Pam's TNR Blog - October 2011

October 2011

It has been a busy October so far! The most exciting event was the first Arizona Humane Society (AHS) clinic on October 11th. There were 75 cats in the door including cats from several large colonies trapped by me and Suzie. I brought in 27 cats from three colonies and Suzie brought in 29 cats from three other colonies. It is exciting that ADLA is now partnering with the AHS to reduce the number of unwanted cats and kittens being turned in. Many are euthanized due to lack of space, are not adoptable because they are too young, un-socialized or unhealthy. Trap-Neuter Return (TNR) continues to be the most humane and effective methods of stabilizing free-roaming cat populations and of reducing cat euthanasia at open intake shelters such as the AHS.


The photo above was taken at the colony at a motel on Van Buren. These cats would never have been fixed had not Sharon, a neighborhood activist, had not taking action. I've worked with Sharon for years helping to sterilize tame and feral cats in her neighborhood. Very few caregivers in this neighborhood can afford to fix their pets...least of all the free-roaming cats they are feeding. TNR would be "world away" from them if not for Sharon's involvement and persistence. We are truly making a difference. Sharon makes sure all cats and dogs are spayed and neutered in her neighborhood and is relentless in her efforts. I am happy to have been a part of this effort over the years. Thank you Sharon. The photo above was taken after 21 cats were released at the motel on Van Buren near I-17...where they were eating a welcome breakfast!
October has always been our busiest month and this year should be no exception.


I'd like to thank the Spay Neuter Hotline (SNH) for starting a TNR program in 2009 so we could continue to sterilize over 10,000 cats/year. Personally, I have been doing TNR since 2003. My involvement with the SNH goes back to 1992 when it was started to help bring low-cost a first attempt to those in need. The SNH is celebrating its 20th anniversary this coming year. We've come a long way since then but not far enough...especially where free-roaming cats are concerned. However, things are changing and thanks to visionaries like Jan Raven, TNR in Maricopa County is approaching a level not seen by any other community in the country and perhaps the world. Thank you Jan for your efforts to get TNR going in the valley. In 2011 we hope to sterilize more than 10,000 feral cats thanks to all our caregivers, volunteers, donors and grantors and everyone who has helped make ADLA's Spay Neuter Hotline's TNR a tremendous success!

To sign up for the TNR program please call the Hotline at: 602-265-7729 (SPAY) or email: feralcats@adlaz.org.

Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 12/20/09

12/20

Again there were last minute cancellations for the Tempe clinic and Suzie and I had to scramble and find a couple of trapping jobs to fill the clinic. We settled on a couple jobs nearby so it would not be too hectic in the morning for picking up traps left out overnight. We ended up with ten cats from one place (eight that night and two overnight) and three from the other. (two that night and one overnight). These were people who really needed our help. I cannot emphasize enough how much financial assistance is needed for caregivers and cats.

We again had too many cats at the clinic and the vet could not fix four of the cats we had trapped - one from the group of ten, and none of the group of three. These would be going to the vet on Monday. One can never predict what the caregivers and cats will do. Since some of our cats were needed to fill the clinic (75 cats maximum), our efforts were not wasted.

We both worked at the clinic that day and I took the fixed cats home for aftercare along with the four awaiting surgery the next day. As I drove home I thought of the number of times I've driven home from the E. Valley clinics with cats in the last six years. Suzie set additional traps at both locations that night to try to snag stragglers. It is important to fix ALL the cats, especially the females, in a colony to fix the problem.

12/21


I received a call at 6:00 AM that the resort in central Phoenix had trapped another cat. I headed down there to pick up the cat along with the four carryovers from the day before that were stored in my garage with the already fixed cats. Suzie would be picking up a couple of strgglers at one of the trapping jobs form the day before. On the way to the first vet on the 51 freeway I started to hear a periodic clicking noise in the rear of my vehicle and its frequency changed as I increased and then decreased speed. When I got to the second vet I looked under the car thinking a plastic bag or some other debris was hanging from it - nothing. When I got home Bill looked at the tires as I rolled forward and voila! There was a quarter inch bolt with a washer embedded in the tire. Fortunately the tire had not gone flat or I'd have been stuck on the freeway with a carload of feral cats.

So, Bill and I loaded the nine fixed cats from Sunday into the Jeep and he helped me release them. We then drove to the tire store and fortunately they were able to fix the tire. In this business one cannot be without a reliable vehicle and regular maintenance is a must. Nothing could be worse than being stuck in the "back of beyond" or in an unsafe neighborhood at night with a load of cats on board.

This was the week the Best Friends photographer was coming to Phoenix to get pictures for the article they are writing about us for their bi-monthly magazine. She was coming down today and would be in town through Wednesday. She was meeting me at my place at 5:00 PM to go trapping. We had a busy week planned. There would be only three days of vet appointments due to the Christmas holiday so we we'd be busy. It is important to fix cats before kitten season, not only to prevent kittens from being born but because it is less expensive to fix cats that are not pregnant. NOTE: It's time to start fixing cats before kitten season!


That night I had a 12 cat job planned. Fortuntely, I was able to get my vehicle with the new tires in time for her arrival. Molly, the photographer, met me at my house about 5:00 PM and we drove to a nearby residence to trap. The caregiver had trapped before and had confined most of the already fixed cats to cages and carriers (don't ask me how). This was one of those jobs where ALL the cats were caught within one hour. We caught a total of 13 cats. We left the eartipped cats in traps overnight and set traps before we left. Molly got some good photos but we started too late and lost the light. Tomorrow night we would need to start trapping earlier while there was still good light...


