artanimals

2 05, 2010

Flyer distribution for May clinics

artanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

Many thanks to everyone who distributed flyers yesterday!

Our awesome volunteers!

Interested in helping? Please email us at spayhr2010@gmail.com.

Volunteers for flyer distribution meet at 10:00am on Saturday mornings about two weeks before a clinic. We review which streets were covered by the last distribution and then head off for new territory in the target area: for May – Oakdale Farms, Denby Park, and Southern Shopping Center. We’ve had great turnouts for the past two distributions, so it doesn’t take much time at all (1 hr. or less).

With the good weather, flyer distribution is a nice way to get out for some fresh air and a little exercise. It’s also fun to meet new people. The residents in our target neighborhoods are overwhelmingly friendly, and it’s very interesting to learn about different sections of the city of Norfolk.

Flyer distribution for May clinicsartanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

28 04, 2010

From Feral to Family

artanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

Kittens from feral colonies can often be socialized and adopted into loving families. They may take a little more time to adjust to life indoors, but they still make wonderful pets.

A request came to ART for help with some feral cats, and an ART volunteer is fostering these little cuties.

Little Bit & Big Lou

Little Bit

These kittens would have been feral if not taken in by the volunteer: They are still a little shy but are adoptable and are receiving lots of TLC in their foster home. They will make great family members once they adjust to their new, forever home(s). There are two females (black and white) and one male (grey).

Star

To adopt Little Bit, Star, or Big Lou, please contact Fran at 757-853-0178.

From Feral to Familyartanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

28 04, 2010

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)

artanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is an effective and humane way to stabilize feral cat populations. Cats are humanely trapped and taken to a veterinarian, where they are neutered and vaccinated.† Cats that have undergone the procedure are eartipped (while under anesthesia, a small portion of the left ear is painlessly removed for identification). If healthy, the cats are then released back to their colony site, where they are often provided continuing care by volunteers. This also provides an avenue for rescuing homeless cats that are adoptable, as friendly cats and kittens are placed up for adoption.

TNR helps the community by stabilizing the population of the feral colony and, over time, reducing it. At the same time, nuisance behaviors such as spraying, loud noise and fighting are largely eliminated and no more kittens are born. In addition, TNR also helps the community’s animal welfare resources by reducing the number of kittens that would end up in their shelters, creating more space for the cats and kittens who come to them from other avenues.

For more information about TNR, please visit Animal Rescue of Tidewater.

†Definitions and content adapted from Alley Cat Allies. For more information, please visit: http://www.alleycat.org

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)artanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

27 04, 2010

Spay/neuter saves lives

artanimals2010-04-27T15:58:32-04:00

At the first NPP clinic on April 16, 2010, 8 dogs and 20 cats were spayed/neutered.

How many lives were saved?

The average female dog can produce one litter of 4-6 puppies in a year. Multiply that number by 8, and you get 40 puppies. The average female cat can have two litters of 4-6 kittens in a year. Multiply that by 20, and you get 200.[i]

In 2009, 2458 cats (including kittens) and 2572 dogs (including puppies) were sheltered at Norfolk Animal Care Center, the city of Norfolk’s municipal animal control facility. Of those cats, 1919 (an average of 56%) were euthanized humanely; for dogs the number is 983 (an average of 38%).

If only half of the potential cats and dogs not born because of the April 16 clinic ended up at the city shelter, 56 cats/kittens and 5-6 dogs/puppies would have been euthanized. The wonderful residents of Oakdale Farms, Denby Park, and Southern Shopping Center who participated in the clinic saved at least 62 lives. When you combine the average reproduction rates for cats and dogs with rates for their unaltered offspring, the lives saved by spay/neuter over a five year period is thousands! [ii]

[i] 40 and 200 are actually low estimates, as feral cats can go into heat 16 weeks after their first litter, thus increasing the number of litters they can produce. Many of the cats spayed at the clinic were feral or outdoor cats. Additionally, male cats and dogs can impregnate a high number of females in a given year, so the numbers of kittens or puppies produced could be higher.

[ii] 11,800 for cats and 12,288 for dogs; see http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/sterilization.html, http://www.secondchanceforanimals.org/spay_or_neuter.htm, http://www.humanesocietyall.com/spayneuter/ and http://www.saintfrancispetfoundation.org/services.html for more information about these estimates.

