Tuesday, August 30, 2005

[Feral Cat Blog! Purpose - right sidebar below Resources]

A prevention AND solution action for cities, counties, communities is to immediately implement or support comprehensive cat management programs that promote CONCURRENTLY:
* spay neuter, identification, and containment for 'owned' cats and
* Trap-Neuter-RETURN (TNR) for unowned cats.
See Cat Management in Communities for further information.

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* Hurricane Katrina Animals Pets *

* Abandoned Cats - Israel Disengagement *
August 2 to 25, 2005

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Greens cat desex call
Tasmania Advocate, Australia
... licensed breeders would be able to keep non-desexed cats. Greens environment spokesman Nick McKim said domestic cat control would tackle the feral cat problem ...

Cats test negative for plague
The Bakersfield Californian
Kern County Public Health officials announced Monday that 50 cats quarantined at a trailer home in the hills above Hart Flat are not sick with bubonic plague.
What will happen to the felines now is still uncertain.

Bubonic Plague not cause of death in Hart Flat cats
BAKERSFIELD - Local public health officials breathed a sigh of relief Monday when the test results from the carcass of one of the cats found in Kern’s mountains came back negative for Bubonic Plague.
That means the cause of deaths of 40 or so cats found near Hart Flat are yet to be determined, but officials can rule out Bubonic Plague.
Cat rescue organizations from southern California are expected to get involved in caring for the many surviving cats, and they may later be available for adoption.
Most of them are Manx, which are cats without tails.
An Oildale veterinary office will test some of the cats for other illnesses like feline leukemia.
Animal Control will be filing a complaint with the District Attorney’s Office to press charges.

Mongrel invasion: Residents report cat-killing canines in Paradise ...
Savannah Morning News, GA - August 29, 2005
... veterinarian. Then the second of her three cats, Robbie, disappeared three days later. Then a feral cat she fed daily went missing. Now ...

Veterinary unit helps low-income families
Bangor Daily News, ME - Aug 29, 2005
... The problem with feral cats in Washington County is the same that the mobile unit encounters everywhere: People get rid of unwanted pets, even dumping them at ...

Your views:
LaCrosse Tribune, WI - Aug 28, 2005
[Scroll down to]
Feral cats
By Lindsay Pollard-Post Norfolk, Va.
Thank you for your article "Feral cats are back: Group to give population control seminar," (Aug. 25). Let's hope that, in addition to legal and financial issues, La Crosse County also will consider the hardships feral cats face in deciding whether to allow trap-neuter-return programs.Unless they are located in a temperate climate in an area isolated from roads, people and other animals and are provided with food, water and veterinary care, feral cats struggle to survive. Feral cats don't die of old age. Many suffer terribly from contagious diseases like rhinotrachitis, feline AIDS and rabies. Others sustain puncture wounds, broken bones, brain damage, or lose eyes or limbs after being attacked by other animals, abused by cruel people, or hit by cars.Given these gruesome fates, and until the cat overpopulation is stemmed through spaying and neutering, euthanasia is a humane option for feral cats. PETA offers brochures on helping feral cats and how to introduce a local spay/neuter ordinance. Readers can get our free literature from Helping Animals.com.Lindsay Pollard-Post is a staff writer for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Watchdog Laws for Pet Rescuers?
Los Angeles Times, CA - Aug 29, 2005
... politicians, nor the current structure of animal control to sensibly enforce any regulations," said Bonita Berger of Northridge, who rescues feral cats. ...

AniMeals helps pets of needy owners
Winston-Salem Journal, NC - Aug 28, 2005
... Rebecca Kennedy of Forgotten Felines of Forsyth said that the program helps her group, which traps feral cats, sterilizes them and then releases them. ...

The dog who loved cats
Newsday, NY - Aug 28, 2005...
And every day, from 2 am until sunup, he makes the rounds of 19 feral cat colonies Ginny helped him find, feeding an estimated 320 cats. ...

Starvation, disease: Behold the woe of the feral cat
Charlotte Observer, NC - Aug 28, 2005
... stabilizing the population. If feral cats are merely killed, then new cats capable of breeding soon move in to repopulate the area. ...

Spay/neuter clinic Sept. 11 in Coquille
Coos Bay World, OR - Aug 27, 2005
Only homeless or feral cats qualify for the clinic, and the cats must have caregivers who feed them regularly and will care for them after they have been ...

Woman is cited for dumping cats
Canton Repository (subscription), OH - Aug 27, 2005
... Berry said people don’t realize that dumping cats can be dangerous. Uncared for, the cats will become wild, or feral, and vicious. ...

Disease kills cats at TAILS Director says virus likely spread by ...
Dekalb Daily Chronicle, IL - Aug 26, 2005
... Emmanuel said kittens born to stray or feral cats who have never received a vaccination also are likely to get the disease because they don't have a good ...

OUR OPINION
Jacksonville Daily News, NC - Aug 26, 2005
... Kindness Clinic, has performed low-cost spay-neuters on more than 2,000 cats and dogs. Those spay-neuters - for low-income residents' pets, feral colonies and ...
[Excerpt]
Bell and her fellow "calendar girls" volunteered for the project not because they wanted personal publicity, but because they're animal lovers and wanted to do something to help creatures less fortunate than the ones they themselves love - and dote upon.

Animal welfare group seeks to expand
Bolton Common, MA - Aug 26, 2005
... Other signature programs are trap-neuter-release for feral cats and foster care and "adopt-a-thons" for homeless cats. In the last ...

Authority snips declawing policy
The York Dispatch, PA - August 24, 2005
Facing picketers and protesters, the York City housing authority yesterday repealed a regulation requiring residents of its housing complexes to have their cats declawed or present a veterinarian's note giving medical reasons why the process would be harmful to the animal.
From now on, any cat with front claws will have to be carried in a cat carrier while in hallways, elevators or any other common area of the authority's buildings.

Friday, August 26, 2005

American Humane Association (AHA)
Annual Conference: September 29 - October 1, 2005
Hilton Austin
Austin, Texas

Saturday, October 1: 1pm to 3pm
Workshop 31:
Collarless Doesn’t Mean Worthless: Why It’s in Your Best Interest to Start a Shelter-Based TNR Program for Feral Cats
Presenter: Becky Robinson, National Director, Alley Cat Allies, Bethesda, MD;
Karen Bird, Supervisor, West Valley City Animal Services, West Valley City, UT; and Holly Sizemore, Feral Fix Program Director~ No More Homeless Pets, Kanab, UT

Discuss the ways a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program is more effective in addressing the feral cat problem than sporadic trap-and-kill policies, and how it demonstrates that conimunity acceptance of TNR offers benefits in time, money, staff responsibilities, and reduced liabilities. Learn how animal control agencies and shelters can make a transition from their current policies to a TNR program with educational resources that will help your staff adjust to new policies and new challenges.
Track: Shelter Operations

You can download the brochure.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

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* Abandoned Cats - Israel Disengagement *
August 2 to 25, 2005

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On the wild side
Once nearly extinct, weasel-like fishers thrive in the suburbs, where their ravenous feeding habits threaten family pets
Boston Globe, United States
... And they point out that there are many wild animals -- the coyote, the great horned owl, and the fox, for example -- that like to prey on cats. ...

Southern Utahns battle area's feral cat population
Saint George Spectrum
ST. GEORGE - For Kris and Jim Neal, the homeless pet problem in St. George means more than animals in shelters. For them, the problem is in the streets.

Euthanization rate drops at PAWS facility
Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, TN
Some 2,209 dogs and cats that were received by Rutherford County Pet Adoption & Welfare Services (PAWS) from May through July, and 1,454 had to be put to sleep for lack of someone to adopt them, a PAWS spokeswoman said.

Feral cats are back: Group to give population control seminar
LaCrosse Tribune - LaCrosse,WI,USA
... Earlier this year, Wisconsin made national headlines when the state's Conservation Congress considered a proposal to make shooting feral cats legal. ...