12/22


I ended up going to two vets in the morning and Molly met me at the second vet. I released the resort cat very early in the specified place. They had caught another cat but it turned out to be one of cats we had fixed last week. There were no more cats in traps at last night's location. I met Molly at the second clinic and introduced her to the vet who gave her the tour. Of course I thanked the vet for helping us day after day with these feral cats. Each morning when I am there, he comes in the back and asks in a happy voice,"How many do we have today?" We met back at my house to discuss the day's itinerary. I found out that she wanted photos during the day of eartipped cats. Knowing that most feral cats are usually hiding during the day, this seemed like a tall order.

We loaded up the stragglers from Sunday and met Suzie to release the cats. She got some great photos of the release including one in this blog where the cat actually ran into the camera as it bolted from the trap!


After the second release we headed for Suzie's to hook up with Beth and John who were to wash traps for that night's trapping job. Beth and John are Best Friends volunteers and wanted to meet Molly and talk about their sanctuary. Meanwhile, Suzie and I got on the computer searching our database for a big previously trapped job nearby where cats might be out during the day. We found two places. After washing traps we all headed over to the first location and about ten cats were milling around. I had trapped over 30 cats there and they were ALL eartipped. This was a perfect place for her to take some great shots. From there she and Suzie headed over to a trailer park near 67th Ave. and Glendale where we had trapped over 90 cats in the past several years. This was nirvana for a feral cat photographer. I headed home as I also had traps to wash and cats to pick up at the vet that afternoon. We had a big trapping job that night for 20+ cats and Molly was to meet us there later in the afternoon. She spent most of afternoon at the trailer park.

I headed home to wash traps at my place and as I was about to cross I-17 at Thunderbird I got a call from the warehouse where I'd tried to drop-trap the big nasty tomcat. They had him in a trap. So I detoured south literally moving from the middle lane to the right turn lane to pick him up. It was 11:30 AM. I called the vet immediately and they agreed to take him late. So I headed back to the vet again (I was up to three trips there). I'd be back at both vets about 4:00 PM to pick up cats - a total of 14 cats. I then loaded up 17 traps and headed to that night's trapping job. Barbara and Suzie had met Molly there early and they were in high gear when I arrived. We ended up with 22 cats at this location. There would be no second night trapping due to the holiday, but we were confident we had caught them all. Still, one would never know in a neighorhood like this. There are so many unsterilzed animals is these low-income neighborhoods and without a conserted effort to mobilize the community - well, there will be more cats to fix. We also had a nice dinner with Molly while waiting for stragglers to go in the traps. A couple were caught overnight. All 22 went to a single vet the next day.

12/23

After taking the 22 cats to the vet in the AM we released the 14 cats the next morning and met Molly back at my house. The tomcat would go back later that morning. Molly planned to spend the day at the trailer park with the manager looking for great shots of eartipped cats. - before heading back to Kanab. She had a lot of great photos to choose from for the article.

12/24

We released the 22 cats back in the AM and were done for the week except for lots more dirty traps and covers to wash. There were no vets open on Christmas Eve or that weekend due to the holiday.

Next week - New Year's trapping extraganza!

Please Support Spay Neuter Hotline Veterinarians

The Spay Neuter Hotline is lucky to work with a number of veterinary clinics in the state. We recognize those private clinics in the greater Phoenix area that have gone the extra mile for the animals, and ask you to support them when you need a veterinarian, or make a recommendation to family and friends.

This list includes the vets who do surgeries for our Trap Neuter Return program, and the vets who have been with the Hotline doing low cost spay neuter surgeries for companion animals for years! When you visit their clinics, please thank them for their service to the community. Let them know you are a member/supporter of ADLA and the Spay Neuter Hotline, too!

Please support:

Dr. Melanie Peters
Spay Neuter Clinic
1425 W. Southern, Tempe  (480) 829-1002

Dr. Katie Andre
Bethany Animal Hospital
2524 W. Bethany Home Rd, Phoenix  (602) 242-1657

Dr. Arden Anderson
North Phoenix Spay Neuter Clinic
1610 E. Bell Rd., Phoenix   (602) 787-4240

Dr. Suzanne Johnsen
Van Aken Pet Hospital
3869 W. Indian School, Phoenix   (602) 278-6632

Dr. Aleck Burgess
Indian School Pet Clinic
7342 W. Indian School, Phoenix  (623) 846-3979

Dr. Liz Archuleta
Spay Neuter Clinic
925 S. Gilbert Rd., Mesa   (480) 633-1734

Dr. Lisa Levin
Spay Neuter Clinic
12416 N. 28th Dr., Phoenix  (602) 863-0116

Dr. Mel Pence
Arizona Spay Neuter Clinic
6835 E. Thomas Rd., Scottsdale  (480) 874-3647

Dr. Kathryn Allen
Indian Bend Animal Hospital
3923 E. Thunderbird Rd., # 123, Phoenix (602) 867-2992

Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 11/15

11/15

Sunday was our one Sunday a month clinic in N. Phoenix. I had planned a 15-20 cat job not for from me as it is always busy in the AM getting ready for the clinic. Suzie, Beth and John also were trapping that night. I trapped 19 cats that night and four overnight for a total of 23 cats. The day was hectic as always but the adrenalin kicks in as if running a 10K and one just marvels at the number of cats being trapped and sterilized. We ended up doing over 60 cats that day. There would have been more except one trapping job came in with a bunch of already fixed cats. Turned out the adjacent business had trapped cats and had them fixed on 11/9, just one week before! We do try to correlate locations in our database but this one unfortunately slipped through. Tempe also had a successful day so over 130 cats were fixed that day. The caregiver managed to trap one more cat overnight for a total of 24 cats from that location.

