there were others out there looking for lost pets, and an emergency shelter where he could check for his lost pet?

When cops and firemen are working the debris, don't you think they appreciate being able to hand off found kittens, cats, and dogs, not to mention cage-pets and other critters, off to animal services people, rather than having to figure out what to do with them while they are trying to help people?

Suck it up, "dissers". People who provide animal services are serving people, and communities as well, and people who give to those organizations are supporting disaster areas just as surely as people who give to human services.

Via CNN

Picking away at the farm cats

2012-03-01T21:36:00.000-08:00

Two at a time:

It's bonus time at work, so I'm going to spring for a handful of new traps, because that's going to be the only way I'm going to get all these kids. Some are just too friendly and keep going in the traps.

Tortellini was adopted (again!). She will go to her new home this weekend.

Simon checks in

2012-02-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

Cary sent in a photo of Simon tending to a foster kitten. Like Elsa, Simon was from the streets of Waverly. Hopefully Elsa will find a home just as full of safety and love.

Little Elsa -- you might never know she is blind

2012-02-19T21:36:00.000-08:00

Cat updates -- Tommy

2012-02-19T06:56:00.000-08:00

Tommy has been living in the lap of luxury, having taken over the great room. However he would far prefer to be living in someone's lap and sleeping in someone's bed.

His mouth has healed from his dental, but recently I noticed sore spots on his gums, so I'm switching him entirely over to wet food and I will take him back to the veterinarian for another check-up. I was hoping he was ready to go out the door, but apparently not.

Here we go again. Sheldon Silver can overrule the chair of the Codes Committee on A05449

2012-02-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

NOTE: You can email this post to a friend by clicking on the envelope icon at the very bottom!

Here we go again. It's not over yet. Sheldon Silver has the power to overrule the chairperson of the Codes Committee who halted progress on NY Assembly Bill A05449.

Here is the actual bill again. Do a "find" (control+F) for "psychological" and "redemption period" to find the pertinent passages.

You can use the email link below (and edit your input if you wish) or you can email or write a direct letter. Letters and faxes are great--they are physical. However please also email in some manner to get the message out ASAP. Please distribute this to CAT OWNERS not just rescuers. Cat owners deserve to know that this bill would permit a shelter to kill scared/aggressive or even just terrified/huddled cats on intake. Many cats that appear feral on intake turn out to be pet-friendly in a few days. And many so-called feral cats are owned spay/neutered porch or barn cats. How would your cat act on intake if she were lost for weeks, then trapped, transported, and placed on the floor of a loud shelter to be evaluated?

You can go to Nathan Winograd's auto-mailer, here. You can edit your input and I suggest you do.

Here is the link to Sheldon Silver's own page. I think this probably is a better route if you wish to be seen as an individual voter and not part of the animal welfare machine.

Please also consider printing out your comments and sending as a postal mailed letter.

My concerns:

a) permitting animals to be killed before the 5-day holding period is up, for "psychological trauma." The very act of being lost, captured, and housed in a shelter is emotionally overwhelming to many house cats. Many "feral-acting" cats are lost pets, or are outdoor cats or barn cats that have been spay/neutered at considerable cost to landowners.

b) the section requiring a description or photo of the pet to be available to the public specifically omits these pets by requiring this only "when practical" and "at least during the redemption period." There is no redemption period for a pet killed on intake. Will it be considered "practical" for there to be photos and descriptions of killed pets for the public to view? I'll bet not.

c) this will erode the trust the public as in shelters. Right now they can count on their pet having five days at the shelter for the pet owner to find their pet. However now they will never know if perhaps their scared or headstrong cat was killed before the owner got to the shelter two days later. People who spay/neuter feral cats will now hound their shelter as soon as a cat disappears, instead of calmly and rationally checking the shelter's new cats, out of fear that their missing cats came in and were killed. This section will destroy the partnership between shelters and the community.

In my own personal opinion, one of the back-door purposes of this "psychological trauma" statement, is simply to reduce the work on shelters, to reduce the support for shelter TNR programs (why alter a cat you can kill instead?), and to enable intially hard-to-handle cats to be killed on the front end, so they do not have to be killed later when space becomes limited. If a shelter kills for space after a pet is put up for adoption, they are not seen as "no kill."

I don't think shelter staff would have thought to ask for this "permission." But absolutely there are shelters that would use it if they felt overwhelmed.

We need to be doing MORE for our shelters, and this is not MORE. This destroys the public trust in our shelters. Even a shelter that chooses to keep every pet for 5 days would be regarded with suspicion because the option is there.

I look forward to a "no kill" future, but if shelters are not at that point (and most of them are not), we should not be passing shifty legislation to help make "no kill" supposedly come true...while killing more pets. This permission to kill cats up front will catch a lot of cats that would be adoptable if held for five days. By using this excuse to kill cats, a shelter can look like they are doing a better job of live-release, when in fact they aren't.

Please email and/or write Sheldon Silver immediately.

Thank you again!

"I feel it's a responsibility"

2012-02-18T07:35:00.001-08:00

The bad news and good news on Assembly Bill A5449A

2012-02-18T05:49:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: Please go here to this new post for information on reaching out to Sheldon Silver. The bill passed, but was stopped by the chair of the Codes Committee. Sheldon Silver has the authority to over-rule the chair, however.

The bad news: A5449A passed and was moved onto the Codes Committee.

The good news: The Chairperson of the Codes Committee, Joseph Lentol, stopped it cold. He also set up a Facebook page announcing this.

A note regarding NYS Assembly Bill A5449A
by Joseph Lentol on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 5:09pm ·

On Wednesday, February 15th, the NYS Assembly Committee on Agriculture reported this bill to the NYS Assembly Codes Committee. I am the Chairperson of the Codes Committee. I have received many calls and messages from individuals opposed to this legislation.

I am not a sponsor of this bill and have not had any part in its drafting. Those who have voiced their opposition against this bill have raised legitimate questions and I, too, am concerned. Therefore, I do not intend to report this legislation at this time. I believe a great deal more study and work must be done on this issue before legislation can be moved to the floor.

If you are on Facebook, please be sure to stop by at tell him thank-you, as over 500 others have.

This is not over, of course. But at least there is breathing room. And maybe now the many cat advocacy groups can work together to stay updated and involved in this issue.

To those of you who took the time to email your dismay with this legislation, I send a huge "Thank you." It is of extreme concern that this bill made it as far as it did, even after people pointed out that this would destroy the 5-day safety net for lost cats and s/n ferals, as well as frightened dogs. It also ruins the trust the public has in their shelters---even shelters that chose to continue to honor the 5-day holding period.

I know I have focused only on the "psychological trauma" wording, but there are larger problems with this legislation.

That said, something needs to be done to assist shelters. The public insists shelters become "no-kill" which means more and more shelters are turning away stray or owner surrendered cats when they are full. My mother reports her local shelter is now turning away cats. The Tompkins County SPCA has done a great job of adopting themselves into space again for their county and recently put out a call to their county for kittens-in-need. In my county, I still receive calls for help from people who state they have been turned away by our local shelter.

More on this difficult issue later.

EMAIL NOW! If NYS Assembly bill A05449 passes, your lost cat could be killed on arrival at your local shelter

2012-02-14T23:24:00.000-08:00

photo borrowed from the Facebook page of Tenth Life for NYC Cats.

ACT NOW!

NYS Assembly Bill A05449 will destroy the currently mandated 5-day holding period for stray pets at animal shelters, by permitting them to be killed on intake for exhibiting "psychological trauma."

(The bill is at that link above. Search for "psychological" and "at least during" to find pertinent passages)

While shelters will be required to make descriptions of found pets available to the public, the bill adds "AT LEAST DURING THE REDEMPTION PERIOD."

There is no REDEMPTION PERIOD for a cat that was killed at intake.

Feral cats and scared pet cats will disappear into a big black hole. You may be putting up posters for months for a lost shy cat that could have been killed on Day One of being taken to a shelter by an angry neighbor, or well-meaning good Samaritan who assumed that would be the best way to get the stray cat they trapped back to her owner.

Just a few groups who oppose this bill:
Best Friends Animal Society
Neighborhood Cats Note: that article contains email addresses to contact NOW.
Nathan Winograd

Those who know me very well will do a double take and say "Wait, is Susan really linking an article by Nathan Winograd?"

