Alley Cat Rescue, Inc. - The National Cat Protection Association

Bob Bark wants UVA to Stop Using Cats in Medical Training

2012-01-27T13:15:00.000-05:00

     Bob Barker, the former host of "The Price is Right" is a huge animal advocated. Aside from him famously ending all the "The Price is Right" shows by reminding people to spay and neuter their pets, Barker has a foundation, the DJ&T Foundation, that supports spay/neuter programs and has donated millions of dollars to schools to support the study of animal rights law.
     Barker is now focusing on the University of Virginia (UVA) and their use of cats in their medical training program. According to NBC Washington, "The technique in question involves training graduate physicians on how to insert breathing tubes into premature newborns. Barker wants students to learn on simulators, not live animals. University of Virginia officials say simulators don’t do as good of a job as cats."
     We are hoping that our supporters will help convince UVA to stop using the cats in medical training. You can write letters to the following people, letting them know you support Bob Barker and the use of simulators instead of live cats for medical training:

Office of the President, UVA
Teresa Sullivan
P.O. Box 400224
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4224

Steven T. DeKosky, M.D.
Vice President and Dean of the School of Medicine
PO Box 800793
Charlottesville, VA 22908
434-924-5118

Guest Post: GROUNDED BY A GRAY CAT

2012-01-18T12:09:00.002-05:00

Rosie & Turtleman

Steve and I were excited about celebrating our birthdays at Pt. Reyes National Seashore, staying overnight at our favorite motel, until we thought of Jake.
            Jake is a twelve-pound, short-haired gray male kitty who adopted us two years ago. We didn’t mean for this to happen, but Jake showed up unannounced at our condo, healthy, un-neutered and lonely. We figured someone had probably abandoned him. Happens all the time with cats and dogs. They’re called “foreclosure” pets.
            At any rate, I didn’t like Jake at first. He frightened Snowball, a spunky white kitty we’d come to befriend. Snowball lives with a family nearby and is allowed to roam free. He was very fond of trotting up to us in the parking lot where we would offer him treats, conversation, and many pets. Then, suddenly Jake appeared and frightened off Snowball.
            OK, so here’s where we had a choice – the “two roads diverged in a yellow wood” (Robert Frost) sort of thing. I wanted to get him fixed and find him a home. Steve? Not so much. My friend Grant was interested in adopting Jake until we discovered that he was not litter trained. This became obvious when we took him into our bedroom/bathroom area for an overnight stay to make sure he was around in time for the vet appointment the following day. Not a wise decision. Let’s just say, our white carpeting took a beating that evening. So, outside he went; then he disappeared for a few days. I feel guilty about this, but I sort of hoped he wouldn’t come back.   When he did, we scooped him up, took him to the vet and ended his ability to produce a succession of little Jakes. Naturally, Grant was no longer interested.   Who wants a cat who poops in all the wrong places? We don’t have a spare bathroom to use for potty-training, so I checked with a local rescue group.   No one was willing or able to take on the task.    Anyway, by now, Steve had fallen in love. He felt sorry for Jake because he didn’t have a home, and would probably be impossible to place because of his toileting issues. But, I was firm. I made my closing arguments: “We can’t afford another cat. We’ve already spent $400 on him because of a bite wound – who’s to say this won’t happen again?”   Steve teared up; I felt like a heartless jerk.

Jake now lives outside our door on the landing. We set up a cat bed for him along with food and water bowls. All of our neighbors know Jake, love Jake, make inquiries after Jake. One woman has even dubbed him the “Mayor of Stoneglen North.” Steve has his morning coffee sitting next to Jake on the stairs at the top of the landing. I read my mail to him in the same spot in the afternoon.

Jake has gotten very attached. At first, he was nervous whenever we would leave the house, and would run down the stairs after us, as if to say, “Don’t leave me, oh, please don’t leave me!” Once, when we were out all day, he didn’t come home for three days. When he finally did, I told him never to do that again, that we would always return. Now, whenever I have to leave, I make sure to pet him and say, “We’ll be back soon, Jakey, please stay home.”

Little by little, he’s become more comfortable. Now, sometimes, he barely looks up from his kitty bed as we leave. When we return, however, he still runs to greet us in the parking lot, doing his little happy dance, and running up the stairs ahead of us as if to say, “You came home, you really came home!” (You can see Jake’s dance video here.)

We still want to go Pt. Reyes for our birthdays, but now that we’re so in love with Jake that we’d die if anything happened to him, there’s only one thing to do. While our two indoor cats will be cared for by a friend, Jake will go off to boarding school.
This is our road.

Rosie Sorenson, MA, MFT
Award-winning author of: They Had Me at Meow:
Tails of Love from the Homeless Cats of Buster Hollow
www.theyhadmeatmeow.com
For t-shirts, mugs, greeting cards, etc. featuring the cats of Buster Hollow, please click here.

Nico Dauphine Sentenced

2011-12-15T08:28:00.001-05:00

Nico Dauphine, who holds a Ph.D. in wildlife ecology and was a former researcher at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, received a one-year suspended sentence this week for trying to poison feral cats in the Columbia Heights area of Washington D.C. (Credit: Huffington Post)

Dauphine's sentence included a year of supervised probation and 120 hours of community service. Plus she must stay away from cats.

Cat from Colony ACR has TNRed

Dauphine was found guilty of placing rat poison in the food that one of her neighbors had left outside their apartment building for felines. Prosecutors said Dauphine was upset because feral cats prey on migratory birds.

Do migratory birds live in Columbia Heights—a busy and highly populated part of the city? Matt Todd, who has been bird watching for 15 years, told The Huffington Post he doesn't know of any birds in Columbia Heights that would be considered "endangered." Rock Creek Park, he said, has some interesting migrating songbirds -- like warblers -- but "they don't really venture into the city," he said. "They're sticking to the green highway the park provides."

Columbia Heights does have birds, Todd said, but they are very common types -- pigeons, sparrows and starlings. "Not birds that are necessarily endangered," he noted.

Steve Pretl, president of the Montgomery Bird Club, says he doesn't know of any unusual birds in Columbia Heights, either. "When I walk in the area, I see the normal complement of city birds -- pigeons, house sparrows, the occasional mockingbird," he wrote in an email.

In a later (Huffington Post) interview, Pretl said it was possible that Meridian Hill Park (located directly across from the Park Square apartment building) could be home to a red-tailed hawk, although he wasn't aware of one actually living there -- and even if there were, he said, a cat probably wouldn't put it at risk.

"Among birders and conservationists, a lot of people really decry outdoor cats as big killers of birds," Pretl said. "But this sounds like an indiscriminate thing. I'd be surprised if there were any fragile populations of birds in this neighborhood, in downtown D.C."

Alley Cat Rescue for many years has been concerned about this anti-cat sentiment that the environmental groups have circulated. They have turned the cat into a scapegoat for the many ills of the planet. Damage that humans have caused with our buildings, golf courses, shopping malls, roads has caused a massive loss of habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Louise Holton, ACR President, says: “At Alley Cat Rescue we care about ALL animals, including birds and wildlife. By providing TNR services to reduce cat populations and by doing a few simple things to reduce our own impact on the world, we can help cats, birds and other wildlife.”

She called for “calmer heads” to prevail and for environmentalists to work with TNR groups, not against them, to help reduce and control outdoor cats.

Said Holton: “We have been working on reducing feral cat population for over 20 years, but none of us have enough resources to do this alone. It has been left up to “ordinary individuals” to use their own money to spay and neuter feral cats. We need an influx of funds to enable us to do more.”

“And we do NOT need this constant distraction having to defend our humane and effective work. Total eradication on continents will never be achieved. And on islands where this has been tried, it took many years, several methods like poisoning, shooting, and hunting dogs. And even then caused the rodent population to explode, causing even more problems.”

The environmental groups never give any real solution. They vaguely say “build sanctuaries” or take them to animal control for adoption.

Well one cannot build enough “sanctuaries” and, in any case, who will fund these?

And “take them to animal control” means killing the cats, as ferals are usually killed immediately by animal control. In any event animal control agencies can barely keep up with all the cats dumped on them daily, how on earth can they still send out trappers to catch-and-kill?

Those folks who care about humane, nonlethal control should ALL tell the environmental groups, bird groups, and local authorities to embrace TNR for feral cats. It’s the only thing that DOES work.

Help ACR Without Spending Any Money

2011-12-01T11:35:00.001-05:00

Did you know that you can help ACR raise money without spending any money for your own? With the holidays right around the corner, there are several ways to shop your favorite websites and search online while doing something great to help Alley Cat Rescue!

Whenever you need to search for something on the Internet, we recommend you start by signing up at www.goodsearch.com and choosing Alley Cat Rescue as your chosen organization. If 1000 people used Goodsearch twice a day, ACR could earn over $7,000 a year! You can also use the Goodsearch site to do online shopping at your favorite retailers, like Target and Vistaprint.

Adopt-A-Shelter allows you shop online and support your favorite animal shelter. You can support ACR by visiting www.adoptashelter.com and then shopping online at retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and PETsMART.

Another website where you can search and shop to support Alley Cat Rescue is www.onecause.com. You can download a toolbar that allows you to search through Yahoo and support ACR. You can also shop at retailers such as Origins, Neiman Marcus and Verizon Wireless!

Of course, ACR is always in need of donations to help us continue our work and support our adoption, trap-neuter-return and low-cost spay/neuter programs. Donations can be made through Network For Good or Razoo

Another Attack on Feral Cats from ABC

2011-11-10T10:23:00.002-05:00

The American Bird Conservancy is continuing their ruthless

fight to get TNR banned all across  America.

Their most recent stunt is outlined in the press release they just 
sent out titled "Nation’s Mayors Asked to Stop Spread of Feral Cats".

The press release begins with "American Bird Conservancy (ABC),

 the nation’s leading bird conservation organization, has called on

 the mayors of U.S. cities  to stop the epidemic spread of feral cats

 that threaten national bird populations as well as scores of other

 wildlife. Letters were mailed to mayors 
of the fifty largest cities in the Unites States, urging they support 
responsible pet ownership and oppose Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programs that 
promote the feeding of outdoor cats."

Why isn't the ABC writing letters to US mayors asking them stop building high 
rises, so that birds don't fly into them and die?  Why aren't they writing to 
farmers, asking them to stop using pesticides that kill birds? 

It is because cats are easy to vilify, but that does not mean that we have to 
stand for it.  Please, write to everyone, from your local town council to the 
state government to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife agency, to support TNR as the 
ONLY effective way to deal with feral cats.

Message from Louise Holton, ACR President

2011-11-01T11:33:00.000-04:00

The Wildlife Society, The American Bird Association and other environmental groups like Audubon have for years supported the so-called “science” showing that cats are causing the end-of-days on the planet. Now their star player, Nico Dauphine, has been convicted of cruelty to animals, despite hiring Michael Vick’s attorney, which in itself is pretty ironic. Many people in Athens, Georgia “lost” cats while Dauphine lived there.

It is actually with a heavy heart that I write this. It is so sad that environmentalists, who should be promoting compassion towards animals, actually have set the stage for this hatred towards feral cats. This scapegoating of cats causes cruelty. People become desensitized to their suffering.

During the last forty years feline predation studies have been conducted across the world. From these studies, most researchers have concluded with British biologist Roger Tabor that: “In terms of the cats as threats to wildlife, generally for countries like Britain and America where other species have coexisted with the cat family for a long time, cats are no more harmful than other predators. Only in cases of small islands has the effect of cats, both feral and domestic, been harmful. In biological systems it is insufficient merely to have found one animal will eat another, that after all, is what predators do - but is that predation pressure within normal limits? Is the prime predator the cat?” Tabor suggests that “disturbances by man” should be considered as the major cause of losses in wildlife populations.

Some studies on feral cat populations in cities have found almost no prey animals in the cats. In one study of 43 cats only one rodent and one bird were found. Birds usually make up 4 to 6 percent of a cat’s diet, when a cat relies solely on finding his own food. Scientist Peter Neville who worked in England for two decades with feral colonies, says: “a deliberate strategy of scavenging has enabled many feral cats almost to give up hunting altogether. They may learn instead to lie around waste bins of hotels for fresh supplies or to cadge from well-meaning human providers in urban areas.” Cats are opportunistic feeders and hunters, living off the easiest source of available food.

The famous German biologist Paul Leyhausen who studied cats for decades found that the cat is a rodent specialist. Its sit-and-wait strategy is better suited to catching rodents, as cats will wait for hours for animals to come out of burrows. Birds fly in any direction and are more difficult to catch. Cats have a predilection for ambush as a hunting skill. They believe that any animal on the ground will stay there and are usually not prepared for birds who hop and fly away. Some cats do however become bird specialists, but most prey on mammals.

Even in Australia where there is an outright war against cats who are accused of decimating the native wildlife, the first comprehensive study concluded that domestic cats were not the threat they were alleged to be. The results showed that 41% of the animals caught by cats were introduced mammals such as mice, rats and rabbits, while only 2 percent were native mammals. Twenty percent of the cats caught introduced bird species, while only 7 percent caught native birds. Overall 56 percent of the cats surveyed hunted while 44 percent did not hunt at all.

Cat Predation On Islands

Cats have been given a bad reputation largely due to the so-called damage done by them on islands. Cats were left behind by whalers, and explorers. They were introduced along with mongooses to control burgeoning rodent populations. (Rodents had been transported accidentally in cargoes of food and equipment.) Islands are unique because they usually have no mammalian predators for birds to adjust to, and the birds therefore have few defense mechanisms against the imported cats, mongooses and rodents. However even on islands the ever-opportunistic cat will live on carrion and the introduced rodents. Feral cats in both urban and island environments are often hungry, which contradicts their image as wanton killers. In her landmark 1982 book Maverick Cats, author Ellen Perry Berkeley, reports that on San Nicolas Island, off the coast of Los Angeles, 22.5 percent of ferals showed mottled livers, a sign of inadequate diet.

Human Toll On Predators

Throughout history the persecution of predators has taken a tremendous toll on the earth’s animals and caused enormous ecological imbalance. People usually kill predators because they see them as competitors for food.

This war on predators has occurred all over the globe, along with the destruction of habitat and forests. This has caused our current situation today, where we may be threatening our very existence on the planet. All things on the earth need to die to replenish life. Bacteria and fungi are part of this pattern to kill and redistribute the earth’s resources. University of Chicago historian, William McNeill, said: “We’ll never escape the limits of the ecosystem. We are caught in the food chain, whether we like it or not, eating and being eaten.”

Scientist and researcher Christopher McBride spent years studying lions in Southern Africa. He believed from his field work studying lions, that they usually killed very young animals (easy to replace) or the old and sick. He believed that the killing of predators in National Parks, in the hopes of increasing the prey populations, had simply been a waste of time and probably been very harmful to the health of prey populations. The domestic and feral cat is an intelligent predator. The above can be applied to these cats as well as the bigger ones.

Cats As Scapegoats

An American wildlife biologist, famous for his studies on migratory birds, told me that U.S. biologists were “obsessively preoccupied with predation by cats and often overlooked other causes of wildlife depletion.”

