advoCATS, Inc - Helping Hawaii's Abandoned and Homeless Felines

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In this Issue:

Kitten Rescue at the Hilton
Rogue Cat Feeders
Volunteer Feature; The Fundraisers
Looking for a Funny Cat!
Gift Giving Helps advoCATS; Ideas for Holiday Gifts
advoCATS comic
July Spay/Neuter Clinic
Discount on Pet Prescription Drugs
Say NO! To Plastic Pet Food Bowls
Relax with a Cat...Prevent a Heart Attack!
Correction on Feline Leukemia Testing
Hawaii Island Humane Society Clinics
Humane Society of the U.S. Features Feral Cat Video
Fundrai$ing New$
advoCATS Now Accepts Donation$ Through Pay Pal
advoCATS “Special” Foster Kitties of the Month

Just Another Day at the Beach:

In September this year, many of the Waikoloa Beaches were closed due to shark sightings in the area. At Hapuna Beach there lives a large colony of cats, all spayed, neutered and cared for by an advoCATS volunteer. Now if you’ve ever been to Hapuna Beach during the day you might never know there are over 80 cats living there, as the cats keep a low profile during the day and hide in the bushes surrounding the beach. So when the beach was closed for several days, it was time for the kitties to get out there bikini’s and board shorts, their volleyballs and beach umbrellas and live it up. And there they were; basking in the sun on their beach towels, sipping catnip cocktails, eating their mousey munchies, setting up their fishing poles and catching their lunch. Well, at least it’s fun to think this is what they would do...

A Kitten Rescue with a Happy Ending

Rogue Feeders Feeding Cats!

We know you’re out there, undercover, camouflaged by trees and bushes, quietly going behind buildings, in shopping centers and parks, bags of cat food in hand...We are asking those who feed cat colonies on the Big Island to contact us to avoid overfeeding. At one location in Kailua, 6 different people have been seen feeding at the same location every day, but at different times. While only a mile or so away there are cats that are starving because there aren’t enough volunteers who want to feed cats. If cats are over fed there will be leftover food and left over food attracts mongoose, something the advoCATS feeders get blamed for. Occasionally our feeders will find left over cat food or empty food containers at their regular feeding spots left by well meaning people. This not only wastes food, but the advoCATS feeders time of going there to feed the cats. It also makes it hard for our trappers to trap a cat who has already eaten. The trappers always feed the colonies after they have successfully trapped at that location. At some of the locations, such as shopping centers, managers get angry at people who leave behind the empty bags or cans and the advoCATS feeder gets blamed for that too! Our feeders are discreet and clean up after feeding or trapping so as not to anger anyone. People may be well meaning, but sometimes they are making matters worse for the cats and harder for the feeders. If you or someone you know would like to help feed a cat colony we always need more help. Since our feeders go out 7 days a week, they would sometimes love to have a day off or to go on vacation. The cats need to be fed regularly to be able to trap them. We firmly believe that feeding goes hand in hand with trapping. If you aren’t sure if you would like the idea of feeding a cat colony, contact us. We can arrange for you to go along with a feeder on their route for a day or so. Some of our feeders go to only one location, while some go to as many as 8.

advoCATS Volunteer$ Who Rai$e Fund$

We are Looking for a Comedian Who Loves Cats We have a very “funny” idea for a fundraiser if we can only find a comedian or comedians to donate some cat jokes. If you’re a funny cat lover or know a comedian who might like to help kitties, please contact us. We want to bring attention to the plight of these wonderful animals throughout the world and we think we have a way to do just that, but we need some help. You needn’t be “famous” just funny! Ellen DeGeneres, Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Robin Williams, Arsenio Hall, Andy Bumatai; the kitties need you!