11/16

I only had the one cat to take to the vet today. It was a slow day due to the weekend clinic. I did not trap on 11/16 as I'd be trapping with Suzie. Barbara could not trap this week and so Suzie and I had planned a couple Tuesday night jobs in Glendale.

11/17

We set out for Glendale about 5:00 PM for one trapping job for about 12 cats. The car was full of traps as we also planned another job in the same zip code for four to five cats - a trailer park. At this particular park we had already trapped a LOT of cats and at the end of this adventure there will have been 90 cats trapped in this trailer park since 2005! The park manager is good at contacting us when new cats appear, usually from new residents who have not spayed and neutered their cats - many leaving them behind when they move. Unsterilized tame cats are often the source of feral cats in these parks, especially in low-income areas. These are the caregivers and cats needing financial assistance. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the ADLA Spay Neuter Hotline TNR program this holiday season. Click here to donate.




11/18

We trapped 14 cats at the first location and six at the other location. Six cats went to one vet and 14 to the other vet. One cat would need an eye removal and would have to wait until the next day for surgery. There would be drop-off and pick-up of all 20 cats and then we'd be back at both locations for a second night's trapping (with the drop-trap in our arsenal of course).

We trapped six more at the one location and another six at the other for a total of 12 cats. We could not leave traps out overnight at the first location so we drop-trapped one kitten living in a vacant apartment gaining access through an empty air conditioning vent. We were sitting on the ground waiting and plotting our strategy for next week when I looked up and to my surprise, the kitten was eating under the dropper! I said to Suzie, "pull now. She was not even looking at the drop-trap! This kitten is still in foster with one of the vet techs at the clinic and hopefully will get a home. The one cat needing the eye removal ended up staying at the vet until the following Tuesday thanks to one very kind veterinarian. Neither of the caregivers had vehicles or places for aftercare so we needed to do all the work...

This drop-trappng story reminds me of my most memorable and classy drop-trapping experience several years ago while having lunch at a rather posh restaurant in Casa Grande. The cats were outside on a stunningly beautiful patio while we were eating a delicious lunch inside. As the cats we were after appeared, Suzie left the table and sat inside the back door with the string. Problem was she could not see the drop-trap from behind the door. I watched and told her when to pull the string. We then went back to eating lunch while waiting for the next "victim" to appear, repeating this process several times until all the cats were caught.

11/19

Upon releasing cats at the two locations and picking up six at one of these locations we set out again to two vets as it was Thursday and the relief vet was at the one clinic.

11/20

We released all 12 cats back at the two locations in the morning. All that was left was a LOT of trap washing to get ready for the next week and, of course, caregivers needing to pick up traps as well. We both spend a lot of time checking out traps and showing caregivers how to trap. After six years one would think I'd be tired it it but I'm not. I love it when caregivers call me and say, "I caught ALL the cats and I am so excited!"

Most of our caregivers do their own trapping and transport. Trappers like me, Wayne and Suzie go out on larger jobs and help those needing assistance. These include caregivers who have no vehicle or are elderly or disabled. That list is growing. If you are interested in trapping please let us know. We need people who can problem solve, deal with difficult situations, have patience and, of course, lift. It is very rewarding work and a good way to get exercise!

There was good news in that the caregiver I'd trapped ten cats for last week called me the night before and had finally caught the last cat, the mother. She took it to the vet on Friday. Her seriously wounded cat was fully recovered and getting used to being a house cat. I'd be picking up my rabbit cage and trap. Another job was now finished and there would be no more kittens in 2010. What a good way to end the week...

Next week - More successful drop-trapping and Thanksgiving. All the vets are closed - darn it!

Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 11/9/09

This photo was taken at a prehistoric rock art site in Arizona. It could represent a bobcat or mountain lion (or a coyote). Any guesses?

11/09

I had trapped for a caregiver on Saturday night for Sunday's clinic. A total of 22 cats were trapped and fixed at the clinic in Tempe. For once there were no "leftovers" for Monday. I dropped off the cats on my way home from the clinic and the caregiver did the aftercare. The garage was empty that night. It seemed odd. Funny, but I had only 18 cats when I left on Saturday night and the caregiver thought there might only be one or two more cats. Luckily I left six traps and quess what? She filled them all! One always has to be prepared for more cats...

11/10

After a day off from trapping I was set to help a lady in the W. Valley to trap 10-12 cats. It seemed like an easy job but unfortunately most of the cats did not cooperate while I was there. This meant a trip back in the morning for the stragglers and then another trip back the next day for one more straggler. This job turned into a four day adventure as they most always do..

11/11

I ended up at two vets on Wednesday forgetting again that the vet at one clinic was gone all week and the relief vet was there. When I showed up with nine cats and saw eight cats being unloaded at the first clinic, I know I was in trouble. Fortunately the other vet agreed to take six more cats. I thought all was well but it never seems to be in the feral cat volunteer world. At 4:30 PM I picked up the three cats at the first vet. They were ready but one cat had a bad wound that needed to be cleaned and stitched and the cat would have to stay confined for a week or so and be seen by a vet in a couple of days. I called the second vet to tell them I was on my way and was told they could not get to my six other cats that day. Bummer! So now I had three fixed cats and six cats still waiting to be fixed. The caregiver was trapping again that night herself so all I had to do is feed and water the nine cats in my garage.

11/12

I left for the far W. Valley before 6:00 AM. I had with me the three cats to be released, the six cats waiting for surgery, and the rabbit cage and supplies for holding the injured cat for a week. Fortunately, the caregiver was able to care for the cat. She had caught one more cat overnight (but not the mother cat of course). I released three cats and headed to the vet with seven cats. This job had yielded a total of ten cats so far.