More animals landing on streets since fee added
News-Leader.com, MO
... "My neighbor ... moved and just left her three cats here. ... I took in a feral cat, and SNAP (a local spay-and-neuter organization) helped me neuter it for $20. ...

Pelzman pledges new animal shelter in ’06
Edison/Metuchen Sentinel, NJ
... Green said. “You have to take into account that a lot of feral cats are not considered adoptable,” Green said. Only animals ...

Woman bitten by rabid skunk
NorthJersey.com, NJ
... people to be extra cautious if they encounter any wild or stray animals," said ... Free-roaming cats and kittens account for the greatest number of exposures to ...

Officials seeking stricter pet laws
Fitchburg Sentinel, MA
... recently adopted a stray cat, and she has nine children. Carlson said the six-cat, four-dog maximum was too high. "I would think two dogs and two cats is enough ...

Deadly cat virus hits Valley animal shelter
Aurora Beacon News, IL
... Medical Director Dr. Sharon Colgan said an unvaccinated stray likely brought the disease into the shelter and spread it to other cats. ...
Virus kills nearly 100 cats at animal shelter
WLS, IL
August 25, 2005 (SOUTH ELGIN, Ill.) — Authorities say nearly 100 cats have died at a suburban Chicago animal shelter after catching an aggressive feline virus ...
Virulent virus kills 93 shelter cats
Chicago Tribune, United States
An aggressive feline virus that can kill within hours of the first symptoms has claimed 93 cats at a South Elgin animal shelter, attacking with unusual ...

Millbrook animal cruelty case wraps up
Millbrook Round Table, NY
... According to the SPCA, almost all the cats found were diagnosed with viral feline leukemia, which is spread by feces and urine. ...

Outdoor cats may need more vaccinations
Norman Transcript, OK
... Have the veterinarian give the canarypox virus-vectored type, since feline veterinarian experts find this to be preferable to other types of rabies vaccination ...

Cat owners warned about plague risk
CALIFORNIA
Cat owners warned about plague risk from wild rodents
San Francisco Chronicle, United States
State health officials warned cat owners Wednesday to keep their pets away from wild rodents, citing the detection of the plague in four house cats since late ...
[Excerpt]
State health officials cautioned that they had detected no signs of an upswing in California plague infections. However, they say, the fact that four infected cats from two widely separated counties were discovered in such a brief period merited a public warning.
"The motivation for us putting out this was, we routinely have one or two cases in cats each year," said Curtis Fritz, an epidemiologist with the infectious-diseases branch of the state Department of Health Services. "This year, we have already had four cases."
Dr. Claudia Jonah of the Kern County Department of Public Health said local medical officials were not concerned about the discovery.
"The testing we have done so far has shown no incidence of plague," Jonah said. "Kern is endemic for plague at the higher altitudes. It is something that we look for every year. ... This is something that we know could be here every summer."
[Feral Cat Blog! Resource:
Centers for Disease Control
Plague Information
Plague Fact Sheet ]

Police follow up on report about cats
Record-Journal, CT
... Police have sent a certified letter to the owners of the defunct Garden of Eden massage parlor on East Main Street upon learning that malnourished cats may be ...
Message made to save the cats inside
Record-Journal

MSPCA Vineyard chapter depends on annual fundraiser for cash
Martha's Vineyard Times, MA
... Some shelters advertising this policy do not count the euthanization of feral cats or aged and injured animals in their statistics. ...

Adopt a Cat
KPHO Phoenix, AZ
... The adoption fee includes spay or neuter, vaccinations, a cat license, microchip and cat carrier. Thinking about adopting a cat? Consider these cat facts: ...

McEnroe to Poke Fun at Self in PETA Ad
Newsday, NY... during US Open coverage next week, McEnroe pokes fun at himself by unleashing a trademark tirade sure to get people interested in cat and dog overpopulation. ...

JOHN MCENROE RAISES A RACKET IN NEW PETA SPAY AND NEUTER PSA
PETA (press release)
... s the most important thing you can do to make a difference for homeless animals!" barks McEnroe after another actor challenges his decision to neuter his dog. ...

New York A 7644 / S 4560 Signed! - Expands Animal Population Control Program
Full text of NY A 7644
[Excerpt]
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: This bill would expand the animal population control program to make low income pet owners in New York State eligible for low-cost spay/neuter vouchers regardless of where they obtain their pets. Current law making New Yorkers who adopt their pets from shelters within the state eligible for vouchers under the program would remain unchanged.
Full text of NY S 4560
Current Animal Population Control Program

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

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* Abandoned Cats - Israel Disengagement *
August 2 to 23, 2005

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Feral cats pose risk, researcher writes
Northwest Herald, Illinois
WOODSTOCK – A controversial program created last year to control wild, homeless cats could be discontinued after criticism from a McHenry County health official and an ultimatum from county leaders.
[Excerpt]
Proffering a letter from a researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Wheeler said at a board of health meeting that outdoor cats spread toxoplasmosis, a minor parasitic infection that can be dangerous to pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.
Pathiobiologist Milton McAllister wrote that a "massive body of evidence regarding the public health risk" should prompt strict controls on feral cats and called it "socially irresponsible" to allow cats to live unrestricted outdoors.
But proponents of the program say the risk of toxoplasmosis was discussed extensively before the county approved the idea.
"In all, I think that it's unfair to try and revisit all this stuff based on one person's hearsay that is not statistically proven, that an increase [in toxoplasmosis] is based on feral cats," said Cindy Gaffney, the coordinator for Helping Paws' trap-neuter-release program.

Board reviews stray-cat surgery
Chicago Tribune, United States
McHENRY COUNTY -- A test program in which stray cats are spayed or neutered and released would get a three-month extension under a proposal officials are ...

State: Fix pets or pay higher fees
Bloomington Pantagraph, USA
... The new fee, which will be administered by county health departments, is aimed at reducing the number of stray dogs and cats in Illinois. ...
[Feral Cat Blog! Note and Resource: This is a new statewide spay/neuter program to include eligible feral cat caretakers as well as low-income pet 'owners'!!!:
"A resident of this State who is managing a feral cat colony and who humanely traps feral cats for spaying or neutering and return is eligible to participate in the program provided the trap, sterilize, and return program is recognized by the municipality or by the county, if it is located in an unincorporated area.
Full text of enrolled Illinois House Bill 315

Fresno County adds teeth to dog law
Fresno Bee (subscription), CA
... the 15 cities will adopt similar regulations. Anyone who doesn't want to spay or neuter a dog or cat can obtain a breeding permit. ...

Animal policies progressive in Ga.
Atlanta Journal Constitution (subscription), GA
... We worked to get the enabling legislation for the spay-neuter license plate passed, as well as the tax check-off legislation to allow taxpayers to contribute ...

CA Could Force Spaying, Neutering
KGO, CA
California cities and counties would be able to force dog owners to spay or neuter some breeds under new legislation passed by the State Assembly. ...

Most of cats rescued from FdL residence expected to survive
Fond du Lac Reporter, WI
One of the 12 cats removed from a West Bank Street residence has been euthanized by the Fond du Lac Humane Society, but Shelter Manager Lucy Mathers says the ...

20 cats taken from home euthanized
Newark Star Ledger, NJ
Twenty of the 95 cats removed from an East Orange home on Monday have been euthanized because of illness, animal welfare authorities said yesterday. ...

Samples from dead cats sent to lab; owners may be charged
Bakersfield Californian (subscription), CA
... The cats, dogs and horses on the quarantined property near Hart Flat were doing well Tuesday, said Kern County Animal Control chief Denise Haynes. ...
Animals tested for Bubonic Plague
KGET 17

Humane Society opts to not renew animal control contract
Mooresville / Decatur Times, IN
... Both women said the county needs to enact a strict spay and neuter ordinance and enforce it. They said that until the ordinance ...