Gift Giving Helps to Spay & Neuter Hawaii’s Kitties
This holiday season you can help our S/N program by purchasing gift items from companies or individuals that donate all or part of the purchase price to advoCATS. Here's how you can help:

Christmas Treasures Craft Fair
King Kamehameha Hotel Ballroom Kailua-Kona
Friday November 28th - 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday November 29th - 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

AdvoCATS will have a safari cat themed booth at the fair with a wonderful selection of hand crafted items made especially for advoCATS including: Oil Paintings by local artists, Cat Sculptures, Safari Theme Jewelry, Cat Lady Jewelry, Estate Jewelry, Cat T-shirts, Kitty Candy Jars and Containers, Cat Art Greeting Cards, 2009 Cat Calendar, Kitty Ornaments, Cat Rubber Stamps, Local Woodcraft Products, even Foster Kitties for Adoption. We’ll have something for all of your cat loving friends and family with prices to suit everyone and 100% of the proceeds goes to advoCATS! If you’d like to help with this event or have items to donate please contact: Kandice: 929-8198 or E-mail: advocatshawaii@aol.com

Shaklee Products
Nutritional Supplements, Skin Care,
Weight Loss/Management, Natural Make-Up,
Environmentally Green Cleaners
Marie-anne Rouse, an independent Shaklee distributor, is offering 100% of the profits from your purchases to benefit advoCATS! As a cat lover she loves the idea of helping advoCATS this way. So check out her web site and get healthy alternative gifts for your friends and family.
Web Site: http://www.shaklee.net/sarahs/whatProducts

Sarah’s Consignments
The giving of recycled items is wonderful for the environment and Sarah’s also has brand-new items such as jewelry and locally made items like soaps and art. Items brought in by advoCATS are tagged with “advoCATS” on the tag. When people buy one of these, the advoCATS account gets automatically credited. Located in Kailua Kona in Ilima Court, between Hot Nails and T-mobile. It's the same shopping center as Firestone. Call 326-4831

International Coffee and Tea

For Coffee & Tea Lovers on Your List - Thirstea, a coffee and tea company, donates 30% of the sale of their products to our program. Thirstea has a delicious selection of international coffees, teas and supplies to go with them. This is an easy way to send a trendy gift and help our Big Island kitties too. Web Site: http://www.thirstea.biz/cat/index.shtml

advoCATS Rubber Stamps

These cat stamps are made from photos of our very own advoCATS. There are lots of fun designs to choose from! Fifty percent of the sale price goes directly to advoCATS. The rest of the price pays for the stamp, processing fees, etc. Payment can be made through PayPal. Prices start at $5.99 per stamp and there’s a minimum order of three stamps. This is a fun gift for your crafty, cat loving friends or family. Web Site: http://www.mooncaat.com

Christmas Tree Fundraiser at the The Mauna Lani Resort

This year, we are encouraging our loyal supporters to send your holiday donations directly to advoCATS. We have determined from past years, that donations earmarked for tree votes would be of greater benefit going directly to our spay/neuter fund than being divided amongst the numerous entries in the contest and the uncertain goal of winning a prize. We are still entering a tree for public awareness and to attract new donors from resort visitors unfamiliar with our mission. If you are in the area, please visit the beautiful display, but your direct donations to us are of more critical importance towards our spay/neuter fund so we can continue to boost our numbers for 2009!

And Lastly; For The Person Who Has Everything

Do you have a cat lover on your list who doesn’t want presents? Another gift idea is to make a donation as a gift in honor of them. We will send the recipient a beautiful advoCATS art card mentioning you as the donor. Maybe you are the one who doesn’t want presents; you can suggest this to your friends and family.

Mahalo, Mahalo, Mahalo to:

The Cheryl Holdcroft Trust, Brenda Ford, Mr. & Mrs. Oshima, The Maese family, John Rabi, Katrina Watson, Terry Causey, Catherine Steinbach, Cindy Thurston, Irene Tschappat, Steve & Audrey Kimes, Douglas & Julie Vasilevich, Johanna Nisley-Gil and Gunther & Elli Mench

And a special Mahalo to Carolyn and Bruce Witcher at
Witcher Engineering for printing our newsletter.

Who are Bruce and Carolyn Witcher?