An investigative journalist found that many U. S. biologists, using the much publicized studies by Stanley Temple and by Churcher and Lawton (where limited data were extrapolated across whole continents), were unaware that international studies conducted during the past forty years all clearly show the predominance of feline predation on mammals over birds. They were also unaware that many researchers agreed with the conclusion reached by New Zealanders Brian Coman and Hans Brunner: “The common belief that feral cats are serious predators of birds is apparently without basis. Although birds were common in all sampling areas, they were a relatively minor item in the diet.

The environmental think tank, WorldWatch Institute, cites deforestation due to razing of forests for croplands, pastures and real estate as one of the major factors contributing to the loss of all birds, including songbirds.

Although songbirds are in decline, other birds such as blackbirds and greenfinches, and blue jays and brown-headed cowbirds (both nestling-eating birds) are exploding. Year-round U. S. bird residents are stable or increasing in numbers. This should give us serious consideration. Tropical deforestation is occurring at the rate of 142,000 to 200,000 square kilometers each year, an area roughly the size of Florida. At this rate the tropical rainforests will disappear in just 30 years, and along with the forests, the songbirds. Each year millions of acres of tropical rainforests are burned to make way for agriculture. In Central America the primary motive for clear-cutting forests is for cattle ranching. Over 120 million pounds of beef are imported from Central America to the U. S. each year.

Today enormous areas of the globe carry huge herds of cattle. This has led to University of Georgia biologist David Wright Hamilton stating that: “an alien ecologist observing…earth might conclude that cattle are the dominant species in our biosphere.” Nearly one half of all the land area in the U. S. is devoted to livestock. We destroy 220 million acres of forests to raise cattle, yet biologists want to rid the U. S. of alien and introduced species including cats, but not cattle.

Double Standards

At this crucial time in human history when humans cause so much destruction to the earth and her animals, we need to remind ourselves of our species’ responsibility and consider our “double standards.” Over 100 years ago livestock ranchers captured wolves, killing them by pulling them apart with horses or by setting them alight with kerosene. This cruelty and slaughter continues to this very day as our tax dollars support the governments’ Animal Damage Control (ADC) program.

In 1990, ADC spent almost $30 million to kill nearly 5 million animals and birds. Then acting deputy administrator Bob Acord said: “Our objective is not to kill everything in sight. We serve agriculture. We want to see more meat, wool, sunflowers and catfish reach the market.” Yet even when predators kill relatively few farm animals, the predators are hunted down and killed indiscriminately by this government agency. The ADC killed 109 ravens blamed for killing 20 lambs and taking 50 hen eggs and 25 golf balls! In 1990 the ADC also killed over 76,000 coyotes, 5,100 foxes, 1,163 bobcats and over 4 million birds.

Plate glass windows on homes and office buildings take a tremendous toll on birds. The Journal of Field Ornithology estimates that up to 975 million birds die each year from striking windows in the U.S.

Urban sprawl, constructing shopping malls, roads and golf courses, all play a part in reducing habitat and have a negative impact on wildlife. We poison our air with exhaust fumes from over 120 million automobiles and we spray 4 billion pounds of pesticides into the atmosphere annually. This causes havoc with wildlife populations, especially birds.

There are hardly any areas in the world today where humans have not altered the landscape, and brought alien animals, insects, and exotic plants. So to try to return to the original pristine existence would be impossible. However, we need to have a better understanding of the world we inhabit and create a respectful relationship with the earth and all her inhabitants. We need to live more sensibly and simply, eating lower on the food chain to preserve the environment and stop the unnecessary destruction of the planet.

As compassionate people concerned with all the earth’s creatures, let us use nonlethal methods of control when animal “problems” occur, whether introduced, exotic or native species are affected. Cat populations need to be controlled, but let us not turn the cat into the scapegoat of the century, or we could be returning to the Dark Ages of persecution towards Felis catus.

This creature who captivated the Egyptians centuries ago, now the most popular companion animal in American homes, deserves our respect and compassion, whether owned or unowned, wild or so-called domesticated.

Especially in urban environments, cats represent one of the few remaining predators since humans have either killed off all native predators or caused their demise through urban expansion.

Even though some cats can become efficient hunters and do kill birds, many international biologists agree that only on small islands do cats possibly pose a severe threat to the wildlife populations. They agree with biologist C.J. Mead that “Any bird populations on the continents that could not withstand these levels of predation from cats and other predators would have disappeared long ago…”

And so we offer an olive branch to environmental groups. Join with us to implement humane, nonlethal control of feral cat colonies. Stop promoting hatred and cruelty and the poisoning of cats. Have you ever seen an animal die after being poisoned? There is NOTHING humane about that. Besides which it is illegal.

Hornell, NY to start TNR program

2011-10-26T09:49:00.001-04:00

According to an article on the the Evening Tribune website, Hornell- a town in western New York State, is working on instituting a Trap-Neuter-Return program. They are currently working on setting up a site for a temporary spay/neuter clinic that can be up and running soon, while they also work on constructing a permanent site by the Humane Society.

We applaud towns like Hornell that embrace TNR. Time after time it has been shown to be less expensive than catch-and-kill programs, and community cats provide services to the towns where they live, like rodent control. You can read the entire article here.

Does your town or county have a TNR program? If not, you can encourage your town council to embrace TNR by using the sample letter in our activist packet. You can find it here.

Update: Kittens with Eye Condition Receive Surgery

2011-10-14T10:09:00.001-04:00

Thanks to the Animal Eye Care clinic in Laurel, Maryland, Linus, Snoopy and Charlie have received surgery for their eye condition and have recovered nicely! These once feral kittens were born with an eye condition called eyelid agenesis, meaning their eyelids did not properly develop. Subsequently, the hairs around their eyes were irritating their eyes and causing scarring that would eventually lead to blindness. The surgery entailed creating a hairless margin around each eye which was done by freezing the hairs. Now, no more hairs are causing irritation and the kittens are much more comfortable!

Linus playing

These three kittens were a delight to foster, providing hours of entertainment. They loved chasing balls, strings and each other. They would race to the top of the scratch tower and push each off and hide under things waiting for unexpecting feet to walk by to launch their attack! Charlie was the explorer, Snoopy was the lap kitty and Linus was the more reserved, acting like a true Siamese.

Charlie

Thank you to everyone who helped make their surgery possible. All three kittens are up for adoption and looking for their loving furrever homes. However, we are still paying for medical costs, so please consider contributing to their fund by visiting their Chip-In page or by visiting our website to make a tax-deductible donation. Thank you for your compassion!

Proceeds Help ACR Cats

2011-09-28T15:49:00.002-04:00

Exciting news! ACR is now partnering with award-winning cat writer and artist Wendy Christensen to raise money to help save cats.

Wendy’s creations can be purchased at her Etsy shop Wendycats Cat Jewelry for Cat Lovers. Wendy’s shop features unique handcrafted cat jewelry using gemstones, silver, copper, vintage cat jewels, millefiore glass, lampworked glass and much more. Wendy fashions one-of-a-kind necklaces, bracelets, earrings and sets - all featuring cats.

Some pieces include genuine KeyCycled computer keys, spelling out feline-friendly phrases such as "Purrrr" and "Cat Writer." Wendy will be happy to design and craft a special piece of cat jewelry just for you, using your favorite colors and gemstones -- and maybe your name or your cat's name, or a special message (like "Don't Declaw") spelled out in keys!

You can contact Wendy at wendy@wendycats.com with your requests and ideas. And remember to mention Alley Cat Rescue when placing your order and Wendy will donate ten percent of your purchase price to Alley Cat Rescue! Also, remember to use coupon code ACR/10 when checking out at Wendy’s Etsy shop. So get shopping and start supporting cats!

Kittens with Eye Condition Find Relief at ACR

2011-09-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

Meet the Peanuts gang! This family of Siamese-mix kittens was rescued by ACR in College Park, Maryland as part of a TNR project. Being born to a feral mother meant these kittens were little spitfires in the beginning, but after some time in a foster home with lots of patience and love, these kittens now welcome the company of people. Each kitten has a unique personality and loves to show it off when you enter the room.

Rerun and Woodstock

There’s Rerun and Woodstock. Rerun is very outgoing and has a milk mustache. Woodstock is a little more relaxed and enjoys butt scratches. Charlie is the fuzzy one in the bunch, who flattens out like a pancake when you pet him, and there’s Linus, who is a little more reserved and enjoys hanging back and watching the others’ antics. Snoopy is the only girl in the family and has the Siamese shaped face but not the coloring. She may be petite but her strong-willed nature will quickly convince you to make a lap for her to curl up on.

Snoopy and Linus

Besides their cuteness, there is something else special about this family of kittens…they all have an eye condition called eyelid agenesis. This means their eyelids did not properly develop, which causes the hairs around their eyes to irritate the eyes. If this condition is left untreated, the irritating hairs will cause scarring on the eye that would eventually lead to blindness. ACR has successfully treated several cats in the past for this condition, which is most likely the result of genetics and poor nutrition in the early stages of life. Rerun and Woodstock’s eyelids are only slightly underdeveloped and do not require treatment; however, Charlie, Linus and Snoopy do need corrective surgery. Charlie, the fuzzy one, is also blind in his right eye due to the malformation of his eye. But you would never know it, with the way he romps around with his brothers and sister!

Charlie

In following the No-Kill policy, ACR only euthanizes a cat if absolutely necessary, and in this case, these kittens will live happy, comfortable lives once they receive corrective surgery. And despite the financial strain to treat these kittens, they will undergo surgery very soon. If you wish to help Alley Cat Rescue provide surgery to Charlie, Snoopy and Linus, please consider making a donation through Chip-In. These kittens are also available for adoption and will need special loving homes, so if you are interested in adopting one of the kittens please contact Alley Cat Rescue at 301-277-5595 or at ACR@saveacat.org.

ACTION ALERT: US Fish and Wildlife Service to Hold Anti-TNR Workshop

2011-09-06T15:30:00.000-04:00

On November 5th, at the Wildlife Society Annual Conference in Waikoloa, Hawaii, representatives from the US Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct an all-day workshop entitled, “Influencing Local Scale Feral CatTrap-Neuter-Release Decisions,” to teach biologists and conservation activists how to protest TNR efforts. The workshop will equip participants with tools on how to encourage local decision makers away from supporting non-lethal management practices for free-roaming cats. The workshop will actually teach participants how to sway local decisions against TNR through “role playing activity” of public meetings to “debrief and design local strategies.”

Of course this workshop is NOT going to provide statistical information that has been gathered for decades on the countless benefits of TNR or explain how costly and ineffective trap and kill is, but rather reinforce that eradication is the only method that should be utilized when managing community cats, as they continue to exaggerate cat predation on wildlife. The Wildlife Society’s website says that “cats kill an estimated 1.4 million birds a day, every day—and at least as many small mammals and herps.” It goes on to say that cats kill more birds than do “collisions with wind or communications towers, oil spills, or other sources on which conservation agencies invest time and money.”

The Wildlife Society also stresses that “Municipalities across the U.S. are being pressured by cat advocacy groups to adopt Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programs… establishing populations of subsidized invasive predators that continue to depredate wildlife.” Therefore, this workshop is designed to arm biologists and conservationists with the tools necessary to counteract the work on animal organizations to ensure that TNR is not embraced in anymore communities.

If it’s a fight they want, then it’s a fight we will give them! It’s time for cat advocates and supporters of non-lethal management practices to band together and let our voices be heard that we do NOT want our tax money to be used to kill cats! Especially, when history has shown us that trap and kill does NOT work and that TNR DOES!

What you can do to help:

* Contact the USFWS and tell them you oppose their efforts to kill cats.

Daniel M. Ashe, Director, USFWS

Loyal Mehrhoff, Field Supervisor, Pacific Islands

Robyn Thorson, Regional Director, Pacific Region

* Contact Secretary Salazar of the Department of the Interior

* Contact President Obama

* Spread the word about the benefits of TNR with friends, family and neighbors. Remember to share important TNR emails, blogs and helpful links to your Facebook!

* Find out about laws in your area and attend council meetings where TNR legislation is the subject of discussion.

* Learn more about TNR and communities by visiting our website and stay up-to-date on action alerts and hot topics by subscribing to our E-newsletter.

Tipsy Went Home!

2011-08-16T12:23:00.002-04:00

Here is some great news for all of our members: Tipsy, our cat with CH (cerebellar hypoplasia), has gone to her forever home! (You can read our previous E-Newsletter about Tipsy here).

After our last email detailing Tipsy and her condition, one of our members who lives in Detroit contacted us about adopting her. Wendy already has one cat with CH and was familiar with the difficulties that can result from that condition. When we saw that Wendy had a CH kitty already, we knew it would be a great home for Tipsy, so arrangements were made to meet in the middle.

On Saturday morning, Kylie, our Executive Director, and her husband Scott set out early for a 5 hour drive to Cranberry Township, PA to meet Wendy. Tipsy was an angel in the car, and just relaxed and didn't cry at all the whole way. When they got there, Wendy got to meet Tipsy for the first time, and it was love at first site. It was a bittersweet moment for Kylie and Scott who had been fostering Tipsy since she was 8 weeks old, but they were happy to see her go to a wonderful home! Thank you to all who contributed to her medical care!

Killing Trees While Blaming Cats

2011-07-19T14:58:00.002-04:00

(Photo: Care2.com; Clear cut forest)

Everyday I read a new article or receive a new e-alert revealing a sad reality for our planet’s environment. Habitat destruction, land development, global warming, pollution and the use of herbicides and pesticides are all on the rise and their side effects on the natural world are devastating. Every year, the planet is stripped of between 3 and 6 BILLION trees and that is just for paper products and fuel; that figure does not include the number of trees cut down to make room for commercial building or those killed off by herbicides and pollution. YET wildlife organizations are more concerned with managing (aka killing) animal and plant species, claiming invasive species are higher on the list of environmental enemies, than fighting those who are truly responsible for the planet’s declining wildlife. The US Fish and Wildlife Service puts cats as the number one killer of birds—placing them well above pesticides and other man-made causes like building, power line and vehicle collisions. And they seriously expect us to believe this?! When…

According to a New York Times’ article, an herbicide called Imprelis, which is widely used by landscapers because it was thought to be environmentally friendly, has emerged as the leading suspect in the deaths of thousands of trees on lawns and golf courses across the country. Manufactured by DuPont and conditionally approved for sale last October by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Imprelis is used for killing broadleaf weeds like dandelion and clover. But guess what—this supposed “environmentally-friendly” herbicide is now under investigation for killing thousands trees. And DuPont continues to sell the product, which is registered for use in all states except California and New York, claiming there are many places where the product had been used without damaging trees.

“This is going to be a large-scale problem, affecting hundreds of thousands of trees, if not more,” said Dr. Bert Cregg, an associate professor of horticulture and forestry and an extension specialist with Michigan State University. Imprelis is used on athletic fields and cemeteries as well as on private lawns and golf courses, he noted. While landscapers are replacing some of the trees, they cannot replace large mature ones, meaning that some homeowners have lost some of their biggest and oldest trees. There’s your explanation for declining bird populations…loss of suitable habitat, not to mention the adverse affects these chemicals have on birds and other wildlife.

