5265 Cats Spayed or Neutered Since 1999!

And We Couldn’t Have Done It Without YOU!

Here's why we do it: TNR is an idea whose time has come. It recognizes there's a new balance in our urban and rural landscape, one that includes feral cats. It seeks to manage this new population with enlightened techniques that allow the cats to live out their lives and fulfill their natures, while minimizing any possible negative impact. TNR is a movement that will continue to grow as more and more caring people see its potential and, in time, it will become the predominant method of feral cat population control.

TNR has many advantages. It immediately stabilizes the size of the colony by eliminating new litters. The nuisance behavior often associated with feral cats is dramatically reduced, including the yowling and fighting that come with mating activity. The colony also guards its territory, preventing unneutered cats from moving in and beginning the cycle of overpopulation and problem behavior anew. Particularly in urban areas, the cats continue to provide natural rodent control.

TNR, when practiced on a large scale, lessens the number of kittens and cats flowing into local shelters. This results in lower euthanasia rates and the increased adoption of cats already in the shelters. For example, in San Francisco, after TNR had been widely implemented for six years, euthanasia rates for all cats, feral and domestic, declined by 71 percent. San Diego, after several years of TNR, also experienced substantially lower euthanasia rates.

TNR is not just the best alternative to controlling feral cat populations - it is the only one that works. Trap and kill, the traditional technique exercised by animal control, is simply ineffective. If all the cats are not caught, then the ones left behind over breed until the former population level is reached. Even if all the cats are removed, new unneutered cats tend to move in to take advantage of whatever food source there was, and the cycle starts again. This explains why more and more animal control agencies are willing to try TNR and it’s what we’ve been doing since 1999 with your help!

Clinic Volunteer Andi Voil

The year has been off to a terrific start with two successful spay & neuter clinics that were both extraordinarily fun and productive. On January 26th Kona Veterinary Services hosted the event. Participating veterinarians were Dr. Jordan, Dr. Gaughan, Dr. Chartier and Dr. Nakaya and four vet tech's. During the clinic Dr. Head came and helped out too. The clinic started earlier than planned and fortunately we had cats ready to go. We neutered 20 males and spayed 20 females. Five of the females were pregnant. All our volunteers at both clinics were diligent, caring and fun, and we couldn't have done these clinics without each and every one.

January Clinic Doctors left to right; Shannon Nakaya, Jenny Chartier, Bob Jordan and baby Sophia.
Dr. Jeannie Gaughan and Dr. Jacob Head (not pictured) also participated at the clinic.

At our January clinic, one of the most interesting stories of the day was about a big orange tom who was a real veteran of cat squabbles and probably fathered an awful lot of babies. While he was in recovery a volunteer examined him and became concerned about one of his teeth. Dr. Bob checked him and extracted the one tooth with ease. He then found another that had to come out. The poor cat started to bleed hard from that one, so Dr. Bob plugged the hole with a type of gauze that would stop the bleeding, as well as dissolve on its own. We wondered if human dentists have to revert to such wonderful inventions. Then the same volunteer noticed his untipped ear was swollen and nasty looking, so in came Dr. Bob again. He looked at it and announced that the procedure was going to smell. He lanced the ear and drained it, then gave the cat a shot to prevent infection. We could only imagine how the old tom felt when he woke up wondering what the heck had happened to him?

March Clinic; 90 cats in traps!

Our March 1st clinic was held once again at the Kona United Methodist Church and what an exciting event it was. We scheduled 50 cats for surgeries, but 90 cats showed up! There was a slight mix-up in the assigned numbers, as many of the trappers thought other trappers would not fill their quota, so they brought extra cats. But this time our experienced trappers with their expert trapping skills were more than successful. It was a good thing we had 4 participating veterinarians and lots of volunteers. Supplies ran short and we had to rush out for more. Once again Dr. Jordan helped us with medications when we ran out.

We sterilized a whopping 90 cats, definitely a record for us; 50 females and 40 males and we prevented the birth of about 70 kittens. Out of the 90 cats at the clinic we lost only one who died in surgery. He was in really bad shape when he was brought in. Everyone appreciated the wonderful array of food prepared by Kathy Villander, and the coffee and goodies donated by Kona’s Starbucks.