I am indeed. Nathan has included these links where you can immediately email legislators. You need to email all four. Text is already included and you can edit your response (delete what you don't want included, and personalize). Be sure to copy your first email, so you can just paste into the remaining three:

Alert #1 of 4: http://bit.ly/y1qO2q
Alert #2 of 4: http://bit.ly/wF1cw2
Alert #3 of 4: http://bit.ly/zLUZuh
Alert #4 of 4: http://bit.ly/AcnrMT

At the very least, please post your opinion to Assemblywoman Amy Paulin's Facebook page here.

But emails are needed. Even if you just go to the above links and send the provided text verbatim if you are short on time, your opposition will be counted.

PLEASE help NYS cats. If this passes, it could be used as a template for other states.

The vote is today. Please comment now!

It's time to take a look at accountability.

2012-02-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

Here are two interesting articles:

Is the no-kill movement contributing to hoarding?

For a long while "no-kill" has gotten a free ride. I know some of my readers are advocates of a certain no-kill messiah, but I still have cats at my facility that have been here since the arrival of that messiah. According the no-kill mantra, that's my "fault."

So forgive me if I have a bit of an attitude. I would love to spend more time doing adoptions, but last night more cat tracks showed up at my door. We can all do BETTER, and I absolutely agree with that. But at some point, brain cells start breaking down.

Let me give an example that perhaps a lot of us can relate to.

Did you have a goldfish when you were a kid, or in college? You had that cute cheap little fish, and a bowl. Care is pretty simple. All you have to do is keep a gallon of water off to the side (to age-out the chlorine if needed), and every week, put the fish in an alternate container, clean out the bowl, add new water, and put back the fish.

For the first few weeks, you do this. One week you get busy, and the water gets murky. You are horrified and don't want your friends to see how you are neglecting the fish. You clean the bowl. But now you know the fish isn't going to die immediately with murky water. You get busy again. The weekly new-water changes stop. One day you notice the water is green. Oh my God! You clean the bowl again, feeling very guilty. But the fish survived the green water, too. So you are less concerned the next time you let the water get green.

One day, you notice a fish floating in the bowl. The low-oxygen conditions have finally killed the fish. We flush him down the toilet, feeling bad. We turn the bowl into a terrarium, which also ends up dying of neglect. The bowl gets pushed off into a corner until it gets broken or thrown away.

You have experienced the mental progression of an overwhelmed hoarder. If you, or someone you know, has killed a goldfish in this manner, you know a little tiny bit about what it's like to directly kill an animal due to purposeful neglect.

Surprise!

Excuses like "I've been so busy," "My parents were ill," "The kids were supposed to take care of the fish," "the pet store should have told me goldfish actually need a aerated fish tank and can live for decades" or "we really did care about our fish" don't cut it. You killed the fish, period.

All we are talking here is changing the water once a week for a simple little fish. And we wonder how people who step forward to care for countless abandoned animals can "not see that animals are dying." Oh, they can physically see it. But emotionally they don't want to see it, because it feels like they aren't capable of fixing it."

That is one reason I believe some shelter directors resort to euthanizing--not just for immediate space but to have "extra cages." I think they get a rush of relief seeing, for just a little while, a shelter that doesn't appear to be out-of-control.

ABSOLUTELY it would be better to adopt those animals out in creative ways. ABSOLUTELY it may be time for that director to move on and make space for someone who is fresh and ready to take a new step forward. But is that shelter director "evil."

Were you evil when you killed your fish?

So, how do we stop everyone from killing more fish, and more rescued pets, via this helpless neglect?

Debra's Igloo colony

2012-02-12T06:18:00.000-08:00

Debra and I got together for breakfast yesterday (I'll leave the village off this post to prevent more abandoned cats!). Debra has already had to deal with feral cats in the neighborhood where her parents previously lived. Suddenly a group of cats showed up under the deck of the house where she currently lives with her Dad. Elsa (the blind cat) and Archimedes (the feral kitten) are here at The Owl House. She had a feral female spay/neutered and has set up an igloo house for her.

There are still additional friendly cats that have also appeared, like this very handsome gray boy. He also needs to be neutered, but I have no room here, so I guess Debra will be checking to see if he actually as a local owner, and we'll try get a lead on a new home for him while he's still living outdoors. He'll get an FeLV/FIV test before adoption. Maybe he just belongs to someone down the street and they would appreciate a free neuter-and-shots.

It was a joy hanging out with Debra and seeing what it's like to live in a small community with good people. I love my neighbors, but let's face it, we all live out here because we value the quiet. So even though we help one another, we aren't bumping into one another daily at the downtown diner.

This morning at 2:00 am I walked out into the new snow, and there, once again, were brand-new cat tracks. This after just spending days catching the abandoned tux cat.

Reflections in the shower...

2012-02-11T06:34:00.000-08:00

My day includes breakfast out with a human (thanks, Debra!) so it started out with a shower. I say "started out" in the cat-woman terminology of "starting out" because obviously cat care-taking chores are so ingrained that this has already occurred before any assessment of the day takes place. Especially if they are any sniffly-sneezy possibly infective issues. Best to see to those cats first, then take a shower to face the world.

At any rate, in the shower I had a face-off with the big bottle of Aveeno body wash I had specifically asked my sister Linda for, for Christmas. I cannot afford it on my own (something like $7 a bottle) but $7 is a reasonable cost for a Christmas gift. I'd far rather have a good quality body wash than a cat calendar.

I started thinking about the types of things people give as presents. I thought about the things people give a cat-woman when they want "you to have something for yourself, not those damned cats!" Usually it's some reasonable luxury. A gift certificate for a massage. "Body Shop" type body washes, a nice sweater that will immediately be destroyed by a cat, etc.

And I wondered what every broke cat-woman would really like--that they never spend their money on until they absolutely have to.

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION!

Black crew socks.

Yes, if you have a cat-woman in your life, I can bet they have the most frightening sock drawer in the world. (NOTE: I ALREADY STOCKED UP ON THESE. DO NOT BUY ME SOCKS!) But if you have a cat-woman in your life where ever you are, go to the men's section and pick up a great big bag, or two for that matter, of cotton blend black crew socks. Lots of them, so we don't have to look for socks that match, and can throw out all the other socks we own (WHICH I JUST DID--DON'T BUY ME SOCKS!).

Don't get us a Walmart card to buy socks. We'll just buy cat food.

We won't even touch the topic of the underwear drawer.

Socks. And Aveeno.

Cat women, please weigh in on the things you really need that you never get around to buying for yourself, that you secretly would be thrilled to have someone give you.

I SCOFF at your poor attempt at pawprinting me, you human fool!

2012-02-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

I saw an idea for paw-printing pets as a memorial (via Petfinder and Pinterest), and I thought it would be a neat idea to paw-print my rescued cats to create a matted print for the new adopter. It would say something like "My rescue name is Bounder! I was rescued as (short sentence about pet's history) I was sponsored by (name of person who sponsored pet). Thank you for giving me a forever home!" The print would go home with the new adopter, and I would use it as one of the pet's on-line adoption photos.

So I decided to make a quick try at paw-printing Bounder.

Clearly I need to try again with something more inky than an ink pad!

Have you paw-printed your cat? What did you use?

Freed from the Garbage Demon

2012-02-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

I have been a prisoner to garbage ever since the flood.

I was ready for a dump run when the Barton Transfer Station was wiped out. I fact, I even drove around checking with flooded-out folks to pick up their trash before driving to Barton. I don't know what I was thinking...of course the transfer station was right in the flood zone. I arrived to a locked gate and a scene of total destruction.

The transfer station will not be re-opening. Locations were set up for flood debris, and you could also pile flood debris alongside the road. They finally set up a dumpster for bagged/tagged trash for residents.

But what was I to do with my zillions of small bags of cat litter? To pay by the bag would be costly, and it's not like you can load up a grocery store garbage bag with more than one cat box worth of litter. I already had a full car load at the time of the flood, with more being generated every day. My first call for a dumpster was also costly -- $115 a month, which is about twice what I paid when transporting it myself. A less-expensive company wasn't sure I was in their operating district.

But they checked, and hallelujah, I now have a dumpster and trash pick up for only around $65 a month. I'm not thrilled about having a dumpster in my yard, but then I'm also not thrilled about having a mountain of bagged cat litter in my locked chicken coop (no fear, there are no chickens in the coop).