ROCHDALE will be overrun with unwanted cats, an animal charity has ...
Rochdale Observer, UK
Barbara Henry, branch co-ordinator of Cats Protection, says that unless cat owners take on their responsibilities and get their pets neutered, the country’s ...

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

# of Stray Cats Becoming A Problem Locally
WLNS, MI
Last year, Ingham County picked up almost 2,500 stray cats, and even more than that this year, but they say most of the cats come from the Lansing area. ...

NH Humane Society in need of homes for 120 cats
Laconia Citizen, NH
... The situation has made it virtually impossible for the shelter to take in any more stray, abused or abandoned cats because there is simply no more space to ...

Research results fire up calls for cat crackdown
Hobart Mercury - Hobart,Tasmania,Australia
... for registration of domestic cats, compuslory desexing and microchipping were renewed yesterday in the wake of the shock findings of research into feral cats. ...

Town clerk giving back to community
The Buffalo News, New York
[Excerpts]
Boston Town Clerk David Shenk isn't a millionaire, not even close.
But he has one thing he can claim in common with Bill & Linda Gates and Buffalo's Gilded Age heiress Margaret L. Wendt. He has his own foundation. The foundation is looking to give away money again this summer, and sometimes, said Shenk, that can be a little difficult.
"Sometimes we've only had one or two applicants," he said.
The Shenk Foundation was established in 1993, but you won't see its imprint as part of any big-money projects. Instead, Shenk and his board (his father Gene, and real estate agent Elizabeth Fadale) are more likely to approve grants to buy live traps for the Ten Lives Club to capture and neuter feral cats or to provide patrol packs for new Cub Scouts.
"Sometimes we give toward something, sometimes we pay for it in its entirety," said Shenk, "but we prefer to take ownership of a particular project, to pay for the whole thing."
Gene Shenk said the school tax collection fees going into the fund have totaled about $2,500 a year. Its principal is about $15,000.
David Shenk said the best advice he can give to applicants is to come up with a complete project that costs between $200 and $500 and to get the application in by Friday.
The foundation usually gives out between $500 and $1,000 per year in grants.
Applications can be requested by writing the David J. Shenk Foundation, P.O. Box 232, Boston, NY 14025.

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There is hope for homeless pets
Ashland Daily Tidings, Oregon
Guest Forum:
Ann Wilton, President, Companion Animal Coalition
[Excerpts]
National Homeless Pets Day was Aug. 20.
Does the idea of no more homeless pets sound good to you? It does to me, too. And it is doable, right now.

Locally, we have had some success in lowering the number of dogs destroyed. But cat numbers are a different story, they are still unacceptably high. Eliminating euthanasia can happen in Jackson County, particularly now, since the old excuse of being underfunded is no longer valid.
The three animal shelters (Jackson County Animal Care and Control, Southern Oregon Humane Society and CATS, Committed Alliance to Strays) have recently each received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a bequest from the estate of Vern BeBe. Jackson County, which will get the largest percentage, has already received over $880,000, with many more thousands to come, perhaps as much as $1.2 million total.
Jackson County, the only local shelter that uses euthanasia, must stop classifying cats. Classifying cats gives them an excuse to euthanize all those that fall into their all-too-subjective “unadoptable” classification. Jackson County euthanizes 70 percent of the cats brought in.

I volunteer for a local grass-roots group called “Kitty Rescue.” We do not make distinctions between the cats we help.

Next, spay/neuter must be provided for all animals. This means all cats, whether owned, free-roaming, low income, regular income, pink or blue.

And lastly, the public must help. All of us who have had our cats fixed need go further to help others get their cats fixed, too. Too many people ignore large populations of free-roaming cats in their neighborhood. When you see a stray or unfixed cat you must act immediately. Don’t wait until the cat is pregnant to help it.
I also advocate a successful program which has become the industry standard for feral and abandoned cat overpopulation control across the country. It replaces euthanasia, it is kinder, more cost-effective, and successful at reducing numbers over the long-term, unlike euthanasia, which does not. It is called Trap-Neuter-Return, TNR for short. It involves trapping any cat that is not tame, taking it to a vet, having it neutered and ear-tipped, returning it to its location and then continuing to feed it. The motto being, “If you feed’em, fix’em.” The shelters can now afford to help fund the spay/neuter and public education part of this program.

Please contact the Jackson County commissioners and encourage them to insist that Jackson County use their funds to implement the actions I have addressed here:
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County of Fairfax, Virginia
CLERK'S BOARD SUMMARY REPORT OF ACTIONS OF THE FAIRFAX COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - August 1, 2005
[Scroll down to]
ANIMAL CONTROL ISSUES
[Excerpt]
Accordingly, Supervisor Bulova asked unanimous consent that the Board direct the County Executive to examine this situation and report regarding Animal Control’s policies dealing with rabid, or potentially rabid, animals. If those policies are what she previously described, she further asked that the Board direct staff to provide some options to better serve constituents.
Discussion ensued regarding wildlife cases, the State’s responsibility, guidance given to citizens regarding wildlife, trapping of feral cats, disposal of dead crows, removal of snakes, and a balance in the coexistence of people and wildlife in suburbia, with input from Anthony H. Griffin, County Executive.
Chairman Connolly recapped the request as a request for the following information:
· Current guidance to residents.
· Current procedures.
· The location of the resources available to this effort.
· A clear delineation of the State responsibility in relation to the County’s responsibility.
· Proposals as to what can or should be done to provide better service and guidance to residents.

Trapping proposed for pesky cats
Herald and News, OR [Klamath County]
... Some people are inclined to feed stray cats, but won't claim ownership. "Unless you license cats, how do you prove it?" he said. ...

Deaths of cats stir up mystery
Bakersfield Californian (subscription), CA
... Some of the swarm of living cats still on the property are obviously sick, with something that may be the feline equivalent of the sniffles. ...

Group rescues 4 abandoned NCCo cats
The News Journal, DE
... You walk by their cages and they just purr.". Two of the cats, Benny and Fred, have tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus. ...

Animal worker gets jail, $14,000 fine in deaths of cats
Newsday, NY
... ORANGE, NJ (AP) _ A woman was sentenced Monday to a 21-day jail term for failing to provide proper shelter for animals after about 200 dead cats were found ...

Judge orders all cats removed from home Newark Star Ledger

Sick, dead cats found in deplorable conditions in house on Bank ...
Fond du Lac Reporter, WI
... Aside from investigating the conditions, officers were also setting live traps inside the house in an effort to catch the remaining cats. ...

Chief inspector has authority to condemn damaged property
Fond du Lac Reporter

On the Internet, cats are man's best friend
Sun-Sentinel.com, FL
[From the New York Times]
... (Dogs Hate Bush exists, but then so does Cats Hate Bush.) As any good Web hound can tell you, Rathergood.com is filled with crazy crooning cats. ...

Study lifts lid on our fat ferals
Hobart Mercury, Australia
... they store fat on internal organs and breed out of season.University of Tasmania zoology honours student Kylie Cahill has dissected 85 feral cats as part of ...

OVER CAT-PACITY: Humane Society might stop taking animals
Winona Daily News, MN
... "Spending that $100 (to spay or neuter a pet) is the kindest thing a person can do if they love animals," Olson said. As for those ...

Monday, August 22, 2005

Ottawa Superex Super Pet PetFest
Cat Breed of the Day - Feral Cat
Tuesday, August 23, 2005 from Noon to 9 pm
The Cat Rescue Network (CRN) - The Cat Rescue Network was established in 1999, in order to bring together, in an informal partnership, animal welfare organizations and committed individuals to address gaps in the delivery of animal welfare services for homeless cats.
The CRN’s primary goals are to: Negotiate economies of scale with respect to veterinary fees, animal food and other cat related goods and services; Share resources such as foster homes, websites, volunteers, expertise and funding; Support and communicate with each other in areas of common interest such as animal welfare legislation and program delivery such as feral cat Trap, Neuter, Release (TRN) programs; Provide infrastructure and funding to smaller scale rescuers.

