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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Bill 3.D-Attch 06/07/2004Item 3.D. Additional Correspondence Adoption (Second Reading) of Ordinance 2185 N. C . S Amending the Petaluma Municipal Code, Title 9, Animal Regulations „ Page 1 of 1 .� Crump, Katie From: bob dyer [nrdyer@comcast het] Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 4:50 PM To: Mayor Cc: Bryant Moynihan; Pamlorliatt; "Mike O'Brien; Mike Healy; Mike Harris; citymgr Subject: Chapter 9 Additions SUBJECT - POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL READING OF ANIMAL CONTROL ORDINANCES Gerald Moore and.I serve on f &"Feral'Cat committee established,by.Nancee,Tavares. We represent the Petaluma Wetlands Alliance, Madrone: Audubon and the park docents'for Shollenberger Park and Alman Marsh. We drafted ordinances that are,reflected`'i'n the' new Section 9.14.410.C'a"ndbelieve the committee, as a whole, supported these proposals. The section forbids feeding of feral cats within one-half mile of the Petaluma Wetlands (the original- language calling for only a "one -quarter” mile restriction was amended in -council, a change with which we agree). The section also restricts feeding of cats within any city park or within.a block of such. I wrote several articles .for the PETALUMA POST' last year on feral cat problems,, In the second article I pictured a feral cat feeding,station behind the U.P.S. building only 100 feet orso from Parcel A of the recently acquired Grey property, part of the Tetalurna 'Wetlands," as defined in 9.1:4.110.'C. I was told in committee by a member of Forgotten Felines that the station would be, removed. It is still there as. -cif --today. It's clear to us no voluntary removal of feral cat stations within or close to sensitive wildlife areas 'will happen, absent a codification, as included in the new ordinances: Within the Petaluma Wetlands, as'defi.ned, there are several endangered. species - the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse and Black Rail. There are other"threatened; species, such as the Loggerhead Shrike. "TTTVAR-M" -- trap, vaccinate, alter, release and maintain is not effective, per the National Audubon Society. "Feeding these strays does not prevent,the #rom hunting", -says: the :Society. I have attached a one page fact sheet on feral cats. As a compromise, we are not opposed to feral cat stations, per se, as Tong .as°they are not placed in sensitive areas, as defined in the :ordinance. We also support;the regulations established for their registration and maintenance. 6/4/2004 FERAL CATS There are 40,0001,000 feral cats in America: Susan. Roney Drennan, VP, National Audubon Society Feral cats breed frequently. Without intervention, their lives are filled with hunger, fear, temperature extremes, and usually end in a slow, painful death. Humane population control of feral cats is a crucial step in preventing suffering and proli'feratiion. Cat Care Society of Lakewood, Colorado Housecats [referring. to Felis catus] are not, natural in the environment. They have been introduced in vast numbers and at. high densities. Our local wildlife [e.g. endangered Salt,Marsh Harvest Mouse in Alman Marsh] have evolved specific ada;ptatio.ns to deal with other predators... but not house' cats. Cat Indoors © Worldwide, cats may, have been involved inthe extinction of more bird species than any other cause, except habitat. Cats are contributing to the endangerment of po;pu.l_ations of,'birds such as Least. Terns, Piping Plovers and the Loggerhead Shrike [the.'latter is seen in,Shollenberger Park]. University of Wisconsin Given that most remaining marshes share an upper side with a.leveed pond, business Park, or subdivision [Alman Marsh], access to the marshes is much easier for feral cats and non,nativ:e, red fox. These animals prey on the mice [Salt Marsh Harvest Mice], SJSU Instructional Resource ® Black,!rails are omnivorous, eating both invertebrates and bulrush seed. Predators include house cats [Black rail have been observed in Alman Marsh in 2003]. Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan ® Sea otters are dying, and an unusual culprit may be to blame: cat feces...Some otters' death have been traced to toxoplasma contamination ... Cats are the only animals known to excrete the resilient eggs laid by toxoplasmic parasites.... the parasite can be dangerous to pregnant women and their fetuses... Press Democrat, June 28th, 2002 TTVAR-M [Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Alter, 'release and Maintain] is not effective. Feeding these strays does not prevent,them from hunting. National Audubon Society The usual responsibility we have for pet cats is suspended when it comes to ferals. It's not responsible to leave a child on the railroad tracks and walk away. It's not responsible to essentially do the same thing to cats byreleasing them to the streets, even if they're neutered. Humane: Society of the United States They are poisoned, sho.t,.tortured by cruel people, attacked by other animals, or hit by cars, or they die of exposure, starvation, or highly contagious fatal diseases. —Because of t_he huge number of ,feral cats and the severe shortage of good homes, the difficulty in socialization, and the dangers lurking where 'most feral cats live, it may be necessary and the most compassionate choice to euthanize feral cats. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) E Otk vo Fixing F Fellnes � Ifindia,,g.,,Fun,d1" and(other, .1, w 11 n g Ten years ago, we heard next to nothing about feral cats. Thanks to intensive work — particularly by Alley Cat Allies — these cats began to be recognized! By the mid- 1990's, small groups all, over the country were scrambling to gar- ner funds in order to spay/neuter. (s/n) whole colonies,of feral cats. The only way to obtain these funds seemed to be a mix: of garage (tag), sales, bake sales, col- lection cans, raffles and spaghetti . suppers. While this: type of fundraising launched a very posi- tive movement to correct an enor- mous (and growing)„ Problem, we feel that the priv.,ate efforts need the additional boost of public funding. And in some: places around the country, that public funding is beginning to materialize. It is important to note that many of these- programs are not only for feral cats; many cover dogs as well. However, most dogs are either in homes or in shelters. Feral cats: present a unique niche in, the animal w,orid`, and institutions' are still struggling to find an acceptable way to deal: with them. We have chosen a. sampling of programs from various parts,of the country illustrating :that public funding can be found and used, to solve the problem of growing numbers of ferals. Those- peti- tioningfor funding vary (individ- ual, humane society, coalition of groups, legislator) as do the fund_ ing sources (Public Health, Animal Control, Community Development, General Fund). We'can offer a few general guidelines: e Have A Workina Committee: Recruit' -people with skills recog- nized by mainstream officials (lawyer, bookkeeper, grant -writer, marketing or p.r. expert) Have An Action Plan: Present a well, thought out plan. You can steal ideas from other communi- ties — no need to re -invent the wheel! -Be Flexible: just because you have a ,plan, you need ndt be. rigid; 6ften people will "buy, into"'(accept) a plan better if,'they have,had input. Plan To Keep.Good Records: Ailey Cat Allies and the Feral, Cat Coalition have great model track- ing sheets and systems. Do Your Homework: Who -makes the decisions? What are the deadlines? How does your city/county work? Do they spend money on animals now? What are the laws? Get Local Numbers: How many rabies complaints? Dog bites? Euthanasias? Turn negative elements into points for your side. ® Obtain Nonprofit Status: This can take several months, but many foundations and municipali- ties require it for consideration for grants. e Find Examples of Success: Some areas have reduced their .euthanasias by close to 50% over five years — find out how they did it! —continued on page 2— , f I'... Ii F +i l• 1"r, ` .0". p~ Y1( '4' +� 1 ,I ;.;• 11Y.. l •e h FRh By Linda. McCormick By 'the, fall ofJ9,97; all' the cat rescue workers in my circle were approachingg burn -out, and the kittens ust. kept coming, in what seemcl'like a year-round kitten season. We all felt isolated, 'because though we consofed'.and ;'encouraged each other, our efforts were in effect, solo. I researched many .good pro- grams around the country but s+nce I had been involved primari< ly with feral cats, the Feral Cat Coalition (FCC) of San Diego seemed closest to what we need- ed in,the East Bay area. lust by Linda McCormick,- President, Fix Our Ferals chance a woman with a FCC slide show, Lisa Camasi, responded to my ad for a colony feeder. She was staying just 2 blocks from me. continued on page 2— ,,: i xy-`It.:;•. t� .A�'', �: l!',. Y i_ ,�',�,; r, i .J��,. wa:SRAII'/4U5/�, iM1iVTER iSS.UE ,!,1�9�9.9 M r,J„ _"k;.. 'i, _.S aSA»ply KWN. W,, bro uM.�.,�.-iro 75 ,71"A .+_gin ,.�f n i ,rci 4_._ r � �_.� a +�us+m�lln �,dMu n „Itl�r..m TILtR� x..lh4ii uiCa.11, nee►.11.11 t —continued4rom page t— . Recently, the SPCA in Cattaraugus County, which receives about 7% of. its budget from the county, had been trying to convince county legislators that the feline population' explosion would only get worse, eventually costing more money for ".animal control" unless steps were taken to deal with .the situation. SPCA president Kelly Chaffee, attended SPAY/USA's Focus on. Ferals confer- ence in Denver in June, 1997, there learning about mobile vans and the trap/neuter/release/main= tain, programs for ferals:. Upon'her return, Kelly formed a Spay/Neuter Clinic Committee, and spent the next, four months gathering information on clinics and fundraising. At the county budget hearing in October of 1997, the SPCA requested an additional .$10,000 for a mobile spay clinic. The. pre - sensation "revolved around statis- tics. Kelly asked the legislators how many of them would like to see an additional 16,000 to 47,000 stray, 'unwanted -cats in the county within the next few years. She proceeded to explain that the number of calls for help regarding stray cats had more than tripled in the 'past year. The approximately 1,800 calls would cost the county at least $63,000 ($35 x 1800) even if they were to destroy each cat. The residents rof Cattaraugus County would not approve of that. Despite the concern of the law- makers, there was not enough money in the budget at that time for the additional S10,0.00. Therefore, the following March, the SPCA went back and request- ed $101000 from the county con- tingency fund. By that. point the SPCA had secured $20,000 from the Dj, and T Foundation, --continued from page 1— The FCC slide show was a reassuring catalyst. In fact, through all stages of organizing ;Fix Our Ferals; sensed that the tiYne:is overdue for help for feral cats. here. frequently,., we hear comments like, "Finally! I've been'waiiing f"orthis,for 10'years!" Rescue workes,have long done much of the city's job of caring for society's abandoned companion ani= mats and"their offspring. ,And.at that first slide show, a strong member of i4e.Berkeley.City Council, Betty Olds, got beh indi the idea, of free monthly clinics to spay and neuter unowned cats. After 'that, there were, many hoops to jump: through: ,gaining endorse- ment from Berkeley's Humane. Commission, and side- stepping 'efforts by a disapproving Berkeley Animal Control director to discredit the program. But thanks to council member Betty Olds, one night at the'city council meeting, Fix Our Ferals quietly slipped through with a one-time grant,of $10,00.0. Our small 3--person Board of Dir.e.ctors allows us to make decisions quickly, and we informally poll other $17,000 from a trust foundation, $9,,000 from an :anonymous donor and S,6,5.00 from local businesses. Dr. John Caltabiano ,from ,the T.E.A.M. mobile unit in Connecticut flew in and gave a presentation that entertained even the toughest politicians. Over. 300 signatures were obtained from county residents, and clinic supporters were ,asked to contaci.their local representa- tives. Out of 21 legislators, there were only 2 votes of "no" cast for the S10;000, which constituted the balance that was 'needed to purchase the van. Chaffee noted that it is really nice to know that the..SPCA is located in a county where elected, officials were able to seethe benefits of a mobile spay/neuter clinic. Wopefully, she adds, this legislature will. serve as a role model for other counties. The mobile van begins operating this winter. —continued on page 3-- key volunteers on all important issues. The volunteer staff, meanwhile, has ballooned to over 70 people; with .a, pool of 1:0 veterinarians to call' on for "surgeries, Fix' Our Ferals may opt to try for private funding in the future. City politics take time_ and energy we , would rather spend on the cats, and B.erkeley's grant carried with it the restriction that our clinics be limit- ed, to cats living "primarily in. Berkeley." After June 1.999 when our contract with Berkeley expires,' we want to expand our borders to include more cities in the East Bay area. But the city demonstrated that government can and should shoulder responsibility.. The grant got up and running, and now community participation grows every month. I envision expanding, Fix Our Ferals to serve several East Bay cities, and; perhaps after our reputation is weh established, approach multiple city councils in our jurisdiction for partial funding. EE y Y 195�1 01�iTER `i5"SUE''! '0999x :, , 'm,i,. ry sy, . ,.y��.v�. x. 4natn"sm..:tN.e'._r,. �....a-: ui:iM�sR t riding 'funding For -continued from',page;'2' . The. Spay ;�_ - euter Crust rid' San Diego, Cafifornia One of the earliest programs was started in 'San Diego in 1994 with the leadership of County Supervisor Board'Ch'air Pam Slater. A Beach News article dated November of that year announced: In groundbreaking action, the San Diego County' Board of Supervisors and, -San Diego City Council are directing a portion of the dog license fees toward a new, Spay/Neuter Trust .Fund. The . establishment of the fund recog- nizes the importance of making an investment in preventing -the- births of large numbers of com panion animals who will ultimately become the taxpayer's responsibil- ity The Trust Fund is, the most efficient investment the County of San Diego can make toward the reduction of our pet overpopula- tion problem. The Spay/Neuter Fund was seeded with about S40,000 from Everyone who works 'with cat colonies should get, our video. Build shelters which are :,EFFE'CTIVL.. DURABLE... ,EASY TO MAKE and TRAM'SPORT .. INCONSPIC.U,O`U'S and, EXTREMELY CHEAP!111 Gall 1-914-0502 or write to: FERAL CAT FIXERS A COMMITTEE OF WILDLIFE WATCH P.O. Box 126 Tallman, New York 10982 Video price is S15 (shipping included) add fax if purchased in New York State Feral .Felines: confi.nued =00g iicense�revenue: While this fund. -was not set up to help feral. ='jt is focused on companion,.ani- rnals - it has indirectly helped reduce the number of ferals by reducing the number of unaltered cats in homes and thereby reduc- ing- the number of kittens :needing . adoption or roaming free.. , Since 092, the enormously suc-, cessful private program, the Feral Cat Coalition (FCC), has directly. aided '10,000 feral cats in San Diego : altering there, providing vaccinations and the', most' bas-ic medical care. This model pro- gram.can be visited on -,The World Wide Web at www f6rdIcat,.com. The combination of public and private programs has proven to be most effective: The; statistician at San. Diego County Animal Control'verified the following euthanasia;, rates for •cats. The figures show the most drarrtatic drop following the start of FCC: 199.1- 92 1994- 95 19.97= 98 15,525 9,152 ' 8,424 San Diego is one of .the nation's fastest -growing metropolitan areas, making the solution to this and, other problems doubly djff i'- cul,t. Between 1991 and 1996, the county .grew by over 1 75,000 ,people. 