Pam's TNR Blog March-April 2013

March-April 2013

One highlight of recent trapping jobs was a colony I trapped along with my faithful trapping partner. It started with the free Az Humane Society clinic in early April where we met Don. He brought in 14 cats and indicated he had a LOT more to fix - an understatement. To top it off, while checking in at the clinic, one of the cats was giving birth in the trap! BTW this happens often as cats become stressed in the traps while waiting to be fixed. Often the kittens are born prematurely and do do not survive. Those kittens were lucky and went to foster with the mom cat and we began to make a plan to get the rest of the cats. Mom was later fixed and returned.

We went back the next night and caught eight more female cats with the drop-trap and made plans to do more as soon as possible. This was a desperate situation and needs help. With so many wanting assistance (because they waited too long to call and all the cats were now pregnant), we could not go back right away resulting in more kittens being born. We did another 36 cats on Dr. Kit's mobile and at N. Phoenix S/N Clinic on 4/22. After a long day at the clinic (not to mention having to aftercare 36 cats), I managed to go back to Don's that night and trapped another 16 cats for the next day. I was there after dark navigating the overwhelming hazards on the property. We got six more the next morning with the dropper and other one the following morning when releasing the second days crowd. This was a male requiring yet another round trip to S. Phoenix to release one male cat. With these seven more total of 82 cats were TNR'd at this colony.  We also rescued a total of 19 kittens for a total of 101 cats from this one colony. There are still about 10 cats left to fix so we will be back soon with the trusty drop-trap. It will be a challenged with 82 cats already fixed. 

This job clearly demonstrated that there are challenges to trapping a big colony to make sure ALL the cats are fixed. This was clearly an example of someone who waited too long to do TNR. I might mention we also fixed seven dogs belonging to residents living on property and an additional two pet cats. 

The following photos are highlights of this trapping job.

Drop-trapping at Don's

Waiting to be trapped and fixed

Great place for cats to breed and live...

It amazes me how young kittens such as this do so well and recover so quickly. These three went right to the food bowl upon release. 

This guys were hungry but are now fixed...

The importance of TNR cannot he emphasized enough. The example above is just one many more similar situations we deal with routinely. In March I did 175 cats and in April, 152 cats. This does not include the pickup,transport, release and aftercare for numerous other caregivers. The 2013 kitten season is nearly over (it is now June), and as I say every year; "it was the worst kitten season ever". Perhaps it is because we had some alternatives for rescue not available in years past. As Summer begins we are now fixing kittens and soon it will be the teenagers - ALL whose births could have been prevented if action had been taken sooner...Now the voice mails say; "I have a mother cat and kittens in my shed". 

I wish I had time to share the many other experiences and perhaps one day I will. I would like to share the experiences with the caregivers, not just the cats. Many are grateful and appreciative...others are demanding and think i am their personal slave. Yet somehow I keep going...It will be 10 years in November.

That know me know that I am focused on the problem and the solution. Having worked as an engineer for 26 years and solving difficult problems, I have spent a lot of time looking at the problem of "too many cats" and not enough homes for them. Recently I have concluded that stabilizing colonies is the solution, not fixing all the cats. So this is what I advocate and work on. Focusing on what I call "pods" of cats and preventing more "pods" from developing is what is needed. Preventing kittens from being born is important but it is even more important, when this cannot be prevented, to prevent new "pods" from forming. This happens when caregivers give away kittens without fixing them first. Followup is also important and a lot of time is spent on this task (i.e. making sure any new cats are fixed). It is also important to find these pods early to minimize the time and energy needed to stabilize that pod.

So what can you do? Get involved in your neighborhood working to keep your "pod under control. Think of  this concept of overlapping circles on a grid. There will always be truly feral cats out there but fed cats will ALL be spayed and neutered. It takes a serious commitment but is doable - I know because I have done it. I will close with my favorite quote about commitment and motivation: "Do or do not, there is no try" - Yoda from Star Wars

So go out there and make a difference in the lives of free-roaming cats...

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)