The garbage situation has been haunting me. I imagined the headlines: "Investigators say there was a mountain of garbage in the cat lady's barn." You can double-bag cat litter and stack it as neatly as you want, and lock it up in a vermin-proof area, and it's still a mountain of garbage.

I could have paid someone to haul it away, but I worry when working via online classifieds that the trash could end up tipped off a roadside in a state forest somewhere. I want my trash to disappear via professional means.

So that's one less stress in my life, and for not much more than I already paid. I no longer will have to return to my pre-flood ritual of giving up my Saturday mornings for a trash run, and I no longer have to load up my Kia Soul with trash bags.

I'll bet the dumpster business is booming. Either that or there are a lot of other barns in Tioga County with garbage mountains.

Barn cat colony

2012-02-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

So far four barn cats are fixed, and I have one waiting here to be done next week. I'll pick up two more this weekend.

Lucas has lice. From what I read, cat lice is specific to cats, they tend not to wander from the cat, and they die within a short while of not being able to get on a cat. So no real worries there, thank goodness. Much better than ringworm! The clinic veterinarian treated him with ivermectin, but my reading indicates cat lice don't suck blood, so are not well controlled with ivermectin. Frontline Plus is apparently the option of choice but of course they don't have boxes of expensive Frontline sitting around to dole out at high volume clinics. Cats should be treated on day one, and then again in two weeks. I assume since Lucas has lice, all other cats from the barn are likely to have lice as well, so I'll be cleaning with extra diligence and will bag up towels etc. for a week before washing.

Patti has been adopted! She was a recent arrival on the farm and totally friendly. (She was not exposed to the other cats, so lice are not a concern with her). The farm owner overheard a gentleman mention he was alone and was considering a cat. Apparently she stepped right into that conversation, and Patti was due to be picked up the night I brought her back (after she stayed her for a week to recover from surgery). I made sure she had medical records to pass on, but otherwise stayed out of the adoption.

You can see my feral cat recovery set-up here. Every cat gets a feral den to hide in or sit on top of. I use wire cages because the cats are less panicked in wire cages than solid dog crates (where the only visible route of escape is out the front door and right over the top of YOU). I use towels instead of newspaper because it is quieter and soaks up spills. I used one folded towel at the back under the den, and one folded towel at the front. I can then remove the front towel without disturbing the cat, shake it out in the trash, and put it back. If the cat knocks bowls over, I use Quik-Lock crocks instead. The den is at the back, and food and litter are at the front where they can be easily removed.

Cages are always up on tables. The cats feel less threatened, are warmer, and clean-up or taming is easier on the caretaker. Scared cats should never be in below-waist-high cages.

Weenie really ought to be in a home rather than a barn. She is also a sweetie. But the purpose at this point is to get all these cats fixed before there are more kittens. Once they are altered and vaccinated, the farmer can certainly work on getting the friendly ones homes, just like Patti.

I'll make a copy of the Frontline Plus box so she can start treating the friendly cats.

Caught the tux kitty

2012-02-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

I found cat tracks in the new snow on Sunday, and on Monday, Bear (my cat) took off at dead run toward the barn. I fetched him back, all fluffed up in the wood shop, so it seemed clear the tux cat had taken refuge there. Poor Bear was banished to the house. I've been down with something flu-like, and frankly was not functioning well.

But yesterday was unseasonably warm so I dragged a trap down to the barn and loaded it up with tuna. There are some things that get worse if you wait, and I knew if I didn't catch this cat asap I was going to regret it. Around midnight I went to close the trap because I could not deal with catching a raccoon overnight instead, and there was the tux.

He was scared and sweet, with a soft "neutered cat" coat. Sure enough, there was nothing under his tail. It was too dark to check to see if s/he may be a female. He doesn't have a girl look about him -- although he looks a bit girly in his photo.

I am now completely out of space, and the local shelter is not taking cats. Which is probably why this cat is here. Luckily two cats who are recovering from being altered for the Lisle colony are males, so they can go back as soon as I can drag myself out to the farm. And no, I'm afraid no one else can take them over for me. They have lice, and you don't want that in your car.

A post about lice will be forthcoming once I feel perkier.

Dear Abandoner

2012-01-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

Friday night or Saturday morning you dumped a beautiful black tuxedo cat out of your car and drove away. Your cat is now scared and lost in the woods. Let me show you:

Dear Readers: Google just ate my post and I don't have the time or energy to re-write it now. Apparently if I go to Youtube as one user, and come back to Blogger (in a different window, as a different user), because Google has its messy little fingers in both of those, it decides it knows better who I am. It doesn't, and can't save the post.

I am now using different browsers if I need to use a different Google service. This rots. Uber-sites are destroying efficiency. Facebook, Google, all of them.

On Desi and Ayla

2012-01-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

Last week a friend-supporter-adopter contacted me about cats and kittens that had suddenly shown up under her porch. She suspects abandonment. I also suspect another victim of the "just don't feed them and they'll go away" very "helpful" advise that anti-cat people dole out. Cat under your porch? Fix the hole and don't feed her. Problem solved! Except now someone else has the heartache and expense of fixing the new problem created nearby.

So I gave her a trap (or two? I need to do a better job of keeping track of my equipment). Friday she came over with the buff kitten. Well, she thought she had just the buff kitten. When I pulled back the cover, she had TWO felines. The buff kitten, and a grayish female who seemed friendly. The trap had had covers on it when it was set, so she had put a second cover over it to protect the occupant, and hadn't see Cat Number Two.

I held to my rules and said the friendly cat had to go to a local shelter, because she could be a lost pet, but I would keep the kitten, whom I named Archimedes. Since we've already had an Archie, he'll probably be Desi for short.

She came over with the second kitten last evening. That kitten was howling his head off under the cover--and had way too much lung power to be a wee thing. When I pulled back the cover, we had another adult cat. She was just so young and emaciated she looked like a kitten.

This is where it gets sad.

She had taken the other cat to the shelter, and a staff member came out and told her the cat was "evil" because she was scared and fractious.

Evil. Seriously? You know what? It's time for YOU to go. It's bad enough when we, as shelter workers, get frustrated, tired, and burned out, and don't treat our charges with the respect and care they deserve. Good people who burnout know they are burning out, and in their minds they are angry at the "system" and angry with themselves. When they lash out a the animal, they know it is misdirected anger. But when you begin blaming the animal, someone has gone over the edge.

Part of the job of working in a shelter is dealing with animals who need help to become adoptable, or respectfully caring for animals who may indeed never be adoptable. No fault, however, lies with the animal.

So could I send this woman back to the shelter with this very friendly lost cat? No, I could not. So little rail-thin Alya is here.

I am a big supporter of shelters. I really despise the "haters" attitude some people in the no-kill movement throw at shelters. But they are right when they say that people who hurt the mission of the shelter need to be let go (or need to be helped if helping is possible--immediately). If someone who worked under me said an animal in their care was evil, I'd be ordering lunch for two in my office and having a sit-down about what is going on in that person's job and that person's life. If they were an otherwise good worker, I would look for an educational opportunity for them--something upbeat rather than tedious, and I would be looking closely to see immediate improvement. I would be taking a good hard look around me at the conditions my staff are working under. Were staff negative because the policies of the shelter were poor (good humans being destroyed under bad conditions?). Or was the shelter becoming poorer because of poor staff?

At any rate, with Ayla, it was more important to thank my friend for saving this cat, than cause her more stress by having to walk into the shelter with another cat--especially a loud one. She has been there for me in the past, so we need to be there for her. So Ayla is here, and we'll do a big poster/craigslist/shelter notification to see if she has an owner who is looking for her.

My friend came with a friend of her own when she delivered Ayla last night. It was cold and miserable downstairs (where new cats should go), so I brought Ayla upstairs and put all the "liberty" cats back in their rooms and runs so they could not go nose-to-nose with her before she is FeLV/FIV tested.

Desi was able to go immediately in for an FeLV/FIV test when I took Tommy in for his dental recheck, and I didn't get a call back, so that means he is negative. So I'll start working with him hard, to tame him up. He meows, so that's a good sign.

Suggestions for helping staff who are burned out (or letting them go) are welcome in the comments. However, please no "shelter bashing." Burn out is a problem in all shelters, whether or not they label themselves as no-kill.

