Pam's TNR Blog - December 2012

December 2012

December is ticking away and I am still trying to meet or exceed my 2,200 cat goal for 2012. As of last week the number cats TNR'd by me in 2012 was 2,087 in 2012 (9,910 cats from 2008 on). This coming week I'll be trapping every night to try to reach my goal. With the holidays coming, it becomes more difficult to keep up the pace. And, Suzie has been out of commission as her truck has been in the shop for nearly a month being fixed. So I am pretty much on my own. Audio books really help since it seems I am driving ALL the time trapping and going too and from the vet.

There have been so many rewarding trapping experiences this past year. It is difficult to chose the most memorable. However, one from November stands out as exceptional. It was a colony of 58 cats in the 85051 target zip code. This is one of the zip codes the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) is funding to help reduce the number of cat turn-ins at their shelter. There were 27 males and 26 females in this colony. This means 26 female cats will not be having kittens next year. All the cats were trapped over a two night period.

The setting for this colony was idyllic. It was a several acre historic property nestled within the city and surrounded by housing developments. The historic house and garage were adobe and the grounds were perfectly suited for a colony of feral cats. I'd driven by this place many times thinking "there must be feral cats there". I had hesitated driving is as there was a long tree-lined driveway leading up to the house and I had no idea what might be waiting for me at the end of the driveway!

Since 58 cats was too big for my Element, I had the help of two ace trappers, Sheri and Andrea. Actually it was Sheri who had discovered this colony thanks to Toni at Citizen's for North Phoenix Strays (CNPS). Toni often gets calls from caregivers looking for help finding homes for cats and kittens. Since many are feral cats that are not adoptable, she refers caregivers to me if they are in need of TNR and these folks desperately needed out help. So many do not know about TNR and become frustrated wondering just what to do. Of course when I hear there may be 60 cats to be fixed, I immediately become anxious to get there and fix 'em. These caregivers' prayers were answered when we showed up to help them. This photo, taken as the first two traps were set, says it all:

We trapped for a Sunday clinic at the North Phoenix Spay Neuter Clinic. This was carefully planned as we were not sure how many the kind Dr. would do. We trapped 50 cats the first night and five more showed up from other caregivers. And, thanks to the Dr. and his wonderful hard working staff, they managed to fix all 55 cats that day in additional to their regular appointments! So I had 50 cats in the garage for aftercare that night and Sheri and I also went back with the trusty drop-trap to finish the job. Not only did we have to cats to trap and get to the clinic the next day but we'd have 50 cats to aftercare and to release the next morning. We had eight more cats in the next day including the ones trapped over night. Sheri was at my place before six AM to pick up cats to release. The photo below shows traps being lined up as we trapped the first night:

The photo below is of Sheri releasing one of the first 50 cats the next morning. As you can see it was still dark out.

The next photo shows some eight, happy, fixed kittens that were released the following day. Notice that great looking ear-tip.

After picking up the last eight cats that night I had another trapping job for 12 cats that turned in to 26 cats over the next two nights. That next Saturday I trapped 21 more cats making the total for the week of 105 cats. What made this more remarkable was that all of these cats were trapped the week of Thanksgiving...As most of my fellow trappers know, the holidays do not stop my trapping. Cats know nothing about holidays and continue to breed. Although November is not kitten season, it arrives in March of the next year. Thankfully, these 105 cats in the metro Phoenix area will no longer be part of the breeding cycle.  

Thanks go out to ADLA and the AHS for making it possible to continue and expand TNR in our community. TNR has proven to be the most humane and effective method of stabilizing free-roaming cat populations. When I became involved with TNR in 2003, I had no idea 10 years later there would be such awareness and and interest in TNR. It truly has made a difference in my life and in the lives of free-roaming, primarily feral, cats in the metro Phoenix area. Please spread the word - help is available. Call the Hotline for information and assistance with TNR: 602-265-7729 (SPAY)

Happy holidays and happy trapping!

