Pam's TNR Blog - week of 7/26/09

TNR Blog No. 2

Week of 7/26/09

Sunday 7/26

I did not trap on Saturday night as the ADLA quarterly meeting was on Sunday, 7/26. However, we hold a weekly clinic in Tempe on Sunday and I had to pick up the overflow of 15 cats to be stashed in my air-conditioned garage until we could get them to the vet on Monday. Cats had to be fed and watered as they had gone without food for nearly 3 days. It was 115 degrees on Sunday making it even more important that the cats have a cool place to go. But trapping goes on year round - we just have to adapt and we do. In the afternoon we had the ADLA quarterly meeting at the Glendale Public Library and Suzie and I talked about the benefits of TNR and trapping. Please consider joining ADLA whose mission is the protect and defend Arizona's animals. More information is available on the ADLA website.

Monday 7/27

I met a caregiver in south central Phoenix in an alley at 4:45 AM to trap 10 cats. Some areas are safer for trapping in daylight rather than at night. The alley has lots of cats and I trapped 10 cats there previously. Last time I trapped there a man called 911 claiming I was trapping his cat. We stayed until 8:30 AM and caught 8 cats - mostly kittens. A man came out of an apartment asking for help with fixing his tame female cat that has had several litters. I promised to help him knowing that some people have few resources for S/N and do not know about low-cost options. Most I come across do not have transportation to the vet or even know about spay and neuter or even cat reproduction. I think some of the "feral" kittens in the alley were from his cat. These cats went to the vet at 9:00 AM. Meanwhile Suzie picked up the 15 cats in my garage and took them to a different vet for S/N.

After picking up cats at the vet in the afternoon, I helped a lady drop trap some cats she had been trying to catch for months with her own trap. Turned out she had no clue how to trap and did not know about the Spay Neuter Hotline (SNH). We caught both of them - one under the dropper and the other overnight. Of course there were 23 cats in the garage waiting to be fed when I got home at 8:30 PM - 15 left over from Sunday and the 8 from the alley (in case you've lost track!).


Tuesday 7/28

Released the cats down on Van Buren and 20th St. before 6:00 AM. Suzie picked up the cats from the Sunday clinic and returned them to Mesa. After washing traps and covers in the AM, I began preparing for the trip to Aguila and Wickenburg. We had planned on taking a mobile clinic to Aguila but decided it would be easier and less expensive to trap and bring the cats to Phoenix for S/N- I say easier but definitely not easy! Nothing about TNR is easy, believe me.

Suzie and I left Phoenix at 2:30 PM with a total of 42 traps in two vehicles. First stop (after the gas station) was Wickenburg to deliver 12 traps to a couple living in a condemmed apartment. Not sure how they manage in such marginal conditions. The Humane Society in Wickenburg could not help them. Somehow they got our phone #. Most of the cats were trapped inside and a couple were in an abandoned trailer on the property. We then visited a 94 year old lady we trapped for earlier in the year in Wickenburg and guess what - she has more cats to trap in the alley behind her apartment!

On to Aguila...Aguila is a small rural, agricultural town 25 miles west of Wickenburg. We'd been through there before while trapping in Salome which is further west. We were headed to help a 92 year old man who claimed to be feeding 29 cats. This man would never have found help otherwise and these are the caregivers we like to assist. He lived in what was an old lumberyard that serviced the railroad when it was built in the 1920's. There was a large house and several outbuildings. Upon arriving I commented; "this will be like shooting fish in a barrel". The porch was amass with about 12 cats, half of them Calicos! Within an hour or so we knew there were more than 29 cats and we started doubling up cats in traps. Later we dined at the Coyote Flats restaurant - the only place to eat in town. Dinner was exciting as I swatted 18 flies while trying to eat. The locals say they imported flies to eat the insects killing crops in Aguila...definitely a mistake. That evening we trapped a total of 32 cats. We left 2 traps out overnight.

We left at about 9:00 PM stopping in Wickenburg to pick up cats - they had filled all 12 traps. Turned out all 12 were female! After arriving back in Phoenix we had to unload the now 44 cats in my garage as it was still over 100 deg. and we could not leave cats in our vehicles.


Wednesday 7/29

Suzie left at 4:15 AM the next morning to go back to Aguila to collect 4 more cats. Two were trapped overnight and there were 2 were kittens in a shed the caregiver could get in traps. She delivered 5 traps to each caregiver to trap again that night. We now had 38 cats to go to the vet. I took one load of 26 cats to one vet and 22 cats to another vet. LOTS of lifting but it helps one keep in shape...Suzie met me at the second vet with the additional 4 cats caught overnight. We now had a total of 50 cats at the vet. We each picked up cats later in the day and now had 50 cats to aftercare in my garage (not a record but close).