Every 3 months the wonderful folks at Witcher Engineering let us take over their copy center for an afternoon to run off copies of our newsletter. Just who are these wonderful people? Bruce Witcher is a civil engineer who designs utility infrastructure, drainage and erosion control, as well as city waste water and septic systems. He also does shoreline studies, flood plain analysis and designs subdivisions. After he retired from the Air force, he and Carolyn started their parent company; Witcher & Associates in 1983 in Arizona, then Witcher Engineering in 1996. The Witchers raised 3 children in Phoenix; 1 boy and 2 girls, and now have 4 grandchildren as well. Since they moved to Kona in 1990 they have adopted many homeless cats with names like Rambo and Radar. They currently have a big male orange tabby named Sonar, plus Carolyn’s newest baby; a 5 week old advoKITTEN named Mozart. Bruce loves to do woodworking and taking care of their rose garden at their Holualoa home. Carolyn’s love is being part of the Kona Festivale Chorale as a second soprano. Look for her in the upcoming Christmas Concert the second week of December at the King Kamehameha Hotel or visit their web site: http://www.kfchoral.com/

Meet our new graphic artist; Cheryl Nacis. I’m a Cat Mom, Cat Lover, Cat Obsessed, Cat Advocate. I was born and raised in Hilo and a cat lover since I was four years old with my very first cat "Pee Wee," a chocolate point Siamese. After that I have gone through a plethora of kittens and cats, some with disabilities, some with just the kitten krazies. I currently have 6 cats ranging in age from 11 months to 14 years old. I started as a freelance graphic artist in 1983 and am now considered "prehistoric" due to the "world domination" of computer graphics! I started out doing full drawn ads with text for boutique and specialty stores in Hilo. From there I designed T-shirts, rubber stamps, custom tattoos and a whole lotta stuff in between. The graphics business hasn't been kind to this computer graphic software challenged person since no one wants hand drawn art anymore. Thus, my only current projects will be coming up with a new cartoon for the advoCATS Newsletter every quarter. My love for cats has outgrown my house, as I also have a Maneki Neko collection numbering in the 100's and every conceivable kitty themed item one could possibly have from t-shirts to mouse pads, stoneware dishes and mugs, toothbrush holders and soap dispensers, towels and sheets, pens and pencils, magnets and calendars…you get the picture

advoCATS Welcomes PETCO Open Now in Kona

Mahalo PETCO for inviting our foster mom’s to the opening of the Kailua-Kona PETCO store, where we had 5 kitties adopted. PETCO has invited us to return in the future to do it again. PETCO has also made donations to our spay/neuter program in the past through their PETCO Foundation. The new store has a huge selection of everything for all the furry, feathered and scaly members of your family.

In Remembrance Of: Jim and Nancy Hitzemann in memory of Beatrice Hendrickson Roberta Agre in memory of Jan and Charlie Biltoff Roberta Agre in memory of Michael Oshima Shirley Poitras in memory of Sammy Cindy Thurston in memory of Sasha and Coco

In Honor Of: Elaine Anderson in honor of Keiko The Maese family in honor of Shadow Polly Miller in honor of Gael Miller Pamela Billing in honor of Bill and Linda Hardy Maudean and Jerald Drobesh in honor of Dorothy Brewer Steve and Audrey Kimes in honor of L.M. Morgenroth

Spay/Neuter Clinics; a Continued Success

Our July 26th clinic was held once again at the Kona United Methodist Church in Kailua Kona. We sterilized 22 females (3 were pregnant) and 16 males. We'd like to offer a huge mahalo to everyone who volunteered and helped to make this clinic such an accomplishment. All the volunteers were competent, focused and relaxed. With each clinic we do, we get more and more organized and work as a finely tuned team.

Mahalo to our longtime advoCATS supporters Eric and Heather Redman who donated their beautiful home at the Mauna Kea Resort for the veterinarians to use while they were here. The Redman's heard about our need for veterinarians to volunteer at our clinics and sent Dr. Waterhouse from their home town of Seattle and paid for the entire trip. Dr. Waterhouse said he felt so spoiled staying there.