Pam's TNR Blog - October/November 2012

October/November 2012

It's November 8th and I have already TNR'd 1900 cats in 2012. Octoberer was especially busy and included the 100 cat AHS clinic on the 2nd and Dr. Kit's Mobile Vet clinic for 100+ ferals on the 17th. Already in November we had the yard sale raising nearly $4,000 for feral cat S/N and another 100 cat clinic @ the AHS on Nobember 6th. Dr. Kit will be hosting another feral day on November 12th. And, the North Phoenix S/N Clinic is now open on Saturday's and Sunday's often doing 40+ feral cats. Thanks to the support of the AHS and PetSmart Charities we continue to trap in the the nine target zip codes in Phoenix where all surgeries are free!

The most memorable trapping in October was a colony of 38 cats. Suzie helped and we caught ALL the cats over two nights. Below is a photo of the hungry cats as we set the first trap. Thank goodness these cats will not be reproducing this Spring!



Trapping Nirvana!

 

I trapped 18 cats from two different caregivers for the AHS clinic. The next day I had 15 cats in, 14 from another colony and one from a second night trapping. A second night trapping brought in another four cats for the next day fro that colony plus six more cats from two colonies I'd trapping before. Turned out that I trapped every night that week for a total of 46 cats!

 

The mobile clinic on the 17th was challenging. We ended up with too many cats and had to take seven cats to another clinic and 14 cats had to be fixed the next day. Thank you Dr. Kit for doing so many cats for us for FREE! We the help of my fellow trapper Janice, we were able to get 21 cats in from a centeal Phoenix neighborhood. Janice had seen the a "free kittens" sign driving by and convinced the caregiver to at least let us fix the kittens before they were given away. See below. We are still working to get the caregiver's eight dogs spayed and neutered through the MCACC voucher program.

 

Free Kittens - Now Fixed!

 

The following photo is of Dr. Kit's Mobile Vet clinic parked @ the church.  To schedule an appointment for cost S/N @ Dr. Kit's clinic call; 602-909-5383.

 

Dr. Kit's Mobile Vet Clinic

 

 

The annual Harry Bartel Memorial Yard sale too place on November 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. We collected stuff from more than 40 individuals and had an enormous amount of stuff donated by My Sister's Closet, a local upscale resale store and a downtown Glendale gift shop. Thanks go out to My Sister's Closet, Cottage Garden, and all the volunteers and donors who helped make this sale the most profitable ever! We raised nearly $4,000 to help homeless cats...Below is a photo of Suzie's vehicle packed with cats, empty traps and donated yard sale items. Suzie is sure happy she purchased her Ford Transit Connect that can carry up to 50 cats.

 

After a week in Florida (enjoying the effects of Hurricane Sandy) I've already trapped over 40 cats and it is only November 8th. The AHS clinic this week was a great success. We had 26 cats too many and had to take them to another clinic.Today I am busy planning the mobile for 70 cats on the 12th.

 

I'd like to personally thank all the yard sale contributors and especially the caregivers who fixed their cats this month. Special thanks go our to Marie and her neighbor who finally allowed me to trap and fix their 34 cats. I had visited Marie and left notes for her numerous times and she did not call me because she was afraid I would not bring the cats back. 

 

If you need assistance with feral cats please call the Spay Neuter Hotline @: 602-265-7729 (SPAY). TNR is the most humane and effective method of stabilizing free-roaming cat populations.

 









 



 



 

Pam's TNR Blog - September 2012

September 2012

It's been a hot summer! Despite the heat, I managed to TNR 800 cats since May. The largest colony exceeded 50 cats and the smallest was just one cat. The coolers ran all summer in the garage often housing up to 30 or more cats overnight. The difficult part about summer as cats have to be housed somewhere cool after they are trapped.

Often, trappers have to run the A/C in the car while trapping as there is no place to put the cats after they are trapped. Steel raps retain heat and the stress of the cat causes them to easily overheat. And, all cats then have to be unloaded in the garage to stay overnight before going to the vet - yet another lifting step. Still, there are clinics to fill and cats needing to be trapped before having kittens in the Spring. Alas it is cooler now and a trappers job becomes so much easier.

Trapping is rewarding but challenging. There is a lot of lifting involved, but often caregivers can be difficult and demanding, making the job even more challenging. It is expensive too. A few expenses include gas, car repairs, bait, tape, paper towels, tarps, cooler expenses, aftercare food and no compensation! Still, those of us that trap are compulsive about this odd obsession. Below is a photo of cats being after cared in my garage this summer.