Pound could see $900,000 funding boost
San Antonio Express (subscription), TX
[Excerpts]
A proposed 23 percent increase in the Animal Care Services budget and a push for new programs, including one that would change how animals are euthanized, mark a significant change in the city's approach to its booming animal population.
After last year's outcry over San Antonio's high rate of euthanasia under inhumane conditions, officials at the Brackenridge Park shelter established a new mission: minimize the kill rate by increasing adoptions and spay-neuter efforts, thereby lowering the number of impounded animals.
With the $4.8 million budget proposal for 2006 — an increase of nearly $900,000 — Animal Care Services Director Sam Sanchez wants to boost funding for spay-neuter programs, maintain the switch from euthanasia by carbon monoxide to lethal injection and launch an innovative pilot program to deal with feral cats.
The animal shelter was set on a new path after the San Antonio Express-News revealed thousands of stray dogs and cats were being gassed to death each year, prompting a change in leadership at the facility and the emergence of a grass-roots movement focusing on volunteerism and education.

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the budget is a $30,000 allocation to start a trap, neuter and release pilot project within willing communities.
The program would require City Council to change an ordinance regarding the feeding of a stray animal for more than 24 hours. Once an animal is fed for more than a day, it becomes the responsibility of that person, according to the ordinance.
The program would allow residents to trap feral cats, have them spayed or neutered and vaccinated, then released back into the community where they would be maintained in colonies with feeding stations — a kind of "urban game management," as Sanchez calls it.
"We have to look at cats differently than dogs," Sanchez said. "We've been guilty of a one-size-fits-all approach."
But Councilmen Richard Perez and Roland Gutierrez said they adamantly would oppose releasing animals back into the community.
"To me it's a health and safety issue for the citizens of San Antonio," Perez said at Thursday's City Council meeting. "There is no way I can support that."

[Feral Cat Blog! Resource:
Series in the San Antonio Express
Death by the Pound ]

The bare necessities
Jacksonville Daily News, NC
... make the site a place to provide a variety of services for animals, including dog training and behavioral counseling, care for feral cats, educational classes ...

Feeding the soul
Asbury Park Press, NJ
... took in a stray cat desperately needing a loving place to call home. She was less than a year old. What I didn't know at the time was that the male cats in the ...

New animal ordinances give Georgetown police more bite
New Albany Tribune, IN
... to dogs, cats and those domesticated animals often kept and regarded as pets.". Georgetown resident Jeff Bird said he has had problems with stray animals on his ...

40 dead cats, more live ones found on property
Bakersfield Californian (subscription), CA
Kern County animal control officers found 40 dead cats plus dozens more live animals on a property in the upper Hart Flat area Sunday that one official called ...

Dogs, cats unlikely to contract West Nile
Monterey County Herald, CA
... highest among the elderly population. The risk West Nile virus poses to our pet cats and dogs is very low. Cases of infection causing ...

Can cats get cavities?
Monterey County Herald, CA
... According to board certified veterinary dentist Dr. Jan Bellows in Weston, Fla., cats get tooth cavities but they are not the same as those in people. ...

Filthy Condo Housed Teens, Dogs, 17 Cats, Police Say
Tampa Tribune, FL
... An unknown number of dogs, two snakes and 17 cats were living in the residence. Three dogs were found in separate, dirty crates without food or water. ...

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Massachusetts: Public Hearing and Written Public Comments

Massachusetts Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (Wildlife Action Plan)
DRAFT Outline as of: August 11, 2005
MassWildlife is working to create the state's first Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Posted here is a revised draft for public review and comment. Comments are welcomed and needed. The deadline for submitting comments is September 1, 2005. We look forward to hearing from you!
An Information Meeting will be held on Aug 25 in West Wareham where comments will be accepted orally and written comments may be submitted up to Sept 1.

UPCOMING FISHERIES & WILDLIFE BOARD MEETINGS
August 25--Fisheries & Wildlife Board Meeting and Hearings, 1PM, East Wareham--This meeting will be held at 1PM at the UMass Cranberry Station, 1 State Bog Road. Open to the public and media, these public meetings provide Board members with information from MassWildlife on wildlife and related topics and issues across the state. As part of the agenda, the Board will be voting on the proposals relative to the Youth Pheasant Hunt and the black bear hunting regulations (see July proposals below).
An informational presentation and meeting will be held at 3 PM at the same location regarding the Massachusetts Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. (Wildlife Action Plan). The public is invited to provide additional comments on this plan at this time.
A Public Hearing will held beginning at 7 PM at the same location relative to establishing seasons and bag limits for the migratory bird seasons. Directions are below in Public Hearing Notices.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

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National Homeless Animals' Day 2005
Saturday, August 20

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* Abandoned Cats - Israel Disengagement *
August 2 to 21, 2005

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Fix felix
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA - 8 hours ago... calling the shelter at 724-539-2544. In addition to household pets, the shelter will accept stray and feral cats for the service. ...

Study says Florida panther rebound fueled by Texas cats
Palm Beach Post, FL
... Scientists say the two events are related: The state's introduction of the Texas cats, a controversial effort that some experts scoffed at, has pulled the ...
Texas Cats Help Triple Florida Panther Population
National Geographic

Be part of the solution; rescue a homeless pet
Santa Cruz Sentinel, CA
... There are already more animals than homes available. Spay or neuter your animals so they don’t add to the staggering animal overpopulation problem. ...

Ron Henry Strait: TP&W turns ear to public in forum
San Antonio Express (subscription), TX
[Excerpts]
This week's meeting of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission will be busier than usual.
Thursday's action agenda includes 23 items covering topics from grants for boat ramps and target ranges to the Migratory Game Bird Proclamation (dove and waterfowl seasons). It also includes a proposed regulation providing for the humane dispatch of game animals and game birds.
The commission's Wednesday program will include the usual briefings on departmental matters in addition to the panel's annual public meeting.

That exception is Wednesday's public meeting, which begins at 2p.m. at TP&W headquarters, 4200 Smith School Road, in southeast Austin.

Go in the front door and fill out a card. At 2p.m., the commissioners will be on the podium, and you will get three minutes to tell them how you feel about any subject that falls within TP&W purview. The line can be long, so plan on spending the afternoon waiting for your turn.

The commissioners also appreciate praise and getting new information or perspectives.
In the latter category, one year, a fellow presented information on the depredation of native bird species by feral cats. It is one of those topics that is seldom aired or thought of, but it is of great concern among birders and naturalists.
The information he presented made me more aware of feral cats, that is, cats that have been abandoned or discarded and now forage on their own.
Feral cats are out there by the tens of thousands, and, unlike abandoned dogs that need some human assistance to survive, feral cats are loners that will fend for themselves. In doing so, they can devastate populations of nesting birds, small reptiles and other native fauna.
The devastation goes mostly unnoticed by the public, and the man wondered what TP&W could do about the matter.

On the action agenda for Thursday's meeting is the "humane dispatch" presentation to be made by game warden David Sinclair, chief of wildlife enforcement and a specialist in hunting regulations.
It will clarify the circumstances under which an injured or otherwise impaired game animal or game bird can be legally killed.
For the computer user who needs more background, look up House Bill 2555. The new law grants authority to the TP&W commission to set regulations such as those to be proposed by Sinclair.
Another action item, the migratory game bird proclamation, is the final word on waterfowl and dove seasons. According to TP&W, federal wildlife officials this year approved a nine-day teal season from Sept.17-25.
Comments on current, specific topics such as humane dispatch and hunting seasons can be addressed to commissioners at the Thursday meeting. You'll get three minutes to talk if you sign up Thursday morning.

[Feral Cat Blog! Resource:
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission
Public Meetings
Annual Meeting - August 24 and 25, 2005
Public Comment]

9-year-old Davis has a great fish story
Evansville Courier & Press (subscription), IN
... percent of these spend time outdoors. Factor in the homeless (feral) cats and there are more than 100 million free-roaming felines. ...