1r tI r,/9 T1t i ,i TP= Spokane, Washington' In 1995, in Spokane, Laverne Kettlety and Margaret J. Leonard prepared an initiative pro,p.osi'ng that one -tenth of one percent (.001) of the city's general fund be used solely for spaying and neuter- Ing of cats and, dogs residing with- in.'the city limits. The funding was estimated to come to about S 100,,000 per year. They brought the proposal to City Council to vote on. They were turned down. Undaunted, the women took their idea directly to the voters and the initiative passed by 55%. Spokane voters endorsed the offer- ing of free s/n services to city cats and dogs. The plan was voted in for three years! . At the end of the three years, City Council makes the decision to continue the program or to elimi- nate it. One of the city officials feels. it may be better to "fix" roads rather than "fixing" pets. If 'the program continues, there have been recommendations to "alter" it. Instead of being tied to the general fund, it has been pro- posed that three dollars from license fees go to cover the s/n expenses. The funds will go fur- ther since altering will no longer be free, but. will carry a discount voucher instead. Veterinary clinics would set their own fees and accept the vouchers as .partial pay- ment. All of the money generat- ed, by the 33 will 'be used for s/n discounting. Under the old plan about 2,000 animals per year were altered free of charge. --continued on page 4— Dr. Rebecca Arnold, Cat Captain of Nebraska, won the Rick Akin Award from the Capital Area Humane Society of Lincoln, in recognition of her work for animal welfare. Dr. Arnold was one of the first veterinarians in Nebraska to join the SPAY/USA network! i' i'L (�yy tN- 7 .�x� ♦r� ti r �t;r a 4 AW�6 iV'� E iu.; .,iii.�nauu-g:x5� I�, S i f'A 2 \'ZZ Finding, Funding For Fixing Feral Fe6ines continued Coalition 01 orgar inflons Petitions jaunty Jefferson Parish, tou'isiana —continued from page 3— In 1995, the animal control department, local humane society an'd community deJelopn,ent office jointly petitioned the Parish (county) Commissioners for funds to help spay/neuter compariion animals, including feral cats: Community Development staff member Mike. Strausser •stated, "those who Write budgets must be convinced that it is a good thing." He suggested that- " • public officials be invited to see for themselves examples of feral colonies,, since'rriany of them do not encounter this` problem. i.n their daily lives. • the general'public must be readied; in Jefferson Parish, out- reach vam 'went into local neigh- borhoods to bring awareness to the people. • the problem should.,be couched .in language and con- cerns that th,e public .officia'Is understand - pet abuse and neglect; danger of dog bites, the spreading of garbage" danger of pay/Nepter :Stamp The U.S.'Postal.56rAce's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee`.(CSAC)-met in Washington D.C.'on .Oct. 1 st and.2nd to consider, among'more than 7;000 requests, PaLCs proposal for a commemo- rative stamp to .urge the,pet-owning pub- lic to "Spay or Neuter —Save a'Life." Since PaLC launched'its Pet Overpopulation STAMP OUT in _Sept:, 1997, theCSAC has received THOUSANDS of-,letters•of support' from humane groups, .veterinary medical associations and.colleges, celebrities (Bob Barker, Betty White, Tony La-Russa, Olyrnpic triathlete Eric Harr), philatelists, and animal -lovers throughoutthe nation. As a -result, the Committee promoted the SPAY/NEUTER stamp proposal to "under consideration fo'r a future U.S.'stamp pro- gram." The'SPAY/NEUTER stamp is now one of only 200 "or so serious contenders for commemoration in the' -year 20001 diseases' such as rabies - in short, quality -of -life issues. • s/n saves taxpayer dollars - to round up, feed, house and kill `costs S68 per animal in this area, while s/n costs 'about half that. Mr. Strausser feels that what convinced the officials' Was a two- part campaign': community educa- tion/outreach, and a spay/neuter campaign focused on low-income areas of the parish. Activity was funded under HUD' s .community Development Block °Grant (CDBG) program: It'was found eligible as a public health. service and in compliance with HUD's national objectives since CDBG funds were used to subsidize the SNIP -pro- gram in targeted low and moder- ate incoe areas only: In addition to the veterinarian services, the Jefferson; Parish Community Development Department required the local SPCA to conduct a community education 'program' with presenta- tions in local schools and commu- aes .Th"eL=ode The Committee, wfiieh' convenes quar- terly, will meet again ;in January 1.999. We must keep the STAMP OUT,'s momentum high;.otherwise we risk losing hard=won ground. Accordingly, `Please direct your requests for the SPAY/NEUTER stamp to: Dr. Virginia Noelke; Chair 'Citizens' Stamp Advisory•Committee United States Postal Service 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Room 4474E Washington; DC 20260-2437 To receive a complimentary copy of PaLC's form letter and brochure, 'Tips on STAMPING OUT Pet Overpopulation," contact: PaLC's.Pet Overpopulation STAMP OUT Hope C. Tarr; Proiect Coordinator P.O. Box 16486 Alexandria, VA 22302 Tel: (703) 818-8009, mailbox 'k 1 Email: pawunit@aol.com nity centers as well as various scouting and other youth groups located in targeted low and mod- erateincome areas. Mr. Strausser stresses that a low-cost s/n pro- gram must be in place before CDBG 'funds can be used. These funds simply subsidize already - existing s/n s,ervices ,for'low •and moderate income pet owners. Also important to note is that the program was only marginally successful before the sp.aymobile (leased. from The Southern, Animal Foundation 'in nearby New Or was used to go to targeted low and moderate income areas tc perform s/n and other services. —continued:on page 5-- Full Time V.eteri'narian Needed for brand new spay/neuter clinic and shelter in Killeen, TX. Please contact Shirley Klein, at, (254) 526-0114 FOR SALE New facility for vet clinicand boarding kennels plus new house on 10" acres in Pembroke Maine — excellent opportunity to establish business in, -,area that needs service's. Call 207-963-2224 Ask for Michelle Interesting Financing Available, rl iui,(itq, rwi,,1 mJ9 .r.ur rtmril ,,reial r.ClllIeJ L.VIJLfilIUGU 0 rotait{� r �a�oi-zano�o 'tong. tes V iuo eer® of City dun San, Jose,. California continued from page 4— In-1991, th;e county°of Santa Clara was putting. to death 30,000 animals 'a year, over 22,000 of .whom were cats. There was no plan to reduce the number of ani- mals being born, only more effi- cient ways of killing the unwanted animals. Ellen Dimond.and Judy Jones organized The. Coalition for Humane Legislation to reduce dog/cat overpopulation. San Jose was the target area. San Jose City Councilman Jim Beall agreed to be _the political sponsor. Public awareness was raised through outreach at community events, and a mailing list was developed. Someseed funding was raised through the sale of tee shirts, comedy night parties, an art exhibit, and an elegant garden party. A postcard campaign urged the mayor and city council to adopt an ordinance requiring pet owners to obtain a permit for their dogs/cats who produced lit- ters (purposely bred or not). 'Cat breeders and feral cat colony, care takers were strongly opposed. The 'City Council did not approve a breeding ordinance; however,, following' a, proposal by Councilman Jim Beall, they.adopt- ed a free s/n program available to all residents of the City of San Jose. The program included feral cats. Not only does the voucher program pay for the s/n, but it pays for cats who are pregnant, in heat, cryptorchidism and other maladies that need to'be taken care. of at the time of surgery. The application process is sim- ple — people request vouchers in, person or by mail. Volunteers run the program so the city does not have to shire anyone. Simple proof of residency' is required, and there is'no limit on the number of cat vouchers a 'resident can obtain (althou.gh they can only get eight at,a time). Since, the beginning of this pro- gram, some changes have been ,made: • Dog vouchers have been eliminated ® An application form must be filled out ® There is a $5.00 co -payment per cat ® "owned cats " must have a license At this time, 1.5 veterinarians participate in the program, five of whom do early spay/neuter. San lose contributed $65,000 from its general fund to the program for fiscal year 1998/99. Readers, keep in mind that in 1974, the National League of Cities annual Congress of Cities adopted the following national Municipal Policy on Pet Control: Dog and cat overpopulation in urban areas is now recognized as a threat to health as well as an assault on urban aesthetics, a pollutant, and a safety hazard. It also represents a major city expenditure. Citizens and gov- emments must be made aware of the seriousness of the problem. r� /� ,.n,. ��, k ,r SPAYUSA:,wWINI� ER ISSU.EG:. 7!'tl�bddVi:a�1��1,A�'d. �l ya�ulii�a .�,Ny:1a�.d� AOk;f:'4t8'J4tr�'s -Trap-Neuter-Return.(TNR) is used, to control ;feraktatpopulations'underci"rcumstances �g�s that vary from a few cats in the back alley -to the City of San Francisco. lBetween these The mat%nai)�i,­alCat Resource extremes you will find jurisdictions of every size and description, with ,funding from any of multiple sources. What they have in common is commitment -to enacting a long-term solution, and to not continuing trap -and -kill methods that even after decades have not solved or even alleviated the problem. Although the following list is far from complete '(new TNR programs are enacted every day), it illustrates the scope and breadth of Trap -Neuter -Return in the U''S. and'Canada. PUBLIC/PRIVATE FUNDING Qointventures between municipalities and nonprofit organizations) O 'Berkeley, California, and Fix Our Ferals O Maricopa--County (Arizona) Animal Care & Control and O Cleveland, Ohio, and Animal Protective League Arizona Cat Assistance Team (AzCATs), Phoenix Q Columbus, Ohio, and Capital Area'Humane Society O Miami. Beach, Florida, and SOBE Spay -Neuter 0 Coral.Gables, Florida, and The Cat Network; Miami 0 Toledo, Ohio, and Humane Ohio PUBLIC FUNDING O Brevard County, Florida O Bridgeport, Connecticut 0 Cape May, New Jersey Q Cleveland, Ohio 0, Folly Beach, South Carolina 0 Newburyport, Massachusetts (and other cities on Mass. coast) O' Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia O Orlando; Orange County, Florida PRIVATE FUNDING 0 Alley Cat Allies; Washirgton, DC, metro area o Aggie Feral Cat Alliance of Texas (AFCAT), Texas A & M University, College Station 0 Animal Rescue Coalition, Sarasota, Florida O ARNI Foundation, Daytona Beach, F.,,lor,ida 0 Best Friends Catnippers, Los Angeles, California 0 Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, DC Cl Feline Medicine Club, University of California —Davis 0 Feral Cat Coalition, San Diego, California 0 Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, Portland 0 Feral Cat Rescue Group, Univ. of North Texas, Denton 0 Feral Fix Program (No More Homeless Pets in Utah and Utah Veterinary Medical.Association) O Forgotten Felines, Sonoma County,,,,'California O Friends of Campus Cats, Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando 0 Friends of Felines, Wilmington,. North Carolina, 0 Indian Head'Division Naval Surface, Warfare Center Indian Head, Maryland 0 KittiCo Cat Rescue, Dallas -Ft. Worth, Texas 0 Louisiana SPCA; New Orleans 0 Metro Ferals; Washington, DC, metro area 0 Neponset Valley Humane -Society, Canton, Massachusetts, and several towns near Boston O Ocean Reef Cat, Key Largo, Florida O Operation Catnip: Raleigh, North Carolina; Gainesville, Florida; and Richmond, Virginia 0 People, and Animals in Community -Together (PACT), Downers Grove, Illinois 0. PetPal of Flagler County, Florida 0 Regina Correctional Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada O Rockwood Institute, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada O San Francisco SPCA, California O Spay and Stay, Lake County, Illinois O Stanford Cat Network,_ Stanford University, California 0 Tait's Every Animal Matters (TEAM), Connecticut 0 The Bear Foundation, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida O Tompkins County SPCA, Ithaca, New York O UT Campus Cat Coalition, University of Texas —Austin Alley Cat Allies 1801 BELMONT ROAD, NW, SUITE 201 a 'WASHINGTON, DC 20009-5147 WWW.41LE,YC_AT.0 RG and WWW.PETS911.COM ®2002, Alley Cat Allies. FERAL CATACTIVIST WORKSHOP By Becky Robinson HANGING PUBLIC POLICIES ttoward stray and feral cats often o requires activists to meet with .ani- mal control or public health officials. Conducting, research and planning ahead greatly increase ou'r likelihood of success. Before the meeting 1. Determine the purpose of the meet- ing. What exactly do you want? To end trap -and -kill policies? To start a dialog about the benefits of nonlethal feline pop- ulation control? To get them to endorse TNR? To obtain funding for spay/neuter clinics? 