advoCATS, Inc
Helping Hawaii's Abandoned and Homeless Felines
advoCATS News Good "Mews" For Hawaii's Cats Summer 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our advoCATS Sanctuary Is Becoming A RealityWe now have 5 acres of secluded land in the Kahuku Mountains on the south side of the island for a sanctuary. The land is forested with ancient Ohi`a trees, Ohelo, Pukiawe and A`ali`i plants as well as native ferns and grasses. There are many places for the cats to play, hide and explore. The sanctuary will be a haven for feral as well as abandoned and homeless cats on the Big Island to live out their lives in peace and away from harm. There are literally thousands of cats on the Big Island living in jeopardy; hiding behind shopping centers and in industrial areas, with many continually harassed by non-friendly humans. We continue to get calls from people asking us to “do something” with the feral cats near their workplace or home, but until now there was nowhere to take them. We still need help with the fencing, excavation and building small shelters and feeders. If you can lend a hand in anyway please call, write or phone us. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADVOCATS MEMBER TAKES ON 172 CATS Story by Bee Henderson Through my association with advoCATS, I was contacted in May and June by 4 home owners in Waimea and Kohala who had found that the colonies of cats they were feeding were increasing in size, and becoming overwhelming. They said they had colonies of 7, 15, 30 and 120 cats! They asked for help in getting these cats spayed & neutered. I, in turn, asked for help from advoCATS members, and friends. In the past 3 weeks I have TNR’d 25 cats. Seventeen were female, 8 were male; 12 have had their surgeries at Veterinary Associates, 13 have been done by Annette Timmel. I have made progress with 3 of the 4 families: the 7 cats were only 6, and we have done 5 of the 6 (but there are 3 kittens, and may be more on the way); I have done 6 of the 15 cat family; the 30 cat family is actually 15 cats and 15 kittens. The kittens will have to be done later, but we have gotten 10 of the 15 cats. I’ve also done 4 other cats from my regular feral colonies. The colony of 120 cats will need special attention, but there is good news there. Mary (Walker) Buckley has arranged to have ARCH monies transferred to Hawaii Island Humane Society. Josi Morgan, director of HIHS, has contacted me and said they will set aside one day a week to do 20 cats per week from this colony, for as long as it takes. This will not happen until their new vet comes on board in August (and then only if he agrees) so in the meantime our advoCATS President Karen Klein has said I can bring 20 cats to our July 29th clinic. I want to thank all of you for your support, encouragement, and coupons. Together we really can make a difference. Stay tuned for an update on this story in our next issue. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HELP THE KITTIES AT FOODLAND September is “Give Aloha” at Hawaii’s Foodland and Sack N Save stores. This is the best time of year to donate to us because a portion of your donation is matched by Foodland and the Western Union Foundation and all of it goes to our spay and neuter fund. Go to any checkout counter during September and specify the amount you wish to donate to advoCATS (our code is 77404). Since the program began in 1999, a total of $8 million has been raised for the community. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mahalo, Mahalo, Mahalo! A Big Mahalo to Carolyn Witcher at Witcher Engineering for printing this newsletter, to Wal-Mart for their generous pledge of a quarterly contribution for our spay and neuter fund and to all our wonderful supporters whose donations make our work possible. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PROTECTING YOUR PETS AND FERAL CATS DURING A DISASTER HURRICANES, floods, wildfires, hazardous material spills and disasters can strike anytime, anywhere. Pets are not allowed inside emergency shelters for humans due to public health and safety reasons. If you and your family need to evacuate to a public shelter during a disaster, you must plan in advance for the care of your cats, dogs and livestock. Such planning could save your animal’s life. Don’t wait until the last minute to get ready. Warnings of hurricanes or other disasters may be issued hours, or even days, in advance. Here are some emergency tips and planning information from The Humane Society of the United States. IF YOU EVACUATE, TAKE YOUR PETS. The single most important thing you can do to protect your pets if you evacuate is to take them with you. If it’s not safe for you to stay in the disaster area, it’s not safe for your pets. HAVE A PLAN. Keep your pets’ vaccinations up-to-date. Know where your pets can go whether it’s a friend or family member, pet-friendly hotel, animal shelter, or boarding