Adopting a new outlook: County works to reduce killing at animal ...
Santa Barbara News-Press (subscription), CA
... shelters, whether surrendered by an owner, picked up as a stray, or seized ... According to county figures, 8,565 dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals were taken ...

City trying to trap coyotes near homes
Dallas Morning News (subscription), TX
... Cats and small dogs are the perfect-sized meal for a coyote ... between an animal being torn apart, like when hit by a car, and being dismembered by a stray dog or ...

Saturday, August 20, 2005

National Homeless Animals' Day 2005
Today! ~~ Saturday, August 20

National Homeless Animals' Day in the News
Courtesy of Google.com News

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* Abandoned Cats - Israel Disengagement *
August 2 to 20, 2005


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More predators killed to protect endangered species
Coos Bay World, OR
... best. Now they routinely work with federal trappers who kill the ravens, red foxes and feral cats that prey on plover nests. In ...
[Anther excerpt]
Kieran Suckling, policy director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said there would be no need for predator control if there were more habitat.
"By giving up even the prospect of protecting ecosystems, we are forced to spend vast amounts of money managing what are effectively outdoor zoos," said Suckling. "If instead we protected large swaths of habitat and increased population sizes, then it wouldn't matter if a few birds got picked off by predators."

[Feral Cat Blog! Notes:
In November 2003 I sent my comments and request for non-lethal predator control to the US Fish and Wildlife Service regarding their Environmental Assessment for Predator Damage Management to Protect Oregon Seabirds.
Here is the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon's response letter to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
This is a statement from the federal Wildlife Services (APHIS/USDA) regarding their work resolving wildlife conflicts in Oregon. You can look up their work in your state.
And as previously posted, here are the Wildlife Services' 2004 Annual Tables showing expenditures, numbers and species of animals killed and methods used.]

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Convent is missing its kitty
A Liliha nun hopes someone recognizes the tabby’s unique crosslike markings
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, HI
... distribute Lani's picture to veterinarians and the Cat Friends organization, which works with people who take care of the colonies of feral cats in public ...

Governments plan joint session
Lake County Record-Bee, CA
The joint session will address a proposed methamphetamine ordinance, the storm water management plan, a countywide spay and neuter ordinance, regulation of big ...

Humane Society spay/neuter program meant to help curb pet ...
Quincy Herald Whig, IL
... From the additional $40, $25 will go to the Spay/Neuter Fund and $15 will go to the Secretary of State special plate fund. Renewals ...

Lisa Dunbar
Ledger Independent, KY
... Animal control officers would benefit from workshops on shelter-based trap-neuter-return programs for feral cats, zoonotic diseases, humane education and ...

Web site focuses on feline diabetes
Record-Searchlight (subscription), CA
... The links at www.gorbzilla.com will point you to resources for dealing with this all-too-common feline disease, including home-testing primers, how-tos on ...

Animal agency rescues 30 cats
Danbury News Times - Danbury,CT,USA
... someone purposely set. Simon was among some 30 feral cats found living on a piece of property on Sheriden Road. More than 20 cats ...

Health officials warn of bats, rabies
The Journal News.com, NY
... The shots are recommended for anyone who comes into contact with raccoons, skunks, foxes, rabbits, stray dogs and cats, and other animals, or finds a bat in ...

Increase in numbers of stray cats
Cambridge Evening News, UK
MORE stray cats than ever have been taken in by the RSPCA in the Cambridge area for rehoming this summer. A spokeswoman for the ...

A sheltered life? Harsh reality at pounds
San Francisco Chronicle, United States
... Less than 2 percent of stray cats are reunited with their guardians. Every 9 seconds one animal is euthanized. Count to nine. There, an animal is dead. ...

Cat-killing coyote worries woman
Gwinnett Daily Post, GA
... She recommended bringing cats, dogs and garbage cans indoors at night and not leaving pet ... She still gets choked up talking about the stray cat that her family ...

King County Animal Shelters full special adoption prices for cat ...
King County (press release), WA
... King County’s adoption fee includes vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a King County pet license, education materials, and a cat carrier. ...

80,000 dogs and cats put down each year
Sydney Morning Herald (subscription), Australia -
An appalling number of cats and dogs are killed in NSW pounds each year, an animal protection group says. World League for the Protection ...

BFAB offers pet-ID
Royal Gazette, Bermuda
To put a stop to stray cats the Bermuda Feline Assistance Bureau (BFAB) want photographs for a new pet-ID scheme. Close to 100 animals ...

Give us our pet cat back, pleads family
ic Wales, United Kingdom
... mistook it for a stray and called in the RSPCA who re-homed it after no-one claimed it. A RSPCA spokesman said, "Our policy is that when cats are brought into ...

Israeli Settlers Make Last Stand Atop Synagogue
ktla 5, CA
[Excerpt]
With most of the settlers gone, an animal-rescue group said Thursday that it planned to enter the settlements to round up stray dogs and cats left behind in the crush. The Society to Protect Animals planned to seek permission to go in as soon as all 21 settlements were declared secured by the army.

Friday, August 19, 2005

PETsMART Webinars:
Animal Control - Friend or Foe?
Susan Kilgore, Feral Friends Animal Rescue and Kent Robertson, Head of Dallas Animal Services
TODAY -- Friday, August 19: 12 noon Pacific Daylight Time
Friday, August 26: 9-10AM PDT and 12NN-1PM PDT

Add A New Family Member on National Homeless Animals' Day Asks HSC
PR Direct (press release), Canada
... In every community, pets are hit by cars each day, and there are tens of thousands of feral cats who live short, harsh lives. Animals ...

Shelter requests return of cat traps
Cibola County Beacon, NM
... "Feral cats can be dangerous," she said, "especially when children try to pick up wild ... Feral cats can be lured into entering the cage with food or catnip. ...

Four-legged vagabonds roaming area
Del Rio News Herald, TX
... And of course, all cats and dogs should be vaccinated against rabies ... Garcia believes that thousands of strays have become “feral” – untamed, wild, not ...

Cat control needs
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, HI
... Burns says. "The reality is that feral cats are un-socialized and cannot be handled or placed in a typical pet home. People who ...

Animal-services reforms
Miami Herald, FL
... First and foremost, pet owners need to spay and neuter their animals. Make sure that pets are registered, have ID collars and are identified with a microchip. ...

Seven-day animal shelter preferred
Enterprise-Record, CA
... About 50 percent of that comes from the city, 10 percent comes from such things as impound fees, spay and neuter deposits and fines, and the remaining 40 ...

Some think it’s time for county to call in cats
Kansas City Star, MO
... that houses criminal records and two judges. The felines could get fat feasting on the mice. For months, employees say, mice have ...

Health Department Sponsoring Free Rabies Vaccination Clinic
Westchester.com, NY
... However, domestic animals such as cats and dogs are also at risk because they can easily contract rabies from wild or stray animals. ...

Animal services department gets surprise grant for $10,000
Reno Gazette Journal, NV
... neutered at 6 years old, he doesn’t have much of a chance. Feral cats are the same because you can’t handle them,” he said. ...
[Excerpts]
Animal services supervisor Pat Wiggins said he’s still working out details for how the funds will be used, but adoption will be the focus.
“We don’t have a set time limit on (keeping) animals. We are always a full shelter, so we’ll probably be looking at more publicity campaigns and adoption clinics to help us get more dogs and cats into homes,” Wiggins said.
The award comes from Maddie’s Fund, a pet rescue foundation
Carson City has been a no-kill shelter for adoptable cats for a number of years, primarily due to a successful partnership with Pet Network, a cat rescue group based in Incline Village, Wiggins said.

Mobile Feline Unit Rolls Into Town: Organization provides care to ...
TheDay (subscription), CT
... Although TEAM does not advocate euthanasia for a healthy animal under any circumstances, it has seen its fair share of feral cats that are beyond saving. ...

Health officials find second case of rabies in Bethlehem
The Express Times, PA
... Citizens, especially children, are cautioned to stay away from all stray and wild animals, including feral cats. These are kittens ...