I wish I'd taken a photo of Kiddo

2012-01-18T20:48:00.001-08:00

I kept waiting to post on Kiddo until I took a photo...and I forgot to. Kiddo is a big-cheeked orange tom with a sweet personality who was brought to our attention by a supporter. His owner just needed a little help getting him to the vet, and then keeping him on cage rest while he had his meds to clear up the infection in his paw. Keeping him here was a joy. I love big tom cats. They have such small squeaky meows and they love being petted. He did not much like his Clavamox, but he was walking better--although still with a limp--when he went home today. He now knows how to use a cat box and the supporter got a box and litter for her his owner so he can go out to use it on the enclosed porch, and be an indoor kitty for awhile. Maybe for good?

The supporter paid the vet bill as a gift to her friend, and Kiddo's owner made a $40 donation to our cats that can help feed and care for the Lisle barn cats while they are recovering from surgery.

Kiddo is a lucky cat.

A new colony in Lisle

2012-01-16T11:49:00.000-08:00

The initial visit to the next colony I'm handling.

I had a long post written here but I've deleted it. I'm tired, and suddenly it all just seems like so much hot air.

Bounder discovers snow

2012-01-16T09:31:00.001-08:00

It took until mid-January, but winter finally sifted in with maybe two inches of snow. The teenagers -- I guess I'd ought not call them kittens any longer -- insisted on going out to the cat enclosure even though it meant freezing air would come pouring into the house. They didn't last long, however. Bounder was particularly cute.

Removing cats -- who is really doing it? George the airport cat

2012-01-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Photo from CBC.ca (Video at that link).

Remember George, the cat who was lost at Edmonton International Airport, reported dead, and then found in a residential area outside of the airport?

Guess who rescued him, thereby saving Edmonton International Airport hours countless more hundreds to thousands of search hours? A woman who put food out for a stray cat.

"On Sunday, George appeared outside Hope Gulseth’s condo in Leduc. She left out food for the wary cat, as well as a small nest of blankets. Two days later, he’d plucked up enough courage to come inside, happily joining the family’s two other cats.

Meanwhile, a Kijiji post by her husband about this new cat — clearly someone’s pet — was found by one the search volunteers."

Had Hope not cared enough to put out food for the stray she saw hanging around, and instead ignored him (to die, I assume, is what people who offer this suggestion are hoping for), the airport would be thousands of dollars poorer, looking for a cat who was no longer even on the airport grounds.

Removing cats -- who is really doing it? Joplin, MO

2012-01-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

Photo from Facebook, Animals Lost & Found from the Joplin, Mo Tornado

This blogpost title (Removing cats -- who is really doing it?) will be an alert for situations I come across where volunteer "cat feeders" are taking it upon themselves to get cats off the streets and back into their homes--something I don't see anti-cat people supporting with either time or funds.

This is Stubby. He is surviving in the tornado zone in Joplin MO thanks to some human help.

In Joplin, volunteers are feeding cats at points throughout the damaged areas, advertising cats as they see them, and matching them up with lost reports. They've had a number of successes, and of course advertising these cats also means they are more likely to be adopted.

Otherwise, surviving cats would become part of a future feral population.

This is just one more way "crazy cat people" prove to be calm and professional rational volunteers who see a problem and put serious work into solving it.

Got a dog? Check out what you are feeding her/him

2012-01-16T08:09:00.001-08:00

In my search for a decent cat food that I can afford (or at least to avoid outright killing my cats over time), I came across this great page that reviews dog food. DogFoodAdvisor.com.

How does your dog food rate? Mine got a single star. Shudders. Don't worry Molly, we'll upgrade.

They have a list of best dog foods. Luckily, two of those are actually available in large grocery stores like Wegmans: Newman's Own, and Harmony Farms. Sadly, none of them will be found in most smaller stores, so the small-town dogs of American are stuck eating crap.

You'll like this

2012-01-12T21:33:00.001-08:00

I posted this on Facebook but my family is Facebook negative.

Do you have kittens in your colony? Unfixed cats?

2012-01-12T05:26:00.000-08:00

Then you had best bust your ass getting them fixed now. And that means me, too.

Periodically I see articles about managed colonies that are being discontinued and removed by the land or business manager.

In the articles I read, kittens or remaining unfixed cats are always mentioned.

When we do TNR, our justification for doing so is that there will be no kittens, nor unfixed cats, and nuisances will therefore be mitigated.

One of the biggest concerns of businesses is the risk of clients/customers picking up or complaining about kittens that the customer perceives to be in need.

If we say we can fix this through TNR, we have a responsibility to do so.

I know this is hard. I know I myself have colonies out there that, while successful compared to the initial numbers on-site, have had reports of new cats that I have not yet caught.

If someone were to say, "Hey, this has gone on long enough, we are going to take matters into our own hands," some of the blame there rests with me.

In addition, I see photos in articles of feeding stations that are right out in the open, drawing the attention of the public. I would suggest not doing this. In some concrete jungles, it can't be avoided (and posting signs on the feeding stations is a good idea to explain what is going on). But if there are private locations, around back, against the low-traffic side of the dumpster fence, etc. then put the feeding stations there.

In addition, I would suggest not making them look like cute little houses. Again, it just draws curious people over to check them out.

So, your homework and mine:

1. Do I have cats that are still unfixed, or newcomers I have not addressed?
2. Do my shelters and feeding stations need upgrading?
3. Are there colonies under my wider umbrella with caretakers I have not spoken with for awhile? Do I need to check in with those caretakers to know how those colonies are doing?

If the answer to any of those is "yes," then hop to it, lest we find neighbors or land managers less than tolerant of our project. And it is a good way for "haters" to find an opening to attack. We all know, of course, if we had never shown up on the scene, there would still be teeming masses of cats, instead of 5-10. But for the sake of the cats, the case needs to be air-tight.

Espie checking in

2012-01-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

Donna shared a video of Espie on Facebook, with her new toy sent to her as a gift from Save Grayson County Cats, who Donna also supports:

Perhaps this should have gone on the personal blog...

2012-01-08T18:49:00.001-08:00

...but then again, maybe not.

Cat toys to benefit spay/neuter

2012-01-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

I have finally bagged up and labeled the cat toys that my mother and sister made. I've been giving these toys to adopters and supporters for years. I like the simple design, the great colors, and the size. What's the point of ears and eyes that just get bitten off? This year they really went to town and made me a huge bag. The toys will be available as a gift to anyone who donates to the medical fund. Of course, special friends and adopted kitties will still find them coming their way as singles.

More to come. I just wanted to get these photos loaded!

Do you need some intelligent reading?

2012-01-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

Discover magazine has some great blogs if you are getting weary of the tripe and clutter that pops up nowadays on Yahoo and AOL. Do I care that Tiger's wife bulldozed her house? I do. It's a waste. Yet there are bigger things I should be wasting brain cells on...things that will amaze and delight me, and expand my understanding of the world. I'll never understand what's going on in the minds of the pseudo-celebrities we create (whether they want to be celebrities or not.

I'd rather learn how a lizard jumps. Thanks.

Arthur and Blue Basics

2012-01-02T05:29:00.000-08:00

Any of you who know Arthur (sorry, no camera, so no new photo!) know he is also has a problem keeping his dinner down. When he was fed the same standard Purina One diet that everyone else in the place gets, he would toss his cookies at least once every other day right after eating.

It's not so easy to place a cat who could be emptying his stomach on the antique quilt three or four times a week.

I hate experimenting with food because it seems like such a lot of money to throw around. I BELIEVE in food that is formulated to work (s/d for example, for struvite urinary crystals and stones) however finding foods that really seem to do what they claim seems like such a gamble. How can you really see what's going on with your cat unless you feed them a food for quite awhile?

I tried Purina One Sensitive Systems and Iams digestive care food, and he tossed those both up as well. Half the "sensitive" food you will see on the market is actually for skin issues, rather than stomach issues.

Maybe they should just label them "anti-barf" and "anti-itch" foods for folks who are overwhelmed in the Petco/Petsmart cat food aisle.

So I decided to go a bit more exotic, and moved over to the Blue Buffalo line. I picked up a bag of Blue Basics turkey and potato (the purple bag).

It works. Arthur throws up maybe once every two weeks now, probably because he gets into the other cats' food when he is at liberty. I try to remember to pick up the big community bowl, but sometimes he reaches it before I've picked it up. I ran out of Blue Basics turkey and potato dry food the other day so fed Arthur the Iams for a day. When I returned, he had thrown up.