March Clinic Doctors, left to right;
Elaine Wexler-Mitchell, Jim Grissard, Rochelle Brinton and Joann Dixon

Participating veterinarians at the March clinic were Jim Grissard from Veterinary Associates in Waimea, visiting vets Rochelle Brinton, Joann Dixon, Elaine Wexler-Mitchell. Dr. Brinton sponsored our visiting vets. Dr. Jordan and Dr. Brinton provided the medications which advoCATS paid for. Dr. Head provided more medications when ours ran out. Our veterinarians are the best and we appreciate them so very much. Mahalo to everyone from start to finish, together we have accomplished a tremendous feat. Our next clinic is scheduled for May 24th.

Ferol Kolons, Gen Griffin, Bee Henderson
(Read their stories below)

These feeders and trappers are just a few of our dedicated volunteers who’ve been working diligently for years managing some of the largest colonies on the Big Island. Without volunteers like these, advoCATS would not be where we are today. They care for their colonies like they do their own domestic animals and pay for the food themselves. Trapping goes hand in hand with feeding to prevent kittens from being born. These three feeders have trapped and spayed or neutered all of the cats in their colonies. We need more volunteers to help with feeding and trapping and we welcome new volunteers, so please join us in one of the most rewarding animal rescue efforts on the Big Island. We hold monthly meetings in Kailua Kona usually on the third Saturday at the Kona United Methodist Church on Palani Rd.

Ferol Kolons - I've always been a cat lover and as a kid I was always bringing the strays home in California where I grew up and went to school. Later on I worked at a public relations company and did some writing for the local newspapers. My real passion is graphic design and I have two degrees; communication and graphic design. After moving to the Big Island in 1989 I started working with the cats at Hapuna Beach. A beat up abandoned domestic orange tabby called scar face came right up to me while I was eating a tuna sandwich. After I gave him the sandwich I realized there must be more and soon realized there were at least 100. I started feeding them because they were starving and started spaying and neutering the healthy ones out of my own pocket. I connected with West Hawaii Humane Society which had money to spay/neuter feral cats. Once that money was gone advoCATS came into being and I've been able to spay and neuter all the cats at the park. I've had no kittens this year because I've been trapping non stop. I probably have about 65 cats at the park now, all fixed thanks to advoCATS. Those healthy and happy cats are fed daily by me and other cat helpers. I also feed and trap colonies in Waikoloa Village and Mauna Lani Resorts when people need help with their feral cats.

Gen Griffin - I moved here 24 years ago with my husband and three children. I’m a retired Arabian horse trainer and still have two horses. I love dogs, too, and raised and showed beagles for 25 years. I care about all animals and got our first cat because my oldest son loved cats. I had never been allowed to have a cat as a child because my dad didn’t like them! Not quite three years ago, one of the feeders for advoCATS was moving away and was desperately looking for someone to feed her cat colonies. She found my daughter, a professional pet sitter and animal lover, and recruited her to take over. I was the back-up feeder and trapper until my daughter's business really took off and I relieved her of her cat feeding duties. The cat colonies that I feed and TNR feel like my extended animal family. I know they are counting on me for food and water every day and have come to trust me. By sterilizing as many cats as I can at my own colonies and people's homes, I know I am helping the cats and the community. I never imagined myself as a cat feeder, but, along with the rest of the advoCATS volunteers, it feels good to be part of the solution.

Bee Henderson - My husband and I, and our 2 cats, moved from Oahu to Waimea (Kamuela) in 1995. We had open land around us, and soon we were feeding several "stray" cats. Mama Orange had a litter of 3 kittens, and I started feeling guilty about feeding all of them without doing anything to prevent more kittens. So in December of 1999 I started trapping, neutering, and returning these cats to my back yard. In 2001 I started to TNR the cats at Kawaihae Canoe Club. With help from Matt Belcher, DVM and his wife, Emily Claspell, we have done 30 cats at the club. At last count there were 13. The most recent addition was a Siamese mama and 3 kittens that came in a box. That was in 2002. Proof that TNR does lower the population. I helped with the first advoCATS clinic and have trapped for and volunteered at all but one since. I currently feed about 40 cats in 4 different locations and continue to TNR about 5 cats per week. I will trap from Hawi to Kalopa to Waikoloa Beach Resort, and would love to train new volunteers who live in any of those areas.