Thursday 7/30

We loaded up early and after hitting Starbucks shortly after they opened at 4:30 AM and getting gas (again) it was on to Wickenburg to release 12 cats and pick up 4 more trapped overnight. Ants had attacked the traps set overnight and I ended up with ants in my socks as I jumped around trying to get my shoes off - fully awake now. Next stop Aguila where 2 more cats were trapped overnight for a total of 6 more cats to go to the vet on 7/30. We were now up to 56 cats over 3 days. The Aguila release (pictured) was classic. There had been an abundance of Calicos in this mix and seeing their eartips was like heaven on earth. Tortie kittens that would never give birth were a sight to behold. This is why we do this week after week...

Flies - If there nasty ants in Wickenburg, the flies in Aguila made the ants look tame. After unloading the 24 cats in my vehicle I could not see the tarp on the floor for the flies. They were thick as, well, flies! We loaded up the traps and 2 cats (total of 6) caught overnight and headed for Phoenix and the vet. A fly swatter is not part of the trapping kit but should be. We swatted flies with trap covers and tried to let them out the windows but bought back several hundred from Aguila to Phoenix.

Suzie picked up the 6 cats at the vet that day and kept them inside her place that night.

Friday 7/31

Suzie returned the cats to Wickenburg and Aguila in the AM. I spent most of the day washing traps and covers. In all, Suzie made 4 trips and I made 2 trips to Aguila and Wickenburg to TNR 56 cats. Thank you XM radio! These 56 cats would never have been fixed without the help of the Spay Neuter Hotline TNR Program and supporters like you.

The Spay Neuter Hotline TNR Program needs your help. We need donations to help caregivers in need with TNR. Caregivers with the most numbers of cats have the least amount of resources to fix the cats. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to help the cats. You can find information on how to donate at http://www.spayneuterhotline.org/

The good news is that 100% of donations go to pay the vets for surgeries. Please help us help the cats.


Next week - Stay tuned for more exciting TNR adventures.

Pam's TNR Blog

Pam's TNR Blog N0. 1 - Week of 7/19/09








7/19/09
It's been a busy week. Suzie and I trapped last Saturday night at a trailer park in S. Phoenix in a dust storm. We trapped 22 cats plus 7 cats overnight for a total of 29 cats. An Arizona Republic reporter and photographer were with us gathering information for a future article on the S/N Hotline and our TNR program. Cats were fixed the next day at the N. Phoenix S/N Clinic where the SNH spayed and neutered at total of 51 cats. That night we aftercared these and a couple other colonies in my garage. My garage is cooled in the summer and this time of year it gets a lot of use as many caregivers have no place to aftercare cats. All cats must be fed and watered later in the evening once they recover.
7/20/09
We released cats the next morning for several caregivers including the 29 cats in S. Phoenix. The caregivers caught 2 more cats overnight for a total of 31 cats (plus 1 cat done the week before making it 32 cats total). Suzie picked up a couple more in W. Phoenix finishing up a colony that had tbeen trapped the previous night. It is so important to finish colonies and multiple night trapping makes a big difference in making sure ALL the cats get fixed.
7/21
I had an emergency trapping job Monday night. The caregiver was to trap on her own but threatened to take the cats to the AHS. I agreed to trap and transport the 8 cats for her if they could come back. She lived in W. Glendale. Suzie agreed to come with me and help bait traps the gail force wind required heavy taping of papers in the traps. Cats were scarse but we caught 2 cats over night. The morning of the 21st we had to pick up these cats to go to the vet and make three stops delivering cats including the last 2 cats in S. Phoenix. One delivery was in S. Scottsdale at Babe's Cabaret. Suzie's daughter Beth and her son-in-law John trapped at Babe's on Saturday night and trapped another cat Sunday night that still needed releasing... Thank you Beth and John for all your hard work!
7/22
My trapping job for Tuesday night was for 15 cats in N.W. Phoenix. Suzie and Beth were trapping at Grand Canyon University, Beth's alma mater. My job turned in to 24 cats over two days requiring multiple trips to and from my house to the caregiver and to the vet. The first night I had to run home for more traps and I asked Suzie to go bait the traps at the Glendale location (second night trapping) as I ran out of time. I took 18 cats to the vet on 7/22 and Suzie took 11 cats from the college plus 4 more from the Glendale location for a total of 33 cats! Of course all of those had to be aftercared in my garage that night and released the next AM. All the cats at the college are now fixed - Go Suzie!
7/23
I trapped six more cats overnight for a total of 24 cats! That colony is now all fixed, however, there are more cats in the area and the caregiver and her daughter are going to flyer the neighborhood and talk to people about TNR. There was more aftercare on Thursday night...and I picked up 10 tame cats to go to the vet on Friday for a caregiver in a trailer park at 127th Ave. and Glendale. The cat owners had no vehicle and no $$ for S/N. These were "free-roaming" pets but free-roaming tame cats are the #1 source of the feral cats so it is important to fix the tame cats too. I discovered many feral cats in this park also and the kids will pass out TNR and S/N information - LOTs of dogs to be fixed too.
7/24
I released the last 6 cats on Friday morning and took the 10 tame cats to the vet and took them back to 127th Ave. and Glendale in the afternoon. The vet is at 40th St. and Cactus near my house so it was about a 2-hour round trip which I had to make twice.