AND WHEN...America's rainforest, the Tongass National Forest, continues to be under attack from legislation that proposes the forest be used for industrial clearcut logging and other private development. Sealaska Corporation has already clearcut some 300,000 acres of the best and biggest trees on the Tongass, exporting the timber to international markets (which requires tons of oil for transportation). And there’s a proposal for the Keystone XL pipeline that will transport some of the world’s dirtiest oil from the tar sands pits of Alberta, Canada across the U.S. to heavily polluting refineries down in Texas. Not only will this project destroy forests, it will also threaten miles of country side with potential toxic spills and contribute to global warming—another hot topic that is responsible for the deaths of wildlife species.

(Photo: Universetoday.com; Air pollution)

According to a newly published study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, climate change is speeding up the rate at which animals and plants are becoming extinct. By the end of the century, one in 10 species could be on the verge of extinction because of the effects of global warming. The Independent, a London newspaper, discussing the study says “The findings support the view that the earth is currently experiencing a global mass extinction where the rate at which species are being lost is many times greater than the historical extinction rate. It is the sixth great mass extinction in the history of life on earth.” Dr. Ilya Maclean of the University of Exeter and co-author of the study says, “Our study is a wake-up call for action. The many species that are already declining could become extinct if things continue as they are. It is time to stop using the uncertainties as an excuse for not acting. Our research shows that the harmful effects of climate change are already happening and, if anything, exceed predictions.” Dr. Robert Wilson, also from the University of Exeter and co-author of the study reiterates, “From birds to worms to marine mammals, from high mountain ranges to jungles and to the oceans, scientists seem to have been right that climate change is a real threat. We need to act now. This means cutting carbon emissions and protecting species from the other threats they face, such as habitat loss and pollution.” Both men agree that their findings are just “further evidence that we are experiencing a global mass extinction.”

How much more evidence do these wildlife organizations need to see that the number one causes for wildlife decline, with at least 10% of today’s species on the verge of extinction, is due to habitat destruction and pollution?! Evidence that human activity is to blame for species extinction is slapping them in the face, yet they continue to advocate for the eradication of countless plant and animal species who have as much of a right to life on this planet as we do. Humans need to take a hard look at our interactions with the planet and see every move we make has a direct or indirect effect on the world around us…before it is too late. Sadly, some of us have been saying this for a long time and only time itself will reveal if we have already passed the “too late” mark. Let’s hope not.

International Day of Action for South Korean Dogs and Cats

2011-07-15T09:17:00.000-04:00

In South Korea, there thrives an industry that subjects companion animals to some of the cruelest forms of abuse and exploitation. Each year two million cats and dogs are tortured, slaughtered, and consumed for the meat’s supposed medicinal properties. Kept in tiny, filthy cages, cats and dogs are killed in unimaginable ways. Despite laws protecting cats and dogs from this mistreatment, the Korean government has refused to uphold its responsibilities and enforce these laws.

In stopping this horrific tradition, International Day of Action for South Korean Dogs and Cats was borne. On Tuesday, August 16^th, In Defense of Animals will support animal allies on the ground in South Korea - Coexistence for Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) and Korean Animal RightsAdvocates (KARA). Both organizations hold protests, conduct investigations, report illegal activity at dog farms and slaughterhouses, engage in rescues, offer education, and pressure the South Korean government to strengthen legislation. Another organization involved in helping animals in Korea is International Aid for Korean Animals (IAKA); their brand new adoption and education center is now home to dozens of stray animals and provides a wealth of information to the community.

This day is used to organize outreach events to educate communities around the world about this needless suffering. Individuals are encouraged to hold protests or leafleting in a public place to raise awareness or to have a table at a local venue or event. For more information and to register your event, please click here. Also, please take a moment to visit ACR’s Call to Action page for contact information to send letters to the Korean embassy in Washington, DC.

Columbia Missouri Passes Not-So-Friendly Feral Cat Ordinance

2011-07-07T09:55:00.000-04:00

Yes, Columbia city council passed an ordinance that permits individuals to practice TNR for stray and feral cats HOWEVER the requirements spelled out in this piece of legislation will make actually carrying our TNR almost impossible. According to the new ordinance, all cats in a colony are now required to be annually tested for feline diseases like FeLV and FIV. Plus, along with ear-tipping the cats, city council is also requiring that every cat also be micro-chipped.

These requirements are ridiculous and basically undermine the entire point of implementing such a program. Requiring individuals to annually test for feline diseases and to micro-chip all cats is highly unnecessary and the added cost of such services is counterproductive to the program. If Columbia wants to reduce its feral cat population then all funding needs to be allocated to actual spaying and neutering (and vaccinating) community cats, not wasted on unnecessary procedures.

The percentage of cats who actually have FeLV or FIV is very small and sterilization helps prevent both diseases from being transmitted. Not to mention, mass screenings of healthy cats can result in large numbers of false positives. And neither disease is a death sentence; cats can live long healthy lives despite having either disease. Although many people still deny this, which leads to wrongly requiring that cats who test positive for either disease be killed. This new ordinance provides an excuse to kill cats, when its purpose is to support a life-saving program.

And requiring that all cats be micro-chipped is beyond a waste of resources. A vital part of the TNR process is to ear-tip each cat for identification purposes. Ear-tipping is a widely accepted means of marking or tagging a feral cat who has been spayed or neutered. It often identifies a cat as being part of a managed colony. Ear-tipping is safe and rarely requires special aftercare. Ear-tipping is especially important as it prevents an already spayed or neutered cat the stress of re-trapping and more importantly, an unnecessary surgery. The silhouette of an ear-tipped cat is very distinct and easily recognizable.

It is clear where Columbia’s city council stands on the issue of TNR. This ordinance was simply a strategic way for the city to look as if it supports TNR, while imposing restrictions that cripple the possibility of it actually being carried out. If Columbia is serious about humanely managing its community cats and reducing their populations, then annual testing and micro-chipping must be removed from the ordinance, so the majority of the funding can be spent on sterilization and vaccination. Dr. Julie Levy is right on when she says, "that reproduction causes more miserable deaths (in colonies) than do these viruses. We have to remember that the largest cause of death of cats in the U.S. is overpopulation and homelessness. Euthanasia of unwanted cats claims the lives of more cats than all infectious diseases combined."

ACR Saves 14 Kittens from Ohio

2011-06-14T10:37:00.001-04:00

On Monday, June 13th, ACR received an email that a transport van from Ohio had driven 14 kittens and 1 adult cat to Maryland to transfer them to a local rescue group.

When the transport arrived, and the rescue group discovered that one of the kittens had an upper respiratory infection, they would not take any of the kittens.

The wonderful volunteers who had driven them over 450 miles were devastated, because they were going to have to drive them back, where they would most likely be euthanized.

Emails started flying back and forth between groups, and one wonderful person put up $1,000 to whoever would take them and save them from certain death. We decided that we would not see these kittens and mother cat end up in the shelter, so we decided to take them.

We are hoping to raise an additional $2,000 to help cover the costs. The kittens have some of their vaccinations, but still need to be spayed or neutered and receive other vaccines. Please use the chip-in below to donate directly to these kittens care!

Court Case Could Set Precedent

2011-06-13T16:50:00.000-04:00

Jan Van Dusen is a volunteer and foster parent for Fix Our Ferals, a charitable organization in California dedicated to TNRing community cats. She has been caring for about 70 cats in her home, while she works to find them new homes. She has also been keeping track of the associated expenses her volunteering has incurred, on items like veterinary bills, food, litter, and a portion of her utility bills. Now, most accountants would advise against individuals claiming such deductions on their taxes, unless they are prepared to be challenged by the IRS. And that is exactly what happened to Ms. Van Dusen; the IRS came knocking.

Photo Credit: Michael Mullady for the Wall Street Journal

Representing herself in court, Ms. Van Dusen explained to the judge what each of the deductions was for and that she volunteers her services and uses her own money to help cats from Fix Our Ferals find permanent homes. According to Ms. Van Dusen, IRS lawyers tried to discredit her case by playing up that she is “crazy cat lady,” but Van Dusen said the judge in her case was very patient and ended up ruling in her favor, saying in a 42-page decision that some of her bills “were unreimbursed expenses incurred to help a charitable group in its mission.” It is still unclear the total deduction Ms. Van Dusen won, but according to the Humane Soceity of the United States, “It estimates that many…volunteers spend up to $2,000 of their own money a year to help animals in need, with some spending up to $15,000 a year when all expenses are counted.”

The IRS has 90 days to appeal to a federal appeals court regarding this case. Hopefully the ruling will stand and provide precedent for countless animal volunteers who selflessly acquire hefty bills while providing their community a much-needed service. To read the entire story, click here.

Nat Geo: Tigers of the Snow

2011-06-10T09:54:00.000-04:00

I recently watched a National Geographic documentary on the plight of the Siberian tiger. Like so many wild cats, the Siberian tiger (or Amur tiger) is endangered and on the verge of extinction. Although the Siberian tiger is the largest cat on the planet, there are only 300-350 remaining in the wild. These tigers were once protected under old Soviet law but after the regime change, these laws have become more relaxed and many of the tigers fall prey to poachers who sell their body parts in Asian medicine markets. Every part of the Siberian tiger is thought to have healing powers and their pelts can fetch up to $10,000. Deforestation is the other main reason for the tiger’s decline. Siberian tigers used to range over all of Asia, but now the remaining few are only found in a small mountain chain along the coast of Japan. The largest natural forest in the world, which extends over most of Russia, is being cut down at a rate of about 10 million acres every year, leaving less and less suitable habitat for these animals (and countless other animals).

WCS field staff collect data during capture
of a juvenile Amur tiger.
Photo by John Goodrich, WCS.

American and Russian scientists are working together to try to save these mystical creatures, but it is not an easy task. The landscape where these animals live makes it difficult to track them in the wild and most of the tracking must be done in the winter when they are most visible; (this is also the time of year when poachers are most active.) Scientists use humane snares to trap them and also dart the tigers from helicopters. Once a tiger is sedated, a radio collar is put on the animal so its habits can be tracked. Unfortunately, the life of a radio collar is only for two years and then the battery must be replaced. So the scientists are constantly needing to re-dart tigers so they can continue to track them. Scientists also ear tag tiger cubs when they come across a den, however, this is very dangerous. Although Siberian tigers have never been known to be “man hunters,” a mother tiger will defend her cubs to the death. So there are a lot of elements that the scientists must contend with in order to save these animals.

Siberian tigers are also being studied in captivity. Often times tiger cubs are orphaned so scientists take them to study them and so they can become part of a breeding program. Another obstacle for tigers is that the mortality rate of cubs in the wild is relatively high at 30% and it is common for tigers in captivity to not care for their cubs. Scientists take particular care to raise the cubs so that they may be released back into the wild. Russian scientists reach out to the public and educate school children not to be fearful of Siberian tigers (since they live in close proximity to these animals) and on the importance of protecting the species. The more people understand about these animals, the more they will be willing to protect them.

From tracking tigers in the wild, scientists have discovered that most of these animals are traveling outside the parameters of the nature reserves that have been set up for them. Again, it is highlighted how vast their ranges are and the land that is needed to support these creatures. Females will have a range of around 200 square miles, while a male tiger can have a range of up to 500 square miles. Dr. Maurice Hornocker, an American scientist, says, “You can literally define an entire ecosystem by studying a big cat.” He says by protecting a large predator, like a tiger, you will in turn protect an entire ecosystem, which will protect countless other species. Man is the biggest threat to these magnificent creatures and once they are gone, it is possible that the entire ecosystem that they were once a part of will also collapse.

For more information on the Siberian Tiger Project, please visit Wildlife Conservation Society Russia.

The National Zoo Stands behind Nico Dauphine

2011-06-02T16:09:00.003-04:00

As mentioned in the last post, Alley Cat Rescue’s President, Louise Holton, sent a letter to the director of the Zoo requesting that Nico Dauphine be suspended from her position at the Zoo until there is an investigation into the allegations of animal cruelty pending against her. One would think that this isn’t too much to ask, considering Dauphine works with animals. And it especially doesn’t seem like too much of a request, considering her research for the Zoo’s Migratory Bird Center involves cats and she is charged with poisoning cats!

Yet, the National Zoo continues to stand behind Dauphine, by allowing her to remain in her position. Again, the Zoo tries to reassure its supporters that animal care is one of its “top priorities,” and that Dauhpine’s research “in no way jeopardizes animals.” The Zoo talks of taking “temporary precautions” with her work, but what are we supposed to think that means? The only “precaution” the Zoo should be taking right now is by suspending her altogether. Until the court proves otherwise, this woman should not be permitted to be around animals.

Here is a copy of the response ACR (and others) received from the National Zoo:

Thank you for contacting the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and FONZ regarding the allegations against Dr. Nico Dauphine, a postdoctoral research fellow based within the Migratory Bird Center. We take our role as the nation’s zoo very seriously and work hard to provide leadership in animal care, conservation science, education, and sustainability.

Animal care is one of the Zoo’s top priorities, and we appreciate when visitors share our passion and concern for our animals’ well-being. Please be assured that Dr. Dauphine’s research in no way jeopardizes animals, and the Smithsonian has taken appropriate temporary precautions with respect to her postdoctoral appointment. These restrictions will allow this matter to be fairly resolved within the judicial system.

Our leadership team thanks you for sharing our passion for the Zoo, and your continued support is greatly appreciated.

ACR Sends a Letter to the Director of the National Zoo

2011-06-01T09:37:00.006-04:00

Alley Cat Rescue sent a letter to the director of the National Zoo requesting Nico Dauphine be suspended until a full investigation into the animal cruelty charges she is faced with has been completed. Below is a copy of the letter. We also encourage our members to send a letter to Director Kelly expressing your thoughts on the situation. You can find the Zoo's contact information here. Thank you.

Dear Director Kelly,

Alley Cat Rescue and our 110,000 members are very disappointed to learn that you are permitting Nico Dauphine to continue her research with the National Zoo, in light of the recent animal cruelty charges she is facing for allegedly poisoning cats in her neighborhood. In fulfilling the National Zoo's mission statement, you owe it to all the animals under your care AND to the citizens of the United States to ensure that all employees are providing “the highest quality care” to ALL animals and protecting ALL wildlife. By allowing Dauphine to continue her research with the Zoo’s Migratory Bird Center, where she directly works with citizens’ cats as part of the Neighborhood Nestwatch project, is highly hypocritical of the Zoo’s mission statement and goes beyond irresponsible.

Dauphine may say “her whole life is devoted to the care and welfare of animals," but history has shown that her devotion to animals clearly only extends to birds and does not include cats. In 2008, Dauphine wrote a letter to the St. Petersburg Times saying: “cats may be the single biggest direct cause of bird mortality, far outnumbering all other causes (including human hunters) put together!” On what science is this statement based...the same pseudo science that she and her colleague, Dr. Peter Marra, use to perpetuate the lies about cat predation? This statement and numerous others by Dauphine are not based on any scientific research; though she takes every opportunity to misrepresent statistics in order to paint a dark picture of cats.