So it appears that Arthur is sensitive to grain. I'm going to try Wilderness next time around to see how he does with that. I'd like to identify a few different types of food that he can eat, so a future adopter has options.

It is such a pity that quality cat food costs so much. The majority of the cats of the world are fed foods full of crap corn, crap chicken guts, and dyes, that are probably killing them. I've had a couple of "oh my God" moments when I've visited past adopters and see a bag of Special Kitty or Alley Cat on their counter. If you own only one or two cats, you really must invest in the best quality food you can afford, to save yourself health issues down the line. Nonetheless, I myself feed my street cats standard grocery fare for reasons of cost, and those are the cats who probably most need a quality diet.

One of my "if I were rich" dreams would be to have a food depot with hundreds of 16# bags of Purina One to hand out to outdoor cat caretakers for $10 a bag. Once upon a time, my facility cats ate Science Diet. Their fur looked so much better back then than they do now on Purina One. However I no longer have access to affordable Science Diet.

Does anyone else have a food-sensitive cat? What have you been feeding that works? I know some people swear by Nutro, Royal Canin, and other brands.

Well, here we are, 2012. Feel any different?

2012-01-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

The clock on my computer is wrong. I actually missed the countdown because there was a commercial on the streaming video of Times Square. Interestingly enough, the world did not end because I missed it. Instead, I found a recorded clip of the countdown in London, which was a lot prettier, and had no video of people kissing. Call me unromantic. I'd rather see fireworks over the Thames than people smooching at this point of my life.

Gretchen came over earlier bearing wine and cookies, and I had homemade soup on the stove and some decent bread. I built a fire in the great room, and we cuddled kittens (above) for a few hours. When she headed home around 8pm, I enjoyed a nap by the roaring fire. I went to sleep with Tommy on my chest and woke up with little Tortellini.

Today it was sunny and warm--nearly 50 on January 1st. I took Molly for a hike up on the hill. With all the weeds down and no snow, I was able to go places I've never gone before. I think I'll go up with a can of spray paint tomorrow to mark where I want to do trails next year. I'd like to open up the hill so friends with dogs can come walk them when they like, and not get lost or venture onto neighbors' property.

I'd like to have posted some photos but I accidentally gave my camera a fling across the kitchen floor and it didn't survive this particular impact. Luckily I have $115 credit at Overstock.com so a new camera is on the way. Until then I'll post photos others take. I have plenty of "got my present!" pictures to add.

I love my place. It would break my heart to lose it. Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is, huddled up here in the house behind a computer. I need to make some changes in my life this year. They are not so much resolutions--just a frame of mind.

I do have a few goals. I don't expect to accomplish them this year, but I do want to get a start on them.

Do you have any plans for 2012?

Two rabies infections at the end of 2011. Be careful with bats!

2012-01-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

There is no need to freak out about bats. They are wonderful little creatures whose insect-eating habits also are a great help to homeowners who want to enjoy their land and yards. However if you should ever come in physical contact with a bat, or if you aren't certain if you've been in contact with one (for example, you wake up with one flying around your bedroom) you MUST capture the bat and have it tested for rabies.

Two people have recently contracted rabies. The disease is almost always fatal.

I keep an empty coffee can in my house. A plastic container also works, if the lid doesn't have a very deep lip. You wait until the bat is resting on a surface, put the can over the bat, and gently slide the lid underneath. The bat will make small chattering noises, and you may see the feet or a wing tip stick out as you ease the cover under the can. There's no need to worry. Just be gentle and calm and you'll shortly have the bat confined.

If the bat is acting normally and you are absolutely sure no people or pets have come in contact with it, you can release the bat outside. If the bat is acting lethargic (just hanging, not flying at all, or is having problems flying), has come in contact with a person or pet, or has been in the room with a sleeping person or a child, the bat should be tested. Call your health department immediately. Check their web site in advance. Chances are good they will have instructions there. Tioga County NY has a hotline number. Tompkins County has a good fact sheet.

Merry Christmas. Kindness to cats and their keeper

2011-12-26T13:52:00.000-08:00

Is Christmas over already? Nonsense. Christmas extends from Christmas Eve to New Year's Eve. It takes that long for me to get my Christmas cards all in the mail.

In the week before Christmas, we had trekkers who came to the door bearing gifts for the cats. When Mary arrived, I had been pulling a marathon email stint and was still in what passes as jammies for me. The cats were thrilled at the bagsful of toys. A few days later, Lisa showed up with toys as well, and dropped off donated towels and some low-cal food as well. You'd think some of our cats were pudgy or something... (Yes, they are).

Cricket, getting up there in years, preferred the empty boxes (which is just as well, since she's not homeless and technically the toys weren't hers--but the pet cats have to give their seal of approval).

I tossed all the old toys in the cat facility, and we moved onto Bright, Shiny and New. Away boredom!

On Christmas morning it was Fancy Feast for everyone, from the boarding cats, to house cats, to rescue cats. I had gotten the facility cats some soft "fur" throws that look like they may survive the wash and not hold accumulated cat hair. We'll see. At least they will be cuddly and warm for awhile.

On Christmas Eve, Christy and Gordan invited me for dinner. Because there was chicken on the table, Jelli and Phillip (who forget they slept with me when they were kittens, and normally play shy when I visit) were absolutely charming.

Remember when Jelli was Cheeto? I find it funny that his name went from silly Cheeto, to distinguished Justin, but morphed to a silly sweet name once again.

Christy and Gorden sent home yet another bag of toys (the red sparkly ball with Arthur is one of theirs), so the cats are very distracted and very happy.

The cats received other gifts as well, but they deserve posts of their own, so I'll just pause to relay some profound feline gratitude, and wish you all a wonderful holiday!

Feral relocation/soft-release cage

2011-12-18T04:06:00.000-08:00

Is this not the coolest thing? Finding a cage that is easy to transport and set up to relocate or return feral cats has been a huge issues for feral cat managers. The one thing I would like to see would be smaller wire, so common barn predators like mink and weasels could not get in:

From Ultra Lite Products, here:

http://www.mypetcages.com/product.asp?specific=156

I have two of their larger cages in by cat facility, which have stood up very well. Maybe around spring I'll invest in one of these. They are a huge improvement over a standard wire dog crate.

Emmi gets "Elfed"

2011-12-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

Emmi can boogie with the best of them.

Here she is in a more traditional post.

Thomas, now Tommy, returns.

2011-12-11T17:35:00.000-08:00

Tommy's caretaker, the father of a close friend of mine, has passed away unexpected. Tommy was adopted back in 2007 and was his caretaker's constant companion. Cary, his daughter, gladly would have taken him, but she has already adopted Simon and Hope from us, and has other cats and dogs of her own.

Tommy got the run of our great room while he got used to being in a new place. He is now running around the house, and has an appointment at the vet's next Thursday, along with Jewel and Arthur. He has always had weepy eyes and a snuffle in his sinuses. This has gotten a bit worse with age, so we'll have the vet check that out.

Tommy is looking for a new home with someone who wants a playful, affectionate older cat, and who doesn't mind wiping his eyes with special eye wipes to keep his white little face white.

In the meantime, we'll enjoy him here.

Here is Tommy and his Dad, who had only one request when he was in the hospital, and that was to see his Tommy

Faith heads off to foster-to-adopt

2011-12-11T16:06:00.000-08:00

Tonight I delivered Faith to her new home for the next two weeks, and maybe for the rest of her life. I hope she's a match, because she would be a lucky cat to score a lovely quiet home with a caregiver who is home most of the time, and dedicated family who come visit.

Keep your paws crossed for her! She did great on arrival. She's clearly nervous, but she didn't disappear under the couch.

When you bring these cats to a real home, you realize how stunted their lives are in a shelter, where everything is chilly and impersonal.

You go, girl! It's "Foster a Lonely Pet for the Holidays" with Petfinder.com. I'm glad she's getting out of here and gets to experience warmth and love. She has been here since March 2009, and before that she was on the streets of Ithaca since at least August 2008.

Here are some links to earlier posts involving Faith.

We find Hope, Faith's kitten"

Finding homes on Craigslist

2011-12-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

Some people are rabidly against posting on Craigslist. I figure if I get bad responses, I can just say "No." I've received some very nice adoptions by way of Craigslist and eBay (the classifieds, not the auction). People from more distant cities (Syracuse, etc.) often find my posts when they expand their search to check other nearby Craigslist postings. I find that I get a better quality of response if I post a photo that is cut and pasted from my Petfinder listing. People realize they we are not just someone with kittens from the backyard, and scammers also tend to stay away.