August is kitten month
Richmond Times Dispatch, VA
... All also are trying to encourage people to neuter animals and to help with their programs to catch, neuter and release feral cats and dogs. ...

Fighting to save cats and dogs Town issues become pet peeves for ...
Stratford Star, CT
... Westbrook, who warns that Stratford's feral cat problem is getting out of hand and questions why the shelter doesn't take cats, is one of the most vocal of the ...

Pet 'hoarding' hits home with abandoned cats
Auburn Journal, CA
... Officers suspect the Baldwins owned several cats and took dozens of feral cats under their wing by feeding them over the years. ...

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Animal control says feral cat feeding persists
Pawtucket Times - Pawtucket,RI,USA
PAWTUCKET -- Animal control officials, who have been seeking city legislation to curb the feeding of stray animals including feral cats, say they keep getting ...

Feud over cats pits Bradley, neighbor
Palm Beach Daily News - Palm Beach,FL,USA
For nearly three years, Catherine Bradley, the embattled former feral cat caretaker, fought multiple charges related to trespassing and feeding feral cats. ...

Israel to rescue cats, dogs from Gaza settlements
Reuters AlertNet, UK
... Israel is known for its many stray cats but some of the animals could be pets that got lost when owners left suddenly or were dragged away. ...

Animal rights group awaits permission to enter Gaza to save strays
Ha'aretz (registration), Israel
... "Cats and dogs left behind by departing settlers have no ability to survive under the ... The group said it is concerned about stray dogs and pets left behind by ...

Dead Cats Packed In Freezer Of Feces-Filled Home
Local6.com, FL
... "They went as far as to buy wading pools to put cat litter in," Hezlep said. "The cats were using them for litter boxes. A lot of them have feline leukemia.". ...

Cat abuse case highlights a growing problem
News 8 Austin, TX
... Nine to 10 cases of animal cruelty have been reported in Lee County since October. The animals include cats, horses and dogs. Pitbulls are big targets. ...

Chula Vista Animal Shelter In State Of Crisis
KFMB, CA
... with the San Diego Animal Support Foundation says the shelter is housing hundreds of dogs and cats. ... And, in Chula Vista they have a big stray problem, as well. ...

Pet shelter looking to relocate in Vulcan County
Vulcan Advocate, Canada
... Every small community needs a system to take care of stray or injured animals ... Currently, she is looking after approximately 50 cats in two homes in Champion. ...

Pet support group is seeking volunteers
Press-Enterprise (subscription), CA
OVERPOPULATION: The goal is to get owners to spay and neuter their dogs and cats.

Do your part for homeless animals
Sun-Sentinel.com, FL
... If you cannot adopt, sponsor an animal at your local shelter or rescue. Spay or neuter at least one animal this month. If your companion ...

Snipped Funds Mean Unsnipped Animals
Austin Chronicle, TX
... hours in the back of Branham's pickup at the Southeast Community Library in southeast Austin, and at 8am, when the EmanciPet Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic pulled ...

Numbers tell sad story about unwanted pets
Casa Grande Valley Newspapers, AZ
... In that regard, there is a mobile spay/neuter clinic that has contracted with AC&C to come to our shelter once a month. The vet ...

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Dog-shipping shame lies in state's tax rules [Georgia and Massachusetts]
Atlanta Journal Constitution (subscription), GA
... have implemented successful programs to control the pet population through yearly licensing of companion animals and through low-cost spay and neuter policies. ...

Windmills seen as boon, bane
Energy source is blowing in wind
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
Birmingham Post Herald
[Excerpt]
Buried in the new energy law is almost $3 billion in subsidies that supporters have earmarked to build thousands of electricity-generating windmills in the United States.
[Excerpt]
Jerry Taylor, director of natural resource studies at the Cato Institute in Washington, argued that windmills are no solution to America's electricity problem. He said the turbines operate best at night when the winds are strongest, and the technology can't be relied on to meet demands for more electricity in peak use periods during those hot — and often calm — summer afternoons when industry is at work and air conditioners are running.
Taylor said there would be no windmills if there weren't lavish government subsidies.
Taylor also noted the prime locations for windmill farms are some of America's wildest and most scenic areas. That has whipped up intense opposition from local preservationists.
Then there are the birds.
At one of the nation's oldest windmill farms, built on a scenic 50-acre site in Altamont, Calif., some 4,000 windmills have been chopping birds to pieces at the pace of 4,700 a year, according to conservative estimates. Bird lovers are suing to force the electricity farm's operator to take remedial measures.
Christine Real de Azua of the American Wind Energy Associationacknowledged that "Altamont is a problem," but she insisted that other wind farms haven't seen the same sort of bird kills, including another Southern California wind farm built in the flyway of migratory birds.
"That's not to say that an occasional bird doesn't fly into one of the structures," she said. "But they aren't a blip on the chart" compared with bird mortality from power lines, power poles and buildings.
[Excerpt]
Despite the industry's critics, some 2,000 wind turbines are being built this year, adding an estimated 2,500 megawatts to America's electrical-energy network. Less than 1 percent of America's electricity supply comes from wind, but there are sufficient windmills already built to provide 1.6 million homes with electricity.
A 1-megawatt windmill costs about $1 million to build, and provides electricity to about 300 homes a year. The industry defends its federal subsidy, noting it's less costly than the oil and natural-gas depletion allowance.

Development fees proposed to save endangered mouse
St. Petersburg Times, FL
... Janet Mizzi, US Fish and Wildlife's Panama City-based deputy field manager, said ... meet building specifications designed to prevent or reduce storm damage to the ...
[Excerpt]
PERDIDO KEY - Land developers and new residents, both blamed for threatening to squeeze the Perdido Key beach mouse out of existence, might instead help save the endangered rodent through impact fees proposed by state and federal wildlife officials.
They released a revised plan Monday to Escambia County commissioners, who are likely to vote on it Sept. 1.
Developers had objected to an earlier proposal calling for a one-time $198,000 per acre fee and annual $100 per unit assessment.
The new proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would give developers two options: a one-time fee of $157,000 per acre plus $100 per unit annually or a one-time fee of $100,000 per acre with $201 per unit annually.
[Feral Cat Blog! Note: It has been stated that domestic cats in Florida are predators of and threaten several federal-listed species of beach mice including the Perdido Key beach mouse (endangered listing).]

‘Paws and Claws Gala’ Seeks Sponsors
Southern Pines Pilot, NC
... The organization also traps feral cats for Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Carthage, Robbins, Vass, Cameron, and Whispering Pines. ...

Plea for cat 'foster carers'
Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, UK
... already has a family waiting to rehome him, and Tyke were slightly feral when they ... more are needed - and not just for kittens but for older cats and families ...

County Tosses Spay Hot Potato to Towns
Cape May County Herald, NJ
... There have been complaints because it has had to euthanize feral cats and dogs (see related story) and that it is too cold in the winter and too hot in the ...
[Excerpt]
CREST HAVEN - The county has asked 15 municipalities - Ocean City is excluded - for “input and recommendations” on the question of having a spay and neuter clinic linked and adjacent to the county animal shelter.The letter to mayors includes a copy of a 33-page proposal from the Animal Shelter Alliance, the nonprofit that proposes to operate the clinic, and asks towns to “evaluate the proposal.”

Going batty: Officials say they picked up several rabid bats
The Southern, IL
... Hawk reported to the county board she plans to begin trapping and euthanizing stray cats in the Jonesboro area, since she suspects it was a cat that killed one ...

Your Stories: No Cat Pickup In Ontario County
13WHAM-TV, NY
... The problem is Ontario County does not pick up stray cats. It's a sheer matter of numbers and money, there are too many cats and ...