In that same letter to the St. Petersburg Times, Dauphine speaks of taking it upon herself to control community cat populations by trapping them and taking them to a local shelter to have them euthanized. Though this method of management is not criminal and is widely accepted by local animal control agencies, it has been brought to our attention that Dauphine’s trapping cats in Georgia was not always conducted within the guidelines of the law. Luckily for her, official charges were never filed. However, this time her neighbors were not taking any chances when they suspected something was wrong. This time the Washington Humane Society was able to gather evidence needed to charge Dauphine.

The American public trusts the National Zoo to protect and care for, not only the animals under its care, but for all animals. So how can your institution say, “We know what she’s doing would in no way jeopardize our animal collection at the National Zoo or jeopardize wildlife, so we feel perfectly comfortable that she continue her research.” Do you honestly believe that statement, knowing the current allegations against her? It is the National Zoo’s responsibility to the American public (especially since the majority of its funding comes from “federal appropriations”) to ensure its employees are of high moral character; and if for some reason a situation should arise that brings into question a person's character and intentions (like being charged with animal cruelty for example), that person should be removed from his/her position until a full investigation proves otherwise.

Washington, DC officials and residents support the use of trap-neuter-return for managing community cats. In December of 2009, the City Code was amended to read that TNR must be the course of first response when answering constituent inquiries related to stray and feral cat challenges. The Washington Humane Society, along with various other animal organizations, assists local residents with sterilization and vaccination of community cats year round. Cats in the DC neighborhood where Dauphine was allegedly poisoning cats are regularly cared for by residents and are part of a trap-neuter-return program. According to a national survey, an overwhelming majority of Americans (81%) believe that leaving a feral cat outside to live out his life is more humane than having the cat caught and killed by animal control. The American public does NOT support management practices of community cats that include killing the animals. Rather, citizens will support (and volunteer their resources) for programs that utilize non-lethal methods. By supporting Dauphine and her rogue activities, the National Zoo shows it does not take into account the public’s opinion, nor does it extend its mission statement to cats.

Again, Alley Cat Rescue is requesting that you start taking these allegations seriously by suspending Nico Dauphine from her position at the National Zoo until a full investigation is completed. Along with our members, we have also gathered an additional 700+ signatures from individuals who agree that Dauphine should be suspended. The American public requests your attention to this matter. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Louise Holton

President and Founder

National Zoo Researcher Accused of Attempted Animal Cruelty

2011-05-24T16:46:00.001-04:00

Researcher at the National Zoo's Migratory Bird Center, Nico Dauphine, has been charged with attempted animal cruelty after evidence shows she was putting rat poison and antifreeze in cat food left for community cats in her neighborhood of Columbia Heights, in Washington, DC.

(Photo Credit: Smithsonian National Zoological Park)

Dauphine, a PhD and bird conservationist, is known for her articles on cat predation and anti-TNR sentiments. Back in 2008 when she lived in Athens, GA, Dauphine wrote a letter to the St. Petersburg Times saying: “cats may be the single biggest direct cause of bird mortality, far outnumbering all other causes (including human hunters) put together!” It is also Alley Cat Rescue’s understanding that Dauphine was allegedly accused of similar crimes against community cats while living in Georgia.

According to an NBC article, Dauphine denies the charges saying, “her whole life is devoted to the care and welfare of animals.” In the meantime, the National Zoo is allowing her to continue her job with them saying she is no threat to zoo animals.

For those of you who may follow the Vox Felina blog, Dauphine’s name should sound familiar to you. Dauphine’s work is just some of the studies regarding cat predation that Peter Wolf has been critiquing. Thanks to Vox Felina, the truth surrounding such studies and articles is finally coming to light – the research wildlife organizations are using to base their claims on that cats are to blame for declining wildlife ergo TNR should be outlawed is highly plagued with errors, exaggerations, glaring omissions, and inexcusable bias. Unfortunately, a handful of these deeply flawed studies have become the “holy grail” of statistics for these groups, and they continue to ignore statistical information regarding the effectiveness of TNR; which has been gathered by countless highly accredited veterinarians and cat organizations through years of research and rescue.

Scapegoating cats not only fosters cruelty towards cats, but it also creates hatred for a species based on exaggerated reports and persuades individuals to take matters into their own hands by acting out in illegal ways. Alley Cat Rescue vehemently disagrees with keeping Dauphine in her current position at the National Zoo and believes she should be removed until an investigation into these allegations of animal cruelty has been completed. Please take action by signing our petition to stop her from working with other animals.

Remember Your Companion Animals in Your Estate Planning

2011-05-20T08:53:00.002-04:00

(Image credit: Associated Press)

Back in 2007, Leona Helmsley, “The Queen of Mean” died, leaving behind quite an estate. According to news articles, Helmsley's instructions for the dispersal of her trust, estimated to be in the neighborhood of $5-8 billion, stipulated that the the majority of the money go towards the care and welfare of dogs. Her white Maltese dog, labeled by the media as “a rich bitch,” was left with a trust fund of $12 million and directed that the dog be cared for by two of Helmsley’s relatives.

The Helmsley Foundation provided for a part of her $450 million estate to benefit animal welfare. However, to date, only $100,000 has been distributed to animal welfare organizations. "The statement is an expression of her wishes that is not necessarily legally binding," says William Josephson, a lawyer, speaking in regards to how Helmsley’s trust will be divided up. A judge ruled that the trustees have sole discretion of how the money should be distributed.

Please ensure you take the time to create a will or estate plan, specifically pronouncing your final wishes. Remember to include provisions for your companion animals (e.g. who will take care of them, money for care-taking), so they will be safe and loved even after you are gone. And please, in honoring your compassion for animals, remember to include a donation gift to your favorite cause(s) and organization(s), so they may carry on your dedication to improving the lives’ of animals everywhere.

For more information on estate planning and Alley Cat Rescue’s Gift Annuity Program, please click here.

Brian's Free Feral Cat Spay Day Story

2011-05-17T13:54:00.002-04:00

Thank you to the French Creek Veterinary Hospital in Pottstown, PA for providing a few spays/neuters for cats helped by the Cat NAPS organization in honor of Free Feral Cat Spay Day. The founder of Cat NAPS shared one of the TNRed kitty’s stories with us and we wanted to share it with you.

One male cat, who has been named Brian, was a stray living on someone's porch for the last several months. He is very friendly & adoptable, but because he is FIV positive, he'll be a long-term foster resident at the organization. Along with neutering Brian, the French Creek Vet took extra time that day to do bilateral eye surgery on this poor guy. His lower lids were turning in and the hair was irritating his eyes to the point where he was having trouble opening them. He is doing much better now and sure is thrilled to be able to see clearly now without irritation!

ACR gives the French Creek Veterinary Hospital and Cat NAPS a BIG thank you for providing TNR services to feral cats and for going above and beyond for Brian!

For those who think that TNR is about trapping cats, sterilizing them and “dumping” them back on the streets, countless stories like the one above are the true experiences of a proper TNR program. Friendly, adoptable cats are removed for adoption or sanctuary life and any wounds, injuries or illnesses are treated and monitored prior to being released. Cats are provided with vaccinations and it is becoming more common practice for organizations to also provide flea and de-worming treatments for feral cats. They are ear-tipped for easy identification and caretakers provide daily food and water for these cats.

TNR is NOT the horror stories wildlife organizations and PETA like to make it sound like. Yes, from time to time, groups will make mistakes, and we will learn from them, but that will happen, no one is perfect. However, for the most part, those providing TNR and caring for feral cats do it out of compassion for the animals and for the sanctity of life. We do it because we know killing does NOT work and is inhumane for the animals being culled. Sterilization is the key to preventing homelessness and reducing shelter euthanasia rates. Spay and neuter saves lives. By helping just one cat, we save the lives of many!

Cat NAPS is a small rescue organization primarily serving Montgomery County, PA. Their mission is to advocate Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) as a humane solution to control the feral cat population; locate appropriate homes for adoptable stray cats and kittens; and provide a limited number of special-needs cats with a place where they can live a quality life until adopted. For more information, please visit their website. They also work closely with Forgotten Cats, Inc. to find homes for foster cats.

The French Creek Veterinary Hospital is a full-service veterinary medical facility, located in Pottstown, PA . Their professional and courteous staff seeks to provide the best possible medical care, surgical care and dental care for their highly-valued patients. For more information, please visit their website.

Alley Cat Rescue Needs Foster Families for Kittens

2011-05-04T14:06:00.002-04:00

Mom & babies being fostered by ACR volunteers

Every year, ACR takes in hundreds of kittens and cats that have been rescued from the streets. But before they can find homes, they need to grow strong and be socialized — we are constantly in need of compassionate individuals who live in the MD, VA, DC area to foster!!

Fostering is a great way to teach children about responsibility and respect for all animals. Fostering is FUN the whole family can enjoy! Fostering is also a great way to expand your furry family without adding permanent residents. For more information on how you can save lives, please contact us by email at acr@saveacat.org or by calling our office at 301-277-5595. Thank you for your interest!

Another Successful Campaign!

2011-05-03T14:03:00.002-04:00

A feral cat waits to be TNRed

Thank you to everyone who once again participated in National Free Feral Cat Spay Day! Over 300 veterinary clinics (that's more than double the amount of participants last year!!) across the US, Canada and South Africa used this day to show their compassion for community cats and their support of trap-neuter-return (TNR). We are currently gathering the results, and as soon as they are all counted, we will let you know how many feral cats were spayed or neutered.

Not all communities are as accepting of feral cats and TNR, however, as the involvement from the veterinary community increases and the truth (the facts) about TNR reach the public without being misconstrued by those who oppose humane control, TNR will be accepted as the preferred method of controlling community cat populations and all those who manage these cats will be able to work free of persecution and will be recognized for their compassion. Thank you to all who support the humane treatment of feral cats!!

Easter: Be Safe This Holiday!

2011-04-22T10:07:00.000-04:00

This Sunday is a very important holiday for many people around the world. Easter brings many things to many people, but it is important to remember that some of our favorite Easter decorations can be very dangerous for our cat and dog friends.

Here are some tips for keeping our furry friends safe during this holiday weekend:

Easter Eggs: They may seem like harmless things to decorate, but those decorations often look like toys to cats, and they can give kitty an upset stomach so keep all decorating supplies out of reach. If you do an Easter Egg hunt outside, make sure that all hard-boiled eggs are found, otherwise they can rot and be eaten by cats or dogs, making them sick. Plastic eggs can also be a hazard if your companion animal chews on them and ingests any of the plastic. It can cause blockages or if sharp can cause tears.

Flowers and plants: Many beautiful flowers and plants we associate with spring and Easter are poisonous to animals. In particular, the Lilly is extremely poisonous to cats. The ASPCA runs a poison-control hotline for pets and can be reached at 888-426-445. If you suspect your pet has ingested something that may be poisonous, call them as soon as possible (the hotline does charge a fee) or call your veterinarian. You can find more poisonous plants by visiting our website at http://www.saveacat.org/felinehealth.html

Easter Basket Dangers: Many things in the typical Easter basket are hazardous to animals. One thing in particular to watch out for is the plastic grass used for decorating. Cats LOVE to play with it, and if ingested can cause intestinal blockages, which require expensive surgery to remove and can kill a pet. Chocolate is also particularly dangerous because it contains theobromine, which cannot be fully metabolized and can cause many health problems. If you suspect that your companion animal has ingested chocolate, it is imperative to get them to a vet right away. Sugary treats can also cause digestive problems.

Alley Cat Rescue wants everyone and their fuzzy (or scaly, or slimy, or feathered!) friends to have a wonderful and safe holiday!

How to Trap a Homeless Cat (with a little help from the Irish) by Guest Blogger Rosie Sorenson

2011-04-18T09:54:00.002-04:00

First Step: take two swigs of Bailey’s Irish Cream. Oh, none for me, thanks, but you’re going to need it for your first go-round at trapping a homeless cat. Pick up the smooth dark bottle, cool to the touch; twist off the black plastic cap (snap!) Inhale the spirit of Ireland as you hoist the open bottle to your lips, throw back your head, and allow the chocolaty, tingly river of love to linger on your tongue before you wave it on down your throat. Repeat. Put the cap back on the bottle and return it carefully to the cupboard (you may need it later!). Exhale. You’re ready.

Now, dressed in your black sweatpants, gray sweatshirt, and brown hiking boots, you open the patio door which reminds you with its high-pitched squeal that it needs to be oiled when you return. The lemon tree’s sweet, lively fragrance envelops you. You step onto the grainy asphalt deck and bend down, taking care to avoid the fiery pain you sometimes get in your right knee. You grab the handle of the wire mesh cat trap inside of which is a metal spring-loaded plate that you will set once you’ve arrived at the targeted cat’s outdoor home. You wipe your feet on the thick sisal door mat, close the patio door with a thud, then carry the trap through the white-carpeted living room to the front door. You grasp the cool, brass door knob, give it a turn. It opens onto the white cement landing. Jake, your short-haired, line-backer-necked gray cat is sleeping in his blue plaid flannel bed near the jade plant. He briefly opens his eyes and greets you with a short “mew.” You set down the trap so you can bend over and scratch him under his chin. “See you later, Jakey,” you say to him in that baby-talk way you adopt when you talk to kitties. “I’m going off to catch one of your cousins.”

You pick up the trap with your left hand so your right is free to hold onto the white railing while you walk carefully down the stairs. The crisp afternoon air and bright sun lift the dread you felt earlier. Maybe this will be fun, after all.

You head toward your carport to your white Nissan Altima. The local Waste Management company truck is rumbling into the driveway for its weekly pick-up, setting off your car alarm as it passes. You reach into your pocket for your keys and press the little “off” button on the remote before the entire neighborhood rises up against you.

You open the back passenger door, carefully setting the trap on the newspapers and black plastic tarp you previously placed there. The inside of the car smells musty now; so, as soon as you slide into the driver’s seat, you open the windows. You run through your mental list to make sure you have everything you need: several cans of Trader Joe’s tuna for cats, can opener, paper towels, terrycloth towel to cover the trap once he’s inside, cell phone, camera, sun visor, patience, love. Yep, all set.

You buckle your seatbelt, insert and turn the key in the ignition, and back carefully out of your carport into the driveway.

You offer up a brief prayer to no one in particular. Oh, please, let him go into the trap.

You drive to the parking lot near Sammy’s outdoor home. He’s the one you have set your sights on, a beautiful, Siamese kitten, the son of Lily, a fierce, black kitty who has already been fixed. Alas, no more beautiful kittens.

You pile the trap, the paper bag full of the cans of tuna, towels and the rest of your supplies onto an old luggage carrier, strap it all down with colorful bungee cords, and head off down the blacktop path. You’re worried that the metallic squeaks and moans coming from the rickety cart will scare Sammy away. The fragrance of the wild sage delights and calms you. You stop several feet short of Sammy’s favorite dining spot, the plank of plywood covering the drainage ditch. You release the bungee cords, set the paper bag on the ground, lift off the trap and place it on the plywood. Buddy, a large black cat, has already come out to check on the proceedings. Little Bear, a small gray neutered male, is fast approaching. The others can’t be far behind.

This is the impossibility of the task you have accepted - how to target the one kitty, Sammy, while keeping the others away from the trap which now reeks mightily of the tuna you’ve placed inside.