Tortellini, Beans, and Bounder just HAVE to get homes soon. They are far too active for my senior cats, but I don't want to put them in the cat facility. I'm just lucky that I have the boarding rooms to keep them in at night so my personal cats get a break from the playful activity that goes on, and on, and on. The kittens also want to cuddle up on my lap, bless them, which puts Ivan and Cricket's noses out of joint.

So keep your fingers crossed that these three beautiful young cats get their own homes for Christmas.

Christmas profile photos

2011-12-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

It's time to get these three new homes!

Bounder

Tortellini

Tortellini - "Get it off!"

Tortellini

Beans

TigerTom photo

2011-12-04T08:08:00.000-08:00

...snitched from georg's Facebook page.

A new blog to add, and Feral wallpaper

2011-12-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

I ran a search for "feral cat blogs" this morning and found The Feral Cat Rescue Project.

There is a calendar feral photo available to set as wallpaper on your computer. I like having a calendar in easy view, so I added it to my computer.

Right-click on the photo to save it.
The go to Control Panel on your computer
Click on Display
Click on Desktop
Click on Browse to find and choose the photo file.
Click Apply, then OK

There you go!

Jewel comes home

2011-11-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

One day this summer, Christy sent me a photo of a cat who showed up in her garden. The cat looked like Jewel, who had spent two months here raising her kittens, and graces the banner of my previous blog. We compared markings and were fairly certain it was her. However Jewel disappeared, even though Christy left food out for her. Jewel was about a mile from the barn where she had originally been returned after being spayed.

Friday, the phone rang. It was Christy, and Jewel had made another appearance. I called Jewel's owners and, sure enough, they said they had not seen her in months. This time Christy scooped her up and put her in the workroom, and I drove over.

I'd felt badly about putting Jewel back out in the barn to begin with. She was far too friendly to be a barn cat, but I'd had no room at the time. Since Jewel hadn't "stuck" and was apparently going from house to house out there in the Styx, and since her owners said they would take her back but would like to see her find a home, Jewel came to stay with me again.

But first Christy offered tea, and I accepted. If I'm going to get stuck with another cat, I'm going to take all the human contact I can get. I told Christy I had to take a photo as evidence so my family knows I actually do periodically commune with humans.

Jewel was as good as gold in the crate in the car.

She has settled in quite easily here. I'll get her to the vet this week for a combo test and rabies booster.

Here's the link to Jewel with her kittens last summer.

And here she is today in the downstairs of the cat facility:

Big cat, little cat

2011-11-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

Bear is not a cuddler, but Tortellini has decided he should be. Bear is twenty pounds. Leenie is 5.5, and she's six months old, so she's no wee kitten. She's going to be a little girl like her mom, and like most little girls, she believes the world can't possibly resist her charm. She sleeps on my wrists when I work on my laptop. It's a good thing she is tiny, with a habit like that!

HOLIDAY!!!!

2011-11-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

Four days coming up, plus vacation days tucked in periodically until the end of the year. My poor rescue and my poor cats have been sadly neglected. So have I. The first thing I did when I got off at 2pm was take a 20 minute shower. Now I'm heading into town to check on the Fast Food Ferals and pick up wine for dinner. Then it's back here to take photos of the cats for Black Friday.

With five black cats looking for homes, it seemed like a good marketing crossover.

Laundry is already underway. Ivan and Nell have already hijacked that task, knocking over the pile ready to go to the cat facility and pre-warming one of the beds.

I have also decided I don't like the current blog layout. The banner is too large and the colors are too garish. So you'll be seeing some changes there.

I hope you all are gearing up for a few days of relaxation if you can.

Farewell to Henry...

2011-11-20T18:05:00.001-08:00

at Texas Oasis.

I believe we need to stop claiming that territoriality will keep new cats away

2011-11-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

Repeatedly, I see pro-TNR articles that state: "if you fix feral cats, they'll keep new cats away."

When fixing feral cats doesn't keep new cats away, this is cited by anti-TNR folk as proof that TNR does not work, and that cat advocates don't know what they are talking about. "See, look, new cats!"

Cats do in fact have territories, and in many cases they do protect them. However, unlike wild populations, cats do not necessarily move from Point A to Point B by themselves.

Most commonly, they are abandoned.

If you take a tame pregnant cats, or a batch of kittens, and dump them at a city park where there are altered ferals, those cats aren't going to move very far. They have been transported violently from the territory they knew to a territory they don't. They will latch onto the nearest source of food and shelter they can find, which is the food and shelter put out for them by caretakers. If kittens or a tame cat are dumped at a house or barn, they aren't going to set off across the fields looking for some mystical "better" place just because the resident cats beat up on them. They are going to try to stay out of the way, snatch some food when they can, suffer from wounds, catch illnesses, and become a problem.

Animal control professionals and cat rescuers are often called out for kittens dumped in some remote location. Those kittens will often sit just off the side of the road for days. Their little brains don't process that "wow, we are in trouble, we need to go look for help." Instead their genes are telling them "Sit here and wait for mom. Maybe yell really loud." Unless someone hears those yells, they die. They don't know there is a farmhouse a quarter mile down the road where someone might help them. They sit where they are put.

Male cats have it built in their behavior to move when things get overcrowded. But even friendly male cats are more likely to stay where there is a big house ("I know what a house is!") and humans coming and going, and food on a back porch.

Some cats will in fact keep other cats away. But what does that mean? Now there is a unaltered cats running around outside the colony, perhaps destined to start a new colony.

I strongly believe we need to promote the Caretaker as the reason TNR will work. When cats are fed daily, and traps are set to give cats rabies boosters, or catch injured cats, new cats will also be captured. Friendly cats and kittens can be removed, maintaining the status quo. New ferals can be altered before they spike numbers by adding new kittens to the mix.

Where there is no caretaker watching for new cats, any form of cat control will fail. Lack of a caretaker is why removal so often fails. No one wants to be the local cat killer who notes the arrival of two orange kittens under the cars in the state park parking lot, spends three hard days catching them, and then hauls them off to the local overcrowded shelter where they are killed. Average people might grit their teeth and do it the first time or two, but after awhile they get tired of putting out so much work (and paying a surrender fee), only to be known as that heartless person who kills all the cats everyone else cares about. The "cat killer" may in fact be the only one putting any effort at all into the cats...and yet they are being demonized.

This is why there are so few dedicated private "cat killers" in the world, and removal projects fail. A landlord gets tired of cats at his apartment complex, sets traps for a week or so, hauls them off to the shelter, but doesn't bother to enforce an "indoor altered cats only" requirement or monitor for new cats. So he waits until there are another 30 cats running around before trapping again. Sooner or later, the shelter says "Sorry, we are going no-kill" and he as no place to take those cats legally. So he either ignores them, employs "shoot, shovel, and shut up" (which is illegal and therefore can't be promoted as a public policy) or turns to TNR.

So let's move "territoriality" back to the minor role it deserves. I believe we set ourselves up for failure when we pull that out as a major benefit of TNR. It is a benefit only when you have territorial cats, in an area that experiences little or no abandonment. If you have that lucky mix, you are fortunate indeed.

Gifts...the third!

2011-10-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

My niece Eliza and her little girl Zianna sent the cats a whole box-load of presents. The kittens will get first dibs and then I'll take it out to the cats in the facility, box and all, because you KNOW the box is the most fun of all.

Thank you! It really lifted my spirits to see your names on the box. I miss you all!

Gifts...the second

2011-10-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

My sister Kathy and mother Louise have lately pulled out their sewing machines on behalf of the cats. This week my mom sent little ruffle collars to "holiday up" their profiles.

She sent them with ties, however the kittens were fascinated by the bows. I discovered that the ruffles slipped right over a standard collar.

Here is Noodles, renamed Bounder, enjoying the late autumn weather in his collar:

On violence toward cats by professionals

2011-10-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

I am mulling over the issue of biologists who actively lobby against trap/neuter/return, and how to draw attention to the difference between those who are honestly concerned about natural bird populations, and those who have ego and power issues. I decided to relate a situation where a non-biologist reacted violently against kittens in his care simply because he didn't agree with an aspect of TNR.

