A representative from Spay Hampton Roads will be on “Let’s Talk About It,” which airs at 1:00pm on Monday, June 28, 2011.
“Let’s Talk About It” is hosted by Rev. Aaron Wheeler on WYRM Ministry Radio 1110AM. The number to call in with questions or comments is 757-622-9256.
Please listen and call in, and encourage others to do the same!
The two day total for spay/neuter surgeries came to 21 dogs and 17 cats!
We still need more cats from our Norfolk Pet Project neighborhoods, though, and especially community cats (friendly or feral cats without homes).
Cleo
One of those community cats came to our clinic on the 24th to be spayed. Her name is now Cleo, and she showed up at the Leggett residence, which is in one of our target neighborhoods. Cleo is the third community cat to join this household. We are very glad to be able to help this family, especially because they are helping so many animals in their community.
To view more pictures from these clinics, please visit our Facebook page.
In this corner, Neighbor A, who has been feeding stray and feral cats. In that corner, Neighbor B, who wants the cats gone.
Round 1: Neighbor B is tired of the cats using his flowerbed as a litterbox and creating a noise with their fighting.
Neighbor A feels bad for the cats, who seem hungry and without homes. He isn’t crazy about their fighting and outdoor bathroom habits, either, but he doesn’t mind too much and kind of likes having them around.
Round 2: Neighbor A notices more cats. Here and there, adults have added themselves to the mix, and litters of kittens keep being born by females who are already part of the group. He’s becoming a little overwhelmed now.
Neighbor B is really getting annoyed now; there are so many cats!
Round 3: Neighbor B has started trapping the cats and taking them to the shelter, where they will very likely be euthanized, especially at this time of year.
Neighbor A doesn’t want the cats killed, but he doesn’t know what to do.
After 3 rounds, is there a winner? No.
Why?
Neighbor A’s compassion is admirable, but he’s not helping the cats in the long run.
Neighbor B won’t reduce the cat population by trapping them to be killed. There are always more cats, and as long as at least a few who can reproduce are left, there will be more to come.
The cats are being fed but as their numbers multiply, there is more competition for food and other resources. Their numbers are not sustainable in their current situation or in a shelter.
Round 4: Neighbor A finds help from our organization. We show him how to trap the cats, so that they can be spayed/neutered, ear tipped, and vaccinated, then returned to their home environment. This is TNR (trap-neuter-return). He talks to Neighbor B about TNR and how it can help control the cat population. He also offers deterrents that will keep the cats out of Neighbor B’s yard.
After 4 rounds, we’re closer to having multiple winners. With time and effort, Neighbor A can help both the cats and his neighbors. Though not taking an active role in a solution (yet?), Neighbor B has more information and a better understanding of the solution. The cats have a better informed caretaker and their population is on the way to being controlled humanely.
This entry was inspired by conversations SpayHR volunteers have had with residents in Norfolk Pet Project neighborhoods, spay/neuter clinic participants, and people visiting local shelters.
Last Friday evening, volunteers distributed flyers in one of the target neighborhoods for the Norfolk Pet Project. An important benefit of flyering is making personal connections with the residents of these neighborhoods. We often meet people who are excited to work with us; they wanted to help their own pets (and the animals in their communities) but just weren’t sure what to do or did not have the resources to do it.
Friday evening was a different experience…
One volunteer ran across two young men planning to stud out their male dogs. One felt he needed to get his money back for buying such an expensive “pure bred” dog; the other said he knew all the reasons he shouldn’t breed his dog, but planned to do so anyways. As the owners of male dogs, these young men would likely not be involved in the pregnancy or raising and selling of puppies, so the stakes and level of involvement are pretty low for them. Compassion is a hard argument against making money.
Another volunteer met a woman who thought it was inhumane to deny animals sexual pleasure. The woman felt we were taking away their “fun”. We were left to wonder if she thinks the hundreds of animals that entered Norfolk shelters in the month of May alone are NOT having fun, waiting for homes and in many cases not finding them.
What do we say to these people? The statistics aren’t compelling, nor are the arguments for better behavior and health.
The oddest reaction we faced, though, was from a woman who believed that shelter animals in Norfolk were put down because of a lack of food. We quickly assured her that there is food; food is not lacking, fortunately. What is lacking are people who will help control overpopulation by spaying/neutering their companion animals or adopting shelter animals.
Though frustrating and a little heartbreaking, Friday even was an interesting learning experience.