In the afternoon I had an interesting trapping job. I'd planned to take my drop-trap to one of our volunteers so he could catch a cat in his car parts warehouse. This bully was terrorizing another cat they were feeding. The bullied cat recently had to be taken to the vet for a costly surgery. When I arrived, I of course, could not resist trying to round up not only this cat but several other unsterilized male cats living in the warehouse. The cats have free roam of the place and it was quite a sight to see. The cats run up and down the mobile staircases and across the shelves admidst all the spare parts. The tom I was after was amazing! He was long-haired with a lion's mane making his "chuckle head" look even bigger. I scooted around on the floor moving the dropper around the warehouse to no avail. I did manage to ruin a perfectly good pair of shorts in the process (the backside is now are covered with grease and has been religated to the "trapping only" category). Still, it does not get any better than this.

I loaded up three cats from the warehouse minus the tom (darn it - he is still on the loose but is not staying outside of the warehouse and is no longer a threat). Then I picked up the seven cats at the vet about 4:00 PM and put them in the garage. From there I set off for two jobs. One was to pick up a mother cat whose kittens were now weaned and the other was for two kittens left over from a previous job. The latter was a bust so I had only one cat for the vet on 11/13. At least they are too small to reproduce yet...

11/13

I set out early for the W. Valley to released the seven cats and headed to the vet with the one cat. I left the trap at the place where I released the seven cats and the caregiver did manage to catch the mother cat a week or so later and they are now done trapping. So three more colonies are now completely fixed. It is so important that we take the time to finish colonies and that caregivers follow up and fix ALL the cats including ones that show up in the future. The SNH does keep a database of those who are trapping and the number of cats fixed and when, but caregivers need to be vigilant, especially looking for new cats showing up to eat. One unsterilized queen will defeat all efforts ... Oh, I forgot to mention I had to release the three cats back to the warehouse on my way to the vet. Fortunately it was on the way.

11/14

I released the last mother cat back in the AM. I'd be trapping that night for the monthly clinic in N. Phoenix on 11/15...more on that next week.

The Spay Neuter Hotline TNR program has clinics available every day of the week and most Sundays. We fix cats almost every Sunday in Tempe and one Sunday a month in N. Phoenix. We do provide trapping assistance for those needing assistance. This is mostly for large colonies, the elderly and disabled, and those without a vehicle. We also provide financial assistance for those in need. Please spread the word that help is available. These are tough times for many individuals but help is available. The wait may be longer but we do try to help everyone.

Spay Neuter Hotline Update

This October was a fantastic month for Spay/ Neuter Hotline’s TNR Program:

Total cats sterilized in October: 943 (Our highest monthly total to date)

Cats sterilized during week of Oct. 12th -18th : 313 (our highest week since our TNR Program began on March 9, 2009)

Cats sterilized for National Feral Cat Day we celebrated on Oct. 18th: 190 at two high volume s/n clinics

Garage Sale

SNH Volunteers & Litter League combined efforts to have a 3-day (Nov. 6th, 7th & 8th) rummage sale to benefit both organizations.
With the great work of all involved Spay Neuter Hotline received $1,500.
The monies raised will benefit Spay Neuter Hotlines’s TNR Program.

Thank you to all who volunteered their time to transport items, assist with sorting & who gave time to help during the days of garage sale.
*A special thank you to Suzie Jones, who coordinated much of this event! Thank You- Suzie J

TO-DATE NUMBERS:

Over 6,700 feral cats have been trapped, neutered, and returned between March 9th thru Nov. 15, 2009!!

November 15th:

On Sunday, November 15th , Spay Neuter Hotline celebrated the life of our dear friend Harry Bartel by TNRing 143 feral cats at two high volume clinics. This day was “The Harry Bartel (Feral Cat) Memorial Spay Day”. We will continue to honor Harry every November for his contribution & dedication he gave to the life of feral cats.

Results have been made possible due to the hard work, time and dedication of our supporters, veterinarians, clinic staff and most of all, our volunteers…
Thank you everyone!

You can find ADLA online here
Become a Fan of ADLA through Facebook

Have a wonderful weekend & Happy Holidays,

Sonia Hernandez
ADLA Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator
shernandez@adlaz.org
http://www.spayneuterhotline.org/ (Low-Cost & No-Cost S/N Services)
To Donate: Click here to support Arizona's animals!

Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 11/1/2009

11/1

I had set up a big trapping job for a caregiver in Phoenix needing assistance. Cats were to be fixed in Gilbert the next day, Sunday, 11/1. This was "Make a Differerence Day", and a clinic was sponoring a special event - a free S/N clinic for cats and dogs. All the cats would be ferals and all would be cats from the our TNR program - cats whose caregivers needed financial assistance.

I already had two cats for the clinic on Sunday in my garage (the leftovers from last week's trapping). This new job was for about 20-25 cats. I ended up with 24 cats plus the two from last week for a total of 26 cats for the special event. I was not able to set traps overnight due to the long trek to south Gilbert in the AM (back on the 202 eastbound once again!). Many of you know I'll go anywhere to get cats fixed - especially for free! There were a total of 27 ferals and I volunteered at the clinic all day. The SNH supplied the spay packs and spay boards which also had to be transported. That night I'd be back at the caregiver's house to finish the job catching 15 more cats overnight for a total of 39 cats at this location. So much for having 20-25 cats in this colony.

I want to thank the Arizona Animal Wellness Center (AAWC) in Gilbert for sponsoring this event and helping fix 27 feral cats for the SNH. Thanks go out to Dr. Parva, Dr. Ford and her staff and volunteers for their kindness. They also fixed 16 dogs that day for those in need. You can visit their website here.

