![]() Alley Cat Rescue's new Alliance for Cat Protection program is building a network of support for shelters throughout the United States. Alliance shelters receive comprehensive training in humane programs for community cats, including public workshops and staff training that save animals' lives. Our dedicated team visits each Alliance community to transform it from top to bottom through education and hands-on support, even holding a field training in which colonies of cats are trapped, neutered, and returned. In the last month, our team conducted workshops in Mercer County West Virginia and Vance County North Carolina. We specifically chose to work with these shelters because they recently had a change in directors who brought new visions and a more progressive approach to assisting animals in shelters. These directors were excited to welcome our trainers and were open to learning the best practices of humanely managing community cats. At each shelter we spent one whole day working with the entire staff. From field officers to receptionists, we provided training on how to respond to phone calls and emails so that more cats are kept out of the shelter and remain in their homes, along with detailed instructions on navigating conflict resolution. We also trained staff on how to properly implement a community cat (TNR) program, how to get the community more involved, and we even discussed the topic of fundraising to assist shelters in receiving the financial support they need to help more cats. During the second day of each workshop, we went out into the community for a hands-on training session. We taught shelter staff and members of the community how to properly trap and transport cats, along with explaining to them the importance of TNR programs for free-roaming cats. We spoke with neighbors, telling them how they can be most effective in helping community cats and how they can participate in the shelter’s community cat program. In both West Virginia and North Carolina, we received lots of wonderful feedback from the staff and community members, along with heartfelt appreciation and gratitude from the shelter directors. Our presence and training was beyond well received and we couldn’t be happier! ACR’s new Alliance for Cat Protection program is giving these shelters and these communities the kick start they so desperately need to implement successful TNR programs. Our workshops provide shelters with not only the knowledge of managing community cats, but we also show them how to implement the information through hands-on training and we provide them with a support system, so if they have any future questions they can easily follow up with us. All these shelters needed was a little boost to show them it’s not difficult to implement a TNR program for their community and now they are on their way to saving a lot more lives! As always thank you for your continued support! Your generous donations make these workshops possible. You can also help cats in your community by ordering a few copies of “Alley Cat Rescue’s Guide to Managing Community Cats” – that lays out the best practices for implementing a TNR program and which our training workshops are based off of – and donate them to your local shelter.
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![]() ‘Tis the season for kitten weanin’, and it’s all paws on deck here at Alley Cat Rescue during our annual springtime kitten season. This year we began receiving calls about found newborn kittens in March, and Alley Cat Rescue and our network of foster caregivers are taking in more vulnerable kittens each week. These kittens have come from a variety of places, including a county animal control department, a city code enforcement officer, compassionate private citizens, and caretakers who are removing kittens for adoption during Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) projects. One of these kittes is Keanu. The kind person who found him realized he was in rough shape when his first foray out of a carrier was head-first into a wall. She saw that his eyes were stuck shut and knew he needed help fast, so she contacted Alley Cat Rescue. We got Keanu in to see one of our trusted vet partners right away, who diagnosed Keanu with a dangerous upper respiratory infection that would require close monitoring and treatment multiple times per day. With the knowledge that she could count on Alley Cat Rescue for support, Keanu’s caregiver agreed to foster him and nurse him back to health. We’re delighted to report that his infection has been cleared and an adopter has already been found! It’s support from readers like you that allows us to step up and take action to save innocent kittens like Keanu. Yet around the country, we know that high numbers of kittens are still being killed in municipal shelters that don’t have the resources, knowledge, or facility space to care for small, fragile kittens. If Keanu had been taken to a shelter or animal control facility, he may not have been seen by a vet in time to get his URI under control. He may have died from a wholly treatable infection. About 80% of kittens born each year are from free-roaming, community cats and many end up at shelters. That’s no surprise when we consider that only 2% of community cats are thought to be spayed or neutered. Community cats are the primary source of kittens each year, so we must focus our efforts on this population, and the most humane and effective way to help these cats is through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). TNR is so effective for managing free-roaming cats because it stops a colony’s population from growing through spay/neuter, while reducing its size through the adoption of kittens and socialized adults. Volunteer colony caretakers, who visit daily to provide fresh food and water, then monitor the site for any new cats who arrive and need to be sterilized. Examples of TNR’s success are everywhere. Just a few weeks ago, Alley Cat Rescue helped a woman who cares for a small colony at her workplace. Initially there were just two cats, but because they were not fixed, the colony grew to ten