As seen in The Downtowner:
Anthony and Talley from Tortilla West
EXTREME MAKEOVER: FERAL EDITION
Who needs Ty Pennington when you’ve got Anthony and Talley from Tortilla West? When the feral cats of Lambert’s Point posted a HELP WANTED sign for repair of their feeding station (now several years old and suffering from termite damage), Anthony and Talley were quick to respond. In one afternoon, they replaced the damaged wood, reinforced the structure, and gave it a new paint job. We are quite sure they could give Ty a run for his money!
A source (who wishes to remain anonymous) heard the cats declare Anthony and Talley to be “the cats’ meow”! We also understand that their payment (one of the cats’ coveted “nine lives”) is being coordinated by Tabasco, a long-time resident of the colony.
Blackie
The first arrival of the day was Blackie the Black Labrador who promptly peed in the pool that Let’s Go had set up for playtime!
As is quite often the case, most of the cats at today’s clinic were strays or abandoned cats lucky enough to have been taken in by members of their community.
Ricky & Gracie
Stacy Boerstoer’s family had three cats, but they had to re-home two of them, keeping only Faith, a beautiful chocolate point Maine Coon mix. The universe must have decided one cat was not enough for them, though, because the next day Stacy came across Gracie while out for a walk. Ricky walked himself over to Stacy’s husband, plopped down, rolled over, and gave him a look that said, “Take me, too!” So, three cats it is!
Dolly
Oakdale Farms neighbors Scott Hancox and Alan Angevine have taken in cats resulting from neighbors who are not spaying and neutering their own cats. Scott has had Dolly the Calico since she was a baby, and Alan has had Sharky since he was a kitten. Both families keep these two safe indoors.
Today we are thankful for the wonderful weather, efficient Neuter Scooter clinic team, and compassionate Norfolk citizens helping animals in need in their neighborhoods.
Mittens
The first arrival for today’s clinic was Sue McCarty with Coal and Mittens. Both cats showed up on the McCarty’s porch last year and have taken up residence at their home. Coal was already an adult and prefers to stay outside, but Mittens was just a handful of a kitten, and the McCarty’s have been able to keep her inside with them. All of their cats have been rescues, and we are thankful they are kind enough to take on these two lucky kitties as well.
Boobie
Also assisting an animal in need was Joseph Clugston. His dog, Boobie, was abandoned at five weeks old when her family moved away, leaving her alone in the yard. A friend of Joseph’s took her in but could not afford to keep her, so now she lives with him. She is healthy and happy, up to date on her vaccines, and after today, spayed!
Jazz
Miranda Straight, too, is providing a better life for her dog, Jazz, who lived with an abusive family. The family’s neighbor, a friend of Miranda’s, intervened but could not take Jazz herself. Knowing that Miranda has a big heart and love for dogs, her friend asked her to take Jazz. He is still wary of new people but finally in a safe home.
Mario & Luigi
The last arrivals of the day were two handsome twin tabbies, Mario and Luigi. They almost didn’t make it, because their person’s car broke down. Luckily, one of our volunteers was able to pick them up for surgery.
At today’s clinic, 13 cats and 11 dogs were spayed/neutered. This success is certainly due to the commitment of residents who take responsibility for their own animals as well as the animals in need in their communities. We are also thankful for today’s wonderful SNIP clinic crew!
Spring is here, and our local shelters are filling. It is at this time of year that our message of how spay/neuter can help reduce the number of adoptable animals put to sleep is more important than ever.
Chan Chan
While we often think about unwanted cats and dogs “dumped” at shelters, in some cases, they are literally thrown away: One day a woman heard meows coming from a dumpster. When she looked in, she saw two grey cats. She was close to Let’s Go Pet Care, so she stopped in to see if the staff had any ideas about what to do with them. The cats were in luck! Trista Soave, co-owner of O Jardim Brazilian Café, right next door to Let’s Go, said she would adopt them! These lucky kitties, now known as Tula and Chan Chan, were patients at this morning’s clinic.
So often this is the kind of story we hear from clinic attendees who bring cats for surgery. We are always so appreciative of the efforts made to help these cats in our target neighborhoods (and beyond).
Roxi
Of course, dogs need help, too!
Augustus Fleming obtained Roxi, who is much prettier than her picture indicates, from friends of a friend who decided to move to a home that would not allow her. Roxi was not properly socialized, so Augustus has been making sure she visits with friends’ dogs and has regular dog park outings. Roxi stays inside, but Augustus doesn’t want to take any chances of her getting pregnant, so he brought her to today’s clinic.
Thank you to all of the people and pets attending today’s clinic. Thank you, too, to the wonderful PETA clinic staff for fitting in an extra dog!
For more pictures of from this clinic, please visit our Facebook page.