2..Find,-the right person and/or agency. Learn your local government's structure and procedures. Your animalcontrol agency could be part of environmental services, public works; even the police department. 3. Know who .you are facing. Find out their immediate concerns (e.g., time; money, rabies, lack of personnel, priorities imposedby upper management) and their overall priorities (i:e., public health, not ani- mal welfare). If animal control is part of the police, department, employees may have police duties. as well as animal control duties. They are busy people. Help them to see the,benefits.of proactive feline popula- tion control. 4. Learn the."true. nature and extent of the feral cat;situation in your commu- nity. Talk to other animal activists and to people in general, read local and neighbor- hood newspapers, and ,ask local radio and TV reporters. 5. Find out what money is already bud- geted and:how it is being used. Budgets of city and county, facilities are public infor- mation. Contracts between governments and private humane_ societies are public information. 6. Learn how'TNRAll ectly affects local costs. Find out how the local animal con- trol budget breaks .down and how other jurisdictions have reduced costs by includ- ing a TNR program as a budget item. One example, is Orange County, Florida (go to the Alley Cat Allies website: www.allev- cat^ora, click on Info Center, Factsheets: Orange County, Florida -A model animal services program) or read the article begin- ning on page 1 of this newsletter, "Where Does TNR Work?" 7. Establish your credentials: If you have worked with outdoor cats.before, maintain and organize accurate health records, rabies certificates, and tracking sheets (see the ACA website for a sample tracking sheet). Know how many cats you have helped and what the outcome was for each of them. Be better at this than they expect you to be. During°the meeting 1. Remember the purpose' of the meet- ing —information gathering, getting to know you, specific requests —and stick to it. 2. Use all the, tools, available to you, including your ''records and statistics, and Alley Cat Allies videos, factsheets, and arti- cles. 3: Listen carefully to what they say and how .they say it. Ask questions; listen patiently to the: answers, take notes. First hear what they are saying, then explain nonlethal' control. 4. Show, them that you understand their, concerns and needs, their side of the issue. Let themknow that you know they have a job and that you want -to help. S. Be willing to compromise, but not at the cost of animals' lives. Follow-up 1. After the meeting, if it is appropri- ate, call ,or write to specifically thank all the participants for their time and to reiterate any points on which you reached agreement: 2. Consult your'notes to keep track of any tasks, however small, that you may have committed to ,and start on them immediately. Never let things "fall through the.cracks." reprinted from Feral Cat Activist FALL 2001 A L L E Y C A T A L L I E S G ley Cat Allies The National Feral Car Resource Facts of Activist Life 1. There are two kind's -of conversations with animal control`. proactive; and reac- tive. You, must prepare for BOTH. This should NEVER.be spontaneous dialog. Proactive: The feral cat advocate approaches, animal control/city/county offi- cials to ask if they can discuss°the issue of stray and :feral cats in the community. Reactive:: The dialog' occurs immediately after a colony has.been trapped and killed, when the advocates/caretakers are highly vulnerable and 'find it difficult "to have a rational discussion:, Even caretakers with stable colonies should think "what if?" and know to whom they would turn for help should the worst happen. 2. Expect rejection. Be prepared to be rebuffed and don't take it'personally. Know what you will do next and take that next step 'immediately:. 3. Be prepared foracceptance. Too:many activists are not prepared'. to begin imple- menting, TNR as, soon as they get the go- ahead. You should have at least a simple action plan"to�carry out,immediately. This is another part of being prepared for every possibility. What NOT,to do 1. DO�NOT argue. 2. DO NOT EVER go into a meeting unpre- pared. 3. DO NOT"vilify your opponents or make personal observations. 4. DO NOT be emotional. If you are the caretaker who just lost -cats you were bond- ed 'to and you cannot control yourself, have someone else do the talking. 5.:DO NOT assume anything. Animal con- trol personnel may only need the informa- tion you can provide to approve your proj- ect'. Remember: everybody is ignorant, just on, different subjects. 6. NEVER GIVE UP. If you give up, it's over. You are all the animals have. ,Remember: If you believe:;that you�can effect change, you can: ❑ American Animal Protection Funding Organizations Ahimsa. Foundation Edith. Murphy, Executive Director B-6, 82 Devonshire St Boston MA 02109-3614 617-272-7133, fax 617-292-0843 Elinor Patterson Baker Trust Fund Putnam Trust Company 10 Mason St Greenwich CT 06830 Bernice Barbour Foundation Eve Lloyd Thompson, Treasurer & Secy 14434 Laurel Trail Wellington, FL 33414 561-791-0861, eve@bernicebarbour.org (Interested in funding "hands' -on" animal care projects) Helen V. Brach Foundation Raymond F. Simon, President 55'West Wacker Dr Ste. 701 Chicago IL 60601-1611 312-372-4417 Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation David Grant, Executive Director 163 Madison Avenue POB 123.9 Morristown, NJ 07692-12.39 973-540-8442, fax 973-540-1211 Friends of Animals 777 Post Road Darien CT 06820 800-321-737 (NOT a funding source, but FOA can sometimes provide: spay ing/neutering subsidies in the form of reduced price certificates.) EdithT Go_ode'Residuary Trust for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals William R Harvey, Vice President Riggs National Bank of Washington PO Box 96202 Washington, DC 20090-6202 202-835-676 t The, Pet, Savers' Foundation North Shore Animal League Tammy Kirkpatrick, Associate Director Lewyt Street Port Washington, NY 11050 516-944-5025, fax 516-944-5035 (They fun&S/N Programs and advertising for S/N & Adoptions) William -and Charlotte Parks Foundation for Animal Welfare Randall Lockwood 700 Professional Drive Gaithersburg MD 20879 301-258-3030 Summerlee Foundation Melanie Lambert 5956 sherry Lane Ste: 14.14 Dallas' TX 75225-8025 214-363-9060, fax 214-363-1941 (Will fund start-up, operating and fundraising costs) Two Mauds,, Inc. James Mason PO Box 38.1 Mt. Vernon, MO 65712 417-466-0256, fax 417-466-0256 (Like small, grass -roots organizations) How It 1; AB,sOLU,TELYANYO-N",EAg,oUT'-TNr o, you want to institute a Trap -- Neuter -Return (TNR) program in, your community. Maybe you have already started one. You .have the equipment, you have the information, you know you are doing the right thing. Now all you have to do is explain all of this to your neighbors, your local newspaper or radio station, or even your town council. For many of us, the, thought of speaking in public is even more intimi- dating than trapping feral cats. You can become an expert spokesperson. for TNR, however, with a little prepara- tion and by following these simple tips. DEFINE YOUR PRIMARY MESSAGE' What is the onepoint you wantpeople to remember, after listening to .you? Your message may vary a little With each situation, but it should always'be, clear and strong. For example, if you are speaking at a town council meet- ing to oppose trapping and killing of feral cats living in a nearby park, you want to emphasize that ...... eradication of feral cats does not work. TNR does." If you are going up against the mis- conceptions held by well-meaning community members, .you need to get across that "TNR is .the most effective and humane solution to the problem of overpopulation." Occasionally you may be called upon to participate'in a discussion tar- geting a specific issue, such as debat- ing the head of a local bird watching group on the issue of feral cat preda- tion. Then your main point would be that, "...feral cats' are not :responsible for declining numbers of song birds." Most of the time you will, want a broader message. If your message is, "TNR is the best way to manage the feral, cat: population in our communi= ty,' thern-you can back up your argu- ment with specific evidence,:., Just remernb'er that your main ..point,rnust besimple and easy to understand. You do not want to confuse anyone. KNOW YOU,R,AUDIENCE Your method of presentation may'have to vary depending on to whom you are speaking. You will want a more for= mal approach if you are speaking at a community board meeting; whereas :a "warm and friendly" approach might_ be more appropriate for a talk radio program, You need to assess the audience's knowledge of the issue at hand. If you ,are responding to a proposal .to trap and kill' feral cats, some listeners or readers may already know a,_little about "feral cats. Many people, however do not fully understand how feral cats�are different from pet cats, and need to be 'educated that feral cats are wild and usually cannot be adopted into homes. Consider whether your audience is cat friendly or not. Government officials and, homeowners associations may not be concerned about saving cats' lives, 'but could be more receptive to learning that TNR is cost-efficient and effective at reducing the population. A group of restaurant workers who have been feeding the cats will want to know these facts, but will also need to be reassured -that the cats will benefit from the program and will not be hurt. SPEAK IN SOUND BITES A.sound bite is a quick, quotable;.easy- to-understand sentence or two. At the end of this article we have listed some sound bites that you can use in a dis- cussion or presentation about TNR. If you are speaking to the media, it is c, C ley Colt Allies The National FMW Cat Resomm imperative that you use sound bites, because the reporter will cut what you havesaid to fit his or her piece. Sound bites also keep what you have lsaid from being taken out of con- text or misunderstood. If you use long rambling - phrases, the. chances are greater that something you say may not convey your actual meaning. For example, someone asks you about bird predation and you say, "Well, cats do'kill birds and that's nat- ural, but you know, the use. of pesti- cides and loss of habitat are the real reason why bird populations are declining." The next morningyouu find that you have been quoted in the local paperas saying: "Cats do kill birds and that's natural." A much more effective statement would be the following: "Loss of habi- tat.and the over -use of pesticides are to blame for decliningbird populations." This clear, concise statement cannot be taken out. of context or misconstrued. Do not repeat the opposition's view- point, even when you refute it. You only have so much time —use it to talk about the benefits of TNR. It is always helpful to make a list of sound bites to use during an interview and memorize them or carry the list with you. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT :Give your presentation or repeat your sound bites out loud to yourself in front of a mirror, to your spouse, a friend, or your kids. You will be a lot less nervous if you have gone over everything that you want to say ahead 'of time. DO NOT GET FLUSTERED You cannot be an expert on every- thing, and occasionally you might be Alley Cat .AIRIBS • 1801 BELMONT ROAD, NW, SUITE 201 • WASHINGTON, DC 20009-5147 'WWW.ALLEYCAT.ORG or WWW.PETS911.COM asked..a question that you are not. pre- pared to answer.'This has happened to nearly everyone .Who has ever done an interview. The most, important thing is to keep your composure, and turn the conversation back toward a topic you are more comfortable with. In some cases you might be able to ad lib your, response. Just try to keep it brief. If an interviewer asks you about a new chemical, birth control, for cats that you have never heard of, you may still be able to-resp:ond. An acceptable response might be," 'In my experience TNR is the 'best long-term solution to feral cat overpopulation, and it pro= tests, the cats from various forms, of cancer." You have said that TNR is:bet- ter•, without .putting yourself in the ,position of talking about the unfamiliar birth control drug. In other cases, you may simply want to admit. that you ,do .not know the answer and move on, Try to end the sentence,'with 'a positive statement, emphasizing what .you do know and are prepared to talk about. For example, ,in response to the question, "How Imany pet cats are abandoned every year?" you,could say, "No one knows the exact number, but every time we find tame cats living in a feral colony we remove them from the colony,wd put them up .for adoption." TAR S.OUN®BITES GENERAL: This way you turn the attention away from the question, and back to the positive aspects of TNR. DEALING WITH TROUBLE Now and then, a TNR advocate will face. a hostile interviewer, or perhaps a heckler at a meeting. It is vital to remain calm, even when the other per- son'is totally unreasonable. Remember, ,you may not be, able.,to convince ,one closed -minded person, but you do not want to lose the entire audience by getting into, a personal fight. The best response to an unreason- able or abusive statement is to simply steer the discussion back to. the bene- fits of TNR. You want your response to address the issue raised without draw- ing any extra attention to the person who made the comment. Let's say that during a radio inter- view,� a caller says something truly inflammatory, such as:, "We just need to kill all these:cats:" You might reply with: 'Well, I cannot understand why you would feel that way when, the program in,Orange County'Florida, has not only successfully reduced the number of feral cats, but also saved money for animal services and local taxpayers." By staying in control of the debate, you have taken the heckler out of the spotlight and put the successful Orange County TNR program on cen- ter stage. NEVER LEAVE THEM EMPTY-HANDED After a newspaper interview, gave the reporter "something that he or she can refer to,when writing the article. If you are part of a group; give out a copy of your newsletter and a factsheet about TNR. If you do not have "your own materials, you are welcome to use Alley Cat Allies' newsletters;and fact - sheets. Make sure that the. reporter knows how -to contact ,you should he or she. have any further questions, If you are speaking at a meeting, bring _enough copies to distribute to -everyone. At the end of 'a radio interview_, let, the listen- ers know where they 'can get more information. You can give them the address and phone number for your own group, or tell them .to contact Alley Cat Allies. Although you may feel uncomfort- able speaking to the media or in -front of a group, keep in mind that you know that TNR works,: you know the issue, and'you believe in nonlethal con- trol. You are far more knowledgeable on this, topic 'than your audience. Believe in yourself. With a little research and preparation you will be a winner, and so -will the cats. ❑ "Trap -Neuter -Return, or TNR, is the most humane and most "The reason TNR is so popular is that people simply don't effective way to control feral cat populations." want the cats killed." "When ,feral cats are removed from an area, other cats HEALTH. ISSUES: move in to take advantage of the food source." "TNR is the cutting edge of feral cat control. It's -the accept- "A vaccinated, sterilized colony of feral.cats poses no rabiesthreat to humans. Raccoons, skunks, and .bats are the most ed method in large and small jurisdictions in every region of common carriers of rabies: " the U.S." "TNR is more cost-effective than trapping and killing feral cats. The average cost of sterilization is $50, while the aver- age cost of 'euthanasia' is $105." Alley, WV�t Allies 7heNMUW1bW Car Pxsoww " Toxop.lasmosis in humans is overwhelmingly contracted from handling or eating undercooked, meat." PREDATION: "The. number one cause of wildlife decline is habitat loss due to'human activity." 1801 BELMONT ROAD, NW, SUITE 201 - WASHINGTON, DC'20009-5147 WWW.ALLEYCAT.ORG' Or WWW.PEtS911.COM 02002, Alley Cal'AJlies. eiuinar sueiters. to give statistics to any one group. Therefore we have to make do with the results from surveys that some groups have conducted, and to use these as' guidelines. The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy mailed surveys to over 5,000 shelters during 1994 to 1997, and received just.over 1,000 returns each year. They caution that because of the low response rate, the reason they stopped this project after 1997, their results may not represent a random sampling of U.S. Areas that shelters. Nonetheless the neutering, results are 'interesting. lOCal h It �Andividual who takes in. orie stray cat, a person who takes care of and manages a, feral colony, or a group like Alley Cat Rescue, who rescues,around 500 plus cats each year, we are all paying for irresponsible people, who do not neuter their animals, and who allow these unneutered animals to roam. Another major publication that collects data is Animal People magazine. They give the numbers of animals killed per 1,000 residents. According to AP the best have d Strong cities and states are New feral cat Hampshire, New Jersey, rogram; show intakes at San Francisco, San Diego, seers thatare vastly down & New York City, with I around 2.2 to 5.8 animals Each year around 2 million, since their f2r G dogs entered these 1,000 shelters along" with 1.8 million cats. Around 15 to 16 % of,dogs"were. returned to their guardians, only 2 % of"(fats were returned. While 58% of -dogs were euthanized,- around 71% of cats were euthanized. This would suggest that around 8 to 10 million animals enter shelters each year, and that at least 5 ,million are euthanized. a catprogram.Started. killed per 1,000 people. The worst are Mobile Count), AL with 70.0 per 1,000 people, Gulfport, MS, with 73.9 per 1,000 and Thomas Cnty, GA with 81.0 per 1,000. The.U.S:.average is 15.7 per 1,000 people. Areas that have a strong;feral cat neutering program, showintakes of local shelters that are .vastly down since their feral cat program started. This has happened in San Diego, where the Feral Cat Coalition has been neutering feral cats for over ten years, and in San Francisco, which also has a strong feral cat project. It is difficult to state that there is an "overpopulation" problem, when we have so many cats dumped or abandoned. The U.S. also has a huge feral cat population.,.due' to the abandonment of domestic cats. Neuteringalone will not stop the killing. We have to, stop people from relinquishing their cats and from dumping them. Only then will the tragedy end. h M �.Reasons. cats are relinquished Continued from page one In this issue we cover. Toxoplasmosis, as this is a major reason pregnant women give up their cats, and unfortunately this comes as a recommendation by their doctors. D"o share this fact sheet with your local press and with the medical community in your area. The top three personal issues for relinquishmenrlisted are: allergies, personal problems and having a baby. Thirty-five percent of catsthat enter shelters were relinquished by their guardians. Reasons cats are relinquished_ : 1. Too -many in house 2. Allergies 3. Moving 4. Cost of maintenance 5. Landlord issues. 6. No homes for littermates 7. House soiling 8. Personal problems 9. Inadequate facilities 10. Doesn't get along with other animals Ss.3.` - Louise Holton AC wigs �est�i®s award s Durnewsletter'14lleyCatMetus and aL n° °��" ACR's.L'outse f Syirit -' ourbao'kletonFeralCutColony f J, Ax'a1 Holtonwaspzesented --- - s 0� • �I.a im 1404tL Marurgemenh each won d Cer2zficate- •,W .... • -., .. » - 4 unth theAnzmdl 'Y " {+ Kzn doznKttzdz�d ofEzcellencefiomtheCatTVrzters ;� +�/� gUV ��� - tLssoctatzon 4 t'-G,:?' s� SpzrztAwardands � 5 Weareverylyonoredto �lntmalChampian t5 ; �t Ge z ecogzatzed Gy th€u Pan fi oriz Dons DayArzzmdl Founclatzon �� very tmpoi antgz ��ip for IDDAFExecutzve Dzrector, Holly Nazar, stared that -�` our work . people are often tempted to look the othorgup to -_� er way zve, ilespdir,'when`tGej come across nan human beings to dun ess ®_ Fortunately for the rrzdny cats you lave assutec� your i and cozn assron cam elled ou to actwhere others ...� ., _ - , �' p P y � k An Ailey Cat Rescue Puhl+cation - ''- woltlu770t17dDe ". '� v \,Y- Year in Review ACR rescued over 500 cats and kittens in 2002: Many needed;m_edical treatment beyond sterilization. So many kittens one rescues from an animal shelter are sick, with upper respiratory viruses that need months of intensive treatment. ACR helped a humane society in West Virginia by rescuing over 50 cats and kittens' from them — these would"have been &urbanized without our help. Many groups in Baltimore, Maryland, called us for help. Baltimore has an enormous problem with strays and do not have the resources to .help" them. ° ACR worked with Doris Day Animal Foundation's Spay Day USA, offering FREE,1 spays/neuters to feral cats. We got so many calls from the public that we eventually spayed,60 cats! ° ACR and DDAF coordinated several feral cat workshops, presenting the different aspects of managing and controlling feral colonies. ACR dealt with thousands of calls, emailsand, letters for help with cats —abandoned housecats, stray cats, and feral colonies, locally and nation wide. ACR IN THE NEWS ACR WORKS 'WITH OTHER GROUPS 'TO HELP ANIMALS! ACR worked with several other groups during the year. Coordinating efforts help the animals more effectively. Some of,the,se, are highlighted in our Year in Review, others included: Working with PETsMART Charities on their annual Adoptathon '\Veekly adoptions at our Luv=a-pet adoption site at PETsMART in.Marytand. Now Availc0le, At Yovr Local P-05f Uffice! TRe NevfterjSP611 5odal lhU`VtAi'Gs�C'S5 �i'J��'t�(�C ��'Ci�Ftt? Helping to promote the Spay/Neuter Social Awareness Postage Stamp to the public to get - everyone involved with, this -,project to save the MnUilt+i.dlllleY'Vi'0111',fh' IRA lives of millions of unwanted litters born each ' year. Please buy and use this stamp during the makes rescuing; :'stray ' ` 11 �='�,.t� cats her life'a work , next year. m.k+nmkr,.,, 6an„�.,IY.-1•:..,;;a,lx.m.,. :_ '.i.,.: svrt A-,•w' . ram-''n Ma.,.: l�•n wnl,ar..: m' c ' ,., (r� rmlt:y X,uJllr.,n' cab ,�Y:'t •' . tar::,v:i,Jmil vid anx• Jdn', hivr.: „p{+aa+i',ui !.± m0.1h,r. 'di::,x�,Nvx:,d lu:'.n.; ns�m,F :fuGsil4Bar,.cd.� _ r.rllvr lnn�;i:z: Lc: 11�s S^"_ntc, v:n�^r, �wipr Iti� • �Iray nrvbruld a ral •n-hvr ,la• :" �r� pM1:in n(tri'r Cis nll,^ � ' mxJ a,u+ hs�Nu�xu Ruirkr - lyna�m'. al antJc..,:il,tYa� '�<. laai,:o...rrs an,: ir_y ♦rr,rs ?d,L: r:l: lu - 'Ielllina't.Murn,r,tnulPu• Clknk.; Veh iv:ry cl �nnatvWe� _ AIL u.ne. �:e` mr. va 1'vc bxn "Rable.xa Wi'it:a,,,nfit (are ` . a _ J'� 1. Jiw,;,i.n: fm:y; J:c aard, •Ilivp"har,vn!knl M1:,m'ud,iri tJ t14� I,•. caul H;•'atlt bmkl.i nYn. ,unl,liweK:•ruA •..uf '- � � - I lt'.!hanmanhlallva iJ ava;' Cal Ni. a•. a nrnp^tit c��a-an- ,r,nlyhwMrinl: iaxmnR_ I . i �Z''i li+at tl,.;l:'Mx-vm.>1m ftsViR Y 1-kwr N•i 'f4w,5 •'•.T �. M.il m­f xraiv b� .K'14 hrr w{,.n . Nirl:,nA ti;1:n LLnil nl:lu ar,r `�%j � �r `, �::• ! mnn milk {nn `)�"+II}p�nrda:wc, sprv:il:ztie hY'I w_ �'�a;X.: :';� ' Mu aMvl ro , Tid+rb+ fr rol., : la - 'Etri � �i u„�.T „{a.,,r,•mn::.M alto. ^:ti!��• .�:. ;;y;;yas�::.; rellirl; ti, hp m+ Id>( 'bn, fait wln+o A,r,leL Yn'fa4 )pd :nnu,lr v`a• 1•n. }ff marry.!' a .m•n nt a {! !uauihl t�.hi rcml v;:l :a thy •' harzP�Mfert :v'ncrv-�1 mvl neten.l 'O,i dM: nc;'a=•Xta R,N nfc wt _ .,zJ' �,- .ka dr::�rc d a: rt:-�,en:cvnr.•.. w.;c �''i;' .>; '.S?'' i';,' . �`n +n x•Hu,i hu'n,iktc,!'n n ]l+r..�nt ks•? td Mn;'rs h:r n.�r�•!nmklmdn ,h 1aNnr.a at fir hmf I' ti•�.":�:• ,. Y'z`� �.. va Y'viar,. Itrytl' akr dump _ j:' .p� Inrfi,.:.a'il,c!ahuni,::: l<e,.•n:+: I,e+o..I llPr..nm:r'41'etFti.rvi•I;: - '�:5:..,(N�;y: •. liv�tc..l,rr,.uudon ♦ir;,h - vier — — .1+ •.I,nr.c u� n.wl k,: i•Y' Fx ira, II;,I In,q„v,•:II!1 L_.v.u. - - ••...mxw,.vl.: cn -4rulunn, ulaq, k ,eh.:krb•n n' nl n..m nl✓<nrrv, a: k},n- eM I.rAI pns /rmn Mey Cat fl0��ex'MI nMp"m o, lh. w„I Jc'.,,, ay..canh;, lat land. .. .... _.. _, .. PotaMm, p1D`¢ %, CatxrtaR bai,tl 0ffi. For! msXagar, k[wp nanrraX red mm emeJ ror_ I Planned Giving Program. ACR is pleased to announce to our members.who are 60 years old and over that we',are now in a position to offer Charitable, Gift Annuities. This is a wonderful way to make meaningful gifts to help cats; -while erijoying income and tax benefits that can help enhance your own future financial well-being. By making a charitable gift of $5,000 or $10,000 or more, you can receive fixed interest payments for life. You are,then,also entitled to an income tax deduction in the year of your gift. In addition, a portion of each annual payment. made to you, will be free of income tax. YeS, I wish to help ACR's Compassion Fund with a tax-deductible contribution of- 11$10 11$25 ❑$50 Ds-ioo ❑$250 ❑Other I enclose the following: ❑ Check to be made out to Alley Cat 'Rescue Inc.