cats. We provided information about the importance of spay/neuter, and helped trap, sterilize, and return the cats. These cats now have sturdy, weather-proofed shelters, are receiving fresh food and water each day from compassionate employees, and importantly will no longer be producing kittens who could end up killed at municipal shelters. This week we’ll be returning a mother cat named Juno to her colony site. She and her newborns were found by a caretaker who Alley Cat Rescue works with on a regular basis. We brought the new family in, found them a place in foster care, and now, after a few weeks of growing strong and socializing to humans, the kittens are being spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped and will be available for adoption soon. Juno will return to her supervised outdoor colony after recovering from spay surgery. Each kitten Alley Cat Rescue takes in receives the medical treatment and supportive care that he or she needs to grow, thrive, and eventually find a permanent home, but there are many others who are not so lucky. To stop the tragic killing of kittens in shelters, we simply must reduce the number of kittens being born from community cats. Please join us in spreading the message that TNR is the best way to fix the flood of springtime kittens, and consider donating to support more of this life-saving work. When it comes to Tigger and his inappropriate scratching at the side of the couch or on the back of a favorite recliner, only in America does the word “declaw” come to mind. In most European countries, this procedure is considered “inhumane” and an “unnecessary mutilation” … in which it should be viewed. Declawing a cat is not a simple manicure, but the amputation of the last joint of a cat’s toe; in order to remove the claw, the bone must be cut. It’s equivalent to cutting off the first joint of a human finger. Ouch! This is a serious surgery with a painful recovery. And remember, the cat still has to walk on his paws, jump, and scratch in the litter box while experiencing this pain.
Claws are an important part of the cat’s design. Not only are they used for hunting, but also for exercise and marking territory. Cats scratch to help them exercise and stretch muscles, and to aid with grooming; scratching removes old nail sheaths. Cats also scratch to communicate their presence, by leaving both physical and scent marks. Cats have scent glands between their toes that leave pheromones behind to communicate with other animals. Additionally, cats use their claws to express emotion – when Morris scratches at your leg around dinner time with increased excitement – and for defense if threatened. Declawing a cat has no health benefits and comes with lots of potential and serious complications. Post-surgical problems:
Long-term, chronic conditions:
In addition to serious health problems, many cats who have been declawed suffer from psychological trauma that manifests as negative behavioral changes.
As anyone can see, declawing a cat is a drastic and cruel response to protecting furniture. The good news is there’s plenty of humane solutions to prevent Tigger from tearing up the couch.
Keep in mind, nail trimming and Soft Paws should only be used on indoor cats; if cats are permitted to go outside, they will need their claws for defense. In 2002, West Hollywood, California became the first U.S. city to ban declawing, with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Burbank, Santa Monica, Berkeley, Beverly Hills and Culver City all following suit in making declawing illegal. Later in 2012, California became the first state prohibiting landlords from requiring tenants to declaw or devocalize their animals, with Rhode Island following suit in 2014. And in January of 2015, a law was introduced that would make New York the first state to ban declawing; the bill is awaiting a committee hearing. For more information on declaw legislation visit (ThePawProject.org). Photo Credits: SoftPawsWiki photo: myllissa from Seoul, S. Korea (Red Nails Uploaded by Caspian blue) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons DeclawWiki photo: Turn685 (Own work Turn685) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Each year 2.4 million healthy and adoptable animals are euthanized in shelters. That means that about every 13 seconds, an animal who would have been a loving and loyal companion loses her life, often because the resources needed to care for her and find her a home simply aren’t available. On the first Tuesday of each month, Alley Cat Rescue takes the issue of pet overpopulation head-on by holding our Cheap Fix Cat Clinic. By offering low-cost services for community and pet cats, we reduce the number of adoptable kittens and cats needlessly killed in overcrowded shelters, as well as the number of cats living outdoors. Coming to the clinic is an easy process for people and cats alike. Clients begin by requesting an appointment online, then we follow up to confirm and provide clear instructions on how to prepare cats for spay/neuter surgery. On the morning of the clinic, clients drop off cats in traps or carriers, complete a couple simple forms, and are given an estimated time for pick-up. Once all the cats are checked in and traps and carriers are clearly labeled, Alley Cat Rescue staff and volunteers safely transport them to our partner clinic. Later in the day when surgery is finished and the cats have recovered enough to travel, we transport them back to our office for pick-up that evening, or hold them overnight when necessary. Clients also receive required vaccination documents and instructions for post-surgery care. ![]() For community cat colony caretakers, finding affordable spay/neuter and vaccination services is crucial. Costs add up quickly when a caretaker finds a number of cats in a colony, sometimes ten or more at once, who are in need of veterinary services. Cost becomes even more important when you consider that caretakers are usually spending their own limited personal funds on a project that benefits the whole community. For this reason, we offer community cats spay/neuter surgery, vaccination, and