Some of the folks helping community cats through TNR also help by providing homes. One family found Big Tomcat (BT) while managing one of their feral cat colonies and had him neutered at a SpayHR clinic in March. Despite his size, BT always waited in the wings for the others members of the colony to eat first. Initially, he seemed pretty scary and had some injuries, which is common to see in unaltered outdoor male cats. The family members were slowly able to become his friend, though, and after they were able to get close to him, they discovered BT had been declawed. Aha…now his waiting to eat made sense! With a little more time and trust, they saw that BT wants nothing more than to sit in their laps and is very affectionate. He’s a keeper with his own family again!
In cases like Big Tomcat’s, a cat who has had a home but been alone or part of a colony for some time can re-learn house cat rules: Read the story of Calypso (“Sympathy for the Feral Cat” by Karen Lauderback) in the December/January edition of Pet Tails.
In other cases, a young cat from a feral colony (or undefined group of community cats) can learn to become the best cat in the family: Read Picaboo’s story, reprinted from a recent ART newsletter:
Margie M. was helping a resident off Cromwell Drive in Norfolk with three abandoned kittens: two females and one male. The resident’s neighbor had moved, leaving the kittens behind and without a mother (she had been killed in the road). As Margie puts it, “And of course those kittens grew up and started having their own kittens.”
Picaboo
Picaboo (pronounced peak-a-boo) is the daughter of one of those kittens. Margie trapped her at about eight weeks old, along with two of her siblings. In addition to these three, four younger cousins were found in a lawnmower bag attachment. All seven kittens were removed from the property and sent to foster homes until the Norfolk SPCA had room for them. Mine was one of those foster homes.
We already had Thor and Scratches, just two of many kittens resulting from pregnant cats dumped off at a friend’s house on Knott’s Island. Two cats were enough for our home, and I was afraid that if I fostered Picaboo, I would want to keep her. Since she had a guaranteed spot at the Norfolk SPCA, though, I felt I would be able to let her go.
Picaboo had a rough start with us, crying at night, hissing continually, and hiding under the furniture. I let her work it out, making sure she had the essentials and that the other cats did not bother her. After a few days, she was in standard kitten mode. She became cuddly and affectionate, and once she was big enough to jump on the bed, she joined Thor and Scratches there at night. Picaboo was a lot of fun, too. She knew how to fetch, returning with toy mice in her mouth after we threw them for her. She was a foster, but she was our favorite.
When I took Picaboo to the Norfolk SPCA, I saw the many other kittens available for adoption. Even though I knew she would be well taken care of and eventually adopted, I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her. She’s now a happy, fatter-than-I’d-like housecat who still sleeps on the bed every night.
I’m so happy to have Picaboo with me. Now and then, I look at her and wonder where she would be (and IF she would “be”) if not for Margie. I wonder about her siblings and cousins, and if they are as loved as she is.
– Meagan Storey
After so many very cold clinic mornings, we are thrilled for warmer, sunny weather! Of course, with the warm weather comes more need for spay/neuter.
Chastity
This morning we met beautiful Chastity, who found her own home, safe from where her life began: One day, the petite pit bull mix followed a neighborhood girl home. The girl’s mother, Ms. Reid, took the dog back to her owner. The next day, Chastity showed back up at the Reid’s house. She was again taken back to her owner, whose response was to tell the Reids that the dog must want to live with them. Chastity is now Ms. Reid’s baby and being cared for by a friend while she in on deployment.
Those of us in the animal welfare community recognize spring as the beginning of “kitten season,” the time of year when we start seeing kittens EVERYWHERE. We had more community cats on the surgery schedule, but one gave birth this week and another is just about to give birth. Many of today’s clinic participants have seen the results of the large population of unaltered cats.
community cats from Oakdale Farms
The Barnes family of Oakdale Farms brought two cats resulting from litters from a neighbor’s cats. The neighbor refuses to take responsibility for the cats, and as a result, there are many more than these two cats in need of care. As is the case in many of these situations, taking the simple, easy, and FREE (for residents in this community) step of spaying/neutering would have resulted in lives saved by preventing unnecessary births.
Little Dude
Hannah Harbin, our food raffle winner, brought Little Dude to be neutered. This photogenic cutie was found by Hannah’s mom.
Jessica Bates found Callie and Midnight in her backyard when they were about a month old.
Amanda Luther brought two cats, one of whom, much like Chastity, selected her own home: Lady walked onto the Luther’s property and decided to stay. She joined the Luther’s resident cat, Smokey, this morning.
We are thankful for those already participating in our clinics, but we know there are more cats and dogs (but especially cats) out there who should be fixed. If you have participated in one of our clinics, please encourage your neighbors to do so as well.