You set the lever on the trap and – wait. You stand at a distance and watch as Sammy approaches. Sammy is following suit. No, no, you silently scream as Little Bear enters the trap and gobbles the tuna you’ve placed in front of the spring-loaded metal plate. You’ve no choice but to yell at him, thus sending Sammy scampering into the bushes. You hold out some tuna to entice Buddy to follow you on down the path away from the trap. It works! Sammy returns and starts nibbling again, moves slowly into the trap, further, further. But, wait! Little Bear sneaks out of the bushes and oh, dang! He’s going into the trap, too. The trap is small and the only way Little Bear can get at the rest of the tuna is to nudge Sammy further into the back of the trap. He does. Bam! Little Bear backs out just in the nick, leaving Sammy trapped and thrashing. You holler, “No, no, no, Sammy, it’s all right” as you run toward him, waving the towel, and flinging it over the trap. Your heart is pounding; Sammy is mewing, his eyes wild. You collapse onto the ground and cry. However, Little Bear, has already started nibbling at some of the tuna you dropped onto the plywood in front of the trap.

Bailey’s. Did someone say Baileys?

Rosie is the author of "They Had me at Meow: Tails of Love from the Homeless Cats of Buster Hollow." Be sure to check out Rosie's book and pick up a few copies -- great for Easter or Mother's Day gifts!

The Importance of Micro-Chipping: Squeaky’s Story

2011-04-14T15:15:00.000-04:00

He was saying "cheese"

When not working for Alley Cat Rescue, I also help out a dog walking and pet sitting service. Well, one of my regular clients cares for a feral colony and she mentioned to me that a friendly cat, who she dubbed “Mr. Whiner” because of his constant chatter, started hanging around with her outside cats. She had been feeding him for about a week or two and asked all of her immediate neighbors if he belonged to anyone, but no one claimed ownership of him. She told me that he is super friendly and continually tried to get inside of her house, so she had a feeling that he used to be a housecat. From what she was telling me, I agreed he probably used to have a family but for whatever reason he is now a stray. (With this poor economy, ACR has seen a rise in animals being abandoned when people can no longer afford to care for them or when they must move.) So ACR agreed to take Mr. Whiner and place him in our adoption program to find him another home.

During his examination process, which all new cats receive when they first arrive at our shelter, it was discovered that Mr. Whiner had a micro-chip! Fortunately, we were able to track down the chip number and get the contact information of his previous owners. We also discovered that Mr. Whiner is actually Squeaky (another fitting name for him). When I talked to Squeaky’s dad, he was overjoyed to hear that his cat had been found and couldn’t wait to tell his children about his return. So after a long day, two car rides and a few complimentary pokes (vaccines), Squeaky was reunited with his family!

After the initial shock of having their cat returned, I explained to the family that it was the micro-chip that brought Squeaky home, so it is always a good idea to have all of their pets micro-chipped. They agreed and said that their other cat was also chipped. I also suggested that the next time Squeaky decides to escape and take a little trip, they should post flyers around the neighborhood, because he was found in the neighborhood right next door and if the pet sitting client had seen them, she could have returned him sooner and avoided a trip to a shelter.

ACR is always happy when we are able to reunite pets with their owners, however, this is not usually the case, since most of the cats that come to our shelter are not micro-chipped and there is no way to identify them or who they may have belonged to. Collars with ID tags are a great idea too, but this is not always the best idea for cats, plus collars and tags can come loose or be removed, leaving no way to identify the animal. So please consider micro-chipping your pet(s), so in the event that something would happen to separate them from you, there will be a greater chance of you being reunited.

Feeding Bans Do NOT Work

2011-04-08T13:21:00.002-04:00

Everyday I come across news articles featuring another city or township that is taking the cruel approach to managing feral cat populations, by imposing ordnances that prohibit residents from feeding feral cats. People think that because food is withheld that feral cats will simply go away and the problem is solved, but we all know this is not true.

It’s in a way the case of “what came first, the chicken or the egg?” Cats tend to gather where there is a food source. Then, people will notice the cats hanging around and start feeding them. So even if laws prohibit people from feeding them, they will still find other sources of food, or they wouldn’t be there in the first place.

Countless biologists have observed that feral cats are more scavengers than they are predators. Their begging and opportunistic behavior “has enabled many feral cats almost to give up hunting altogether,” says Peter Neville, a UK biologist; this behavior has contributed to their being domesticated in the first place over 9,000 years ago. Roger Tabor, also a UK biologist, adds, “Although cats are superb hunters, it is their scavenging ability that allows them to survive as feral-living animals and live with us eating food off a saucer...” Feral cats are very resourceful and have been able to survive on garbage and food scraps for centuries.

“Starving out” cats will only make the situation worse for the community and for the cats. Feral cats are territorial animals who can survive for weeks without food and will not easily or quickly leave their territory to search for new food sources. Instead, they tend to move closer into human habitations as they grow hungrier and more desperate. Their malnourished condition will also make them more susceptible to parasitic infestations, such as fleas and roundworms. Plus, feeding bans do nothing to stop reproduction, so malnourished cats will continue to give birth, resulting in the visible deaths of many kittens. (Feed cats are healthier cats.)

Individuals who feed feral cats should not be blamed or penalized for the problem, but rather encouraged for their acts of compassion. City officials should be assisting them with caring for and sterilizing these animals; this is a “community” issue. Simply prohibiting individuals from feeding cats will not solve the problem. Where there is a large number of people living (food source), there will be cats. However, with proper education and TNR programs, their populations can be humanely controlled, and cats become better neighbors.

Under current laws, individuals and rescue organizations work everyday in a shadow of fear from being persecuted for helping animals, and we are tired of working this way. Feeding bans are rarely effective and are nearly impossible to enforce. Repeated experience has shown that people who care about the cats' welfare will go to great lengths, risking their homes, jobs and even their liberty, to feed starving animals. It makes no sense to penalize people who are trying to improve the situation for homeless animals and for being involved in their communities. Out-dated laws HAVE to change and compassionate people should be encouraged to continue to take care of feral colonies.

---------------------------------

Roger Tabor. “Understanding Cats;” Readers Digest, 1997.

Alley Cat Rescue Hosts Free Feral Cat Spay Day

2011-03-31T15:20:00.002-04:00


By helping just one cat, you will save the lives of many.

Mt. Rainier, MD— On April 27, 2011, Alley Cat Rescue (ACR) will be hosting its second annual Free Feral Cat Spay Day to encourage the veterinary community and the public to end cat homelessness and to decrease shelters’ euthanasia rates by practicing trap-neuter-return (TNR).

TNR is the humane management of feral cat colonies or community cats, where cats are caught in humane traps, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped and returned to the site. Friendly kittens and cats who can be socialized are placed into adoption programs to find homes, while those who are truly “feral” are returned to their outdoor homes. A feral cat is simply a domestic cat who was born outside and has never lived with humans, or one who was a house cat, became lost, and went without human contact long enough to become unsocialized to humans. Feral cats revert back to living on instincts and become less dependent on humans for survival. Feral simply means “wild” or “untamed.”

ACR President and Alley Cat Allies co-founder, Louise Holton, is once again encouraging veterinarians to participate on this important day by offering at least two free spays or neuters of feral cats to the public. In hard economic times countless people naively think a cat can “fend for himself,” so they put him on the streets or drop him off in the country. Holton says, “Many cats cannot fend for them-selves and will die, but others will go on to form or join feral cat colonies and breed unwanted feral kittens. TNR stops the breeding cycle more efficiently than catch-and-kill. In catch-and-kill, other strays will enter the vacated territory and start breeding all over again.”

Cat rescue organizations cannot tackle this problem alone; we need the support of the veterinary community. By establishing long-term relationships between vets and rescuers, together we can help each town’s stray cat population. ACR wants to make it clear, this day is not only meant to help reduce feral cat numbers and assist colony caretakers, but to also help the veterinary community showcase their compassion for animals and bring them new clients in the future.

Last year, over 150 veterinary clinics from 17 states joined ACR in the fight to prevent cat homelessness. Together, over 200 community cats were spayed or neutered. And thanks to our compassionate friends in South Africa and Canada, FFCSD has become an international campaign! So far this year, over 280 veterinary clinics have registered to participate; anyone interested in helping community cats, please join us on this very important day!!

For more information on Free Feral Cat Spay Day and how you can get involved, please visit www.saveacat.org or email Denise Hilton at dhilton@saveacat.org.

Photo Credit: Troy Snow

Louise Holton Appears on Pet Life Radio

2011-03-28T17:29:00.000-04:00

Louise Holton, Alley Cat Rescue President and Founder, took some time out of her busy schedule to talk with Amy Shojai, the host of Pet Peeves on Pet Life Radio. They discussed feral cats, dispelling some of the myths that surround these animals and sharing helpful tips on how everyone can start helping their community cats. Louise and Amy talk about the benefits of Trap-Neuter-Return and how ACR is getting more veterinary clinics involved in treated feral cats through Free Feral Cat Spay Day.

Louise says, "TNR can solve a host of feral cat problems in a humane way. And after all, if you hadn’t adopted your purring lap-kitty, he might have ended up as a feral!" Learn about the TNR solution, and how you can get your community and veterinarian involved, by listening to Louise Holton on Pet Life Radio.

ACR's Newest Kitty- Officer

2011-03-23T14:33:00.000-04:00

Officer is an adorable white kitty with grey marks who came to ACR last week. A gentleman showed up at our door with a cat in a trap, proceeded to tell us that he would not Trap-Neuter-Return this cat because he was already feeding three cats that he had paid to TNR (through ACR, which means that the donation we ask for does not even come close to covering all of our costs to TNR a cat) and that he was leaving. He set down the trap, walked out and drove away as fast as possible.

There were a million things racing through our minds- is this cat feral? After all, he did come in a trap! Does he have FIV/Feline Leukemia? Is he healthy?

We brought him to the vet clinic where we discovered that he was already neutered, and tested negative for FIV/Feline Leukemia. We also discovered that while he is a little shy at first, Officer was sweet as pie.

He has a few mild wounds that appear to have come from him being outside, but we have a feeling that in no time he will be better than ever and ready to find his forever home.

Book Review: “How Shelter Pets are Brokered for Experimentation: Understanding Pound Seizure” by Allie Phillips

2011-03-07T14:07:00.001-05:00

For an individual like myself, who is aware of this deadly secret occurring in America, this book shares so much more information on the subject of pound seizure and what happens to former family pets once they have become victim of the practice; and to those who are unfamiliar with the topic, this book is an eye-opener!

Pound seizure, or pound release, is when an animal shelter sells or gives away cats and dogs to Class B dealers (random source dealers), who are licensed by the USDA, who then resell the animals for research and experimentation. It also involves shelters providing animals directly to research laboratories or university training programs. It is unknown how many shelter animals are sold into a tortured life of experimentation because accurate records are not available from many states.

As an animal advocate and an attorney, Allie Phillips dives head first into the world of pound seizure and takes the reader on an insightful journey that most shelters and states do want the public to take. Allie speaks from an honest place, sharing her own personal experiences with pound seizure. The information in this book is not always easy to read but it is necessary, for anyone who is determined to stop this horrible practice.

After explaining exactly what pound seizure is and why the practice continues, Allie looks at all those who are involved, including: animal shelters, animal dealers, research facilities and universities, and the animal victims and survivors. This book is filled with useful information for anyone who wishes to learn more about America’s dirty little secret of brokering animals and provides pages of helpful tips on becoming an advocate for putting an end to pound seizure.

For more information on pound seizure and to get your copy of Allie’s book, please click here.

You can also learn more about this horrific practice and information on animal testing by visiting Alley Cat Rescue’s website.

ACTION ALERT: Utah Feral Cat Bill Passes the House

2011-03-03T14:51:00.002-05:00

At the beginning of the year, Republican Representative, Curtis Oda, introduced a bill to Utah legislation to make it legal for residents to kill feral animals, and this bill has now passed the House of Representatives and moves on to the Senate. Under this law, any Utah resident will legally be permitted to shoot any animal without being charged for cruelty if the shooter "has a reasonable belief" that the animal is feral.

If it is signed into law, this bill will launch an open season on feral cats and dogs, abandoned animals, lost companions, and wildlife. If you live in Utah, please contact your senator and politely urge him or her to oppose House Bill 210 and the cruelty to animals that this legislation would allow if passed.

Winkie has been saved!!

2011-03-02T14:05:00.004-05:00

Thanks to you and your compassion!! Phone calls and emails were pouring into Howard County Animal Control from all over the United States, in an effort to convince animal control officers to spare this kitten's life. Local media sources were tracking the story and in a few short days, all eyes were on Winkie.

Thanks to dedicated and caring individuals, just like YOU, animal control officers changed their minds about this little guy and released him back to his original rescuer. The shelter even gave him a complimentary neuter and a rabies vaccination.

Winkie spent last night in the loving arms of his family, enjoying the moment with snuggles and satisfying purrs. Once he has recovered from surgery and is feeling 100 percent, Winkie will go to live with his rescuer's parents, where he can rest easy knowing that he has found his permanent home.

All of us at Alley Cat Rescue, cannot thank you enough for answering this call to action! It just goes to show that Margaret Mead was right when she said, "A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." And indeed we did!

We are kindly asking that you take a moment to thank Officer Deborah Baracco for changing her mind and sparing Winkie's life. Please help us express our gratitude for such a triumphant outcome. Please send emails to dbaracco@howardcountymd.gov or call 410-313-2780. And remember to follow us on Facebook, where you can stay up-to-date with developing stories. Thank you!

WINKIE NEEDS YOUR HELP!!

2011-02-28T14:34:00.002-05:00

A little tabby kitten named, Winkie, desperately needs your help!

A few days ago, a mother and her daughter found Winkie, only 9 months old, wondering the streets of Howard County, Maryland, and knew they had to do something. They took Winkie into their home and gave him all the love and attention he could dream of. He quickly warmed up to the family and made himself at home. He loves to be petted, give kisses and most of all, to curl up on your lap for a snooze.

Unfortunately, this kind family lives in an apartment that does not permit pets, so they began reaching out to everyone they know to find this little guy a permanent home. With no one able to help and with the looming fear of getting in trouble with their landlord, this family thought the local county shelter would be able to find this kitten a home--but they were wrong!

Several individuals and cat rescue organizations heard of Winkie's story and quickly contacted the Howard County Animal Shelter to rescue him, but they all were met with hostility and rejection!

Being separated from the security of his family and placed into a strange new place with new smells, new people and scary noises, poor Winkie has become very frightened. And in his scared and confused state, the Animal Control officer is refusing to release him for adoption, even to experienced cat rescue groups, because she is calling him "violent" and "aggressive."

Does this look like a "violent" and "aggressive" kitten to you?!

Alley Cat Rescue, Cat Tails and Charm City Animal Rescue have contacted the Howard County Animal Control several times offering to rescue this kitten, but Officer Baracco is refusing to release him. She would rather use taxpayer money to hold the kitten and kill him, then to allow caring, experienced people to give him a home! Winkie is scheduled to be killed on March 3rd!