ear-tipping for only $20, a fraction of what the same services would cost at a private veterinary practice. We also have humane traps to loan, which helps caretakers keep equipment and supply costs down. Pet cats are also welcome at the Cheap Fix Cat Clinic! A pet cat may not be spayed/neutered because a person plans to keep him or her indoors and doesn’t think it necessary. Someone may have found a kitten and brought her in from outside, and is solely focused on providing food and purchasing other essential items. Some also believe that kittens are too young to be sterilized or that it is healthier for a female cat to have a litter before being spayed. The truth is that kittens can be safely spayed or neutered once they reach two pounds in weight (around 8 weeks of age), and there is no health benefit to allowing female cats to have a litter before being spayed. We wholeheartedly encourage pet adoption, and to support those who’ve decided to add a furry member to their family, we offer spay/neuter surgery and vaccination for just $50. ACR Since launching the Cheap Fix Cat Clinic only two months ago, Alley Cat Rescue has provided these important services for nearly 50 cats in our community, and we are eager to help more! Having your cat spayed eliminates many medical and behavioral problems. In fact neutering a cat, male or female, adds years to their lives. It is one of the best things one can do not only to spare cats from death in an animal shelter, and bring down the euthanasia numbers, but it will increase the quality of your cat’s life and enable the cat to live longer. Over the last 20 years ACR has been spaying and neutering cats in the Washington DC Metro area. Over the years around 35,000 cats have been sterilized by ACR. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today so that we can continue to offer these life-saving services and reach more cats in need.
Texas veterinarian Kristen Lindsey made national headlines last year after posting a picture to Facebook showing her holding up a cat shot through the head with an arrow. In the post, she bragged of the incident being her first bow kill and wrote, “The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it’s head. Vet of the year award…gladly accepted.”
Last week Lindsey’s case went before the Texas State Office of Administrative hearings. The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners is seeking to revoke Lindsey’s license to practice veterinary medicine, arguing in part that the cat in question was an owned cat named Tiger and not a feral tomcat, and that no matter the cat’s identity, Lindsey violated her professional oath by killing the cat in a cruel and inhumane manner. Lindsey and her attorney argued that she was justified in killing the cat, that the arrow to the head of the cat resulted in instantaneous and painless death, and that killing what she believed to be a feral cat was in line with her oath because feral cats pose risks to the public and other animals. Lindsey and another witness who testified on her behalf, livestock owner Preston Northrup, also made statements to the effect that killing feral cats is widespread and common in rural areas of Texas. This case is disturbing for the manner in which the cat was killed and because the killer was a vet, a person who we assume has compassion and empathy for all animals and not only the companions who live in our homes. But we believe there is a broader issue at work here, and that is the mindset toward feral cats that Lindsey and Northrup described, which devalues feral cats simply because of who they are and where they live. They believe that every feral cat is dangerous, sickly, and unwanted. It is this immoral culture of killing that must be changed. As advocates for all cats, it is our role and responsibility to educate and provide resources to the public, the veterinary field, and policy makers, so they may come to understand that feral cats are the same species as our beloved companion cats, just living in a different environment and with a different view of humans. We must show people who feral cats truly are: intelligent, dynamic, and beautiful animals, so similar to our beloved companions and just as deserving of our respect and compassion. We must also continue to push for humane and effective management policies, like Trap-Neuter-Return, while showing trap-and-kill or shoot-to-kill methods for what they are; cruel and ineffective. Finally, we must never stop talking about our moral obligation to treat all animal lives, including all nine of every feral cat, as inherently valuable and deserving of compassion. We’re confident that the system in place will work and that Kristen Lindsey’s vet license will be revoked. In the meantime we’ll keep putting our comprehensive Guide to Managing Community Cats in the hands of as many mayors, councils, animal control officers, and compassionate citizens as we can. We’ll continue to grow our Alliance for Cat Protection program, which educates shelters and rescues across the country through hands-on workshops and training. And we’ll continue working hard to reduce the number of free-roaming cats outdoors through our monthly Cheap Fix Cat Clinic, which provides low-cost spay/neuter services for companion and feral cats, and the annual May Spay Challenge that gets new vets around the country involved with helping community cats every year. Our work for feral cats would not be possible without your support! Please make a tax-deductible contribution today so we may continue to provide these life-saving programs. Today cats are living longer than ever before, thanks to improved nutrition, advances in veterinary medicine and an increase in an indoor lifestyle. It’s no surprise to caretakers that cats are easily living into their teens and twenties. And yes some conditions are more common among senior cats, but not all cats experience the effects of aging and some show no changes at all. Just as humans age and we start the process of health screenings to check for particular conditions, it is important to schedule regular checkups for senior cats.