In between all this trap covers and traps need to be washed as wello. We TNR'd a total of 80 cats this week not to mention the transport and aftercare of many other cats.

Stay tuned for the Aguila and Wickenburg adventures next week...

If you are feeding feral cats please call the S/N Hotline for assistance: 602-265-7729 (SPAY). If you are interested in volunteering to do trapping and transport, please call or email us at:feralcats@adlaz.org

West Valley View: Pet Dumping on Rise at County Parks

West Valley View - July 17, 2009

Forgotten victims
Pet dumping on the rise at county parks

by Beth Kristin Ott
assistant editor

At a time when budgets are tightening, some of the first victims are often the family pets.
Cats, dogs and even reptiles are being left to fend for their lives in record numbers, in record heat.
“An animal being dumped in the elements of our weather, without food or water, is a cruel and horrible way to leave your pet,” said Sonia Hernandez, Animal Defense League of Arizona’s outreach coordinator. “Give them a chance. If keeping your animal is no longer an option, then we urge people to take their pets to a shelter, which may mean ‘the pound.’”
Hernandez, a Goodyear resident, is saddened by the effect the economy is having on pets, she said. Leaving domesticated animals to run wild is not the answer.
“First, it is a crime in Arizona to abandon an animal. Second, your animal will suffer, it is 115 degrees outside. Third, we already have too many homeless animals in our communities,” she said.
If families cannot afford necessary services such as vaccinations and spaying/neutering, assistance is available. The local spay/neuter hot line is 602-265-SPAY.
“We cannot stress enough the effectiveness and importance of spaying/neutering your pet,” Hernandez said. “If your pet is spayed/neutered, you are guaranteed that there will be no surprises and additional animals to worry about feeding.”
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Maricopa County Animal Care & Control will hold a free rabies vaccine clinic at Ace Hardware at 610 N. Estrella Parkway, Goodyear. Applications will be available for no-cost spay/neuter vouchers, as well.

Fido and Fluffy can’t make it in the mountains

Ranger Doc Talboys is seeing an increase in domestic animals at White Tank Mountain Regional Park. Stray dogs can be seen in record numbers in the park and on the roadside in Waddell, he said.
"It’s more than I’ve ever seen before,” he said. “We are seeing dogs and some snakes being left around here. Forgotten victims Pet dumping on the rise at county parks I am seeing dogs running loose in packs, which can be dangerous.”
A dog left in or around the mountain parks isn’t likely to survive, and some can be dangerous to the wildlife and people in the park.
“They won’t survive the heat,” Talboys said. “They get hit by cars, or wild animals get them. These animals are not used to hunting and having to find water.”
Stray packs of dogs can also be a threat to the natural wildlife, killing the park’s deer and rabbits.
“It’s sad that we live in a disposable society,” Talboys said.
A few people have also decided they can no longer care for their pet snakes and are turning them out into the desert.
“A domesticated snake is not going to survive out there,” he said. One king snake was rescued and approved by the county and Arizona Game & Fish to be adopted by White Tank Park. It now lives in the Visitors Center.
Estrella Mountain Regional Park in Goodyear has also seen an increase in abandoned pets, Ranger Patricia Armstrong said.
“People need to not drop things off,” she said. “We’ve always seen dogs, but now it’s more than ever.”
The park recently opened a tortoise habitat with two desert dwellers, and soon after found two additional, very sick, tortoises that had been dropped off in the habitat.
“These animals can have diseases that then affect the wildlife. The wild animals can be killed off by viruses not normally carried by them,” she said.
Anyone who needs information can call the Arizona Game & Fish Department at 602-942-3000.
The department runs an official desert tortoise adoption program. Domestic cats and even a pair of horses have also been abandoned in the area of Estrella Mountain Park.
“There were two horses left near the river, and thankfully they got saved,” Armstrong said.
“All the foreclosures are leaving lots of homeless pets.”

Beth Kristin Ott can be reached by e-mail
at bott@westvalleyview.com.

Pit Bull Spay and Neuter is the Solution

Today the Arizona Republic ran a heartbreaking story about local shelters being overrun by pit bull dogs. Check it out and thank the paper for running this story.

Then tell everyone you know about Maricopa County's FREE Spay Neuter Program for pit bulls. Any resident of the County is eligible thanks to Maddie's Project in Maricopa County. Once your dog is spayed, Maddie's will send you $20. Call or visit the Spay Neuter Hotline for more information. 602 265-7729

There is a similar program in Pima County, and a similar problem. Visit the Spay Neuter Hotline website, it has information on both programs.