Well, if having 26 cats for aftercare plus setting another 20 traps that night was not enough, Suzie had 16 cats left over from the clinic in Tempe that day. All of these cats would need to be fed and watered as well. So we met at my place and unloaded and fed 41 cats.

11/2

Suzie and I were off to two vets in the early AM. Fortunately the 16 cats left over from 11/1 would go back to the caregiver for aftercare as I had another trapping job that night within view of the one on Satuday night. I must say this was living proof that colonies can live side by side and not interact in any way. I'd been to this location twice before not knowing there were nearly 40 cats living less than 200 yards away! I caught nine there that night and overnight. The nice thing was I could release the other crew right nearby. I always try to plan these jobs to save on travel time and gas. It does not often work out that way but I try.

11/3

I took the nine cats to the vet in the AM and after pickup I set off to try to drop-trap the last female (of course). Suzie and Barbara were on a big job nearby. I was able to drop-trap her almost immediately while hiding in my car next to a heavily traveled street. Normally transfer is pretty easy but this one would not cooperate. I called Suzie and Barbara to come over and help me transfer the cat to the trap. Voila! She went in almost immediately. I call these quick trappings from the car, "drive-by drop-trappings". This is an appropriate name for this technique and it has proved useful throughout the years, especially when one is in a hurry. We then went to dinner to celebrate our success. I then left for home while the dynamic duo set off to finish that what ended up being a 17 cat job over a two day period.

11/4

We again ended up at two vets on Thursday once again and had the usual aftercare at my place. I had helped in the release of Suzie's cats as well. Her caregiver set traps that night and caught another seven cats - all except for the breeding mother cat. Darn it! These cats had to be split up between two vets as the slower relief vet was at our usual hangout. Some people hang out at bars and movie theaters - we hang out at vet offices. I'm not complaining. It's where I'd rather be - with LOTs of cats.

After dropping off cats it was off to set up for the three-day yard sale. We had collected a ton of stuff in the fall and stored it in a warehouse in anticipation of this huge weekend event. We also had collected loads more stuff and had been picking it up over the last couple of weeks. All had to be unpacked and sorted for sale on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Suzie did a lot of the organizing as did Linda Brock whose organization, The Litter League" was partnering with us on the yard sale. The sale was at Linda's house and we had lots of volunteers helping with sorting and selling over that weekend. I'd like to thank all of them for thir time and effort especially Linda, for use of her place for the sale. We raised nearly $3,000.00 total for both groups. The Litter League finds homes for kittens from feral moms and does a lot of TNR through the SNH. Linda has always been a big supporter of ADLA and the SNH.

After sorting all day I had another "high-end" trapping job at the hospital. I sat with my dropper trying to trap one cat for several hours to no avail. I was skunked. Then I found food had been placed out! What a bummer. Since the caregiver was donating a lot it was worth the effort. As I said I take on these "high-end" jobs to try and help the cats being cared for by the less fortunate. It is always a trade off but unfortunately it never quite balances out as there are so many of the latter out there waiting to be fixed. Kitten season is just around the corner and these cats need to be fixed now.

This is why we need your help. Please consider being a monthly donor to ADLA. Almost 100% of donations go to spay and neuter as ADLA has very low overhead. We have a great group of dedicated volunteers who work hard to keep our costs down. Or, consider having a small fundraiser to raise money for TNR. We all can make a difference in the lives of feral cats.

11/6 and 11/7

Friday and Saturday were devoted to the yard sale and then Saturday night I had a trapping job for 20 cats for the Tempe clinic on Sunday...part of next week's blog.

Thanks again to everyone who made the yard sale a success. We plan to have another one early next year so stay tuned and start cleaning out your closets...

Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 10/25/09

10/25

Well, as often happens, we panicked late last week and decided we needed more cats for the clinic on 10/25 in Tempe. We were not sure a few caregivers would come through so Suzie and I went out Saturday night to trap at a vacant house near 24th St. and Roosevelt. I managed to get in touch with the caregiver to withhold food. These cats were not fed much anyway. The photo from last week's blog tells it all. This colony needed help! This week's photos are of some of the cats after they were fixed.

We trapped 17 that night and soon realized we'd have to hold the cats until Monday. Of course everyone showed up the next day as planned and the cats had to be held overnight. After working at the clinic all day we set out to trap again that night - and forgot the drop trap! We trapped one cat and one very ill kitten. We decided to leave a trap out (hidden) out overnight despite our concerns about the area and did fill it for a total of 20 cats to take in on Monday to two different vets. Later that day I had to deliver 20 traps to a caregiver I was transporting for the next day, 10/26. Then it was off again to the vacant house to trap again. We caught one cat and two cats there overnight and we think this colony is finished except for one intermittent tom. The sick kitten did die before surgery but it was a blessing.

10/27

I picked up 19 cats from the other caregiver and ended up this time at three vets. Suzie helped me as it was impossible to be at three vets at once - and to pick up the two cats trapped overnight at 24th St. and Roosevelt. The other caregiver was in N.W. Phoenix. It was back to the QT once again - seems I was just there yesterday! All told we had 22 cats in between three vets that day. Suzie had a trapping job that night after we picked up at all the vets and transported the cats to my place for aftercare. I had a night off except for aftercaring the cats.

10/28

The caregiver with the 20 cats in N.W. Phoenix had two more cats to trap. Suzie had dropped off four more traps to her just in case, on her way to trap (nearby). She managed to catch one of the two cats overnight. The elusive "last cat" with a bad eye problem was out there but not going in the trap. The cat was under the trailer and came out to sniff around but no go. So, I rebaited the trap, had the caregiver shake the food, and waited in my car in the street. Round and round she went, then left, then came back - Grrrr! Then, she started into the trap and, the trap did not trip. So, with great stealth, I climbed over the fence and tip toed over to the trap and quickly bumped the door. I had her! It was off to the vet with the two last cats. This is a feeling only serious trappers can appreciate. Nirvana! As it turned out the last cat needed an eye removed and had to recover inside for a week - thank you Roni for taking care of her.