An area veterinarian was contracted by a shelter, to provide pre-adoption, pediatric, and feral spay/neuter. He is an excellent surgeon, quite an egotist, and he was very proud of his ability to crank out up to 35-39 spay/neuters a day.

However, at the time, he did not agree with ear-tipping to mark a feral cat as altered. Many people react negatively when first introduced to the idea of cutting 1/4 inch off the tip of a cat's ear. That's no surprise, since a cat's ears are one of the things that we humans find most beautiful about a cat. The movement of ears is one of the ways cats communicate with us.

Ear-tipping marks a free-roaming cat as neutered. It tells neighbors that someone else in the area cares about the local cats, saves female cats from a second or even third surgery if they are re-caught, and is a vital aspect of live cat population management.

This particular vet, at the time, didn't like the idea of being told he "had" to eartip cats. And as a professional who felt "he was right," he reacted in a violent manner. When I walked in to pick up three tamed kittens, one of whom had already been adopted, I heard him say from the surgery (which was on he other side of french doors) "If they want ear tips, I'll give them ear tips!" At the time, I didn't get what he was being to adamant about.

When I peered into the crate with my three kittens, I was shocked to see they had been tipped, and quite bloodily. As tamed kittens, they did not need tips, and tipping was not marked on their crates--just spay/neuter.

Tips can look bad immediately afterward but heal quite nicely, so even though I was angry than my kittens had been unnecessarily tipped, I figured it was an understandable mistake in a high-volume clinic. I said nothing as I left with my kittens.

Then I got home and took the kittens out of the crates, I discovered that, instead of just making a flat surgical slice off the tip with a scalpel, he had folded the kittens' ears in half and cut the top third off with sissors!

I was physically shocked. Not only had my kittens been mangled, with their ears damaged beyond repair, this had been done by a veterinarian who was supposed to be the ultimate protector of cats. Don't they take a vow to "first, do no harm?"

Yet I was to have a worse awakening. When I called my own vet (not my current vet), expecting them to understand that the appearance of these kittens was going to hinder them getting homes, they refused to re-tip the ears to make them flat and less mangled-looking. I was given no explanation. Nothing like "we feel you should report this veterinarian to the Board" or "he should face up to his act." Just "No, we won't see these kittens." I realized they probably were offended that I had taken my kittens to an economy veterinarian instead of them and they felt I was getting what I had paid for and deserved. At the time, I felt that my kittens' welfare was being held hostage by angry selfish business people. When I hung up the phone, I was at a total loss.

There really is no way to explain how deeply this affected me. I had to explain to sweet Houdini's adopter why he had this hideous bite out of his ear. I am not a person who breaks down in tears at the drop of hat, but I literally became speechless while trying to explain. I am always preaching to my adopters that their veterinarian is the one person they should trust, and here I was in a situation having to explain that their bouncy, sweet kitten was going to wear this badge of violence for the rest of his life. I'm amazed they agreed to take him, and I respect them so much for it. Houdini had great huge bat ears, there was a tag of flesh sticking straight up on each side of the ear with a big dip in the middle.

I have since told this story to adopters who use this vet. I will not adopt a cat to anyone who uses him. I have been contacted about other acts of violence by him since that time. I don't put his name online, but I do share it freely in person when needed to prevent someone I care about from using his services.

If a veterinarian takes his anger out on animals he is supposed to respect, just because "non professionals" are telling him he must do a specific technique if he wishes to have their contract, I am not surprised if some wildlife management professionals--who have no such mission to protect domestic animals--react violently when told by "non wildlife professionals" that there is another way to manage cats besides killing them.

In my experience, biologists who approach science objectively will consider TNR to be a tool that can work in certain situations. Biologists have utilized sterilization before, in species from insects to deer. The primary objection by objective biologists is that cost, both in dollars and time, makes sterilization of larger animals impractical. They don't object that "sterilization doesn't work." Obviously, in a perfect scenario, sterilization works. Few situations are perfect, however. You can talk to these biologists at the same table without getting into a food fight, because their concerns are valid.

Yet there are always people who seems to define themselves by "being right." These folks exist on both sides of the animal welfare fringe. They can be animal advocates, veterinarians, or biologists.

Sadly, the animals are ones who suffer for this egotism.

Here is Sylvester's ear, ten years later. Despite being gorgeous, he was passed over by adopters until my sister Linda took him in and gave him a wonderful home. When her friends ask what happened to his ear, she also is put in the position of having to explain that a veterinarian did it, while at the same time defending ear-tipping as a marking method. Wizard, another half-an-ear, was adopted by -- wait for it!-- a biologist. He was years old before he was adopted.

Acts like this are violence, pure and simple. People who promote blasting away at cats, and boast about the numbers they have killed, are violent people. A veterinarian who rebelliously chops off ears of cats in a manner contrary to standard surgical technique is a violent person. If a person feels vindication when they perpetuate an act of destruction, rather than at least minor regret that violence was necessary, he or she is a violent person. They are not a person forced to use violence due to the nature of their mission, as they may profess.

Professional people of this sort may do a great deal of good. Their moments of violence may be a very small aspect of their overall actions. When viewed through a utilitarian filter, their violence may seems to be acceptable compared to the good they do.

That does not, however, make egotist violence acceptable. Professionals who tout their acceptance of egotist violence in public forums like blog comments and academic meetings are especially suspect.

Resource (PDF, large file): Relation of threatened egotism to violence and aggression.

Gifts...the first

2011-10-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

When I came home from Kentucky, there was a gift from Donna and Tim, who care for the cats in my absence. It is a cat tray, and it made me laugh out loud. It now has a place of honor in the great room, which is my shrine to things that please me. Some day I'll have to do an online tour of that room.

They found it at the Finger Lakes ReUse Center, which is a blast to poke around in.

Tackling the web site

2011-10-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

Since 2003 I've had a web site called The American Cat Project. I started building it with the help of my then-neighbor Alden. It is all in html, and updating it hurts my brain, but it is certainly not outside of my ability.

The site is wordy and out-of-date. I get quite a bit of positive feedback on it, primarily because it is a "both sides of the issue" site and you don't find many of those. It's a pretty poor communications tool, though.

It was thrown together with the idea that I would get the content in there, and then whittle it down. However, I switched jobs, and there it sits. Alden has moved away.

I managed to update the landing page last night, and while I was in there I noticed they now have a page builder in the system, which I could use to replace my html based pages. Their templates don't really inspire me, but the site would be much easier to manage if I didn't have to work with html

I have been spurred to update it and include data from our colonies, because I continue to note that anti-feral wildlife organizations like The Wildlife Society and the American Bird Conservancy state there are no confirmed colonies that have been managed to zero via TNR. I would like to get the basic pages cleaned up, throw out some of the outdated pages, and add a page with data from each colony we've cleaned up. This is a good time, since I need to touch base with caretakers before winter anyway, to find out how many cats they have, and whether they need help with shelters.

I am continually impressed with the The Neighborhood Cats pages. I need to remember to check in there at least once a month to see what they have added.

Feral cat news 10/29-10/30

2011-10-30T05:32:00.000-07:00

Feral cats fed rat poison.
Rash of animal-poisonings.

Tiger Tom

2011-10-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

Tiger Tom is clearly out of his shell. I've been meaning to post these for awhile, after snitching them off georg's Facebook page:

Feral cats in the news, 10/25-10/28

2011-10-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

OK City plans to sterilize feral cats.
Helping hands for ferals in SC
Zoo researcher accused of poisoning cats takes stand.
Residents push for stray cat solutions
106 cats rescued from the Flats of Cleveland

High-end cat products

2011-10-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

If you have money to spare, you might be charmed by these (especially the PeiPod!):

Easter-egg like kitty pod
Cardboard kitty pod playhouse scratchers Mary donated two of these two us a few years ago and they lasted a really long time!
Giant Croc bed
Hepper Pods

Feral cats in the news, 10/20-10/21

2011-10-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

Helping hands for ferals.
County board bands woman from feeding cats.
Ferals in Paris
Charges dismissed against cat trapper.

Mariah heads home

2011-10-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

Mariah and Smidge were adopted last week. The visit was supposed to be just for Mariah, but the adopter brought her mom, and Smidge lobbied pretty hard, and ended up going home with mom. They stopped first at mom's house (after a stop at Petsmart for supplies), but Mariah appeared to want to stay with Smidge, so now mom has two kittens.

I hope it works out. Two kittens can be a handful!