(Above) Our clinic veterinarians left to right: Dr. Kim Kozuma from Hilo, Dr. Cary Waterhouse from Seattle and Dr. Sarah Beaman from S. California. Not pictured is vet tech Becky Rothfuss, also from California. All of them were wonderful, extremely competent and very nice to work with. They even offered to come back once a year!	Above) After the cats came out from surgery, Jade Kozuma learned about tipping the cats ears from volunteer Jan Abbott. Left tip for male, right tip for female.
(Above) Volunteer Nancy Hitzemann tipped cats ears, as well as helped to give IV fluids if needed after surgery. The cats were also given Advantage for fleas and Ivermectin for worms, mites and mange.	(Above) Volunteer Jennifer Olson became a pro at prepping the cats. Here she’s shaving a young female before the surgery. Maite Anasagasti and Griffin Dwyer are assisting.
(Above) Our youngest volunteer; 3 year old Jade Kozuma, helped feed the foster kittens brought by foster mom Nancy Hitzemann. The 1 week old kittens needed to be fed every 2 hours.	(Above) Volunteer Peter Mertvago cleaned the cats ears and checked for ear mites after ear tipping.

We still need veterinarians from the mainland to come to Hawaii on vacation and volunteer one day to help us with our clinics. We have local vets to sponsor them and places for them to stay. We are also asking for donations of Frequent Flier Miles to help those who can’t afford the airfare. Please, ask your veterinarian!

Mahalo to Samrit Oumyoung & Montre Liwirum, owners of Krua Thai Cuisine in Kailua Kona, who donated a delicious selection of Thai pupus for the clinic. Everyone enjoyed and appreciated their generosity. We highly recommend them if you are having lunch or dinner out and be sure to say: "Thanks for supporting advoCATS!" They are located on the corner of Kuakini and Henry St. The entrance is on Kuakini. They are open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Phone: 327-5782

Mahalo to Deepa and Joe Alban from Kona Joe Coffee for donating the Kona coffee that kept us all going. Kona Joe’s is located “up mauka” in historic Kainaliu. Visit their beautiful gift shop and coffee bar or go to: http://www. konajoe.com

Information For Curious Cats

Off The Table Mabel Scat Kat: Ideal for avoidance training. Sprays an odorless, non-staining gas harmless to pets and people. Train your cat to keep off of furniture, countertops and plants. Scat Spray senses your cat within 1 meter, then emits a startling, deterring spray. Approximately 150 sprays per can. Starter kit costs $ 28.97 Refills available. http://www.omahavaccine.com/single_product_display.cfm?id=20030814143501& (Note; We tried this product and it worked like a charm for keeping our cats off the kitchen counter.)

Discount on Pet Prescription Drugs
Do you or your companion animal use prescription drugs that must be purchased at a pharmacy? In a joint effort of your local county government and the National Association of Counties (NACo) you can save an average of 20% on your prescription drugs. Check this web site to see if your county government and or pharmacy participates in this program:
http://www2.caremark.com/naco/

Say “NO” To Plastic Pet Food Bowls
Although plastic bowls are generally sturdy, they have a couple of downsides. First, many cats have an allergy to plastic and develop a skin condition on their chins resembling acne. Second, plastic tends to nick and scratch and those tiny fissures become a breeding ground for germs. Some plastics become slightly absorbent as they age. Your cat's plastic bowl may start retaining the smell of old food no matter how well you wash and rinse it, so the fresh food can be rejected by fussy cats. Most plastics contain melamine which harms cats kidneys when absorbed. Water that sits in plastic bowls for long periods can absorb the melamine, so avoid plastic if at all possible. Stainless steel is unbreakable, sturdy, dishwasher-safe, and harmless to cats and is recommended by most veterinarians. Another good choice is ceramic, provided it has a lead-free glaze. Most cats do not like to eat or drink from dirty bowls and dishes. Even dry food has enough moisture and fat to leave a film in the dish. Try to rinse out dry food bowls daily, and run them through the dishwasher at least every few days. Bowls used for canned food should be washed in the dishwasher daily.

How To Prevent a Heart Attack: Relax with a Cat
Research shows that having a cat companion may cut your risk of a heart attack; so say the researchers at University of Minnesota, Zeenat Stroke Research Center. During a 10 year study, subjects with cats were 40% less likely to die from a heart attack than their cat-less counterparts. Feline companionship can actually help combat heart-harming stress and anxiety. A comparable effect has already been shown in studies of dog owners. - Melissa Gotthardt.