Spay/neuter saves livesartanimals2010-04-27T15:58:32-04:00

26 04, 2010

Truth In Numbers

artanimals2010-04-26T18:19:34-04:00

Our Norfolk Pet Project spay/neuter campaign is based in large part on the Humane Society of the United States’ “Truth in Numbers” campaign. This thorough study (which is ongoing) focuses on animal homelessness and public opinion on spay/neuter in Louisiana and Mississippi about animal homelessness and people’s willingness to spay/neuter their pets.

Truth In Numbersartanimals2010-04-26T18:19:34-04:00

25 04, 2010

First Norfolk Pet Project clinic, April 16, 2010

artanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of the wonderful people who participated in the clinic!

Lindsay Harding saw our listing on Craig’s List. She then went on our website, spayhr.org. She brought her dog, Kira, who is 17 months old, to be spayed. She said, “This is a good opportunity because it’s expensive especially for people with low income.” She also said, “There are so many animals in the shelter; it is terrible and so sad.”

Kristen Rodencal received a flier on her car and called our number. She said, “I see so many cats in the neighborhood. This cat had 4 kittens in January and I took 3 of them to the NSPCA. I will call to get the remaining kitten fixed at next month’s clinic.”

Chuck Zahourek found spayhr.org on the web. He brought Toby, his 5 year old dog, to be neutered. At one time he wanted to breed Toby, but now said, “He is too rambunctious so we decided to have him neutered.”

Adrienne Harris read the Compass article about Spay Hampton Roads and then called our phone number. She said that she brought in one cat of about 15 strays she feeds in the neighborhood. She has gone to PETA to have several spayed and neutered. She reports, “I could only catch one cat this morning, but would have brought two if I could have caught another.” She said, “I will call and set up to bring 2 cats in May at the next clinic.”

First Norfolk Pet Project clinic, April 16, 2010artanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

20 04, 2010

About US

artanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

SpayHR is part of Animal Rescue of Tidewater’s (ART) ongoing work to help animals in need. ART was established January 1999, and since its inception, has rescued/adopted out over 2,100 dogs and cats. Based on continuous calls for assistance from members of the community, ART realized that true effectiveness in helping more animals can come by reaching out to the people best situated to help them. In many cases, this help can be offered in the form of spay/neuter. The “Spay and Neuter Now” campaign was launched in spring 2010, and seeks to educate our community about the number of animals put down in the Hampton Roads (Virginia) area each year, how spay/neuter can greatly help reduce that number, and inform the community that quality low-cost spay/neuter clinics are available in several Hampton Roads cities.

About USartanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

1 09, 0011

Controlling the Feral Cat Population, One TNR at a Time

artanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

A letter written to Mayor Fraim and the Norfolk City Council by a grateful citizen. In the Estabrook section of Norfolk, a large colony of feral cats roam freely. I know this because I’ve lived there for four years now, and I’ve watched their numbers rapidly multiply. During my first summer in this neighborhood, a female feral had a litter of six in the crawl space beneath my home.As I made phone call after phone call trying to figure out what to do with the kittens, it became apparent to me that the cat population in Norfolk was overwhelming, and the local shelters were filled to the brim. The only solution was to foster the kittens until they could be adopted, and to trap the mother so she could be spayed and vaccinated. I did so, and paid out-of-pocket for the veterinary care: an expensive venture that set me back several hundred dollars. In the process of fostering the six kittens, I was lucky enough to be put in contact with SpayHR, and I learned that they would pay for the cats in my neighborhood to be neutered/spayed and vaccinated. This was such wonderful news! My neighbors and I were all concerned about the feral cat issue, but none of us knew where to turn. As a result of the SpayHR initiative, at least a dozen cats from my neighborhood have been sterilized and vaccinated in the past few months alone. Several kittens have already been successfully spayed/neutered,vaccinated, and adopted as a result of SpayHR’s help. Now that the local business owners who have been feeding this colony of cats have been made aware of the program, they are cooperating with the trapping efforts as well. For the first time since I moved to this neighborhood, there is hope and help for the management of this very large colony of cats. Without SpayHR, these cats would continue to reproduce, fight amongst themselves over territory and mates, and be forced to scavenge for food as their numbers increased. I am so grateful and excited that this program exists, and I offer my complete support for its continued success! Spay Hampton Roads offers free sterilization of free-roaming animals and house pets in certain low-income neighborhoods of Norfolk. The program is funded primarily through grants and donations, and uses PETA’s SNIP-Mobile, the Norfolk SPCA, and the Virginia Beach SPCA Neuter Scooter. Please donate at ARTanimals.org to keep this program up and running!

~by Sarah G.

Controlling the Feral Cat Population, One TNR at a Timeartanimals2017-07-17T16:18:11-04:00

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