A word on elective surgeries. Often feral cats come in for S/N and the vets find serious medical conditions that are treatable. Many procedures are expensive, but without them the cats could suffer or die if left untreated. We try to raise donations to help pay for these surgeries. If you want to help with the cost of the eye removal, tail amputation, or other medical treatment for ferals, please contact ADLA either by phone at 602.273.7842 or email or donate online and specify "feral cat medical treatment fund". We've since had two more of these conditions and they are quite expensive. Your help is appreciate.

Later that afternoon I met Suzie at the place she trapped the night before. She had trapped two cats and the third one needed to be drop-trapped. We had her (the mother cat of course) within five minutes! ...two wonderful last cat success stories this week. We love having the drop-trap in our arsenal.

10/29

I took the mother cat to the vet that day and Suzie aftercared and released her the next day. I'd was off that night to trap at two locations in W. Phoenix - both in 85019, one of our targeted
zip codes for TNR. I set traps at the first location and caught them immediately. Then I was off to the other closer location. I ended up with a total of eight cats at that location including that night and overnight. There were still two left so I left my drop-trap knowing these two would have to wait until Sunday's Tempe clinic if caught (It was Friday). The caregiver managed to catch them both. I helped him transfer the cats into traps later that afternoon, held them in my garage, and took them in on Sunday, 11/1.

Next week - The yard sale.

Pam's TNR Blog Week of 10/11

10/11

No trapping for Sunday's clinic in Tempe but we did once again have too many cats. Fourteen cats had to be overnighted and taken to two clinics on Monday. I had not expected to trap that Sunday evening but a caregiver nearby who had checked out traps from me needed some handholding. Figuring this would mean just setting the traps, I agreed to come by and help. Well, little did I know this would turn in to a five day commitment! The caregiver indicated there were only three cats - but I discovered three more younger kittens had just appeared when I got there. Mom had already had two litters and this had to stop...

10/12 and 10/13

I was tired from working at the clinic all day but I caught two cats immediately that night and two more overnight. I took a total of four to the vet on 10/12 and transported home some for Suzie. I went back for the remaining two cats that night - one was the mother of the two litters. Still no luck. I set the traps and found one cat in a trap the next morning. Still no mother cat. I set traps hoping to get her overnight while the other five were recovering. I had a big job in Goodyear that night and had to be there around 6:00 PM so time was running out.

The Goodyear job was a bust. There were supposed to be 15 cats at two locations on an open city property - commercial properties being the hardest place to trap in my opinion. Grant Erhling came with me as he had wanted to go out with me on a BIG trapping job. Well, it turned out to be not too productive. We only caught three cats! There were cats there but they were not cooperating. Traps could not be left out overnight and there was no way I was driving out there in the AM. It was disappointing. I did take two traps to a lady I'd helped before in Avondale to trap two cats for the next day. So on 10/13 I took in three cats from this job and one more kitten from the other job - but still no Mom cat.

10/14

The next morning I decided to go for the next line of defense - the trusty drop-trap. I planned to release the five cats hoping Mom would come by looking for her kittens. It was time to get this little super-breeder once and for all! I could not let her have yet another litter. She was a tortie of course...a perpetual breeding machine. I waited inside the house with the string for about 1/2 hour. This time, I put an entire can of sardines under the dropper. She was very hungry by now. Finally she could resist no longer. I got her! We were very cautious in transferring her to the trap as I did not want her to escape. It was off to the vet but not before releasing the three Goodyear cats and picking up two more cats in Avondale. They were kittens when we trapped there months ago and the caregiver had them captured. Before the trip it would be back to the gas station again - Goodyear is a long way from north Phoenix. I dropped all three off at the vet and picked them up later in the day for aftercare. Then it was on to two more trapping jobs in Central Phoenix.

One was a four cats job around 36th St. and Indian School. The other was around Camelback and Central for two cats - a mother an kitten. I was helping a couple of elderly caregivers who could not do trap and transport. I caught the mother cat immediately and left the trap for the kitten before setting off for the other four cats. I had them trapped within an hour - a tortie and three orange older kittens. I went back to the other location and no kitten. So I rebaited the trap for overnight.

10/15

The caregiver called early - no kitten. However, she was out there crying for food. The kitten only had three legs and "hopped" so I think it was impossible for her to hop into the trap without shutting the door. The drop-trap to the rescue once again! I sat inside the sliding glass door waiting (at 6:30 AM). I caught her under the dropper in about 1/2 hour. I released the mother from the day before, then released the four back at the other location and then off to the vet with with the one kitten. Turned out that the mother of the three orange kittens was already eartipped! Go figure. This happens occasionally. In this case the caregivers had seen another similar looking cat about one month ago. I guess this was the "surrogate" mother. The Sunday night trapping had indeed turned in to a five day adventure!




The photo above is of the three-legged kitten in the trap before I released her on Saturday morning, 10/16. She was happy to be back with mom and fed by a nice lady who truly cared. She cared so much about them she called the SNH and had them sterilized before two cats turned in to 20 cats.

