No-Kill Conference Already Sold Out

The National No-Kill Conference scheduled for May 2-3 in Washington, DC is ALREADY sold out.

Amazing.

McKee Project Expands Work into Guatemala and Other Latin American Countries

This is a great group that I've spotlighted before. At the end of 2007, the World Society for the Protection of Animals selected the McKee Project to work on spay/neuter programs in Guatemala. Although they are best known for their work in Costa Rica, they also work in Mexico and Panama.

I recently subscribed to their newsletter which comes out in both Spanish and English versions.

Quantico Has No Compassion for Feral Cats

Quantico Military Base is really behaving cruelly when it comes to the feral cats on its base. They've prohibited feeding and want the animals trapped. If they are not adoptable, oh well, kill them.

Please. It is NOT the animals' fault that they have been abandoned to miserable lives. (Of course, this is the military, so why should they be any better than humanity in general?)

We do not support or promote feral animals on the base,” flatly stated Bruce Frizzell, head of the Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs office...

Frizzell explained that a large population of feral cats is ultimately detrimental to the overall environmental health of the base, its native species and ecosystems.

‘‘They’re a big impact on wildlife. That’s why I’m concerned,” Frizzell said. ‘‘The raptors feed on these things (mice, rats), snakes feed on these things, it’s in the wild food chain and the cat interrupts that because it’s not part of the natural setting.”

Frizzell has encountered those who trap feral cats with the intent of spaying or neutering them, vaccinating them and then releasing them back into the wild. It is their belief, he said, that rendering most of the feral cats sexually inactive will humanely decrease their numbers.

‘‘The people that are doing this are really kind-hearted,” he said. ‘‘They just think this is the right thing to do and we don’t. We worry about wildlife, disease and nuisance animals.”

Feral cats may be an animal problem, but there is a human solution. While both Frizzell and Ellington maintained that base residents should not provide for or promote feral cats with the understanding that they have a substantially negative impact on base, proper care of one’s own pets will prevent ‘Whiskers’ or ‘Frisky’ from adding to the ranks of destitute ferals.

"Whiskers" or "Frisky?"


Alley Cat Allies is leading the fight to help the ferals.

Iowa Town Rescinds Stray Cat Bounty

Boy, was this harsh. An Iowa town had a $5 bounty for every collarless cat turned in to a vet.

The City Council approved the bounty after receiving numerous complaints about feral cats. Under the initial policy, which went into effect March 1, stray cats without collars would be taken to a veterinarian, and if they weren't claimed, they'd be euthanized. That caused an uproar among animal lovers.

On Thursday, the city voted to end the bounty and form a task force involving three organizations, Maryland-based Alley Cat Allies, Best Friends Animal Society of Utah and Feline Friendz in Nebraska.

But the Mayor still wants those meddling cats GONE!

Trively still wants the cats gone — and said returning them to town is not a solution.

"How would you like it if a dozen cats come around there every morning as you tried to feed pets and they gobble up food and chased your pets away and then left a calling card on your yard or walk to step on?" he asked.

A calling card? Is he talking about cats?

Photo by crausman.

Alley Cat Allies' Anti-Cruelty Center

I love Alley Cat Allies. We first got involved with animal issues back in 1995 as the result of a feral cat colony in our apartment building's parking lot. We received no support or encouragement from our local nonprofit shelter nor our municipal shelter. Fortunately, we tapped into a group of "underground" cat rescuers who gave us advice and helped with placement (five of those placements are lounging around in the house as I write!)

The one organized group we encountered was Alley Cat Allies and they are still growing. They are a leader in the field of managing feral cat colonies and rescue work.

I see that they now have an anti-cruelty web page and I want to encourage you to check out the group's site and this useful page.

Photo by dawnkua.

Mobile Cat Clinic To Help in New Zealand

Another example where a mobile cat clinic is called in to help with cat population control. This time it's in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The clinic, run by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), will be free for pet owners who hold a community service card.

The mobile clinic already had reduced stray and unwanted animal populations when it toured the North Island.

Canterbury SPCA shelter manager Geoff Sutton said stray cat numbers were "ridiculously high" in Christchurch.

"We hope this will result in an immediate reduction in the numbers of stray and unwanted animals around the region this year.

Photo by h . m a n s.

Veterinarian Calls for Canine Control in Guam

Guam, a US territory, has a population problem with unsterilized dogs and its Territorial Veterinarian Thomas Poole is calling for an aggressive sterilization program.

The problem is three-fold....

1. Feral Dogs. Feral dogs have experienced little socialization with humans. They hide by day and come out at night to forage. They often form packs of a dozen animals or more. While generally shy around adults, they can work together to attack other animals. Rarely, but devastatingly, they sometimes attack children....The presence of nearby jungle over much of the island provides harborage for feral dogs. The jungle also compounds the difficulties associated with capturing dogs.

2. Socialized strays. Well-socialized dogs who reside in a neighborhood and are fed leftovers or dog chow by the people of that neighborhood. Some people feed out of compassion; others because they desire loyal watchdog services...The dog does not have to forage for food, and the person avoids the expense and responsibility of maintaining a pet. But the dogs receive little or no veterinary care and are able to breed at a rate that approaches the maximum for the species.

3. Traditional Pets. Owned dogs that are either fenced or kept indoors much of the time. Sometimes these dogs are allowed out to run in the neighborhood. These animals receive more veterinary care and constitute the smallest component of the stray animal problem.

I think that it's great to have a spay/neuter program. My only concern with the op-ed is that there is no mention of basic animal welfare or compassion. Instead, the article focuses on the danger of dog bites and the spread of rabies to the human population. He also calls for catching more of these dogs. Unfortunately, it's easy to imagine the fate of these future "captures."

Photo by roenke47.

Great Feral Cat Organization

We've talked about the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project before on this site. They are located in the City of Seattle and are an effective, innovative group. They also post information about their clinic model.

Take a look at them. They are leaders in the field and a role model for similar groups.

Photo by WashHumane.

Congratulations to Israeli Animal Group

Congratulations to Beersheba Loves Animals for receiving government support for spay and neuter work. Every effort to help an animal in this world should be applauded.

The Municipality of Beersheba has approved a budget for a street cat spaying and neutering project. Tens of thousands of shekels will be invested in the project in 2008 in three Beersheba neighborhoods.

The project was initiated by a small NGO, Beersheba Loves Animals, made up of students. The association, operating for some four years, is committed to animal welfare in Beersheba and to increasing resident awareness of the subject by means of educational workshops on the prevention of cruelty to animals, promotion of laws and norms on animal welfare and finding foster homes for cats and dogs.

Here's their contact information.

Beersheba Loves Animals
The Association for Animals in Beersheba and Vicinity Mail: Schreiber Family 70/30 Beersheba 84451 Israel

Trap, Spay and Return in Israel

Good, in-depth article on the attempt to get state-wide trap, spay and return (release) programs for stray cats in Israel. I did not know how bad the problem is there.

According to experts in relevant fields, Israel has a particularly large street cat overpopulation problem. In the words of a veterinarian from central Israel: "No other western country has as severe a problem as Israel with street cats."

The same veterinarian claims these issues are constantly being dealt with in the US and Europe, whereas "in Israel it's as though no one cares. There is no awareness here."

Photo by RachelandEric.