Mariah thought the soft-sided crate she went home in was pretty neat. The book is the photo album from the "kitten shower" her intended home had thrown for the kitten they adopted this spring (Mariah had been intended as his playmate).

Both women were great to visit with, and I'll be following up to make sure things are going OK.

Andy Richter's National Feral Cat Day

2011-10-18T19:36:00.001-07:00

Feral cats in the news today

2011-10-18T19:26:00.001-07:00

Feral cats captured and put down.
Not so feral after all.
Feral horses; feral cats, Sable Island

And check out Leo!. Wow, is he an unusually handsome cat.

Twizzler, now Raja, checks in

2011-10-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

I must post Twizzler, now Raja, before I fall asleep and forget to do so. You should see the Himalayan who is her buddy in her new home. Talk about a gorgeous fuzzball...

When wildlife professionals and birders are rabid about cats

2011-10-17T04:23:00.000-07:00

I absolutely understand why someone who loves or respects bird life would be considered about outdoor cats.

What I don't understand is how biologists, who otherwise conduct research on animal population management, dismiss trap/neuter/return out-of-hand...without having conducted any research on it themselves. Most actual research involving spay/neuter of feral cats has been conducted by small animal veterinarians with a clinic background. You would think population management biologists would jump all over this fairly low-cost, "easy-to-conduct locally" research option.

With the increased press due to National Feral Cat Day, it noted otherwise highly intelligent people--usually who have a research background -- release venom about shooting cats with high-powered rifles, etc. These same people would admonish citizens who blasted away at other animals in violation of the law. In most areas, it is illegal to kill a cat that could be someone's property, or any cat at all.

(Note: I do not consider these "shoot, shovel, and shut up" comments to be typical of professional biologists, but the fact that the posters consider themselves professionals is somewhat alarming).

Some wildlife professionals will also suggest, as a solution to cat overpopulation, taking the cat to a shelter. There seems to be little understanding that in many areas, there are no open-admission shelters, and that in many municipalities, no public funding is provided at all for cat control. In my area, shelters that accept cats are doing so out of their own pockets and with donor dollars---donors who expect those dollars to go primarily toward saving the lives of pets.

I am as of yet unfamiliar with any research conducted by a government or university biologist (versus a layperson or veterinarian) involving the sterilization of a particular population of cats actually conducted by that biologist.

In all of the colonies I have been involved with, populations have steadily dropped to near zero, as long as there is a committed caretaker. Situations where kittens have shown up again have been due to a lapse in caretaker commitment. In other words, as long as all or a majority of cats are altered, and a caretaker reports quickly on the appearance of new cats, TNR works on a site-by-site basis.

There also seems to be confusion between an actual colony TNR program, and just offering spay/neuter to the public, including feral cats. If a shelter has spay/neuter options and makes them available to people who have feral cats, this is not a "TNR project." This is a public spay/neuter project.

TNR involves addressing a specific population of cats. If you look at a specific population, fix all or as many cats as you can at that site, remove kittens and friendly cats, and feed and provide shelter for the cats, you can track the success or failure at that site.

But if you provide spay/neuter for a large geographic area and some of those cats "happen to be feral" and your reports of, or intake of, feral cats does not drop, this is not due to the failure of TNR.

Let me offer an example. If a person has a problem with raccoons, and they call a nuisance wildlife control company, and that company excludes or removes six raccoons from the property and repairs the damage and removes attractants, that landowners problem has absolutely been solved---but there has been no real impact on the overall population of raccoons in that county. That wildlife control company could run around doing a bang-up job resolving raccoon problems, reducing disease risk, and making landowners very happy, and never risk wiping out the overall raccoon population.

To have an impact on an overall geographic population, there would need to be a concerted large-scale effort to remove or sterilize animals. Deer hunting seasons would be an example of this. Hunting actually has an impact on populations because thousands of hunters take to the woods during breeding season.

TNR is successful at resolving site-by-site problems. It also is successful at lowering individual shelter intake, if that shelter replaces acceptance of feral cats for euthanasia with spay/neuter of feral cats to be returned to the landowner.

However it will take a number of very large-scale spay/neuter programs in an area, over time, to impact the entire overall population of cats.

So it is understandable that TNR is a "success" --- it permanently resolves a local feral cat problem at a trailer park, college campus, or person's back porch --- at the same time the county, overall, is still seeing a lot of cats.

Wildlife biologists point to this as the "failure" of TNR and a reason to ban or discourage it. These same biologists would never suggest banning private nuisance wildlife control just because the activities of wildlife control trappers does not impact overall nuisance species populations. That idea would be idiotic.

(By the way, raccoons are also a main predator of songbird nests).

A wildlife biologist might respond to this criticism by saying that they encourage nuisance wildlife control operators to kill nuisance raccoons rather than relocate them (Relocation can spread disease, disrupt the new population, and stress or kill the relocated raccoon). They would say they are suggesting the same things for cats: Put them down.

However nuisance wildlife control operators usually have legal options to kill raccoons themselves. Citizens usually cannot kill cats of unknown origin themselves because they could be someone's property. And municipalities may not fund shelters adequately or at all.

In addition, nuisance wildlife control businesses are paid to resolve wildlife conflicts. Because the public perceives cat control as a municipal responsibility (even when the municipality won't fund cat control) they are reluctant to pay for it. And it is illegal, in most cases, for a private citizen or business to offer killing of cats as a service. Some cats could be lost or free-roaming pets.

Locally, I've received calls from people with stray cats who have been turned away by shelters in both Tompkins and Tioga counties because those shelters are simply out of room. The Tioga shelter receives no funding at all for cats from their county and towns.

A local shelter may also be a private, no-kill humane society. If it is against the humane societies mission to accept cats to be killed just because society doesn't want to deal with them, there is no reason for that private humane society (or private rescue for that matter) to deplete their resources attempting to resolve a massive problem that the municipality does not feel is important enough to fund.

There are additional inconsistencies in the attitudes of biologists or birding professionals' attitudes to toward cats that I'll address in future posts.

Recent news posts about feral cats

2011-10-17T03:45:00.000-07:00

Feral Cats Live the High Life
Animal Control And SAAFhouse Aim To Slow Feral Cat Crisis
County considers feral cat program
Body found by feral cat trappers (Um, yikes!)
And of course, lots of National Feral Cat Day coverage!

Good morning from The Owl House

2011-10-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

photo by Valarie Kranz

And happy National Feral Cat Day. In honor of this special day, launched in 2001 by Alley Cat Allies, I am saying goodbye to Wildrun, and hello to The Owl House.

Wildrun was a wildlife control and cat chasing venture started by a 28 year-old young woman with a truck, a boyfriend, a catchpole, who got a real sense of joy being out in the small wild lands that edged our suburban world. I caught things. Woodchucks, raccoons, skunks, now and then a beaver and...cats. My life was running around, catching things.

The Owl House is a house on a quiet road in something close to the middle of nowhere, surrounded by older neighbors of German and Finnish origin, and younger neighbors who just wanted to walk out their door and see the sky, hear the creeks, and appreciate other folks who loved such things. And instead of me having to go get the cats, the cats more often come to me.

Right now, as I type, one young black cat is curled up on my left. Another is on my lap, keeping my hands warm as I work. Their tux brother is having a wash on the carpet. Yesterday, Mariah and Smidge (pictured) went to their new homes.

Here we are.

At one time I had a grand plan. It was called The American Cat Project, and you can still find it living on the web, full of broken links and old information. You'll see it slowly get cleaned up over the next few months. It will become smaller, tighter, and will address issues. It will no longer be a grand plan, but it says something most sites don't say. Sometimes things live, and sometimes things die. Life is not black and white.

I also have a new home page for The Owl House at at OwlHouseCats.com It's very small now, because last year I got the basic plan to see how I liked the system. This year I will expand to unlimited pages, and I plan to provide information on how local people can handle their own cat issues when we cannot help.

I have some long range plans, but until the economy shakes itself out, I'll just keep those on pen and paper rather than the internet.

I hope the point of the change will become clearer over the next few months, for the major launch in January of 2012.

I know some of you are somewhat attached to Wildrun, having been on board for years and years. I have to say, I'm having a hard time giving it up. Sometimes things have to pass on for other things to live.

Have a wonderful, glorious fall day, on this National Feral Cat Day!

Leave the cat in the crate on the way home!

2011-10-14T18:02:00.001-07:00