Aftercare

The good news is the Spay Neuter Hotline now have clinics available nearly seven days a week. Also, the PetSmart Charities grant was expanded until 2013 and recently added two adjacent zip codes. And, the Arizona Humane Society began funding TNR in six zip codes in Phoenix. Now there are far more caregivers needing assistance we can help in a timely manner.
Also, a recent bequest and some donations are allowing us to help those in financial need who we could not help before.

Right now there are caregivers in Buckeye needing help and no one out that way to help them. And, in some cases there simply is not enough time or vet appointments to help everyone. Still, with Suzie's help and that of others such as Carla and Grant, we hope to eventually get to everyone.

If you are interested in becoming a trapper, contact the Spay Neuter Hotline @: 602-265-7729 (SPAY)

Pam's TNR Blog - May 2012

May 2012

It is already July and I found out I had never finished this blog I started in May! Here goes:

We have been very busy this year with the free Humane Society clinics for 100 feral cats once month. To get 100 cats to these clinics, about 130 cats need to be scheduled. Of course every spot must be filled so Suzie and I usually swing into action. The photo below is of us checking in a colony of 28 cats Suzie trapped at a mobile home park in the W. Valley for the AHS clinic on 30 April. These were the result of a second night trapping from Saturday's clinic where we had in 23 cats for a total of 51 cats at this park. I also trapped 23 cats for the 30 April clinic and eight cats for the following day for a total of 31 cats in this colony! A total of 82 cats TNR'd in five days. Most importantly, there will be no more kittens born in these colonies.

Suzie and I checking in cats @ the AHS on 30 April 2012

You may be wondering how we keep going with all this trapping, transporting, lifting etc. Consider that between us we lifted about 10,000 lbs in TNR'ing 82 cats. This includes about six lifting steps with from 13-20 lbs of either traps or traps with cats in them (say an average of 15 lbs). This is five tons of weight being lifted to TNR 82 cats! Multiply this my the number of cats I TNR per year (2,200 cats) and this excludes the extra two to four lifting steps for aftercare and storage in the warm summer and cool winter months and this comes up to about (15 X 6 X 2,200 = 180,000 lbs or 90 tons of cats and traps. None of this includes the trap washing lifting steps that require even more tonnage of equipment

Let's also consider the $400.00 I spent in gas along in April and all the tuna, bleach, detergent, tarps, aftercare food and now in May the swamp cooler running the the garage and its maintenance (thank you Grant). How about the phone calls that start at 5:00 AM and end at about 9:00 PM... 

Well, why do I do this? I do it because there are too many cats and not enough homes for them. Most who love cats already have too many cats (like myself). We are trying to solve a problem that is epidemic in Maricopa County. How much easier it would be if people fixed their cats...I realize many cannot afford to and cats just "find them". Those that know me know I am a champion of personal responsibility yet I work daily with those abdicating their Ms (that's a philisophical argument for another blog). Most want "someone else" to fix their problem like taking the cats away or finding homes for them. Still it is like putting acid on a wound but I continue to punish myself in hopes that someday free-roaming cats being fed will ALL be fixed. Some ask...what are you trying to prove? My answer is nothing. I just someday want to be able to justify purchasing my beloved prurebred Singapura cat - without feeling guilty!

I wanted to write about last month's AHS clinic because it required dealing with many more caregivers and driving all over town trying to fill the clinic. However, even though I wrote it all down, when I looked at the list it all was a blur months later. I often feel like "if it is Tuesday it's Belgium". Where have I been? Where were these cats? I can hardly remember. I do know I was @ 24th St. and Indian School in Phoenx than @ 48th Ave and Glendale - all in the same night. I also remember having about 60+ cats in the garage that night. I do remember taking this photo of Suzie with her neice Kristin at last month's (April's) AHS clinic - loading cats into her truck. There were kittens from two litters too and Suzie fostered them...



Enough of rambling from my soapbox. The photo below is a one I took while while recently trapping with Carla at an apartment complex and trailer park. We trapped about 40 cats. This is the quintesential photo of where we spend at lot of time trapping. Not sure if you can see the sign in this photo but it says "please do not throw trash on the ground". Cats love trash and this was the perfect place for them - a magnet for feral cats. I can picture them living in this couch - perhaps even having kittens inside! When I am looking for free-roaming cats, I often look in such places. I remember the last day of 2008 trying to break the yearly goal, I went to the trusty coach down on Indian School Rd. to get more cats - always a sure thing.