-. ❑ Credit Card donation will be credited to Brentwood Animal Hospital —account of Alley. Cat Rescue Please charge my contribution to my: MasterCard Your Name & Address: phone number: day:: ❑ VISA ❑ American Express Cardholder's Signature: evening: ❑ Di'scover Alley Cat Rescue NONMOU1T ORG- PO Box 585, MDuntRainier,.AOE MD20712 ' ' � N ERRMELD, VA ft=r No. 1479 Address Service Requested 13605 Mr, Russell C. Thompson 15 IJ-Smokey MoWiMin Dr_ Petaliuna, CA 94954-1537 Dear Friend:of Stray and Feral Cats: Thank'you for becoming our latest Ally! Your gift will help save stray and' feral cats across the country and around'the world. While,no,one,knows exactly how many stray and feral-cats,there are, the number is estimated -to be in the tens of millions in North America alone! And, sadly, over 5 million cats, kittens, and dogs are �destroved each vear: in shelters. This horrible misconception about how to solve .feline overpopulation can only be turned around with your help, and the help of our thousands of other allies like you. With the support of generous and concerned supporters like you, we have been able to change the fate of thousands .of stray and feral cats and kittens. Your gift has helped to: ✓ Save thousands of cats and kittens from an inhumane and early death by educating; caretakers around the country about the method of nonlethal population control through Trap -Neuter -Return (TNR)• ✓ Prevent.countless feline. births and allow tens of thousands of cats to live out their lives iri healthv, stable'colonies through our Feral Friends grassroots network. ✓ Provide9direct-assistance•to strav and feral cats, and kittens by establishing"modelprograms,acros&the country that include adoption, spay -neuter, and veterinary services. But to protect the lives of eats and kittens everywhere we need your continued,support. It will take many„years to secure a,safe and healthy future for all feral cats and kittens, ,By becoming; an Alley Cat Ally you have: joined not just a national — but" an intemational — alliance dedicated to ,saving and protecting these wonderful creatures. Your commitmentand support are greatly appreciated, and, we look forward to your dedication and help in the future. Sincerely, Becky Robinson National Director P. S. Please look over the materials in your, welcome,packet, and be sure to fill out our survey. The enclosed photo of"Kai, a feral kitten whose life was "saved by Alley Cat Allies; is our way of saying "thank you from all the feral cats and kittens you have helped to lead a long, and .healthy life: Please share Kai's story by sending this postcard to someone you know loves all cats and kittens, just like you, and help to spread the word about TNR. 1801 Belmont Road, NW, Suite 201 r Washington, DC 20009 • T'EL: 202.667.3630 •' FAX .202.667.3640 • uVI%kI_alleycat,oie Your gift has just helped tosave a feral' cat.orkitten from being destroyed, and -to educate another person about feline overpopulation and.,,the,importance of spayin&and neutering. As a new Ally you may not realize,all the other ways you can help stray and feral cats live longer; healthier lives. Give of Your Time Tell Us About Yourself Please complete the enclosed" survey and return it by fax or mail. We want to know which programs interest you, ,loin the, Feral. Friends Network, Alley Cat Allies' Feral Friends Network puts novice feral cat caretakers in touch with .more experienced hands in their local area. The program is designed for people who: o Have experience in managing feral cat colonies and want to share their expertise with a;n-ovice. o Are. willing to lend traps. to caretakers. o Can recommend a -veterinarian v�,ho treats feral cats — especially at,a discount. o Have barns, backyards or other outdoorproperty where feral cats can be relocated when necessary. Write to our office or visit, our website for details on how to become a Feral Friend.. Be a Saueakv Wheel All around the globe, cats are threatened by dangerous laws, as well as inaccurate information: Alley Cat Allies fights. against policies thatwendanger our -feline friends, and makes, every effort to stop the spread' of myth and misinformation. We need you to: o Ask your shelter to implement a feral cat program; if they don't already Have one. 'We have training videos and shelter -packets available to send to them. o Tell us if your town has a:.feeding ban or "three - strikes" law. We'll, help you fightCity Hall. o Check our Website regularly for action alerts and petitions you can download. o Set up a table to distribute Alley Cat Allies literature about Trap=Neuter-Return (TNR) at your county fair or,festival. Ask us for, brochures. o Join the FeralPower! Listserve by checking the box on the enclosed .survey (please include your email address). Volunteers are the engine that keeps Alley Cat Allies moving. You.can help cats and kittens by: o Fostering a stray cat or tame a feral kitten while we search for an adoptive home (D.C, area only). o Offering your yard or farm to relocated feral cats. 6 Lending your skills — let us know your area of expertise and we'll help you to help us spread the word! e Holding a yard sale, cocktail benefit, book signing, or other event to raise funds for animal charities. o Calling us for the name of a local feral cat group in your area that relight need volunteers. o Helping out, at your community's spay/neuter clinic or special event. Think Ahead Provide for,your loved ones and your beloved causes at the same time. Ask us how to: o Make a bequest to Alley Cat Allies inyour will. o Set up a lifetime charitable gift annuity for yourself and/.or a companion. o Get an Alley Cat Allies credit card, using the enclosed application. A percentage of each purchase will go toward.helping feral cats. o Askyour employer about matching your donation. ® Designate Alley Cat Allies, in your workplace campaign. If we're not on the list — write us in! o Honor a lost companion with a.memorial gift. o Join our monthly donor program. The enclosed EFT authorization form makes it .easy. Or, fill out the credit card information. on the enclosed reply device and indicate your monthly pledge amount. However you can help in ways big or small — will make the difference:in the lives of thousands of feral cats and -kittens. THANK YOU! G 1801 Belmont Road, NW, Suite 201 • Washington, DC 20009 • TEL: 202.667.3630 *,FAX: W16673640 • www.allevcat.om Mes'sag"Q-- fr6m- ACR':s,, Pres''iden Dear Friends: 'Fundraising: This is, a, topic most groups would prefer not to.have to deal with. One has so many programs to .work on, and in ACR's case, so many cats •to, sav6 and to,'spay and neuter; ,that we don't really: have the time to fund raise as,well., But the ;harsh reality is that if we don't fund raise, we. cannot save a single cat's life. continue to obtain money for .vital programs to help cats. Some people, donate in. the Spring, others may have more to spare over the holiday period. This time we are again asking for funding for our "Compassion Fund". This fund helps us to pay the veterinary bills and to spay and neuter cats in our part of the world. You can contribute through your credit card, which will be charged to Alley Cat Rescue's Account at Brentwood Animal Hospital. The bulk of"funding to animal groups comes G i lr from private, individuals. Few Foundations We also need funding for distributing our Fact Sheets, support animal issues, even many of those such as the one on Toxoplasmosis and Cats published whose founders were supportive of animal in this issue of the newsletter as many cat's lives will be protection. So we have to resort to contacting saved by educating the public. r �K - compassionate "animal people" and unfortunately n,• , they get inundated with fundraisin letters. We do realize that you get Jf many appeals from man At ACR we have decided to;include our fundraising worthy organizations, and we 1 letters along with our newsletter: This saves us money are; honored that you consider b and, it actually cuts back on=the mail you will receive Alley Cat Rescue worthy of from us. So for those who think they get too many your support. iK ' In appeals from us, this is only way you will receive your ' Alle Cat Mews. If you can onl donate once -or twice We wish you a very peaceful ���Yw, Y Y Y' er, ear, lease Just ignore every appeal. It is not meant and happy Holiday Season. �. _ P . y P 1 g. r3 RP - I for you. Remember it's the only way for ACR to And we wish all the animals a healthy and safe New Year. ELLEN PERRY BERKELEY, AUTHOR OF MAVERICK CATS: ENCOUNTERS°WITH FERAL CATS, WILL SHARE PROFITS FROM THE SALE 'OF HEKBOOK WITHALLEY CAT RESCUE. . This. book is.a newly expanded' "version of the original classic. 'Ellen's book rfeatures:, `®" Fascinating information on'feral cats from scientists around the world — information: you won't find elsewhere o Touching stories ,from her hillside home in Vermont of the cats she encounters PIease send' me . copies. of Maverick Cats @ $14.95 each (postage incl.) Make check.payable to Ellen Perry Berkeley Mail to Box 311 Saftsbury, VT 0526270311 Name:. ------ ------------- Address: _ City; State, Zip: $4 oft he .Purchase Price will go to Alley Cat Rescue's Feral Friends Fund. Autograph ;and inscribe personally to: . Feline Health: ACID Fact Sheet® Toxo lasrnosis and Cats Toxopaasmosis gondii is, a parasite found in humans and animals. The disease caused by the parasite can be transmitted from one species to another. It can be serious for pregnant women .(mainly for the offspring who can be born with mental retardation or blind- ness) and for those with compromised immune systems. Understanding how. the organism is transmitted can help to eliminate the possibility of humans contract- ing toxo. and will hopefully prevent doctors from . persuading pregnant women to give up their beloved companion animals. Any animal can become a host (rodents, birds, pigs, cattle, cats) Cats become infected through eating infected rodents, birds and raw meat. Therefore indoor cats who do not hunt are less likely to be infected. If a pregnant woman is concerned about this disease, the cat can be tested for toxo. and if positive, can be treated. One of the most important facts about toxoplasmo- sis that most doctors do not seem_ to be familiar with is that an infected cat excretes the parasite's eggs in the feces. The eggs, however, do not become infected - until at least.24 hours or more after the elimination. Therefore the simple act of cleaning the litter box daily or twice daily, which should be done in any case for all cats, will remove any trace of excreted oocysts. Another fact that escapes, most doctors 'is that most human cases come from eating infected meat. Dr. Larry Glickman, Professor of Epidemiology and public health at Purdue University, says: "Most human infections come.from eating undercooked or raw meat and not from direct contact with domestic cats and their excreta." Even touching infected meat and then putting your hands to your mouth can pass along toxoplasmosis. Actually the same "means of transference from cat feces to humans is the: only way To pass along the disease. One has to.:actually ingest cat feces.. Again just practicing normal basic Hygiene totally eliminates any chance of infection. These are the steps to take if you are pregnant, and should help you to keep your cats. rrY I . Prevent your cat from getting infected. Feed only dry or canned cat food. Do not give - your cat raw meat. 2. Clean the litter box twice daily and wash it with hot water —this will eliminate any oocysts before they become infective. 3. Avoid the litter box. Have someone else in the house clean the box. 4. Use gloves when gardening or when changing the litter box, wash -hands thoroughly afterwards. 5. Test your cat for toxoplasmosis. 6.. Exclude raw and undercooked meat and unpasteurized dairy products from your own diet. " OCTOBER'16, 2oO2, /5THE 5ECOND.-ANNUAL•NATIbNAL FERAL CAT DAY Feral t Whyls N6.tlonat Lat. Day Important? by Becky Robinson, ACA National Director I" HEN ALLEY CAT ALLIES Vt"' (ACA) was founded in � 1990, few voices were raised for feral cats. These cats were an overlooked population, even as their numbers grew unchecked. Twelve years later, feral cats have legions of supporters —hard- working, hands-on volunteers making noble contributions to solve feline overpopulation. Trap - Neuter -Return (TNR) is practiced in communities in every state. New TNR programs are estab- lished every day, and every single one contributes to the solution. But all of this is not enough. Feline overpopulation will be con- tr id, -fir .a �s ;Walkmg`the Walk Default Wastes No Time `-Helping'AniJr als: <Ten ,:Helping • .ands: WorkmgTogetherto.Save 4 Rakers Islands Cats: Working Together Done y NEiglitlNays toSuecess for 'National Feral Cat Day z LISPS Spay/Neuter Stamps Debut°in. tember tained only when TNR is adopted by the.i nstitutions,whiose policies directly affect feral eats —animal; control agencies, ank mal shelters, veteri- narians, health de- partments, police de- partments, and city halls. Persuading, these groups to adopt nonlethal feral cat: control will`save hundreds -of thousands of feral cats from needless death and Will prevent countless unwanted kittens from being born. The ulti- mate goal for.ACA, the brass ring, is'for TNR to become the accepted' method for managing . feral cat colonies and'reducing feral feline overpopulation everywhere. What can National Feral Cat Day (NFCD)' accomplish? in a word: education. IF. NFCD is a vehicle to reach profes- sionals in the animal protection communi- ty who do not yet know, or care, about TNR, but,whose poli- cies and actions con- trol the .fate of most feral cats. —7. NFCD provides a venue to introduce nonlethal control to huge seg- ments of the public who do not know either the severity of feline overpopulation or the solution to it, but they know they don't want the cats killed. 3. NFCD proclaims to .the world: TNR works. Thirty years'of docu- mented proof show. that trap - and -kill policies have no lasting effect on reducing feral cat popu- lations. Does it make sense to keep on. doing what doesn't work? Trap and kill is expensive, cruel, and ineffective. TNR is cost- effective, humane, and the only method that works. Alley Cat Allies' donors tell us they want to help the cats and they want TNR to become main- stream. We listen and we agree. Everything ACA does is aimed at keeping the cats healthy, sterile, and alive. This includes face-to- face advocacy, speaking to audi- ences large and small, and, most of all, being ready and able to help when we are contacted by individuals, groups, agencies, or institutions. Feral cat overpopulation is a long-term problem, but every vi- able TNR program, builds the structure for success. Every victory is cumulative. Every approach must be for the duration. Because the alternative —"euthanasia" — is not acceptable. Send for National Feral gat Day Materials Today'. If you or someone you know is planning an event to celebrate, National Feral Cat Day, write or e- mail us'today 94o."rder your2002,Action Pack-. i The Action Pack includes our full-sized (11 "x 1.7") I ^max t, -:wh , tom, 2002 NFCD poster by acclaimed syndicated cartoonist11NatwhalyFeral CatDay d Oa'CDLecrdl6, 2002 Phil Frank, a "how-to" guide to activities you can un ; dertake, and directions to register your event in our na- tional database. Additional 2002 National Feral Cat, Day`posters are also available, while supplies last. e F i - F FI � To request the Action Pack or an NFCD poster, con- tact us at vw vv.alleycat.org or Alley Cat Allies, 1801 Bel- i mont Rd., NW, Suite 201, Washington, DC 20009-5147. Nam; ,�drtor Not�onpl Drrector Executive Director SW Board Members Bo'bid o ,Adpisors 5: ,r r � t .. F r. - - Atley d,VA, res 5 All rights reserved We may make this matenal available . -um hi/n+Ko+nii�i iri�+ihiSt'nnnc'rif. it:masi:'hc'rcnmHii�ari,in'anu Alley Cat,Action is.designed by B66616m'studi6jnc., Arlington virginta special thanksto.Ellen'Perry'Berkeley" Printed on re7de'd>paper.,' _. MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES Watking the Walk 0 =r* PRiNG AND SUMMER 2002 were ""Mm.