We are hoping by putting enough pressure on the shelter, they might change their mind and give this lovable kitten a second chance. So we desperately NEED YOUR HELP! Please take a moment to contact the Howard County Animal Shelter and plea for Winkie's release to an experienced cat rescue organization.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Howard County Animal Control Operations
8576 Davis Road
Columbia , MD 21045

Animal Control Officer Mrs. Deborah Baracco

410-313-2780

dbaracco@howardcountymd.gov

We are also asking that you contact her supervisors:

Captain Darin Chambers at 410-313-3223

Chief William McMahon at 410-313-2203

PLEASE HURRY, TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR WINKIE!!

Presidential Cats

2011-02-21T18:29:00.000-05:00

(President Clinton and Socks)

We all know that President Barack Obama has a dog named Bo and that former President George W Bush shared the White House with a few terriers and that President Clinton had a Labrador named Buddy. But did you know that President Bush had a cat named India or that Clinton had a cat named Socks? Too often our Presidential feline friends are overshadowed by their canine counterparts; so, in honor of President’s Day, let’s take a look at which presidents shared the White House with a cat…or two…or three.

The first mention of a “cat” occupying the White House was during Martin Van Buren’s presidency; he was our 8^th president. But these were no ordinary cats, they were a pair of tiger cubs, given to him by the Sultan of Oman. The cubs did not stay long at the White House, due to pressure from Congress; the cubs went to live in a zoo. Our 13th president,Millard Fillmore, did not own cats, (he did have a few ponies), but he was a founding member and president of the Buffalo chapter of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Abraham Lincoln had several cats, and our 19^th president, Rutherford B Hayes, had a menagerie of pets including, a cat named Piccolomini, and two Siamese cats named Siam and Miss Pussy. Siam was the first Siamese cat in the United States.

William McKinley, our 25^th president, had two Angora kittens named Valeriano Weyler and Enrique DeLome, and Theodore Roosevelt had two housecats named Tom Quartz and Slippers. He also had a lion and a wildcat. Woodrow Wilson, our 28^th president, had a cat named Puffins.

(Photo: Presidential Pet Museum

Officer Benjamin Fink holds Tiger, the Coolidge's cat, at the White House on March 25, 1924.)

And it has been said that Calvin Coolidge had a zoo at the White House. Among his collection of pets was an alley cat named Tiger, another cat named Blacky and a bobcat named Smoky. He also had two lion cubs, who were gifts from dignitaries from other countries.

(Susan Ford with Shan)

Our 35^th president, John F Kennedy, had a cat named Tom Kitten, and Gerald Ford’s daughter, Susan, had a Siamese cat named Shan, who stayed at the White House. Jimmy Carter’s daughter, Amy, also had a pet Siamese cat named Misty Malarky Ying Yang.

(Amy Carter with Misty)

As mentioned, Socks occupied the White House during Bill Clinton’s presidency and has received more press than any other Presidential Cat. A cartoon version of Socks still hosts the children's version of the White House website and former First Lady Hillary Clinton wrote a children’s book featuring Socks. After Clinton left office, Socks resided with former Clinton secretary Betty Currie and her husband, due to continuing conflicts with the dog Buddy. Sadly, two years ago yesterday, Socks crossed the rainbow bridge at the ripe old age of 19.

(Socks peers over the White House Briefing Room's Presidential lectern)

To date, no other Presidential Cat caused more controversy than President George W. Bush’s cat, India “Willie” Bush. Living for almost two decades, this all- black female American Shorthair was acquired as a kitten in late 1991 or 1992 when twin daughters Barbara and Jenna Bush were nine years old. Unfortunately, some people did not approve of the cat’s name and protested. For example, in the Indian state of Kerala, 101 dogs were reportedly renamed “Bush” in protest, and in 2004, demonstrators in the southern Keralian city of Thiruvananthapuram denounced the cat's name as an insult to the nation of India and even burned an effigy of President Bush in protest. The Bushes, however, did not change the cat's name. The cat actually got her name from baseball player Rubén Sierra who was nicknamed "El Indio", during his time with the Texas Rangers when Bush owned the team. The name had reportedly been given to the family cat by daughter, Barbara Bush.

(Photo: Wikipedia, India "Willie" Bush)

Although our presidents’ dog companions usually make the spotlight, since the birth of our nation, 12 presidents (that we know of) have shared the White House with a feline friend or two. Perhaps the Obama family should consider adopting a kitty friend; there’s plenty of room in the White House for Bo and a cat. And with 3 to 4 million cats (and dogs) being euthanized in animal shelters across the United States each year, the President could do his part to save a life and speak the importance of adoption and spay/neuter programs. Sounds like a letter writing campaign to me? Dear Mr. President, I really think you should consider adopting a cat friend for Bo and your daughters, especially when there are so many great cats in need of good homes…

Address letters to:

President Barack Obama

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Or send an Email

To read more about Presidential Cat and other Presidential Critters click here and here.

Pet Theft Awareness Day

2011-02-14T13:41:00.002-05:00

In celebrating Valentine’s Day and showing love for our friends and family, today is also a time to celebrate the love for our four-legged friends and family. And thanks to a California-based animal group, Last Chance for Animals (LCA), today’s love is ensuring our pets are safe and protected. In doing so, LCA started Pet Theft Awareness Day to expose the horrible reality that our beloved pets could become victim of pet theft.

The United States Department of Agriculture licenses animal dealers; anyone selling animals to laboratories (or selling more than 24 dogs or cats per year at the wholesale level) must be licensed. Class "A" dealers maintain their own breeding colonies while Class "B" dealers obtain animals from "random sources." For a $10 fee, anyone can apply for a USDA Class "B" dealer license. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inspectors are responsible for making certain that the dealer's records are current and complete, and for ensuring the health and safety of the animals. Unfortunately, the USDA has not made the latter a priority, for there is a shortage of inspectors and enforcement of existing regulations is weak. Consequently, many of the people involved in the sale of stolen animals are licensed by the federal government.

Many of these “random source” animals come from animal shelters who participate in pound seizure, are stray animals, family pets stolen from backyards or are animals obtained from “free to good home” ads. Besides pound seizure, which is legal in some states, the latter methods of obtaining animals are a violation of the Animal Welfare Act. Class B dealers obtain animals any way they can, so they can turn around and make a profit by selling these animals to other Class B Dealers or to research facilities and universities for laboratory experiments; which in most cases, ends in death for the animals. Again, inspections and enforcement to ensure that “random source” animals are not brokered is lacking (to say the least) and family pets continue to end up in the hands of Class B dealers and then into the hands of research facilities.

According to the USDA, there are 1,070 registered Class B dealers in the US, but only a handful hold the title of “random source” B dealers, individuals who sell cats and dogs to research. Investigations have revealed that animals in the care of Class B dealers also violate the Animal Welfare Act. Cats and dogs under the care of Class B dealers have been found suffering from wounds, injuries, diseases, inadequate veterinary care, inadequate food/water/shelter, live animals in cages with dead animals, animals who have been beaten, strangled, shot and open burial pits found on the property.

So please keep your pet safe by remembering a few simple rules:

DON’T leave pets unattended in your yard. It only takes a minute for someone to steal your pet.
DON’T allow your pet to be visible from the street.
DON’T leave your dog tied up outside restaurants or stores.
DON’T leave any animal unattended in your car, even if it is “just for a minute.”
DON’T use “free to good home” ads to place companion animals. These ads are often answered by Class “B” dealers. Contact a rescue group for assistance in conducting your own adoption.

DO spay and neuter your companion animals. This reduces your animal’s desire to stray and reduces the risk of your companion animal being stolen for breeding purposes.
DO provide your companion animals with collars, ID tags, and licenses. Speak with your veterinarian about backup forms of identifications, including tattooing and microchipping.
DO keep recent photos and written descriptions of your companion animals on hand at all times.
DO keep dogs and cats indoors, especially when you’re not home.
DO know where your animals are at all times. Treat your companion animals as you would a small child.
DO educate family, friends, and neighbors about pet theft.

Take a few minutes to learn more about Pet Theft Awareness Day.

Learn more about The Pet Safety and Protection Act (aka “Buck’s Bill”).

Learn more about Pound Seizure by clicking here and here.

Spay Day 2011 Online Pet Photo Contest

2011-02-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

ACR staff member Kylie Riser has entered one of her cats that came from ACR in the Spay Day 2011 Pet Photo Contest. The Professor was a great kitty. He survived distemper as a kitten and Kylie and her husband spent many hours rehabilitating him. He had to relearn how to sit up, walk, use the litter box, and pretty much everything else. The first time he jumped on their sofa they both cheered. The Professor only lived for 2 years due to complication from the distemper, but they were a wonderful two years. Please support Kylie, ACR and all the wonderful groups doing spay/neuter in America.

click on the link to donate and vote!

Spay Day 2011 Online Pet Photo Contest

Utah Bill Would Permit Killing Feral Animals

2011-01-31T12:42:00.000-05:00

If you haven’t already heard, Republican Representative, Curtis Oda, has introduced a bill to Utah legislation to make it legal for residents to kill feral animals. Oda does not agree that feral animals should be protected under the state’s animal cruelty law. Instead, under this law, any person who has a “reasonable belief” that an animal is feral would have the right to kill the animal. The bill goes on to say that “humane” methods of killing feral animals include, shooting with guns or bows and arrows, clubbing and decapitation.

Oda was quoted by The Associated Press as saying, “I want to protect people from getting in trouble for doing the right thing.” No-kill methods, such as relocation or catch, neuter and release, are less efficient and more expensive, Oda said.

Only recently in 2008, did Utah’s legislature pass a law that made animal cruelty a felony. Anne Davis, the Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah’s executive director, said feral animals were intentionally protected by that law. Gene Baierschmidt, executive director of the Humane Society of Utah, said the change could allow people to kill feral cats indiscriminately. “It would allow people to go to a feral cat colony and kill all of them,” Baierschmidt said. “It’s an archaic bill.”

Alley Cat Rescue agrees with the Humane Society of Utah and strongly advocates for humane alternatives to control feral animals. Despite Representative Oda’s belief, no-kill methods of animal control ARE more effective and less costly than the methods proposed by this bill. This bill undermines all animal cruelty laws and opens the doors for wide scale animal abuse. ACR is urging our supporters to please contact your lawmakers to ensure Utah’s House Bill 210 is not supported. You can also contact Representative Curtis Oda to express your opposition to his proposed bill.

Contact Information:

Clearfield Office of Representatives

PO Box 824
Clearfield, Utah 84089
Phone: (801) 725-0277
Fax: (801) 773-3185

Email: coda@utah.gov

Dogs V Cats: Which is More Intellegent?

2011-01-24T16:39:00.001-05:00

By Steve Pointing

(As Published in the January Edition of The Wool Press)

(Photo Credit: Pic2Face.com)

Scientists at Oxford say that socially active dogs have developed bigger brains than standoffish cats and, as a result, are more intelligent than cats.

In a recent publication in the Journal of the National Academy of Sciences Oxford University researchers stated that dogs are smarter than cats. In fact their study found that all socially active species – including dogs, monkeys, dolphins and horses – have developed larger brains over time than solitary ones like cats, deer and rhinos. But does that settle the long – running debate over the relative intelligence of cats and dogs?

What did the study find?

The Oxford team looked at how 500 species, both living and extinct, have evolved over about 600 million years and found that the ones that lived in social groups had much larger brains, relative to body size, than those species that tend towards self-sufficiency.

Lead researcher Susanna Schultz says that “dogs have always been regarded as more social animals than cats and it appears that social interaction leads to the development of a larger brain”. The Oxford team hypothesises asking do on your own, and brains have evolved accordingly among different species.

What do cat lovers have to say about the findings?

Not surprisingly cat lovers (including our very own Zoë Luxton) do not buy into the Oxford team’s conclusion. “The domestic cat is highly intelligent thanks to its wild ancestry” says Beth Skillings, a vet working with the Cats’ Protection League. “Unlike dogs, they are smart enough to hunt alone and don’t have to depend on others.” Cats are also “very successful at subtly training their owners” by purring, meowing, “and sitting pitifully by their food bowl!”

Have there been previous studies reaching the same conclusion?

Yes – a 2009 study in the journal Animal Cognition also declared that dogs were smarter than cats. This was based on a test which involved dogs and cats pulling on a string to get a reward. Dogs performed better than cats in the test but this doesn’t necessarily “prove” that dogs are smarter than cats. Dogs have bigger brains, but cats have 300 million neurones in their cortex (the “thinking” part of the brain) whereas dogs only have 160 million.

What do neutral observers have to say on the matter?

The general view is that the pet owning public is fairly evenly split on the subject of which species is the more intelligent. About 30% “bark” for the dogs and 40% “yowl” for the cats with the remainder saying that they are equally intelligent. For those who don’t come with a prior bias in favour of one species over the other their view tends to be that cats and dogs are both smart – but in different ways. Come on Falkland Islanders – where would you place your vote?

This article can be viewed here.

2011 is the Year of the Cat

2011-01-14T12:41:00.000-05:00

Photo Credit: Marcus Sakoda - msakoda.blogspot.com

According to the Vietnamese calendar, 2011 is officially the Year of the Cat.

TET Lunar New Year’s day is on February 3^rd of this year.

Tết Nguyên Đán, more commonly known by its shortened name Tết, is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year marking the arrival of spring based on the Lunar calendar, a lunisolar calendar. The name Tết Nguyên Đán is Sino-Vietnamese for Feast of the First Morning. Tet falls on a time when the old year is over and the New Year comes by lunar calendar. This is also the time when the cycle of the universe finishes: winter ends and spring, the season of birth of all living things, comes.

Tet is an occasion for pilgrimages and family reunions. It is a time when one pays respect to his/her ancestors and grandparents who have brought up him/her. It is an occasion when everyone sends each other best wishes for a new year, stops thinking about unhappy things and says good things about each other.

The prowler, the Vietnamese year of the cat symbolizes sensitivity, gentleness and kindness. But, be careful, for cats can be like kittens, too. People born in the Vietnamese horoscope years: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 and 2011 are Cats.

There are different kinds of cats in the Vietnamese horoscope. There is the Metal Cat born in 1951 and 2011 and they tend to be resilient, determined and strong. Their intensity is unparalleled by any other type of cat. Cats are naturally attentive and hospitable because they do not like unpredictable and unsettled situations; they have the tendency to feel contrived in promoting a comfortable and peaceful atmosphere.

Those born in 1903 and 1963 are called Water Cats and are inclined to be peace makers, cool and easy going. Unfortunately, their kind and supportive nature is most often abused and taken advantage of.

Wood Cats brought into existence on the years 1915 and 1975 are character- istically giving and generous, to the point of self sacrifice. Unknowingly, they are often very vulnerable to opportunistic and unscrupulous people.

Cats pay great attention to detail. They always get anxious when everything is in chaos. They gravitate towards safe and conservative decisions; thus missing good opportunities in life. Sentimental and compassionate, cats wear their hearts on their sleeves. As a result of being empathetic, cats make great friends.

For more information on "Cat" personalities or to find out what your zodiac animal is click here.