Vets recommend that cats around 7 or 8 years of age have a senior blood panel ran, which also includes a urinalysis, to check for certain conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, and hyperthyroidism. If your cat’s blood work does start to indicate any of these conditions, it is best to find them early so proper measures can be taken to address the issue, rather than finding such a condition in an advanced stage. Dental health is another concern for aging cats. Healthy teeth and gums are very important in maintaining the overall health of your cat. Infection in the mouth enters directly into the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body, so regularly scheduled teeth cleanings are vital. It’s also important to note that most cats tend to become less active, sleep more, and gain or lose weight as they age; however, these health and behavioral changes could indicate a serious underlying condition and should be mentioned to your vet and not simply chalked up to the natural aging process. Along with ensuring your cat has a healthy blood and urine report, it’s also important to speak to with a vet about your cat’s diet, so she is receiving the appropriate nutrition, coupled with plenty of water to help any kidney issues. And make sure your cat has easy access to her food and water bowls, as well as the litter box. Older cats can experience stiffening of the joints, arthritis, and incontinence, so make sure they can easily climb into the litter box – use boxes with low sides – and it’s a good idea to place a litter box on each floor of the house. Stiff joints and arthritis can make accessing favorite windowsills, chairs, or other sleeping spots difficult for older cats, so make sure to add ramps and pet stairs covered with carpet to provide secure footing and to prevent slips or falls. As your cat ages, here are a few other things to take into consideration:
For more detailed information on caring for elderly cats, including common health conditions and tips on creating a safer home for senior cats, click here. When Alley Cat Rescue received a frantic call about seven cats at risk of being killed in Hyattsville, Maryland, we knew we had to help. Just one mile down the road, an industrial park was moments away from calling animal control to remove and kill the family of cats that had made their home amongst the roofing supplies. Several compassionate employees of the business had been feeding the cats, and were devastated at the possibility that these cats could lose their lives. Fortunately, they called Alley Cat Rescue and we stepped in immediately. ![]() We sent a feral cat expert to the site within minutes of receiving the call -- and she was able to talk with the property owner and explain that what these cats needed was a humane solution, not a fatal one. Much of the time, frustrated property owners are too quick to call animal control to trap cats, but in many cities, this is a death sentence for the cats. Instead, Alley Cat Rescue recommends trapping the cats for a more humane purpose...spaying and neutering! When outdoor, feral cats are spayed and neutered, it immediately stops the flow of kittens and puts an end to population growth! That’s why Alley Cat Rescue showed up with more than seven traps -- we believe in the importance of trapping every colony to full completion. We showed up with twice the traps we needed, set them up in the industrial area, and one by one, watched as the cats entered the traps. To our surprise, we were able to catch not seven, but ten cats! These beautiful cats came in all shapes and sizes, but almost every one of them had a similar look of orange, grey, or a combination of the two. This colony is a truly beautiful family of cats with wonderful caregivers giving them daily food and shelter, they simply needed to be spayed and neutered to stop the population growth. All ten cats were trapped, vaccinated, ear-tipped, and spayed or neutered, then held for recovery before being returned to the site. It’s truly touching when you’re able to resolve a conflict and help stop needless cruelty in its tracks. Now, these ten cats will get to live out the rest of their lives peacefully, surrounded by support and with a property owner who now understands their needs and accepts their presence. Best of all, no new kittens will be born! This is what saving lives looks like in action. Your support makes it possible for Alley Cat Rescue to continue this lifesaving work. Make a tax-deductible donation today!
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AuthorAlley Cat Rescue is leading in the way in promoting humane and compassionate care for ALL cats. Archives
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