- 'busy seasons for Alley Cat Allies' staff advocating nonlethal feral cat control to new and larger audiences,in widely varied locations. Following 'is a 'report on four of many meetings held in this period. While in Illinois for the Best Friends No More Homeless Pets conference, April 26-2.8, ACA's National Director Becky Robinson and Pro- gram Manager Zoe Carson consulted with in- dividual activists, feral cat groups, and mem- bers'of animal,cohtrol and private shelter staffs from five counties in the Chicago area. The consultations 'laid groundwork for a planning session ;held June 2 at The Anti -Cru- elty Society, Chicago. Private groups were in- vited to conduct a' needs assessment of re- sources both'available.and still needed to help feral cats in the Chicago' area' and to explore ways to share resources and talent to maxi- mize success. The June planning session was organized and led by Becky Robinson and by Aimee St. Arnaud of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Par- ticipants included individual feral cat caretak- ers and members of PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving), PACT Humane Society (People and Animals in Community Together), Spay and Stay of Lake County, The Red Door animal shelter, Animal Outreach Society, Touched by an Animal, and'The Anti -Cruelty, Society. Participants explored issues such as: ® The severity of regional problems associated with feral cats a How other communities have dealt with similar situations ® What action is needed' in the Chicago area a Logistics of starting a regional feral cat pro- gram n. How to increase access to spay/neuter serv- ices in the area a Layout of the city and problems peculiar to it, e.g., can.you,take cats on the L? This was the. ,first of a series of planning sessions/needs--assessments that is expected to�extend well into 2003. .` er4Ys'nq' 7P_ ffiessagre to Artimai Con ri Becky ,Robinson }oihed..Ed Boks, Executive Di- rector, Maricopa County (Arizona) Animal Care and Control (AC&C), to present a, work- shop for some 70 animal control officers at the National Animal Control ,Association (NACA) training session, held June 13-15 in Reno, Nevada. Working in tandem,. Boks and Robinson presented an overview of feral cat issues and specifics of the. dynamic Maricopa County program. Boks.stated that for decades the feral cat issue has been ignored ,by animal control, but cannot be overlooked any longer because the cost in dollars and public concern is too high., By relating how Maricopa County adopted TNR, he showed theaudience how to glean the benefits of TNR programs, in- cluding higher approval ratings and.substan- tial bodget;savings. Robinson presented, a_ larger picture of how others have come to understand the benefits of nonlethal population•control, and myths:and facts, about TNR. Workshop. participants: expressed strong in- terest in basic information about feral cats and TNR; public,health issues; how TNR effects an immediate; dramatic reduction in the popula- tion; and how a TNR program can be a close fit with their purpose and responsibilities. ACA's Zoe Carson and .Diann Meiller of Maricopa County AC&C staffed the ACA ex- hibit during the'NACA training'.session,.show- ing TNR training videos, distributing videos and literature, and working with interested animal:control officers on a one-to-one basi's'. Robinson reported that TNR .concepts, were.well-received by this often critical audi- 4 What is MR:? u TRAP.NEUTER-RETURN„(TNR) isa,full management plan in which stray and feral cats already living outdoors in cities, towns, and rural areas are humanely trapped, then'evaluated; vaccinated, and . sterilized by veterinarians. Kittens and tame cats are adopted into good homes. Healthy adult cats ytoo wild•to be adopted are returned to their familiar habitat- under, the, lifelong care of volunteers. ence. About 10b animal control personnel re- quested more extensive TNR. materials at the NACA conference; another 35 are receiving information on an ongoing basis. Feral Cat Management in Northern New York, ' ACA National Director Becky Robinson,joined a panel of -feral cat professionals at the Erie County Strategic Planning Summit, Buffalo, New York, onJune 16 and 17. Early this year, Erie County SPCA completed a seven-year, aggressive shelter adoption plan only to discover that the county is-still'home to a growing population of feral cats. Although once opposed to TNR, Executive Director Bar- bara Carr is now exploring nonlethal control as, an effective way to reduce their numbers. She organized the summit to learn from experienced feral cat professionals what to do and what not to do in developing a feral cat program. Other panel members were Stacy Lebaron, Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, New- buryport, Massachusetts,% Christine Wilford, DVM, Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project, Lyn- wood, Washington; Chris Whyle, Homeless Cat Management Team, Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- vania; and Aimee St. Arnaud, Best Friends,An- imal Sanctuary. The,summit was ably facilitat- ed by Kathy Savesky, Leonard.X. Bosack and Bette M. Kruger,Charitable Foundation. The panel was recruited from northern re- gions because Carr felt that experience with feral cats in cold weather was a "requirement for helping in the Buffalo area. Some 40 veterinarians, vet techs, elected officials, shelter personnel, animal .control of- ficers, and feral 'cat caretakers from the Erie County area attended the summit; which was funded by PetsMartTM Charities. Robinson offered a national overview of the feral cat movement, including pitfalls and progress as groups have increased, in number and size. Panel members candidly described their diverse experiences: how they started, developed, and succeeded; from obtaining funding and official sanction to mistakes made along the way. As an outcome of the summit, the Erie County government passed a resolution in support of nonlethal control and a pilot TNR project is in development. 49 ,ea it; HE.,. R,OPULA�R'Y.;B, whgse ; hiit,>"sin?glE Time' :has reachec mulfipie fsie_charts; _ph .?fIVW in� Ju (TN R)', p dog ra rn s, . u eta u it nations to XC?A were en for backstage passes; V during the, show. This fundraisingevent. by the •Bight Star Founc the,top five on. the fame and i sAigt td&.9 30. i2ation?."`!flhe"generous�celebnt, i,es;;who col:='.''' at,''Allies (ACA) .n laborate, With Bright Star clearly agree p-NeuterReturn:: Refault:'.;bandrrieinbers:'.:aiatograpled ans .makmg'do ' many items Including tour posters and a: - red in;a drawing Farley— t shirt to be,dffered m the silent•..: ; meet.,"th'e.6and .auction at All ey:;Cat'. All ies';National=Feral;.-;: Cat Day celebration on October 16 as made•possible Collecting valuable memorabilia, as.' tion; a nonprofit' wellas monetary,donations_wNile proved- 1.993 to promote. ing these generousr chart topping"musi- charitable causes through',tle :.higlprofile clans an;outlet,.to'.iniprove the „lives=ofalie .careers of. sports. and entertainment c-lebri " animals #hey love, made:fhe event a great ties. Dawn. Purtee founder 'of Bri Star, success.for everyone involved: contaaed ACA tc to" inate',efforts,dueing Alley Cat.Qllies,thanks'Default .Dawn Default's'DC appearance •Purtee; and the Bight Star Foundation for "These guys 1ust.aov anmmals,, Purtee making`it happens An Oversight HORTLY AFTER THE SUMMER 2002 Alley Cat Action was mailed, an alert reader pointed out an oversight.in the'article "Public/Private Help for Stray Cats in Singapore." We neglected to include a' mailing address for Singapore's Cat Welfare Society. Our supporter wrote, "I'm sure people would want to contribute but have no com- puter access .... If you want help for organizations, take the space to list an address." She could not be more correct. The mailing address is Cat Welfare Society, Orchard Road Post- Office, P.O. Box 65, Singapore 912303. The web address, once again, is www.catwelfare.org. FALL 2002 3 ie July, 2002 Cat mcy: Magazine' laced Alley Cat 1llies first on a ist of :1,0 out- standing organ- izations work- ing for -the benefit of cats. ;Following is an excerpt from that article. These - groups work for the benefit of cats. By Sally Deneen CVERY DAY, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE i'r= work on behalf of cats. Whether they discover cures, for diseases, lobby law- makers .or curb cat oyerpopulation, their ef- forts help make the world a better place for our pets,and their stray and feral kin. These 10 large,organizationsrepresent:.many'more: that contribute significantly to cats' well-being. i. Alley 'Cat, Allies Befriends Ferals When the Navy's top admiral in January'an- nounced all feral cats must be,removed'from naval installations by 2003, 'nonprofit Alley Cat_ Allies cranked into, high gear. ,ACA promptly urged cat fans to fax "strong, polite expressions of support for feral cats°to Vern Clark, Chief of Naval Operations; at (703) 692-5303, and write to senators a,nd con- gresspersons. ACA proves a formidable force since its founding by Becky Robinson and Louise Holton in 1991, inspired by alley cats in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. "Alley Cat Allies took 'No Kill' out of the shelter and brought it to the streets," says Nathan J. Winograd, executive director, Tompkins County (NY) SPCA. "When Alley Cat Allies first started, no one even knew what 'feral cat' meant. Now, whole municipalities have Trap -Neuter -Return programs," thanks to ACA, says'executiv&di- rector Donna Wilcox. © 2002, Cat Fancy Magazine. Used with permission. to"educate Iota! residents about feral cats and colony management •and they have, branched out to: build' coalitions with city agencies and other feral cat groups The following is, ased.ori a report from NC co founder Bryan Kortis. bbrh6bd Cats ­'NeIOT.ringtogether.; a coalition including. the ASPCA the' Hu"- mane Society of NY and th'e Center,.Jor Rikers.lsland; located -in tfie East River.ad= Ariima{ Care & Coritrof (CACC) for the: latent to )LaGuardia Airport, has i been . - project- Bruce trapping.began on Mardi home,foferal cats:for of least:Zg years: In'.; 15;�,2002,i22.1, cats from:some'20;.colonie's the past trap -and -,kill methods failed to 'have been trapped and.199, neutered..Of. coatrol'the feral,cat.population.: Cast sum- the 221 trappiLd,.186 have`been returned, m`er,,after a°series of planning-meefings in- 32'6d'opted out; and 3 euthanized'due to volving;Alley Cat AI{ies'and local feral cat severe illness:, An'`estimated 25 to 50 cats adyocates; *thecity's Department of 'for- remain to, be: neutered.' Efforts to trap. section` (DOC) agreed to'try TNR. Neigh- them are"ongoing. ° 4 Alley a ctlon FALL 2002 BEFORE OR AFTER THE FACT, TEAM lNORK CARMES THE DAY or in , Together, We, Gettt a Job Done R ache. .On a hot_Friday in July;. Mike"McGrath, host of "You Bet Your Garden" on WHYY- FM imPhiladelphia, left fora, long-awaited Virginia Beach vacation. His last assignment that day Was a phone interview with Becky Robinson about feral cats in the garden. It was a subject on which he knew little —feral cats,that is, not gardens. After several relaxing days and within hours ofleaving for home, he was approached by a hungry'feral kitten living under his rented beach house. McGrath called Alley Cat Allies for help. RbbinsonKalled Anne Zepernick, a Best Friends!Animal Sanctuary staff member living and work- ing; in Virginia Beach. Zepernick took McGrath, to.a pet supply store for a carrier, then helped 'him trap 'the kitten. In eight hours, "Dini" was trapped, transported to Pennsylvania, scheduled to' be spayed by Mike's vet, .and settling into a new home. The result of proactive cooperation: Formation of a new feral cat colony, was prevented. Reacti,t9e., Following a report in the July 19 Kansas City Star about 100 cats confiscated from the mobile home of a 47-year-old'Missouri woman, both Alley Cat Allies and Best Friends Ani- mal Sanctuary, were contacted by concerned :Missouri residents. Because Alley Cat Allies and .Best Friends communicate freely and often, there was no time or effort wasted in finding local members of ACA's Feral Friends Network toconvince animal control and the court that the cats could'be"cared for. Warm Fuzzy's;.a,Missouri rescue,group, stepped in to locate homes for cats who, were: healthy enough to be released to caretakers. Four other rescue groups helped in the ,operation :,Forever Friends Animal League, Friends of Parkville animal shelter, Perfect Pals, and All Creatures, The result of reactive' cooperation:. Feral cats' lives -were saved. Eight Important Ways to Make National Feral Cat Day a Success Promote National Feral: Cat Day in your local media, using materials: in our NFCD Action Pack. Contact daily and weekly riewspa- pers, and television and radio stations.as soon as possible to be included in their schedule. T'Ask your local cable tel- evision station to show the ACA video, The Humane. Solution, of- ten throughout the week of October 16. Volunteer at a clinic spay day for fer- al cats, or arrange to TNR a feral cat colony. MM Feed a feral cat colony. If you know . a colony caretaker, offer to feed the colony for the day, or purchase food for a colony. Buy or build a feral cat shelter or feeding sta- tion. Feral cats need shelter, and a feeding station helps to keep their territory tidy and attractive. (Instructions for building a shelter or feeding station can be found at www.alleycat:org•.) A �� Ask. local elected offi- _, `T cials to support Nation- al Feral Cat Day through a resolution. (Get in touch with your officials.as soon as pos- sible to give them enough time.) ,�uiFind out how your local shelter deals with feral cats. Talk with shelter management about the benefits of TNR. �4 : pg Talk with your vet about the, impor- t l tarice of working with feral cats. Buy a humane trap and present it to your vet for use with feral cats. FALL 2002 ARUeyCatACUG1N 5 + t The" . 