A word on Torties and Calicos. As you know they are almost all female. From my experience, there a a lot more Torties and Calicos in the feral cat population. I cannot prove this scientifically but it makes sense. They are the most wary of humans, most difficult to trap, and seem to reproduce more often. In large colonies one sees an extraordinary number of them - hence my term "breeding machines". Along with them will be a lot of orange tabby male cats which I thing they are genetically connected to - although cat genetics elude me. I've had many a sleepless night thinking about the last cat I did not catch and it is usually a Tortie or Calico that had skunked me.

Next week - National Feral Cat Day

Police to cat trapper: "Hands up and drop that fork!"

What a scare I had feeding the kitties on Sunday! As I was crouched behind the bush up against the building filling the dishes, I had no idea there was a silent alarm going off inside.

The next thing I knew, a police officer had two lanes blocked on Van Buren and was yelling at me from the curb to put my hands up! Of course I did – with a can of cat food in one hand and a fork in the other. They checked me for weapons and made me drop my fork on the ground … .

After 20 minutes or so when they decided I wasn’t a felon, the officers started giving me the lecture about how unwise it was to feed ferals, so I explained TNR. They ended up telling me how civic-minded I was to be performing such a community service!! I was wishing I had some of those S/N hotline flyers with me.

What an adventure this project is turning out to be!

Cathy

Pam's TNR blog - Week of 9/6

Note: The photos in this blog were taken a few years ago at one of my most memorable trapping jobs ever. I thought I'd share them with you now.





9/6

There was no Sunday clinic today. As I mentioned before, I hate holidays. This was Labor Day weekend and there were no vets on 9/6 or 9/7. I thought of all the the cats needing help and I could do nothing. So I headed up North to do some volunteer archeology work with Bill. We do rock art documentation for the BLM. As volunteers, we've covered a lot of ground surveying for petroglyphs and documenting them for land mangers like the BLM and the Forest Service. It was hot and I was tired after a lot of hiking and actually was glad to not be trapping on Sunday night.


9/7 and 9/8


I was back at it again on Monday night. A caregiver needed help with a large colony out in far west Phoenix. I knew this would mean a lot of driving but there were an estimated 15-20 cats needing to be fixed. As usual, there were more cats than expected. The 15 -20 cats turned into 32 cats trapped over a two night period. The first night I trapped 23 cats and ended up at two vet clinics once again. I took additional traps to the caregiver in the AM and then more later in the morning - more driving of course. I picked up the 23 cats at two vets for aftercare. The caregiver trapped the next night and caught nine more cats on her own overnight. Of course this was another person in need of financial assistance. The biggest colonies are always in low-income areas fed by caregivers with no means to fix cats.


9/9

I picked up the nine cats in the AM and released the 23 from the day before. I had to leave dirty traps there as I had reached vehicle capacity. Before heading to the vet I stopped at Suzie's to help her transfer a cat into a trap. I had one space left in the Element. This was the mother cat that had been in a rabbit cage with the four kittens born in the trap at the vet's four weeks ago. There were six kittens to begin with but two had died as often happens with larger litters - especially when born under stressful conditions like in a trap. They were being weaned and it was time for mom to get fixed and go back to her colony. It was an easy transfer. Sometimes I think these mother cats are glad to be done with having kittens and want to get in the trap and get fixed! So I took ten cats to the vet today then picked them up later for aftercare. The kittens are doing well and fortunately the mother had been trapped by a rescue group and they are taking them for adoption. These kittens are lucky.


That evening I had two smaller jobs. Both were for only two cats; however one job turned in to six cats over two nights. They were again in central Phoenix and close together. I only caught one at one location and left a trap overnight. I caught five cats at the other location and left a couple traps overnight. I'd trapped many times over the years at the latter location. The caregiver had called me and the mother cat had yet another litter (these are tame and in the house and still need to be fixed).
She said, "I thought she could not get pregnant so soon after the previous litter". I responded, "Why didn't you call me?" It turned out that she did not want to fix a pregnant cat. Sometimes I feel like I take two steps forward and three steps back. Yet I will not give up.


9/10


I checked traps in the early AM after my usual stop at Starbucks before 5:00 AM. What would I (and Suzie) do without Bucky's? I had caught the second cat at the one location overnight. Before going to the vet I released the mother cat back to her colony. No luck at the other location so the caregiver would try again on her own that night - one less trip to set traps. I dropped off seven cats at the vet and picked them up later in the day for aftercare. I then headed home to load up the nine cats trapped the second night at the west Phoenix job to release them back and pick up the empty traps. There was a stop at the gas station (again) on the way. I felt like I was in a holding pattern back and forth across town. Thank you XM radio for carrying news and talk radio. They keep me sane in my travels ranging from Queen Creek to Aguila and beyond - and Yuma in a couple of weeks (please stay tuned). Before I knew it, it was time to pick up the cats at the vet for aftercare.


9/11


I released the two and five cats respectively back in the early AM. The one caregiver had caught the mother cat overnight so I took her to the vet and rushed home to check out traps. I guess I have not mentioned that most of our caregivers do their own trapping and transport and I am also a trap depot. People come and go from my place picking up traps where I train them how to do their own trapping. The SNH provides detailed written and verbal instructions for trapping. I also check out my drop trap to caregivers going for that one last cat they cannot catch. I only had one cat to pick up and she was ready early for pickup. I released her on Saturday morning, 9/12.


I'd be checking out more traps on Saturday for the big monthly weekend clinic for ferals in north Phoenix that next day, 9/13. I had a trapping job that night for this clinic but I'll save that story for next week's blog. There were the usual calls and questions about the clinic -making sure everyone had their traps and knew where to go and when. We were hoping for 50 cats and 70 in Tempe on 9/13.