Louise Visits South Africa

2011-01-12T13:20:00.001-05:00

Why controlling the feral cats at Sun City resort in South Africa is important to saving African Wildcats in the wild.

-- Written by Louise Holton, ACR President and Founder

In December, I was fortunate enough to visit my family in South Africa for a family reunion! We visited the Pilanesberg Game Reserve to see all the incredible wild animals South Africa is famous for. Every day was more spectacular than the day before. Herds of elephants, giraffe, white and black rhinos, crocodiles and hippos. And of course many beautiful, graceful antelope, grazing peacefully on the lush green grass. South Africa has 29 antelope species, more than anywhere else in Africa. Lots of wonderful rain had recently fallen, a lifesaver for the land, the animals and the people. Our party also saw many of the lion populations that live there, plus cheetahs, and leopards, and some of our party saw a serval one morning being chased by a lion. The serval ran off into the bush.

Photo Credit: Sun International

Sun City, a world famous casino and vacation resort, is right on the border of the Pilanesberg Game Reserve, where African Wildcats live. Some years ago, while the ACR staff was on a recon mission to find out about the plight of the African Wildcat, our cats’ ancestor, we saw some feral cats at one of Sun City’s many outdoor restaurants. So we made contact with the wonderful, caring Angie, who has been instrumental in taking care of Sun City’s feral cat population over the last few years. Angie, with few resources, has managed to trap and spay and neuter (along with the help of some marvelous veterinarians) some 160 feral cats. She has placed many of them in new homes, taken some into her own home, and helps to feed and care for many of the cats who call Sun City home.

Of course on the first evening at our villa in the reserve, who should visit me but none other than a feral cat! Angie and I talked about the ever- growing population of feral cats in the reserve and we made contact with the Manager, and hopefully Angie will be able to do a TNR project in the Game Reserve. This is very important for the survival of the African Wildcats that still life in the reserve. Feral cats mix and breed very easily with the Wildcat. The concern is that they dilute the gene pool and in some areas of South Africa more hybrids exist than pure Wildcats.

Angie of Sun City (right) and her TNR helper.

ACR has a plan (supported in full by the University of Pretoria Veterinary School and by many biologists and scientists) to buy a Mobile Spay Clinic and donate it to the University. The students accompanied by veterinarians can then go into remote areas where African Wildcats still survive and we can get all the local stray and feral cats sterilized. This is the only way to ensure the survival of the Wildcat.

Up to now, the smaller wildcats of the world have not received much attention. Bigger cats such as tigers and cheetahs get some attention, but the smaller cats fall through the cracks. Things are changing now and small amounts of money are being spent on some research, but more needs to be done if we are to save the African Wildcat from extinction.

There are an estimated 10,000 pure Wildcats still living in South Africa, so we must work fast! For more information on the African Wildcat and how you can help, please visit our website.

ACTION ALERT: Key Largo Cats Under Fire

2011-01-06T15:16:00.002-05:00

Here's our first fight in the new year. Right now in Florida, the Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to eradicate all feral cats in the National Key Deer Refuge. Now, we understand we must compromise when it comes to sensitive wildlife areas but after learning more information on this situation, it is sometimes hard to find compromise.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, "Because the hardwoods have been cleared from most of Key Largo for development, the Key Largo wood rat was classified as endangered in 1984, as was a relative, the Key Largo cotton mouse. Despite the protection provided by 8,000 acres of preserved habitat, over the last decade the rats and mice have nearly disappeared. ORCAT's cats may be responsible."

About 350 stray and feral cats live in an exclusive island community, Ocean Reef Club a few miles south of Miami. These cats are the beneficiaries of a program called ORCAT, set up by Ocean Reef's homeowners in 1993, to care for the cats. Since starting this TNR program, the community cat population has been reduced from around 2000 cats to 350, with 100 of the cats residing at the community's animal care center. "To Ocean Reef residents, ORCAT is a huge success. To state and federal wildlife experts, it's a threat."

The Fish and Wildlife Service is blaming the cats for the decline in local wildlife populations and using their endangered status to push for the cats' eradication. But didn't we just read that the majority of the habitat in Florida has been cleared for development and that is what caused species to become endangered? Maybe it's because now they only have a small tract of land to survive on...all these species competing with each other and with humans? Why wasn't more being done when these animals were first considered endangered back in 1984? Now it's come down to once again, the conservationists claiming that nothing can be done about development or human activities, so the best they can do is to kill the cats so the other animals have one less obstacle in their way for survival. And despite ORCAT's TNR program and huge reduction of the cat population in that area, the Fish and Wildlife Service still says that no valid proof exists that TNR programs reduce numbers and they say that TNR actually promotes the dumping of cats and does nothing to reduce cat predation on wildlife. They go as far as to quote PETA as experts on feral cat management.

Humans are CLEARLY to blame for endangered species...leaving them a small tract of land to survive on is the reason for their decline, not cats. Humans are a far bigger threat to the wood rat and Largo cotton mouse than cats are. Please use the link to view the Fish and Wildlife Services' Integrated Predator Management Plan and let your opposition to their eradication plan be heard.

2010 in Review

2010-12-31T14:34:00.001-05:00

Looking back on another year behind us, cats once again were in the spotlight in 2010. Numerous stories touched our hearts and proved progress is being made, especially for feral cats. More communities and even entire states took to adopting humane methods of controlling cat populations and embracing TNR programs in 2010. We saw several animal-related bills passed, including the Truth in Fur Labeling Act and the Delaware Companion Animal Protection Act; (but with many more bills still waiting to be passed, don’t forget to contact your Senators and Representatives to ensure animal welfare legislation is passed to protect our furry friends!) The US Postal Service released “Adopt a Shelter Pet” stamp series and social media tools like Facebook and Twitter helped animal rescue groups across the world connect with one another to save more animals and raise more funds to keep up the good fight.

As we ring in a new year, we must remain strong and dedicated in our fight for animals, for 2010 also had its share of setbacks in the cat world. From Richmond International Airport to the San Francisco Police Department to Australia and New Zealand to China and Korea, cats were targeted, tortured and killed. Some were killed for their fur and/or meat, while others were killed as part of pest control management plans. But no matter the reason, cats continue to be exploited by humans for some sort of profit or gain. Wildlife conservation groups like the American Bird Conservancy, the Audubon Society and the Urban Wildlands Group, continue to bombard the media with false information about cat predation and its effects on the environment in an attempt to outlaw TNR programs and feeding community cats. Even PETA, the largest animal rights group, has lost its way in protecting cats and believes that dead cats are “happier” cats.

So as we head into a new year, let us remember those who we have lost and those we continue to fight for. Let us not dwell on the things we cannot change and have the courage to stand up and fight for the things we can. At times it will feel like an uphill battle and we may want to give up, but at other times small victories will be celebrated and our spirits renewed. It is those victories that remind us to push forward, up the mountain, so that we may reach the top and gaze out over the vast horizon of possibilities and enjoy our sense of accomplishment. So hang in there, all of you who work so selflessly in the trenches, fighting the good fight, and know there will come a time when activists get our due and cats will receive the compassionate treatment they deserve. Have a Happy New Year!

Call to Action: The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Releases Report that Suggests Shooting Feral Cats

2010-12-09T19:45:00.001-05:00

If you have not already heard this week’s buzz in the cat world, here it is. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln released a report entitled “Feral Cats and Their Management.” This so-called “new” report is nothing more than the same old MISinformation, plagued with errors, exaggerations, glaring omissions, and inexcusable bias. The research and data they refer to in their report can be traced back to a handful of deeply flawed studies. The report goes onto dismiss fertility control or TNVR as an effective management practice and suggests lethal control, like shooting.

In suggesting non-lethal methods of control, the report mentions how habitat modification, sprinklers and chemical repellants can help (but that does nothing to address reproducing, they simply keep cats away) before going onto discuss fertility control. Here the report ignores statistical information regarding the effectiveness of TNR, saying “no real-world example of eliminating a colony through TNVR exists” and calls any evidence “anecdotal.” Did they even bother to talk with the university’s feral cat management group that TNR’s the campus cats? I don’t think so. The report then suggests shooting cats or using leg-hold traps, body-gripping traps and snares to manage their populations. The document goes into detail on how cats should be shot with a shotgun or rifle “between the eyes” or “in the heart/lung area.” Have these people not heard of animal cruelty laws? It is illegal in the US to shoot a cat, whether it is owned or not.

The authors of this report might as well come out and say they do not like cats and think eradication is the only solution, because it is clear that they have little understanding of the key issues surrounding TNR—never mind the relevant science. Hildreth, Vantassel, and Hygnstrom misinterpret and/or misrepresent nearly every bit of research they reference; some of what they include isn’t valid research to begin with. And by the way, Mr. Hygnstrom is a pest specialist and Mr. Vantassel, wildlife damage expert, is the author of “Dominion over Wildlife: An Environmental Theology of Human-Wildlife Relations;” which he dedicates to “thousands of sports-people who continue to be connected to the earth in an environmentally responsible way. In particular, this book is dedicated to fur trappers who, every winter, brave the harsh weather in continuance of America’s oldest industry. Regrettably, they must also endure the ravages of urban sprawl and the derision of an ungrateful and ignorant public. It is my ardent hope that this book will help Christians and non-Christians alike appreciate the vital role that trappers play in the responsible management of our natural resources. May the traps of these great sports-people be always full.”

Reports endorsed by academic institutions carry a great deal of weight with the public and, as this week has shown, the mainstream media. It’s generally expected that the conclusions and recommendations presented in such work are the result of carefully considered “evidence.” In this case, “Feral Cats and Their Management” has shown no real evidence to the public, but rather the complete opposite. There’s nothing ethical—either in terms of the research itself or its obvious implications—about what Hildreth, Vantassel, and Hygnstrom have done here. I’ve read that Vantassel considered that some people would be “very offended that we offered any type of lethal control method,” but felt that because it was written for public consumption rather than for a scientific journal, publication of the report was somehow acceptable. Apparently, Vantassel didn’t consider that some of us would actually look into the science underpinning the work.

There are legitimate issues to be debated concerning feral cats, but attempts at an honest, productive debate are hampered, if not derailed entirely, by researchers who put their personal agenda ahead of professional integrity.

Alley Cat Rescue is urging our members to please contact the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and express your concerns regarding this report. This report is insulting to those of us who actually work everyday to help manage the feral cat population. We could be protecting both birds and cats (all wildlife) if we could just have an honest and accurate conversation.

(Vox Felina takes a good look at the report in his blog posts Adult Supervision Required, Adult Supervision Required II, and Adult Supervision Required III.)

Contact Information:

Donald A Wilhite (faculty, volunteer)

Director School of Natural Resources, Agronomy & Horticulture

dwilhite2@unl.edu

Tala N Awada (faculty, volunteer)

Assoc Professor School of Natural Resources

tawada2@unl.edu

Ronald D Green (faculty, staff, volunteer)

Vice Chancellor Animal Science

rgreen2@unl.edu

Steven S Waller (faculty, volunteer)

Dean Agronomy & Horticulture, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources swaller1@unl.edu

David A Wedin (faculty, volunteer)
Professor School of Natural Resources, Agronomy & Horticulture

Also: Member of the Faculty Leadership Committee

dwedin1@unl.edu

Mark E Burbach (faculty)
Assoc Geoscientist Survey Division - School of Natural Resources

Also: Teaching Coordinator

mburbach1@unl.edu

ACR Hosts Santa Paws at Local Petsmart Stores this Weekend

2010-12-06T14:13:00.003-05:00

Alley Cat Rescue is once again joining Petsmart to celebrate their annual Santa Paws fundraiser. The holiday season is a time to create warm memories with loved ones and to enjoy the company of family. However, for many, the holidays are as just a reminder of hopelessness and homelessness. Countless cats wander the streets with no cozy home to return to and no family to smother them with hugs and kisses. Fortunately, some cats are lucky enough to end up at Alley Cat Rescue, where they will be given a second chance to experience a loving home with a family who will cherish them forever. So this holiday season, please remember those who may not be as fortunate, by stopping by a local Petsmart store to help those in need.

Bring your animal companions to Petsmart in the next two weekends and have their picture taken with Santa Paws! For only $9.95 with your Pet Perks Card, you will receive a color photo of your pet(s) with Santa in a festive holiday frame. For each photo purchased, Petsmart will donate $5.00 to ACR.

Alley Cat Rescue will be at the Laurel, MD Petsmart store located at the intersection of Route 1 (Baltimore Ave) and Contee Rd on December 11^th and 12^th from 11am to 4pm, and at the Calverton, MD Petsmart store located on Cherry Hill Rd on December 11^th, 12^th and 18^th from 11am to 4pm.

Bring a kitty home for the holidays! Alley Cat Rescue cats and kittens looking for forever homes are always available for adoption at the Calverton Petsmart store and can also be viewed online. So if you have room in your home and your heart, there are plenty of furry friends awaiting a warm devoted family to overwhelm them with the love they deserve. For more information on our cats, please contact Alley Cat Rescue by email at ACR@saveacat.org or by calling 301-277-5595.

Alley Cat Rescue Gives Thanks

2010-11-24T15:29:00.000-05:00

With an economic crisis looming, cats have been faced with difficult times…they have been relinquished to shelters, abandoned in empty homes, and kicked out into the streets. But despite these hardships, cats across the country and here at ACR still have reason to celebrate. In the mix of hard times, dedication and a little courage bring small victories. ACR would like to give thanks for our victories this past year, no matter how big or small.

462 cats were spayed or neutered, with 254 of them being TNRed.
130 cats found permanent loving homes.
160 cats were rescued from Rosecroft Racetrack after the facility closed.
We received over $7000 worth of item donations such as litter, food, blankets, cat furniture, toys).
We launched National Free Feral Cat Spay Day on April 27, 2010.
150 veterinary clinics across the United States and South Africa participated.
Over 200 feral cats were TNRed.
We launched our new E-newsletter, thanks to Network for Good and member donations.
More than 2600 members receive our electronic alerts.
We attended the Best Friend’s No More Homeless Pets National Conference.

And Alley Cat Rescue is thankful for our amazing supporters! You've made each of these victories possible. Thank YOU!

The Great Cats and Rare Canids Act

2010-11-19T14:06:00.002-05:00

The Great Cats and Rare Canids Act, introduced in 2009 and supported by a bipartisan group of Senators, would support the conservation of wild big cats and canine populations around the world. Building on the existing Multinational Species Conservation Funds, the bill aims to lessen poaching and smuggling, protect critical habitat, and support education related to these charismatic species in their home countries. If enacted, the bill will provide additional funding to private conservation organizations by as much as three to one.

Sponsored by Congressman Jay Inslee from Washington state, the Act would mean increased protections for twelve species of wild cats and dogs globally, including leopards, cheetahs, snow leopards, and African wild dogs. And they need protecting more than ever: 80% of the world's wild feline species are in decline according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as are 25% of wild canine species.

The Act has already passed The House by a vote of 290 to 118, but now it sits in The Senate. If Congress does not pass these bills before adjourning for the holidays, years of hard work will have to be repeated. All the while, wild cat and dog populations will continue to decline.

Help us get this bill passed before it's too late!