Whoops! Correction on Feline Leukemia Testing
It was incorrectly reported in our summer 2008 newsletter that cats vaccinated for FeLV “Feline Leukemia” will test positive for it later on. It is actually FiV “Feline Imunodefincy Virus” or Feline Aids. Cats vaccinated with the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Vaccine will be positive on any FIV testing. Fortunately not many vets are using the FIV vaccine now for this reason and because very few cats actually die from FIV.

Hawaii Island Humane Society Clinics
Free Spay/Neuter Clinics are still being held at the Kailua Kona Humane Society and the Ocean View Veterinary Office once a month. Please call the Kailua office for information and appointments: 329-1175. They do test for FeLV and FiV and will euthanize if positive.

This a great opportunity for everyone in West Hawaii to make use of. If you want to borrow traps and or need instruction on how to trap, we can help. Or you can do it all by yourself; trapping instructions can be found on our website and traps can be purchased at HPM.

The HIHS is also still offering low cost spay/neuter coupons to use at a veterinarian’s office.

Humane Society of the U.S. Features Feral Cat Video
A new 16-minute video about the benefits of TNR is now available on the HSUS web site: http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/feral_cats/feral_cat_resources.html
This interesting and informative video has interviews with veterinarians and public officials, as well as Feral Cat Organization leaders heralding the importance of TNR and how colonies of cats can benefit everyone. This is what we “advoCATS” have been saying since we began in 1999.

Fundrai$ing New$ August Garage $ale
A garage sale was held August 9 on Alii Drive. A total of $1,859.00 (including sales from Craigs List) was collected for our spay/neuter program. Special mahalos to all our helpers: Wayne Flemming, Laurel Gregory, Sharain Herrick, Nancy and Jim Hitzemann, Judy Kocon, Peter Mertvago, Thalia Nadiau, Jennifer Olson, Vikki Stenlake, Cindy Thurston, Danny Van Arsdayle, Linda Welker, and Margie Wolfe. We are also thankful to Jim Weise for his assistance at the garage and to Jim and Diane Merriam for their continued and gracious support. And as always, we must thank our generous donors for the quality donations that are the core success of our garage sales.
We will be having another garage sale on November 22. If you would like to volunteer your time, we could really use your help. Or if you have quality items to donate please contact Judy at 329-3902 or E-mail: balikaihi@aol.com

IronMan Recycling Fundraiser
AdvoCATS volunteers were once again at the Ironman awards banquet collecting H5 containers by the truck loads. Even though it was pouring rain most of the evening, our volunteers persevered. This effort not only collected money for our spay/neuter program, it helped our island environment too! Every volunteer got a free Ironman T-shirt and a meal. This was advoCATS third Ironman benefit.

advoCATS Now Accepts Donation$ Through Pay Pal

It’s now even easier to make donations to advoCATS using Pay Pal. You can go to our home page and click on our Pay Pal donation link, or the click on the link above, or log on to www.paypal.com and click on “Send Money,” then enter our email address: advocatshawaii@aol.com. It’s that easy! You can use your bank account, credit card, or PayPal balance to make a donation. And what 's really great; you can use your credit card that enables you to aquire frequent flyer mileage points. Take a trip and help the kitties! What a way to go! If you don’t already have a Pay Pal account it only takes a few minutes to get one. It’s a free and safe way to make purchases or send donations.

advoCATS, Inc. P.O. Box 4415 Kailua Kona Hawaii 96745
advoCATS, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible.
Phone: (808) 327-3724 E-Mail: advocatshawaii@aol.com Web Site: www.advocatshawaii.org

Donate to advoCATS, Inc. Give a charitable gift

As of October 2008
5938
Cats Have Been Spayed or Neutered Since 1999
Mahalo To All Our Veterinarians and Staff!

Home / Mission Statement / Kitties; Lost, Found & For Adoption / Give a Donation or Gift / Cat, Kitten and Feral Cat Care / What is TNR? / Cat Rescue Stories From Our Volunteers /Adopt a Feeder Program / advoCATS News / Spay & Neuter Clinic / Links / Contact Us

advoCATS Inc.
P.O.Box 4415
Kailua Kona  Hawaii  96745
Phone: (808) 327-3724
Email: advocatshawaii@aol.com
web site: www.advocatshawaii.org