We need your help in solving the feral cat overpopulation problem. Please think of how you can make a difference in your own "sphere of influence". If we all take the time to pass the word in our neighborhoods, including where you shop and do business, more people will know about TNR and how the SNH can help. We have fliers and business cards available for distribution. Have you asked you veterinarian if he/she will put some cards in their office? Vet offices are a great way to pass the word. If you need any cards or fliers please contact Sonia, ADLA Outreach Coordinator at: shernandez@adlaz.org

Thank you for caring about the cats...

Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 8/23

Pam's TNR Blog - Week of 8/23

Suzie passed this on to me so I am sharing it with you...

"I expect to pass through the world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness I can show to any creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer it, for I shall not pass this way again." - Stephen Grellet (19th Century French writer)

Now on to this week's trapping episodes...

8/22

We released the 10 cats from Friday's fiasco back to the trailer park in the AM. We returned there with 24 traps about 6:00 PM to trap. There were five locations in this park to be targeted. The other smaller park next door would be a challenge for another time. A mysterious feeder was dumping food there and withholding food for trapping would be difficult. The park manager was very cooperative and she and her husband followed us to the various locations talking to the caregivers. Having Spanish speakers to help made things much easier.

What made this difficult was making stops at so many places to set traps, check traps, pick up traps, label traps etc. We ended up catching 23 cats that evening and overnight for the clinic in Tempe. The nice part was that the manager made dinner for us in the community center. So we dined while waiting for cats to go in traps! Suzie checked traps overnight while I headed to the clinic to work as I often do on Sundays. I took 21 cats with me to the clinic. After Sunday we will have TNR'd 33 cats in the park counting the ones fixed on Friday.

8/24

Nothing is ever predictable in this volunteer work... The next morning before releasing the cats, I had to take 11 cats in. A caregiver who trapped Sunday night arrived with extra cats, and upon reaching the clinic I discovered another caregiver with 14 cats. If 25 cats was not enough, Suzie got an early AM call from another caregiver who was turned away from another clinic because of too many cats and had to be diverted to the same clinic. And while I was there yet another person showed up, for a total of 31 cats! It took a while to check in and after this we had to release the 25 cats back to the park. Five stops again to release. By this time it was late morning and in a few hours we'd be back at the vet picking up Suzie. We picked up the diverted five cats and drove them almost to the Arizona border (Waddell), and I picked up the 11 cats to deliver them back before loading up to trap near my favorite area - 20th Ave. and Van Buren. I'd trapped there before and remembered "Buddy", a favorite feral that escaped unsterilized from my garage because the back door on the trap was not latched. I had hoped he'd find his way back but he did not. Some of these were his offspring.

8/25

I took five cats to the vet on Tuesday. That night was quiet. Suzie and Barbara were trapping on the west side but I was saving up my strength for a big job on Wednesday night.

8/26

Back at it again...I had another solo Central Phoenix trapping job for 20-25 cats. Upon showing up I realized the feral cats were coming from some apartments next door. Well, these were sort of apartments. According to the caregiver who was feeding reluctantly, this had been a horse property and the the apartments were converted stables! They sure looked like it. The source of the cats was a man who was feeding but did not sterilize his cats. It often seems people need some sex education when it comes to understanding how one cat turns in to 25 cats. I cannot remember exactly but we trapped about 17 that night and two overnight for a total of 19. I did not catch the mother as is often the case. I'll have to go back to make sure this colony is finished, if ever. In my opinion it is animal cruelty to feed feral cats and not fix them. Many feeders are not aware of this concept. Fed cats breed more often, have bigger litters, and more kittens per litter.

8/27

Checked traps in the AM and caught a few more overnight. Was at the vet at 7:00 AM to unload. I calculated that trapping say 50 cats/week required loading and unloading of cats and empty traps as well. I calculated for full traps at 21 lbs each and 5 loadings and unloadings equals moving 6,000 lbs. There are five steps in loading and unloading empty traps for a total 3,250 lbs. This is a total of 9,250 lbs or 4.63 tons of cats and traps/week or 18.5 tons/month or 222 tons/year! Anyone considering being a trapper needs to realize it requires a LOT of lifting but it is very rewarding seeing direct results of your work. It is good exercise too!

I picked up the cats for aftercare (another couple of lifting steps) and fed them in the evening. I do go through a lot of cat food - thank you Costco for your bargain on Friskies.

But before this I had two more smaller trapping jobs that night. It was 105 degrees at 6:00 PM. But the heat never stops me and I've become adapted over the years. One job was for six cats and the other for three cats. I caught all six at the one location and only two at the other. Again, one left. No luck overnight either.

Picked up the six cats in the AM as the caregiver did the trapping while I was watching traps at the other location. I then released the 19 cats from the night before. Had to leave empty traps there as I ran out of room in the Honda Element - a car perfectly designed for carrying traps and cats - and for cleaning out afterwards...then it was off to the vet with the eight cats. Picked them up for aftercare in the afternoon.

8/29 (Saturday)

Released the eight cats back at the two locations and picked up the rest of my empty traps from the big job. Saw the white female cat taunting me in the driveway. Darn it! I need to fix that cat. Lots of traps and covers to wash. All traps sterilized with bleach water and rinsed and all covers are washed with bleach between use. Anyone wanting to donate bleach, tuna, or moist cat food for aftercare, please let me know. It will be put to good use.

Next week - What we do when there are too many cats at a clinic??

Please pass the word about spay and neuter. Tame cats, often abandoned, are the source of a large number of feral cats. The Spay Neuter Hotline provides referrals for low-cost and even free spay and neuter for companion cats (and dogs). Please visit our website at: http://www.spayneuterhotline.org/

If you are feeding feral cats and need assistance, the ADLA Spay Neuter Hotline has a TNR program. Please call our hotline at 602-265-7729 (SPAY).