I

I've been doing this since 2004. As I drive by areas of town I now see LOTs of places I've been over the last eight years and I see ear-tipped cats. I also get calls from or stop by previous caregivers I've helped and the number of cats has diminished substantially. Many have died which saddens me. Yesterday, I stopped by to visit one elderly gentleman and he was down to about six cats - and we had fixed over 20 cats there. This tells me TNR works!

So what can you do to help me make my job easier? Encourage people to fix their cats. Recommend trap-neuter-return (TNR) for cats they might be feeding outside. If they need help, offer to help them or donate for them if they do not have any money. Spread the word in your "sphere of influence" about the importance of spay and neuter. Facebook is a good place to start.

To help with the Hotline's TNR program in Maricopa County, AZ...please call us @: 602-265-7729 (SPAY)

Thanks for your continued support.



Pam's TNR Blog March 2012

March 2012



In January and February 2012 I trapped 381 cats, It is now March 12th and since March 1st I've already trapped and fixed 50 more cats for a total of 431 cats. With all this trapping I've not been able to sit down and blog about all my adventures and challenges. There have been many...I'll highlight a few below.


The photo below is of the release of a colony of 27 cats Suzie and I trapped for for the AHS monthly clinic last week..."Get the hell out of Dodge"!

We fixed 100 cats at the AHS last Tuesday. There were a total of 118 cats TNR'd with 18 of our cats having to go to another clinic (thank you Dr. Anderson!). Whenever Suzie and I go out together trapping - watch out. Thank you AHS for helping fix feral cats for us.

My biggest colony trapped this year so far was 51 cats. I did this by myself over two nights. It was in our 85019 target area and I had expected about 25 cats. Amazing how caregivers often underestimate the number of cats. This caregiver did not know about our targeted TNR program in her neighborhood. I surely will be back in that area as I am sure there are many more to trap. At least this colony will produce no kittens this Spring. What a joy to see all those ear-tipped cats knowing that no kittens will die on the street. Again, thank you PetSmart Charities for providing the resources to help so many cats in need.

Below are two photos from a Feb. trapping. The first shows a kitten from a litter born in the roof off a caregiver's house. This kitten was looking for Mom who was in a trap waiting to be fixed. The second photo show the mom cat going back to the kittens the next morning after being spayed. Unfortunately I was not able to to rescue the kittens, about 3-weeks old. Guess I'll be back there in a couple of weeks when they are a little older and have come down to eat.





Kitten looking for Mom

Mom looking for her kittens

Last night I trapped seven cats with Andrea from a colony where she had previously trapped 12 cats. We also sat for several hours at a restaurant where we had previously but the cats did not cooperate.

Although I trap a LOT of cats, I am only making a small contribution to stabilizing free-roaming cat populations in Maricopa County. There are an estimated 641,000 free-roaming cats in the valley. This number is based on surveys of stray cats being fed. No one really knows the exact number - it could be ore. There are many more ""truly feral cats living on the streets. Combine this statistic with the 19,955 cats euthanized at local open-intake shelters in 2011 and we have a LOT of work to do. The majority of these cats were defined as "strays".

The Spay Neuter Hotline helped fix almost 10,500 cats in 2011 and nearly 30,000 cats since we began our TNR program in 2009. Right now cats are getting pregnant and giving birth. The 3-week old kittens shown in the photo above were seen on Feb. 28th. I'll soon be having litters born in my car on the way to the vet to be fixed.

Nothing about TNR is easy. It is a lot of work, often backbreaking and even dangerous. It is also expensive. It would be much easier for us (including me) if everyone just spayed and neutered their cats. I am waiting to spend all of my time reading books, drinking coffee, doing volunteer archeology and hiking...out of work!

So spread the word about spay/neuter and TNR. Fixing tame cats is an important part of the solution as all feral cats came originally came from a tame cat allowed to roam free. For low-cost and free resources for spay and neuter visit our website @: http://www.spayneuterhotline.org/

If you are interested in our TNR program please call: 602-265-7729 (SPAY)

Most importantly, help prevent a litter by donating to the Hotline's TNR program. We need your help. Donations can be mailed to:

The Spay Neuter Hotline

P.O. Box 33093

Phoenix 85067

Thanks for your support!