Botanic Garden gala helps programs blossom
Chicago Sun-Times, United States
[Scroll down to, excerpted here]
Paula Fasseas founded PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) with urging from her daughter to help save the unwanted dogs and cats running loose around Chicago.
This very important no-kill humane organization is focused on reducing the city's pet overpopulation problem through spay/neuter, adoption and community outreach programs.
To raise funds for their very important work, it holds a fun party for folks and their pooches at the North Avenue Beach Boathouse . . .
More than $75,000 was raised to support the Lurie Family Spay/ Neuter Clinic, the only free such clinic located in and serving Chicago area communities where most stray and unwanted pets originate.

Groups aim to curb numbers of unwanted pets
Daily News - Galveston County, TX
[Excerpts]
The Animal Alliance of Galveston County and Saving Animals are hoping the creation of a low-cost spay and neuter clinic can help cut the number of dogs and cats that are destroyed.The two organizations have purchased a veterinary clinic, 608 Bayou Road, in La Marque. The clinic is scheduled to open Dec. 1.
Hawkins said his former organization, the Spay/ Neuter Assistance Program, had served as a consultant to other groups that had wanted to start a low-cost sterilization clinic in Galveston County.Those efforts failed, he said, because some veterinarians were afraid the clinic would hurt their business.But Hawkins said the low-cost clinic would serve people who would not normally visit a veterinarian.

Animal shelter oversight increases
News & Observer, NC
... "I'm hopeful with progressive legislation such as this, it will pave the way to get some spay and neuter legislation in place," said Hope Hancock, executive ...

Trapping, and traps for, hard-to-catch or elusive cats

Drop Traps

* The drop trap described here was designed by Laura Burns of Boston.
Neighborhood Cats / Info / Drop Trap
a downloadable PDF file Drop Trap: Detailed Instructions

The Incredible Drop Trap by Laura Burns will be featured in the Exhibit Hall at the 2nd Annual National Feral Cat Summit 2005 in Philadelphia on October 15. [2005]

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Feral Cat Blog! update: http://www.droptrapdesign.blogspot.com/

Feral Cat Blog! update: Drop Trap Users Yahoo Group - started February 2006

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* Jennifer Conger, formerly of Alley Cat Allies, designed this drop trap and wrote up the instructions.
a downloadable PDF file DROP TRAP INSTRUCTIONS - Alley Cat Allies
Other articles from Alley Cat Allies on Trapping Feral Cats

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* Drop trap by David Gale
Hosted by Cat Coalition of Florida
Click on Trapping in the left menu bar.

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Super Trap (trap in a trap!)

Carol ‘s Super Trap
In Paws to Think Magazine, Spring 2005
(a publication of the Pet Savers Foundation)
a downloadable PDF file
Page 23 and 24 (Page 25 and 26 in Adobe)

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Hard to Catch Cats

Neighborhood Cats webpage
1. The Drop Trap
2. The Camoflauge Trap
3. Training the Cat
4. Trap-in-a-Box
From the inventive mind of Susan Greene comes the "trap-in-a-box" technique. For more on the method and Susan's work, go to: http://www.americancat.net/fastfood.html
5. Luring into a Closed Space
6. Little Things
7. Picking One Out from the Crowd

We don't recommend ever using a net or graspers to catch a feral cat.

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Feral Cat Blog! update:

Lisa A. Pierson, DVM
http://catinfo.org/

Drop Trap/Remote Control Trap
[excerpt]
December 26, 2006
This page will be an ongoing work-in-progress as I continue to modify a drop trap that I have designed. I will also be posting more information regarding a remote control (RC) trap that I have been using for the past several months.
April 22, 2007
I am currently building a Style 1 drop trap and am taking pictures as I go along. Please see this page for a step-by-step pictorial.

Building a Drop Trap

National Feral Cat Summit 2005 (Philadelphia, Oct 15)

for immediate release

contact: Neighborhood Cats
summit@neighborhoodcats.org
212-662-5761

2nd Annual National Feral Cat Summit Promises to be Historic Event!!
Leading Animal Welfare Organizations and Individuals from around the U.S. to Gather in Philadelphia

(Aug. 16, 2005) On October 15, 2005, in Philadelphia, PA., an all day conference will address one of the critical issues facing animal welfare today - the extreme overpopulation of feral cats. Lectures, workshops and exhibits will focus on the use of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) as a means of resolving the crisis. "The National Feral Cat Summit" is produced by Neighborhood Cas and presented in partnership with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), In Defense of Animals (IDA), the Alliance for Philadelphia's Animals and the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, with sponsors including PETsMART Charities and the PETCO Foundation.

Tickets for this important event are only $40 if purchased before Sept. 1, $50 afterwards. For the complete program, ticket purchase info and registration form, please go to:
http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/special/nfc_summit_2005.htm

The program will include:

*Esther Mechler, founder of SPAY USA, speaking on the vital role of TNR in solving companion animal overpopulation

*Dr. Margaret R. Slater, DVM, PhD, relaying the latest in feral cat research

*Bryan Kortis, Executive Director of Neighborhood Cats, giving practical tips on convincing municipalities to do TNR, and teaching a workshop on how to build a successful community-wide TNR program

*Nancy Peterson, Issues Specialist for The HSUS, announcing HSUS' new relationship with Neighborhood Cats

*Directors of leading TNR programs from around the country giving tips on the successes of, and challenges facing, their efforts

*A workshop on building animal coalitions featuring the distinguished panel of Jane Hoffman, President of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, Ann Trinkle, President of the Alliance for Philadelphia's Animals, Tara Derby-Perrin, Executive Director of Philadelphia's Animal Care &Control, Sandy Monterose, National Shelter Outreach for the ASPCA, and Esther Mechler

*Meredith Weiss and Emma Cobb of Neighborhood Cats on how to perform a mass trapping

*Anitra Frazier, author of "The New Natural Cat", teaching a workshop on feral cat colony care

*Kit Jenkins, Grants Manager for PETsMART Charities, on finding grants for TNR programs

*Valerie Sicignano of Neighborhood Cats on creating fundraising events

The Exhibit Hall will feature a wealth of information from participating organizations, the latest equipment and innovations in TNR, including the Incredible Drop Trap by Laura Burns, IndyFeral's Fabulous Feral Winter Shelter, and the newest from Tomahawk and from Animal Care Equipment and Services (ACES).

If you care about the cats or your community is facing its own feral cat problem, and you're looking for humane, effective ways to help - don't miss this event!!

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Commission: Who will pay to enforce animal ordinance?
Shreveport Times, LA
... two months, a committee made up of area law enforcement agents, Caddo commissioners, Shreveport city councilmen, and members of Caddo Animal Control has been ...

McHenry Co. weighs animal control plan
Chicago Tribune, United States
... For months, McHenry County Animal Control has been racked by public debate about how to balance the desire to keep all healthy, adoptable animals alive with ...

Change in city's law sought in bid to control cat population
Warwick Beacon, RI
Lesley Doonan sees no end to the slaughter or to the multiplication of cats. On an average the city’s animal control shelter euthanizes five cats a week. There’s no knowing how many cats are born weekly, but it’s safe to venture that it is many times that number.

City of Delta, Colorado - Minutes July 29, 2005
Councilmember Comments
[Excerpt]
Councilmember Thompson reported on a complaint she had received from a citizen via email concerning a cat problem. The citizen suggested that the City purchase more animal traps to be used in trapping feral cats.

City faces feral cat crisis
Auburn Journal, CA
Auburn police and volunteers are dealing with dozens of abandoned cats living in an home on Summit Street, in one of the biggest animal abandonment cases the ...

Warning in Bethlehem after rabid skunk is found
Allentown Morning Call, PA
... states. ''The public, especially children, should be warned to stay away from all stray and wild animals, including feral cats.''. ...

Health District: Raccoon Tested Positive For Rabies
TheDay (subscription), CT
... Rabies is spread mostly by wild animals, but stray dogs and cats also can become infected and spread the virus. Mansfield advised ...

Family finds rabid bat
Ann Arbor News, MI
... a rabid fox was found in Oakland County and two rabid cats were reported ... In general, Cook said, no one should hand-feed or otherwise handle stray animals and ...