Please contact your Senators now and ask them to protect wildlife and its habitat by urging Majority Leader Reid to bring The Great Cats and Rare Canids Act to the floor before the Senate adjourns.

Something to Celebrate!

2010-11-10T15:19:00.001-05:00

Photo Credit: Storybird.com

Thanks to Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary in Nassau, Delaware and Faithful Friends Animal Shelter in Wilmington, Delaware, Governor Jack Markell has declared October 16th National Feral Cat Day across the entire state! And on October 6th, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed HR952, recognizing October 16th as National Feral Cat Day and calling upon the people of Pennsylvania “to participate in the spaying and neutering of feral and stray cats in their neighborhood.” To read the resolution encouraging Pennsylvania to embrace TNR, please click here.

Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, Or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat

2010-11-09T19:06:00.002-05:00

I just finished Gwen Cooper’s extraordinary tale about a girl and a cat named Homer. But Homer is no ordinary cat; he is a cat who teaches us about ourselves and inspires us to be more courageous and daring…to live life in the moment. Homer teaches us how to laugh, how to love and how to trust.

Found as tiny abandoned kitten who beats all odds, Gwen adopts Homer with little clue on how to care for a blind cat. So, Homer quickly teaches her in his own special way…which includes rearranging furniture and taking many leaps of faith (from tall bookshelves). Along the way, Homer makes friends with two other felines, Scarlett and Vashti, and a couple of humans. Together, Gwen and Homer tell an amazing story of strength, love and hope, which is bound by no limits.

To read more about Homer's adventures and where you can purchase a copy of this great book, please visit gwencooper.com.

Anne Arundel County Maryland Animal Control Policy to Kill Undersized Animals

2010-10-31T14:34:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately, I read this in The Capital newspaper today, “For more than 16 months, [Anne Arundel] county Animal Control officers have been under orders to euthanize impounded kittens, puppies and other wildlife weighing less than 1.5 pounds - regardless of their health or ability to eat. Failure by the officers to comply with the rule - which primarily affects kittens 6 weeks old and younger - will result in ‘immediate and progressive disciplinary measures,’ according to a short, partially handwritten memo dated June 23, 2009, that Animal Control officials said last week remained ‘largely in effect.’”

These precious babies would be killed under the policy.

“WOW” is all I can say but I shouldn’t be too surprised because I’m sure this is a common policy for many Animal Control agencies across the country. So, too, is the response the public receives from those over-seeing Animal Control operations: Lt. Glenn Shanahan, the county police officer who oversees Animal Control, says, "We do all we can to avoid euthanizing animals.” I’m sorry, but that is not much of a defensive argument for a policy that clearly does NOTHING to try to save and rescue abandoned kittens, puppies and orphaned wildlife.

Local rescue groups and animal advocates are speaking out against this horrible policy, making the point that EVERY animal entering the shelter should be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Infant animals can start eating soft foods as earlier as 3 weeks old and bottle-feeding can be utilized for those who cannot. And not to point out the obvious, but Animal Control should have a foster system in place, so infant animals can be looked after until they are old enough to be sterilized and placed into an adoption program. And why is Animal Control not contacting local wildlife rehabilitation groups when an orphaned wild animal comes into the shelter, or any wild animal for that matter? (That would be more convenient and actually save money, rather than killing.)

But no, Animal Control would rather make a blanket policy that says no matter what, if an animal comes in and weighs less than this amount, it is to be killed. This policy is about convenience not compassion. Again, this is a prime example of where animal sheltering in the United States was borne out of compassion but over the years it has become lost in politics and poor shelter management practices. Countless animals are losing their lives everyday because people with poor management skills and no compassion for animals continue to make the “policies.”

Please help Alley Cat Rescue and other local animal rescue groups see this policy is overturned, by contacting the County Executive Office and telling decision makers that this policy is not only cruel and inhumane, but it does not hold true to the county’s progressive and compassionate standards. Currently, the Anne Arundel County Executive is John R. Leopold; however, this could change after Election Day, so you may want to simply address your letter to the “Anne Arundel County Executive.”

Address:

The Arundel Center

44 Calvert Street

Annapolis, Maryland 21404

General Info Phone Number: (410) 222-1821

Email: jleopold@aacounty.org

Update: Camden Needs Your Help

2010-10-25T16:54:00.002-04:00

Camden after surgery

Back in June, we featured a story on Camden, a cat rescued from the streets of Baltimore, MD who needed surgery to prevent urinary blockages. Well, we are happy to report that Camden had the surgery and is feeling 100% better!

Pumpkin after surgery

Just like Pumpkin, an ACR office kitty, Camden will need to be on a special diet for the rest of his life due to his urinary tract disease; however, his mom Mari (and ACR) is glad she made the right decision to have the surgery. Both cats are happy and healthy, with no urinary blockages (thanks to the urethra-widening incision) and loving their new food.

Thanks to compassionate folks like YOU, donations made it possible for Camden (and Pumpkin) to receive the surgery they needed and deserved! To stay updated on Camden’s condition and to see how you can help, please click here.

No More Homeless Pets National Conference

2010-10-20T18:11:00.005-04:00

Alley Cat Rescue attended the Best Friends Animal Society’s, No More Homeless Pets National Conference this past weekend. Over 11,000 animal supporters from over 170 organizations came together to share information and experiences and to inspire each other and their communities to continue the good fight for animals.

Dr. Julie Levy

Over three days, individuals attended workshops, listened to panel speakers, and spent time establishing long-lasting connections and relationships within the rescue community. The ACR Team was excited to finally met Peter Wolf, the blogger behind VoxFelina and to hear Dr. Julie Levy speak about how to keep community cats out of shelters.

Pit Bull saved from Michael Vick

What a great conference and learning experience with so many encouraging stories of achievement and success. We were truly inspired to continue the fight to help community cats through the humane practice of trap-neuter-return (TNR). We hope your compassion for community cats will continue to grow along with ours.

Certificate of Excellence

2010-10-12T17:30:00.000-04:00

Alley Cat Rescue’s newsletter, Alley Cat Mews, was awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the Cat Writers' Association for 2010. This is ACR’s 7th Certificate for our newsletter. To receive our award-winning newsletter, please become an Alley Cat Rescue member with a $15 donation. With a yearly membership, you will receive our quarterly newsletter filled with educational information, inspiring cat stories, beautiful pictures and calls to action. You can also sign up, on our website home page, to receive our email alerts for free! Stay connected with cat news from around the world and do your part to protect cats by responding to our action alerts. Check it out at www.saveacat.org!

Celebrate World Animal Day!!

2010-10-04T12:09:00.001-04:00

October 4^th has been celebrated as World Animal Day since 1931, when a convention of ecologists in Florence, Italy decided to use the day as a way of highlighting the plight of endangered species. October 4^th was originally chosen for World Animal Day because it is the feast day of Francis of Assisi, a nature lover and patron saint of animals and the environment. Numerous churches throughout the world observe the Sunday closest to October 4^th with a Blessing for the Animals. Since then it has grown to encompass all kinds of animal life and is widely celebrated in countries throughout the world. It is intended as a day of celebration for anyone in the world who cares about animals. It is not restricted to any one nationality, creed, religion, political belief or ideology.

The number of events celebrating World Animal Day has increased dramatically in the past several years, with events planned in over 68 countries. Building the World Animal Day initiative is a wonderful way to unite the animal welfare movement. One such event was held this past Saturday by the Palo Alto Humane Society (PAHS) in the San Francisco Bay Area – the 2nd Humane Planet Expo: Planting the Seeds to Grow a More Compassionate World.

When Lisa Spector, “asked Erin Scott, the director of Organizational Development at PAHS, what inspired her to give birth to this event, Erin said, ‘As human beings, we tend to segregate topics and it’s really important as we step into a new paradigm of being human, to remember that what is affecting the planet is affecting animals and visa-versa. We are all connected… animals, people, the planet. It’s a falsity to segregate issues. The mission of the event is to bring to life the connecting of the dots of what is humane, what is green, and question if they are really different.’”

To find an event near you, visit the World Animal Day website to see which organizations are participating and to see if one is in your local area. If you cannot find one, visit their “Get Involved” page to find out how you can plan your own World Animal Day event for next year!

Book Review: Irreconcilable Differences by Nathan J Winograd

2010-09-20T17:52:00.001-04:00

This insightful book is a great follow up to Nathan’s first book, Redemption. Both reveal how animal sheltering in the United States was borne out of compassion but over the years it has become lost in politics and poor shelter management practices.

Nathan points out that instead of dedicating resources towards working to save every animal that enters a shelter, resources are being spent on killing and blaming. He says, “killing has simply become one more tool in the ‘medicine cabinet’ of these managers.” This book reveals how shelter managers throw up their hands convinced that killing is a necessity instead of implementing more progressive methods of sheltering, including high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter programs, TNR programs for feral cats, working with rescue groups, extensive fostering networks, and comprehensive adoption programs.

These are just a few of the lifesaving programs that Nathan has incorporated in the No Kill Equation. He discusses how No Kill is achievable with this equation and he has proven it in several cities across the US. He says, “It is up to us in the humane movement to demand them of our local shelters, and no longer to settle for the illusory excuses and smokescreens that shelters often put up in order to avoid implementing them.”

Irreconcilable Differences is a collection of essays written by the father of the No Kill Movement, who is changing the minds and hearts of shelter managers across the US. It has received several awards, including an indie gold medal for Best Animal/Pet Book. If you want to know what the buzz is all about, then pick up a copy today!

Action Alert: Rosecroft Raceway Cats Need Help

2010-09-13T19:33:00.001-04:00

In June, Rosecroft Raceway, Maryland's oldest harness horse racetrack announced it was closing its doors for good, leaving 60 stray and feral cats without a home!

Since the annoucnement, a small group of volunteers has been frantically working around the clock to save these cats before they are trapped and killed. We had to get permission through our State Senator, Senator C. Anthony Muse, to be allowed to go in and feed the cats and work to relocate, because the property was padlocked and no one was permitted to enter.

Now that we have permission to be on site, we are in an emergency situation with time running out for these poor cats! So in this desperate time of need, we are calling upon our compassionate members for your help!

Please consider contributing $10, $20, $30 or however dollar amount you can spare to help ACR make sure these cats make it out alive. Your kind contribution will help us spay or neuter, vaccinate and relocate these cats. Some will enter adoption programs, while others will need to find barn homes.

Any donation you can provide will make a big difference in the lives of these cats, who for years had a place to call home...but are now running out of time!

Your compassion for our feral friends is much appreciated!

Here’s how you can help:

– Adopt a cat or help find a home (or barn) for a cat.

– Help with trapping. If you have traps and/or carriers or can help with the trapping, please contact us.

– Help with transportings. Cats need to be transported to the clinic where they will be vetted, neutered, vaccinated.

– Help with expenses. Contributions will go directly towards spay/neuter, other vetting, and relocating the cats. If you’d like to contribute, please visit our donation page to make a contribution online or send your check or money order to ACR at PO Box 585 Mt. Rainier, MD 20712. Please write “Rosecroft Cats” somewhere on your check.

Also - Please share this with your friends. The more people who see this, the better chance of finding homes for these racetrack kitties.

Besides contacting ACR for more information, you may also contact Nancy Lisi:

phone: 703-531-9945
email: nancy_lisi@yahoo.com

New Study Says Habitat Preservation Key in Saving Wildlife

2010-09-06T23:06:00.001-04:00

In a new study conducted by Dr. Maggie Lilith and funded by the City of Armadale, Western Australia shows that cat legislation will not be effective without conserving habitat. The study found that protecting and restoring the habitats of declining native wildlife may be more important than simply controlling where pet cats can go.

According to a recent article posted on Murdoch University’s website, "While there are numerous studies on feral cats and their impacts on declining native fauna, the impact of pet cats on suburban wildlife or fauna in remnant bushland is relatively unknown although there is a wide perception of risk," Dr Lilith said. "Our study in the City of Armadale showed no definitive evidence of predatory impacts from pet cats on small mammals. Mammal species diversity, richness and abundance were not significantly different between sites where cats were restricted."

Dr. Lilith goes on to say that “despite the popular perception that cats were the main problem in conserving small mammals, vegetation appeared to be a more important issue. The species’ richness and abundance appeared linked to groundcover density in the various sites. This factor, not cat restrictions, appeared to be the primary determinant of species’ richness, species’ diversity and absolute numbers of small mammals in these sites."

In 2008, Murdoch’s Biological Sciences postgraduate student Jacky Grayson completed a similar study in the City of Melville, which showed the density of suburban housing and the lack of habitat were also more influential than the presence of cats in the lack of small passerines (perching and song birds), such as the Western Spinebill, New Holland Honeyeater and Rufous Whistler.

Again studies like these show that not only controlling cat populations BUT preserving habitat to be imperative of protecting wildlife. So while cat rescue organizations are out sterilizing cats, the wildlife conservationists should be out doing just that…conserving more habitats and pushing for stricter legislation to prevent over-development, deforestation and defragmentation. Yet, most are too busy name-calling and placing blame on cats. Hopefully as more of these studies continue to prove what us cat activists have been saying, the conservationists will get a clue and start working WITH us instead of AGAINST us.

Sign ACR's Petition to the US Fish & Wildlife Service

2010-08-26T15:50:00.000-04:00

Over the years, cats have been turned into scapegoats and blamed for the depletion of bird populations, especially songbirds. Cats are on the "public enemy" list of most wildlife groups, including our very own government's Fish and Wildlife Service.

Cats are being called "serial killers," "pests" and "The Scourge of Suburbia." Sadly, few groups and writers have ever defended cats by challenging these so-called statistics. It wasn't until 1994, when Jeff Elliott tried to get the truth out by writing for the Sonoma County Independent. Co-author of the Wisconsin Study, Stanley Temple, told the Sonoma County Independent, "The media has had a field day with this since we started. Those figures were from our proposal. They aren't actual data; that was just our projection to show how bad it might be." Though 16 years later, these exaggerated numbers are still being used and they are becoming more and more accepted as fact.

Too long have cats received a bad rap and blamed for the "destruction" of birds and wildlife. Conservation groups need to STOP using exaggerated numbers and bogus studies to base these claims upon. Yes, cats kill birds but for agencies, especially government-supported ones, to push for the eradication of cats based on such lies is horrifying and tragic. Help us help cats and STOP the perpetuation of lies being told by the US Fish and Wildlife Service by signing this petition. Thank you!

Louise Appears on Pet Radio

2010-08-19T18:38:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday, Deborah Wolfe, the host of "Animal Party" on Pet Life Radio, spoke live on air with our very own Louise Holton! I, Maggie Funkhouser, was originally scheduled to appear on the show; however, due to uncontrollable circumstances, I was unable to be there. Instead, Deborah had the opportunity to speak with our president and founder, Louise.

In a short amount of time, Louise touched on a lot of hot topics concerning the cat rescue world, including spay/neuter, trap-neuter-return, zoonotic diseases, rabies, and predation. She also got a chance to speak about our programs and about our projects both here in the

and in other countries.

To hear Louise discuss feral cat management, along with other topics, please click here. The entire radio show is an hour long. Louise appears about half way through and talks for the remaining time. Good job, Louise!