Fashionable A-Bay Café

The kitties now have a beautiful and safe feeding station at Anaehoomalu Bay. A wonderful addition to the feeding station is the prominent sign informing visitors about our program. Our goal is for every resort on the island to have a safe feeding station. These beach kitties are really living in paradise!

Howard Baldwin, Laura Danbury, Gunther and Elli Mench, Suzanne Haight, Mike & Kathy Solberg, James & Diane Kleiforth, Eric & Heather Redman, Ramona Hackbart, Victor & Jacqueline Cox, Frank Haines, Richard & Cindy Von Hagen, John Luciano and Mary Coons.

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

Taken in part from an article on the Alley Cat Allies web site by Nathan Winograd and Julie Levy, D.V.M.

There's a lot of fear around feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV). We would encourage you not to let your cats become the innocent victims of that fear. The percentage of feral cats infected with either FeLV or FIV is low. Approximately 4 percent are infected with FeLV and 4 percent with FIV. This is similar to the infection rate in domestic pet cats.

Sterilization contains the spread of viruses like FeLV and FIV. Since neutering reduces or eliminates the primary modes of transmission, such as fighting and breeding, infected cats pose little risk to other cats.

Infected cats are often asymptomatic and can remain healthy for several years. In addition, because testing is not always accurate, healthy cats may be euthanized unnecessarily when positive test results occur. Moreover, removing and euthanizing a cat that tests positive will not necessarily prevent spread of the infection within the colony since it's likely that the other colony members have already been exposed to the virus.

In some circumstances, the cost of testing may outweigh its effectiveness and even hinder the success of a sterilization program. The effectiveness of these large-scale sterilization programs indicates that the goal of spaying and neutering as many ferals as possible can be met without compromising the health or well-being of the cats. It is important to remember that we are in the midst of a crisis. Shelters all over the country are killing stray and feral cats at an alarming rate. We need to focus our energy and resources on preventing the births of more homeless kittens, many of whom don't survive their first year of life. Increasing the number of animals who are spayed and neutered is the single most effective way to help control the crisis and reduce the suffering of stray and feral cats.

At the San Francisco SPCA they realized that the incidence rate of positive cats is the SAME for feral cats as it is for the pet cat population; about one and one-half percent to three percent of all cats who are tested. Now that is a very low number of cats who test positive, and that’s the first reason why the expense of testing is not cost-effective. Only about two cats in one hundred will test positive. So you are really spending a lot of resources which could be better spent on things that will impact and improve the lives of cats a lot more than testing. Besides wasted funds and false positives, in the end only about ten percent of cats who are infected with FIV actually come down with the disease. Ninety percent, nine out of ten infected cats, will lead completely normal lives. Many will destroy the virus. Because feral cats develop immunities if they survive kitten hood, cats become more resistant to viral diseases as time goes by, and FIV and FeLV are no exception.

In the end, if we take the position that we should kill FIV/FeLV+ feral cats, while we do not have the same rules for pet cats, aren’t we establishing a double standard? Aren’t we saying that feral cats are worth less than pet cats? We do not share the point of view that feral cats lead miserable lives. Experience with over 8,000 cats and hundreds of caregivers is that feral cats often lead long, contented lives. Ultimately they are no different than other wildlife. Some of these animals do not lead extraordinarily long lives, but we would never think about euthanizing them for their own good. We believe that feral cats deserve our compassion and protection no matter how long their lives may be. Our philosophy has always been live and let live.

Experience has led many of those involved in these programs to question the efficacy of testing feral cats for FeLV and FIV. Some have even chosen to discontinue testing of feral cats altogether.

To read this very interesting and informative article in it’s entirety, please go to:

http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/shouldwerelease.pdf

Alley Cat Allies is one of our nations largest feral cat organizations.