3�e � f� 4 ;ems �� � 4 y�p to f °max ! National " e " _ Cat D_, Ij Trap -Neuter -Return: Revised and updated! This comprehensive TNR training video $13.00 A Humane A'Pproach to is educational and engaging, and contains valuable'guidelines Feral Cat Control,(24:00) for novices and pros alike. The Humane Solution: A powerful public policy tool that outlines the benefits of $13.00 f Reducing Feral Cat' Populations Trap -Neuter -Return (TNR) and 'demonstrates that TNR is with Trap=Neuter-Return (9:56) by far the best method for controlling feral cat populations. Trap -Neuter -Return% The Humane Solutions -.A� 4`"tea;��9:, ?1,6'j � ff These two videos are the basic instructions of TNR. $20.00 Purchase ,Ew them as a set and save $6. The Stray 606ndbook - BY TAMARA KREUZ, 158 pp. The Guide to Handraising Kittens 0 BY.SUSAN EASTERLY, 64 pp. li Maverick Cats BY ELLEN PERRY BERKELEY, 159 i; pp. -- How to care for stray and feral cats. Essential information'on $10:00 fostering,.soci'alizing, and finding homes for cats. Clear instructions and helpful photographs make this.an $8W00 absolute "must -have" for anyone fostering young kittens. Expanded and updated'in 2001, this classic has additional. $15.00 chapters on Ellen's personal; experiences and on research done around the world on the, behavior of feral cats. Four essential. pamphlets forstarting a feral cat group BY, BoNNEY BROWN, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Volunteers Getting ready -for them, f nding,them, keeping them. $4.00 Grassroots Organizing to Essential information on starting a feral cat organization $4.00 Help Feral Cats Starting a Nonprofit Organization to Help the Animals Getting Your Paws on 'More Money National Da r-`:•'t:dF-tL;U;,�..o'r�pra'lfd ioF'Fr`' Important information on how to structure a nonprofit $4.00 to run smoothly, grow, and succeed. Overcome fundraising phobia! $4.00 ---.T,ye;`- ."nFyl.s_t%.T �".Fy_�-'.a�'s_—.-sryT.'i''f'�f$'7SFJ17'f,'t�';«<'yt'=�;^:it;t�;f_%....'F".,,��c<7•�ta^=- :.try - 'i'il: I Bumper Sticker'and'two NFCD, Decals ONLY:I $ 2.00 Let your car proclaim National Feral Cat Day! . I. �;l IVFCD t-shirt'with this year's Phil Frank logo on the front. $,15.00 Ij; Be sure to specify size: M L XL XXL ACA donation DC residents add 5.75.% sales tax ®2 Total amount enclosed (if outside U.S. add $10 [U.S.] shipping surcharge) i -- I ..I s+.:' .'?.�iFf': l.!li:'!1 °<,''`�.T', �`E:''ce....'. i.Y.1a"eE:;"�'al: ?.f uc".' e�.7if•°r, u^iiis E.r fs'1?��. y Check made payable to: Alley Cat Allies Name �.1 MasterCard r" Visa ID Discover $10 (U.S.) minimum on charges Address CREDIT CARD NUMBER C itv EXPIRATION DATE State Telephone Zip Alley Cat Allies 1801 Belmont Road, NW, Suite 201 Washington, DC 20009 SIGNATURE Telephone: 202.667.3630, ext. 101 Fax: 202.667.3640 E-maik alleycat@all'eycat.org ------ --------,-----------------9 I 1 1 Cats playing in brightly colored ['eaves? Workplace philanthropy? National Feral Cat Day? 1 1 This y, autumn could mean the start I better life for many stray and cats, I ear, d feral 1 1 thanks,to your, generous contribution of: 1 1 1 ❑ $35 $50 ❑ $100 ❑ $250 J $500 ❑ Other:$ 1 1 Remember, your gift is tax deductible as allowed by U.S. law. All credit card gifts,are charged in U.S. dollars. 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 'NAME MJCA . 1 I 1 1 MAILING ADDRESS VISA It 1 1 1 1 CITY, STATE zip DISCOVER If I 1 1 I PHONE NUMBER EXPIRATION DATE 1 1 1 1 EMAIL SIGNATURE' 1 I 1 Alley Cat Allies 18oi Belmont,Road, NW, Suite 201, Washington,.DC 00o9-514.7 www.alleycat.org --———— -—-— — — — - —— — — — — —— I m� AUTUMN IS THE TRADITIONAL SEASON, of workplace philanthropy, when em- ployees of both government arid' pri- vate industry can'support their favorite tl tieswith ease'through a payroll deduction. . Allies Cat Allies is proud, to bean approved' charity for this year's Combined Federal'Cam paign, or CFC. The CFC is the workplacethar- ity fund drive for federal employees, members: of the"United'States armed forces; and United States Postal Service employees.. Fewer than bne'in ten organ izations",meet;CFC's`strifig e its standards to qualify for this annual campaign. Notably, 2002 marks ACA's fourth anniversary', of CFC participation. Look for our ad in the "Best, of the "CFC," newspaper supplement to:the September,23, October 21, and November 4'editi'ons of'the . Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine; and Federal Times publications. This irresistible ' purrson- als" ad features Snowball, one,of ,the;'fer .I fe- lines from ACA's model TNR program in At- lantic City, New Jersey. For the electronically inclined, .a link'to Alley Cat Allies will be featured on the Times' companion websites. Our .own site, www.alleycat.org, hosts a wealth of infor- mation for prospective donors,'as.,well as for 'those dealing with;stmy and feral cat issues. Whatever your :preferred medium, re- member the magic number that remains consistent through them all: 1828 is Alley Cat Allies' CFC donor code. And please don't for- get that many employers match contribu- tions —your gift could go twice as far to help save and improve the lives of stray and feral cats and kittens! Single Whgt,e Feline Seven -month -old feral kitten in search of a com- passionate individual to save my life, protect me against disease, and ensure that I never give birth to another litter. Must,share belief..in Trap - Neuter -Return (MR) as the preferred method to address the issue of feline overpopulation. 'If you are that special someone, please designate 41828 on'your'CFC pledge form today. A11 ,y Cat Allies The Nadonal f&al Cat Resoulm FALL 2002 €aL 1c#-P 7 -Alley Nonprofit Organization CC;t, U.S. Postage PAID A11 es ALLEY CAT ALLIES The National. Feral Cat Resource 1801 Belmont Road, NW, Suite 201 Washington, DC 20009-5147 4 .5iii�� I 111111111 1: pl 11;iiiiq �' �� -�t �� y® O � / �� "`� •. l t�, �� ;SI e y �;ll Z4 sue' .v M HE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE'S long-awaited Spay/Neuter stamps will debut on September 20 at the Ameri- can Humane Association's National- Confer- ence in Denver, Colorado. The stamps will be available for sale at post offices nationwide, by calling 800-STAMP-24, and on the USPS website (www.stampsonline.aom). USPS is printing 200 million Spay/Neuter stamps, Which is 2.5 times, the average print run for commemorative •stamps. This high quantity is a result of the American Partnership for Pets' dynamic work to maxi- mize the impact of the stamps' message, Alley'Cat Allies is one of 19' members of the American Partnership for Pets, under the leadership of Prevent a Litter Coalition (PaLC). USPS expects demand for the stamps to be high. Let's, not disappoint them!i Spay/neuter is the key- stone of all efforts to end com- panion animal 'overpopula- tion. The; Spay/Neuter stamps•offe'r an, unprece- dented opportunity,to:spread the message to all America ns:.Please make the, most of it. Spay/Neuter stamps will,'be available for one year, or while supplies last. USPS may reprint if there is enough demand and while the first-class rate of 37 cents remains valid. Use Spay/Neuter stamps! 8 AlleyWACHOD FALL 2ooz `rc r e' <<r cc`$ 'tee. zt 5 ar. fi._'. , A'Publication of Alley Cat Allies fThe Nationar,P Fera(Cat Resource /Winter 2002 National Fe 'ro%t Day Re,a-,trw.hes,u'oo-at',[,�aftn�- M,i k G'� t 9� ���� �' 'Z®V Loo'ks An"ead, HE 2002 NATIONAL FERAL CAT DAY, October 16, was a complete success. Alley r Cat Allies' goal this year was to reach thousands of Americans who did not know how severe fer- al cat overpopulation has become or how to solve it, but they know they do not want healthy cats killed. Legions of individuals, groups, and corporate and foundation sponsors worked together to Mill make it happen. ries tracked in the week of Octo- it Three' thousand Ac- l,Cat1D.ya� ber 16 alone). Because of these - } 4 tion °Packs contain- efforts, National Feral Cat Day A ing Phil •Frank's dis- has taken its place on the nation- tinctive NFCD mate- al calendar. " g : �rials and suggesting This issue of Alley Cat Action. " ways to honor the applauds the work of dedicated a - l6t 2Oo day were requested volunteers across the 'country to and distributed. The change attitudes and policies to- Sopranos star Edie Falco made ward feral cats and to 'improve Volunteers for the Homeless NFCD public service announce- their circumstances through Trap- Cat Network of San Mateo, California, celebrated 2002 ments that ran on 360 television Neu National Feral Cat Day by Gol- and_ radio stations, and NFCD re- October .16; 2003 is' National letting donations of catfood ceived extensive press coverage Feral.Cat Day=how wilFyou hon- and cash to help local feral cat (more than 80 pro -feral cat sto- or the day7 caretakers. E NDORSEMENT OF TRAP - NEUTER -RETURN (TNR) by elected governments is ian important step in establishing TNR programs. in a community. This year, National Feral Cat Day and TNR 'received such endorse- ments from at least :four jurisdic- tion'sthe cities of Reno; Nevada, and, Utica, New York; Maricopa County, _Arizona;{and the State of Pennsylvania. Fora second year, Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin proclaimed' October 16 i.Jr. n I b R as National Feral Cat Day,in,and for the city of Reno and encouraged area citizens to support feral cat TNR programs, sponsored ;locally by the -SPCA. "We are honored and encouraged to have our pro- gram recognized a second: year,' said Tracy Bulkley, SPCA:Executive Director. "We are pleased to have the help of Reno Animal Services and the Nevada Humane Society to inform residents of this -option." Spring Farm CARES animal sanctuary In Clinton. New York, was instrumental in: persuading Utica; Mayor Timothy J. Julian to proclaim October 16 as National Feral Cat .Day in and around Uti- ca. Spring,Farm CARES has led lo- cal spay and neuter efforts to re- duce companion animal over- population by assisting more than 25;000 animals of various species in recent years. In 'September, the County Board of Supervisors of Maricopa County, Arizona, unanimously Continued on page 8 volviiig" corporations or other institutions where large colonies reside. Thanks to solid assistance from Western Zirconium employees, two, large, cat endo- sures were built. to house the cats until they became accustomed to their new location. Westinghouse. employee Jeff Healey spear- headed both the trapping and relocation. Clay Wilson, and Don Cox contributed their RAP -NEUTER -,RETURN (TNR) made Isense to the7 aministration of the Westinghouse,We . stern Zirconium Plant in West Ogden, Utah: Feral cats residing in the ruralAndustrial environment were an ongoing problem that hadn't been resolved by trap- ping the cats and delivering them to local an- imal control. After learning about TNR from Holly Sizemore, director of the Feral Fix Pro= gram of No More Homeless Pets in Utah (NMHPU), Western Zirconium authorized a TNR effort that involved relocating the cats to areas still on company property but away from facilities and workers. The Feral Fix Program is a dream come true for me" says .Sizemore. "I first, heard Becky Robinson at a conference in 1994. 1 was thrilled to learn there were others advo- cating for feral cats and impressed with the vi- sionary and professional way in which Alley Cat Allies took on the movement. They' helped us get started, and we're seeing the results in Utah today." The Feral Fix Program provides resources for caregivers, traps for loan, mentoring ad- vice, and TNR publicity materials. It also pro- motes TNR for large-scale projects, often in- ingenuity and hard work to ensure success. Other employees assisted with donations for cat food. To date, 39 cats have been trapped, steril- ' ized, and relocated. Fourteen tame cats and young kittens were adopted into homes. Even after a three-week containment period, a few of the relocated cats made their way back to the facility area. They were promptly re- trapped and returned to their new home. The enclosures are being maintained as shelters,. with a number of entrances so the cats can come and go as they please. A nearby veterinarian participating in Mad- die's Spay/Neuter Program for feral cats pro- vided surgery. This program, administered by the Utah Veterinary Medical Association, al- lows feral cats throughout Utah to be spayed or neutered for only $10. Schering-Plough do- nates FVRCP and rabies vaccines for caregivers who cannot afford the vaccinations. More than 1,800 feral cats have been al-' tered in Utah so far this year through Mad- die's Spay/Neuter Program. Another 600 feral. cats have been sterilized via the No More Homeless Pets' Big Fix mobile clinic and the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Clinic. Clay Wilson, Don Cox, Jeff Healy, and Kent°May design and build deluxe enclosures (top) for the Westinghouse feral cats. 'WINTER 2 0 0 2. Al leyCatAction 3 The 2002'NFCD Awards for Excellenc&honorees: Ed Boks'(Animal 'Control Officer), Bryan; Kortis and Ruth Sharp for'Neighbor- hood'Cats (Feral Cat Organization), Molly Tominack (Feral Cat Caretaker), and Dr. John Grillo (veterinarian) 2002 National Feral Cat. Day Awards for Excellence rap-Neuter_Return (TNR) be- comes established on'a com- munity scale through the ef- forts of -four groups: feral cat care- takers, feral cat organizations, vet- erinary professionals,, and animal control agencies and animal shel- ters. To applaud and encourage thousands of committed volunteers who fal6 into each of these cate- gories, on October 16, Alley Cat Al- lies presented a National Feral Cat Day Award for Excellence .to one outstanding representative from each. The honorees came from many parts of the country to a Fer- al and Proud of It! Celebration on the Georgetown University campus in Washington, DC, with more than 100 guests present. 