New fox attacks bring total to 6
St. Petersburg Times, FL
... officials said residents should vaccinate their domesticated animals, from dogs to cows; stay away from wildlife, such as raccoons and feral cats; and report ...

Research centre takes national approach to tackling pests
ABC Online, Australia
A national approach has begun to tackle the worst of Australia's pest animals, including foxes, cats, rabbits, carp and cane toads . ...

More government support for conservation scheme
ABC Online, Australia
The Western Shield baiting scheme aims to protect native animals by controlling introduced predators like the fox and feral cats. ...

Cats will be available at Saturday Market
Salem Statesman Journal, OR
... office. It's a good deal, just a $20 co-pay for females and $15 for males. You can be a friend to a feline without adopting, too. Just ...

Skinned cats found at nature spot
BBC News

Cats, Dogs Found Abandoned In Hancock County
Iowa Channel.com, IA
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Authorities said dozens of cats and dogs were found abandoned at a farm Hancock County. The animals were found Saturday afternoon. ...

Couple Face Several Charges In Animal Neglect Case
Iowa Channel.com

Three Hamilton cats doused with turps
Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand
Someone in Glenview, Hamilton, dislikes cats enough to torture them by dipping them in turps. In the past two weeks ...

Cats rule council's agenda tonight at City Hall
Providence Journal (subscription), RI
Proposed ordinances would outlaw more than four cats at a residence and require spaying or neutering felines adopted from the shelter.

Coyotes Suspected Of Killing Cats In Grand Prairie
NBC5i.com, TX
Over the past month, seven cats have been killed, but there's no proof coyotes are to blame. "Granted, the city is getting bigger ...

Feline Companionship
LTVNEWS.COM, Canada
SADE is one of a pair of cats that find themselves living at the shelter after their owner passed away. A quiet and gentle two year ...

New budget increases state authority over animal shelters
News & Observer, NC
... "I'm hopeful with progressive legislation such as this, it will pave the way to get some spay and neuter legislation in place," said Hope Hancock, executive ...

Monday, August 15, 2005

Stolen checks put sanctuary's future at risk
Times Herald-Record, NY
... Thanks to the thieves who took a checkbook and cash from Whalen's Pets Alive no-kill animal sanctuary last month, Whalen is struggling to find money to feed ...
[Excerpt]
To make a tax-deductible donation to Pets Alive, call the sanctuary at 386-9738, or visit its Web site at www.petsalive.org.
[Feral Cat Blog! Note: This is the sanctuary that kindly made a home for the unwanted cats of the Corpus Christi Monastery in The Bronx.]

California State Park Rangers Association
The CSPRA Wave, July-Aug 2005
[a downloadable PDF file] http://www.cspra.com/wave_aug05.pdf
A MEETING OF THE MINDS
[Excerpt]
... for over three years the Natural Resources and the Interpretation and Education Divisions have held monthly lunchtime meetings to discuss cooperative efforts , and the collaboration has proven to be a productive one. The group discusses ways to interpret natural resource issues to a variety of audiences, both within the Department to DPR field staff and Administration, and outreach to the visiting public, park neighbors and the surrounding communities, our peers in natural resource management, and to local governments, legislators, and other decision makers.
The range of products and projects includes producing brochures and smaller informational brochure inserts, reviewing interpretive panel text, planning staff training, and representing DPR in larger natural resource interpretation efforts. Future endeavors include producing interpretive materials on exotic species, feral cats, prescribed burning, watershed restoration, and the outstanding geologic resources to be found in California’s state parks.
Materials published to date are designed to educate the public, encourage support for Department management actions, increase public compliance with park rules and regulations, address public safety issues, or introduce DPR’s policies and resource management program to other resource professionals. Topics covered include DPR’s natural resource management program, urban edge issues, feeding wildlife, dogs in parks, mountain lions, yellowjackets, West Nile Virus, sudden oak death, campfire management, and the western snowy plover- its natural history and the rules visitors must follow to protect its habitat. An order form (in both an annotated hard copy and illustrated electronic forms) is being developed to facilitate requests from the field for these new interpretive tools.
The brochure “Natural Resource Management in California State Parks” is intended to foster public understanding and support of our programs, and explains why the Department engages in conservation, protection, and restoration of California’s natural habitats and the native species that inhabit them, giving examples of typical management actions. Primarily intended to be distributed at the units and during outreach efforts, this brochure may be accompanied by more detailed information on specific resource management techniques and tools as the need arises in the units. “Urban Effects on Our Wildlands” illustrates the impacts of adjacent urban land uses on the natural resource values of wildlands. Besides covering the threats posed by encroaching development and the host of problems people bring with them including loss of habitat, invasive exotic plants, and uncontrolled pets, the brochure includes a check-off list of things the reader can do, a list that was designed to help park visitors and neighbors recognize the part they can play in protecting wildlands. Field offices were provided with a list of suggestions for how/where the brochure can be used/distributed, and were encouraged to create a list of opportunities for their area to guide potential future volunteers to resource management organizations or projects where their energy will do the most good.

Benefit helps critters
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH
... profit organization called Save Our Strays (SOS) will use comedy to raise money for its mission of reducing the numbers of stray and feral cats, and finding ...

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[See also my previous post: Abandoned Cats - Israel Disengagement]

Operation Noah's Ark: Evacuating the animals
Israel 21C, CA
... activists, with the help of volunteer veterinarians, and some residents of the settlements have launched a massive operation to save the stray cats and dogs. ...

Fur flies in Samaria as 150 cats, and one blind dog, are moved out
Jerusalem Post, Israel
... and four other animal rights activists have been driving to the northern West Bank settlements of Ganim and Kadim and hauling out vanloads of stray cats. ...
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Humane Society Cat Overpopulation
WMTV, WI
[Dane County Humane Society]
... The large number comes from a combination of people giving up their cats and the fact that the shelter takes in nearly ten stray cats each day. ...


Adult cats need good homes, too
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH
... The adoption fee: $55. Johnson's shelter, which is a no-kill facility, only accepts adult cats, and the shelter is usually filled to its 40-feline capacity. ...

Cats and dogs to have £2.5m centre
Weston & Somerset Mercury, UK
... Building work is due to start on a cattery to house 40 homeless cats on August 22. ... "We have a perpetual waiting list with about 30 cats and dogs at the moment. ...

Humane society going 'no-kill'
MSNBC
[Jacksonville HS, Florida]
... organization working to create no-kill communities throughout the nation. The program calls for an aggressive spay and neuter campaign. ...

LR shelter offers pet-sterilization clinic
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (subscription), AR
A pet-sterilization clinic will be held Saturday at the Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for Animals spay-neuter facility at the Little Rock Animal Shelter. ...

'Governor's Ball' raises funds for SPCA
The Agora Project hosts third annual event
The California Aggie Online
[Yolo County SPCA, CA]
... Bryant said the funds generated at the event for the SPCA would go toward various programs, such as the foster care, the feral cat and their spay/neuter program ...

Non Profit Center of Arizona
Job Opportunities
Chief Operation Officer
AzCATs
Phoenix
Remove after 9/4/05)

The Arizona Nonprofit Community Report
*New Listing* Chief Operation Officer – AzCATs (Phoenix)

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[Excerpts from:]

Subject: No Kill Solutions E-News Volume V
Date: 8/14/2005
From: winograd@cox.net

Welcome to No Kill Solutions E-News
No Kill Solutions’ E-News is a free electronic newsletter.

If you like No Kill Solutions E-News, you’ll love No Kill Sheltering, our print magazine. No Kill Sheltering gives you the tools you need to save lives.

Thanks to a grant, feral cat rescue groups can get the magazine at 50% off the regular subscription price. You need to be an IRS 501(c)(3) and have a website endorsing TNR to qualify.

For more information, to download a sample issue, or to subscribe, click on “No Kill Newsletter” at http://www.nokillsolutions.com/.

Nathan J. Winograd
No Kill Solutions
http://www.nokillsolutions.com/
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