In Remembrance Of

In Memory of Freeda Klein: Pauline Beynon, Shirley Poitras, Judy Kocon, Marion Salazar and Nancy & Jim Hitzemann
Sandra Coit in memory of Freckles and Dolly
Reba from the sanctuary

In Honor Of

Laura Danbury in honor of kitties; Hapa, Buddha and Claudia
Carolyn Keeler in honor of Daisy
Tom Brennan in honor of Margie Wolfe

KIT “N” Carlyle

Do you live on the Big Island and Love Animals? Join us in one of the most rewarding animal rescues on the Big Island. If you can spare a few hours a week you could really make a difference in the lives of our island cats. We could use help with: answering advoCATS phone messages, writing thank you cards, collecting donation box money, coordinating our garage sales, radio/TV spokesperson, feeding, trapping, taking cats to TNR veterinary appointments and fostering kittens.

Call us at: 327-3724 or E-mail us at: advocatshawaii@aol.com

AdvoCATS Welcomes New Volunteers;

Mahalo to our new volunteers, the kitties love you:
Cindy Thurston, Sue Rhymes, Sue and Griffin Dwyer, Lillian Manning,
Danny Van Arsdale and Debbie Wirsing.

Do you sometimes feel like your life has no purpose?
Volunteering can give your life meaning and add the fulfillment it might be lacking.
Become part of the solution to an ever-growing problem all over the world. You’ll be glad you did.

At our March 28th garage sale we collected $2,092.47. Special thanks to the ones with the muscles and the trucks: Mike, Rodney, Taylor, Deane, Denise, Jim and Danny. Thanks to all the sorters, pricers and cashiers: Margie, Roberta, Nancy, Laurel, Cindy, Karen, Jan, Jennifer, Ferol, Pica, Suzanne, Nick and Solomon. Mahalo to all the wonderful people who donated all the great stuff! And the most appreciated mahalo’s go to Kathy Villander, who lends her home and front yard for our sales, as well as providing us with delicious food.

Volunteer Judy Kocon has been selling some of our higher quality donated items on Craig’s list and recently sold a total of $1,115. Mahalo Judy, it’s great to have you back! We all missed you.

The Hawaii Island Humane Society is using the money County Council member Brenda Ford got them for their "feral cat program". They hired Dr. Hendrix to be their vet, as she had experience with spay/neuter and was eager to do it. HIHS had four clinics in February using free coupons and reservations, with no charge to the cat’s caregiver. AdvoCATS took cats to three of the clinics. They test for leukemia and HIV and if the cat is positive, they euthanize the cat. They also tip both ears so that they will know that they did the surgery. Since February, they had one clinic every month and do the first 30 cats that show up (no coupons and no reservations). The first clinic of this type was in March. AdvoCATS has not been involved in the planning of these clinics, nor do we agree with some of their decisions, but we will take advantage of them nevertheless because they are free of charge. So far we have taken 24 cats to the HIHS clinics, 4 tested positive and were euthanized.

YOU CAN HELP HAWAII’S CATS

____ $130. donation: the cost to spay 2 female cats.

____ $90. donation: the cost to neuter 2 male cats.

____ $65. donation: the cost to spay 1 female cat.

____$45. donation: the cost to neuter 1 male cat.

Please make checks payable to: advoCATS, Inc.
Mail to:
advoCATS, Inc. P.O. Box 4415
Kailua Kona Hawaii 96745
(808) 327-3724

advoCATS, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible.
Or you may print up a donation form from our web page:
Donate to advoCATS, Inc. Give a charitable gift

As of April 2008
5265
Spayed or Neutered Since 1999
Mahalo To All Our Veterinarians and Staff!

Read our newsletter archives:
Winter 2010

Autumn 2009 / Summer 2009 / Spring 2009 / Winter 2009

Autumn 2008 / Summer 2008 / Spring 2008 / Winter 2008

Autumn-2007 / Summer-2007  /  Spring 2007  / Winter 2007

Autumn 2006 /  Summer 2006 / Spring 2006