2002 NFCD AWARDS,FOR EXCELLENCE Feral Cat Caretaker: Molly Tominack Indian Head, Maryland Feral Cat Organization: Neighborhood Cats, New York City Veterinarian: Dr. John Grillo Newbury, Massachusetts Animal Control Officer: Ed Boks, Maricopa County, Arizona Alley Cat Allies plans to honor -,out- standing individuals and groups every year to acknowledge the in- valuable contributions made by all feral cat advocates in ending feline overpopulation through ethical, nonlethal methods. .No More Homeless Fets,in Utah's A -List Bikini Team.became Cat Ladies,to deliver the spaylneuter message on National Feral Cat Day. NMHPU volunteers partied on NFCD by assembling cat shelters to'warm the furry ones through the Utah winter. Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon Karen Kraus, Executive Director 41 t sounds like National Feral Cat Day was a huge success! Good job. I am so happy to be part of the TNR solution. I wanted to tell you about the special clinic FCCO held in honor of NFCD, called the Fall Feral Fix. This vyas our largest one -day clinic ever! It was also our first,statewide clinic where cats and volunteers from cities we serve throughout the state all participated. We worked with three sh'iftsof volunteers, working throughout .the ,day. Eleven vets volunteered, with surgeries beginning at 8:15 a.m. and ending at,7:00 p.m. More than 100,volunteers assisted, and we spayed orneutered 207 cats! It wasamazing! It would not have occurred had Alley Cat Allies•not cre- ated National Feral -Cat Day. Great teamwork on behalf of the cats! (Ed. Note: Founded in 1995, FCCO. spays 6rneuters.3,000 cats_peryear.and has helped more than 14,700 cats'in less!. than eight years.) Fera( Friends in 'Gre_ ater Philadelphia Area . Donna.Rohner n celebration of National'Feral Cat Day,' Alley Cat Allies' Feral Friendsxin the Philadelphia area organized two stenlization:clihics forstfay and feral cats; isponsored by The Spayed Club,-a:low-cost spay/neuter group, and by"local trappers. The -cats ,all 'received ra- bies.vaccinations (donated by,Meri- al), FeWFIV tests on ,request; earti,pping, Revolution (donated by Pfizer); grooming, and lots of TLC. Dr. Jennifer Kramer, a',strong-feral cat advocate, hosted the first clinic on September'22. Drs. Leo1.gar and Melissa Sanchez also volun- teered and "together they sterilized 67 feral cats. Dr. Donald Shields, another long- time advocate of stray and feral cats, and Dr. Geza lhcze hosted the second, clinic"oh" November 3. This. - clinic -sterilized 1,01 feral cats. Thanks also to D.r Tim Ireland, cur- rent vice. president of'the Pennsyl- vania Veterinary Medical Associa- tion, for volunteering his time. We plan clinics throughout 2003. Homeless Cat_ Network of.San Mateo County, California Tonya Light„President o honor National Feral Cat Day, the,Homeless Cat Network.of San Mateo:hefd an afternoon canned food drive for homeless cats. In front of `a Safeway grocery store, we setup attractively decorated ta- bles loaded with,TNR literature,,and the NFCD poster," a 'bulletin board with photos of socialized feral cats available for adoption; and a shop- ping cart with a sigh,announcing our needfor'canned and dry, food. The,Network•received donations of 145:poundslof dry food, 75 cans of wet food, and $25 cash': We also received. manysupportive comments and two offers to volunteer. Fora first-time, event, we felt it went very well.. Next,year, we plan to expand the food drive: to several different lo- cations"and arrange more publicity. Thank you, Alley Cat Allies; for sponsoring National Feral Cat Day! Merrimack River Feline,Rescue Society Newburypoq,, Massachusetts Sharlene Sallet We Did If!!!!' I hope.you all will share' my excite- ment about what we accomplished on Sunday, November 3—we com- pleted 102 successful surgeries! This was our largest clinicyet. We began surgery at9'30 a.m: andfin- ished about 5:00 p.m, Our entire crew of surgeons and yetitechs'spent most of the 7.5 hours of the clinic hard at work, bent over"surgery`ta- Ues providing their skills to;our furry friends who otherwise,would�get no services. I stronglysuspecfthere were more than _a few backaches as a re- sult on Monday morning! We admitted 105 cats and, with the work of 30 staff members (8 veterinarians, 11 veterinary techni- cians, 11 general assistants), com- pleted surgery on 102 of them. The remaining three could not -be steril- ized (one already had been!), but they are fine. I hope all our volunteers feel truly gratified in knowing that they are an important part of the effort.to reduce the number of homeless cats, cats,born into a difficult life, cat,overpopulation, and healthy cats facing euthanasia. Our team is AWESOME! No More .Homeless Pets in Utah Holly Sizemore, Program, Director National Feral Cat Day: Ferals, Fun, and Fixin'! The NMHPU Feral Fix Program used NFCD to raise awareness and promote the humane treatment of feral cats. We started early with a live radio remote on X-96 Radio to talk ;up fer- al cats and promote Maddie's Spay/Neuter Program for feral cats administered by the Utah Veterinary Medical Association. The A -List" Bikini Team dressed as Cat Ladies and handed out cat -faced donuts, t- shirts, and TNR literature to the pub- lic. Feral Fix volunteers gave trap demonstrations and answered ques- tions about TNR.,Later, NMHPU host- ed a gathering where volunteers built winter cat shelters in.,a party at- mosphere. More than 1,00 feral cats will stay warm this winter, thanks to Advance Foam Plastics who gener- ously donated the 'Styrofoam. The event was a huge success! Almost 2'500 feral cats have been sterilized this ,year because of dedi- cated volunteers out there in the trenches trapping! Marketplace Trap -Neuter -Return: A Humane. Approach to Feral Cat Control (24:00) The Humane Solution: Reducing Feral Cat. Populations. with Trap,Neuter-Return (9:56) Trap -Neuter -Return/ ;R The Humane:Solutiori Revised and updated! This comprehensive TNR training video $:13.00 is educational and engaging, and contains valuable guidelines: for novices and pros alike:' VHs only A powerful public policy tool that outlines the benefits of $13:00 Trap -Neuter -Return (TNR) and demonstrates that TNR is by far the best method for controlling' feralcat populations. VHS only These'two'videos are the basic instructions of TNR. $20:00 PurchaSe'them,as a set,.and save.$6. Please indicatPVHSor DVD The Stray Cat Handbook How to care forstray and feral' cats. Essential information on .$10.00 BY TAMARA KREUZ; f58 pp: fostering, socializing, and finding homes for cats. The'Guide to Handraising'rKittens Clear i'nstr;uctions,and helpful, photographs make this an $&00 BY;SusAN EASTERLY„ 64 pp., absolute. "must -have" for anyone fostering young kittens. Maverick Cats Expanded and updated in 2001, this classic has additional $15.00 BY-ELLEN' PERRY BERKELEY., T59 pp. chapters on,Ellen's personal experiences and on research done around the world on the behavior of feral cats. Disposable Animals Explains the use of euthanasia by animal and animal welfare $14.00 BY CRAIG BRES'TRUP, 207 pp. organizations, and'th"e'unintended consequences of this practice. Four essential. pamphlets for starting a feral cat group ,BY BONNEY BROWN,. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary .Volunteers Getting ready for them, finding them, keeping them. Grassroots Organizing to Essential information about starting a feral cat organization. Help Feral Cats Starting'a Nonprofit Organization Important information on how to structure a nonprofit to Help. the Animals to run smoothly, grow, and succeed. Getting Your Paws on More Nloney Overcome fundraising phobia! Oct 16, 2002 Method of Payment: ❑ Check'made'payable to: Alley Cat Allies ❑ MasterCard ❑ Visa ❑ Discover $10 (U.S.)'minimum on charges $4T00 $4:00 $4.00 $4,00 2002 NFCD. t-shirt with Phil Frank logo on the front. $15:OC Be sure to specify size: M L X1 ACA donation DC residents add'5.756/b-"sales tax Total amount enclosed (if outside U.S. add $10 [U.S.] shipping surcharge) To ensure delivery, please complete the following lines. Name: Telephone Address CREDIT CARD NUMBER' City State Zip EXPIRATION DATE Mail to: Alley Cat.Allies 180.1 Belmont Road NW,' Suite 201 Washington,, DC 20009-5147 SIGNATURE TELEPHONE: 202.667.3630, ext: 101 FAX: 202.667.3640 E-MAIL. alleycat@alleycat.org ' 6 Atley.64'cfi®n W. I'N'T E R 2 0.0 2 1 - — — — — — — — — — — - 1 1 .Y 1 Your contribution will,help: makelhis ,a,healthy and safexwinter for thousands of stray and feral, cats' a 1 and will help us -get ahead, start, on -,preventing spring,, litters. Without our loyal Allies like you, 1 1 the work we do to make life better for the�cats would not be possible. 1 1 1 1 Thank you for your generous holiday gift of: 1 1 1 ❑ $35 ❑ $50 ❑ $ioo ❑ $250 ❑ $500 ❑ other:$ Remember, your gift is tax deductible as, allowed by U.S. law. All credit card gifts are charged in U.S. dollars. 1 1 1 1 1 1 NAME M(C# 1 1 1 1 MAW NG ADDRESS VISA# 1 1 1 1 1 1, CITY. STATE ZIP DISCOVER # 1 1 1 1 1 1 PBONENUMBER EXPIRATION DATE 1 � 1 1 E-MAIL SIGNATURE 1 1 1 a Alley Cat Allies 18ol 13e1mont,Roac1AW; Suite 201, Washington, DC 2aoo9-5147 WWW.alleycat.org a ---------------- ®®®---- — —- ATIme for w MH=HE RUSH OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON Is upon us, Last minute presents, holk day baking, and decorating the house seem to consume all of our time in these' last few days before our various celebrations at year's end. But this is also the time of the year when we reflect on what has happened in our lives, and the lives of our loved ones over -the last' 12 months. Here at Alley Cat Allies, this last year has been one of both successes and challenges. e Our Northern Virginia no -cost clinic has spayed or neutered over 600 stray'and feral cats and kittens this year. Multiply this by the number of cats our Feral Friends and volunteers across - the country have also spayed.or neutered,, and the number climbs to many thousands! o We distributed more than 3,000 free edu- cational packets- for National Feral .Cat .Day,. and our NFCD poster was displayed in -count- less. veterinarians' offices and animal shelters across the country. a Our participation at `no -kill" conferences helped to educate public officials about TNR and its effectiveness as the humane solution to feline.overpopulation. We coi ld'not-have had this success without, your help. Your ' support of our efforts has, 'made. the difference to, -and has :saved the lives, of, thousands of stray .and -feral cats across the country. I But we have only scratched the, surface in our efforts to provide a safe, healthy, and dig- nified life for the millions of stray and feral cats living among us. We,are still fighting to overturn the.myths and 'the outdated methods of feline popula- tion control that are still practiced by many federal, state, and municipal officials. How•can you help? We need your continued support to help us educate these officials about TNR and its ben- efits to the cats and to the community as a whole. Please consider a special year-end contri- bution that will help .us to: 7. Keep the cats healthy and safe over 'the winter. 2. Get&head start on preventing spring litters through continued spay/neuter efforts this Winter. 3, Continue to contact public, officials and shelter administrators to educate them about TNR—the only humane solution to feline overpopulation. WINTER 2002 AtteyCatActlon - 7 F• 0 N NOVEMBER 14, Alley Cat Allies' National.Director Becky Robinson took the message of nonlethal feline pope- lation'control to a global audience at the Fifth International Companion Animal Welfare Conference (ICAWC), in Prague, Czech Re - Return (TNR) program 'in any community worldwide. She cited examples of notable TNR prograrm that began with few financial or other, resources, butstabilized and grew from the efforts•of committed volunteers. The conference'.program covered subjects public. Ms. Robinsons pres- related''to companion ani- entation was entitled "TNR:• 9 • <..' = mal health, environment, t1191 E How Neighborhoods and . �,4p�and services, with a dozen Communities Can Stop Fer- al Feline Overpopulation," More than 250 participants from 30 countries attended' her presentation, which was simultaneously,translated 'in- to five languages. Based on Alley Cat Al- lies' experience as the rec- ognized expert in nonlethal feral cat population controf in the U.S., Ms. Robinson, outlined the requirement's: for starting a Trap -Neuter - speakers from the, U.S., the U.K., and other countries. The ICAWC was,founded in 1996 by the North Shore Animal League Internation- 'al to improve: relationships aipong animal welfare or- ganizations and provide hu- mane,education on a glob- al basis. Ms: Robinson's ICAWC white paper can be viewed 'on Alley Cat. Allies' web- Four)urisdictions Pass National Feral Cat Day/ Trap -Neuter -Return Re"sotuti®ns Continued from page 1 designated Maricopa County Animal Care & Control's FELIX (Feral Education & Love In- stead of X-.termination) program the "official- ly approved means to solving feral cat related problems in Maricopa County.` FELIX pro- vides ,spay/neuter services for feral cats throughout the county. The PennsylvaniaHouse of Representatives unanimously passed the, National Feral Cat Day Resolution. (House. Resolution 657, Print- er's No. 4285) on September 24, 2002. Stat- ing that Trap -Neuter -Return "has been proven to help control cat populations... and that cats can live healthy, safe and peaceful lives.in their territories," and acknowledging strong sup- port among veterinarians; humane ;societies, ,national and.local`animal protection organiza- tior s, and private,citizens, the resolution. pro- claimed' October 16 to be National Feral Cat site: wvvw.alleycat.org. ® Day in Pennsylvania. 8 Alley t WINTER zoo.