facility. Place your contact information, including the name of an out-of-state contact on your pets’ ID tags, microchip registrations, and licenses. Prepare an emergency kit of leashes, collars, extra ID tags, water, food, medications, health records, and photos to prove ownership. Have on hand portable carriers large enough for your pets to stand and turn around in. Prepare a first-aid kit, including your vet contact information and an authorization to treat your pets. Gather any relief plans developed by your local Red Cross chapter; emergency management office; or police, fire, health, wildlife and agriculture departments so you know where to turn for specific resources. IF YOU DON’T EVACUATE If your family and pets must wait out a storm or other disaster at home, identify a safe area of your home where you can all stay together. Keep cats in carriers and dogs on leashes, and make sure they are wearing identification. Have any medications and a supply of pet food inside watertight containers, along with your other emergency supplies. IN CASE YOU’RE NOT HOME An evacuation order may come, or a disaster may strike, when you’re at work or out of the house. Make arrangements well in advance for a trusted neighbor to take your pets and meet you at a specified location. Be sure that the person is comfortable with your pets, knows where your animals are likely to be, knows where your disaster supplies are kept, and has a key to your home. DISASTER PLAN FOR FERAL CATS The main thing to try to do for feral cats is to place steel hopper-type feeders that are above expected flood lines and not in a place that is likely going to end up with downed trees. They have to be attached to hardened structures with masonry bolts. Same for the watering systems. And then you have to have enough feed and water in place to last an expected 3 - 5 days. As far as the cats, they're usually pretty successful in hunkering down out of the wind or getting above flooding by climbing trees or getting up on other debris. WEB SITES FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.redcross-cmd.org/Chapter/Services/animal.html www.avma.org/disaster/saving_family.asp www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_emergency
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NATIONAL FERAL CAT DAY IN HAWAII Last year the County Council made it official; October 16th is Feral Cat day on the Big Island. The County of Hawaii endorses that non-lethal TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), when accompanied by ongoing feral cat management, is the most humane and cost-effective method of reducing the feral cat population in Hawaii. This day is set aside to educate the community about what advoCATS believes in. If you’d like to improve the lives of Hawaii’s cats please contact us. We always need more volunteers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FUNDRAISING EFFORTS Our June Garage Sale at Kathy Vilander’s house made $2,040.00 for our spay and neuter program. Mahalo nui loa to our fabulous helpers: Jan Abbott, Roberta Agre, Katherine Florer, Nancy Hitzemann, Jim Hitzemann, Judy Kocon, Darcy May, Mike May, Peter Mertvago, Pica Mertvago, Jennifer Olson, Lori Paddock, Dean Towle, Kathy Vilander, Linda Welker, and Margie Wolfe. To all our donors, the felines think you are the greatest. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAT HUNTING! Recently bird watchers have sounded an alarm that domestic and feral cats are responsible for killing too many birds. The following statistics are taken from www.catsinternational.org The domestic outdoor cat's diet is similar to its wild ancestor, with rodents making up 70% of the diet, birds 10-20%, and reptiles 10-13%. Wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, opossums and rodents take a greater toll on bird life. These predatory animals thrive in rural and semi-urban areas. Cats are opportunistic hunters. They go after whatever is easiest to catch. The cat's hunting style; the hide, wait-for-a-long-time, and pounce method is best suited for catching rodents, not birds. Consequently, the birds that cats do catch are usually old, ill, or very young who may have fallen out of nests or were abandoned. Humans are without a doubt the birds' worst enemies. Habitat destruction, pesticide use, air pollution, even plate-glass windows in skyscrapers and houses, kill vast numbers of birds every year. According to recent estimates, the yearly toll for window-deaths is 975 million birds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adopt a Cat or Kitten Our advoCATS foster moms have lots of adorable cats and kittens. We need help finding good homes for these cuties. Call us: 327-3724 or check our web site to see pictures and information: advoCats, Inc. on the Big Island of Hawaii -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do You Love Cats? If you live on the Big Island and can spare a few hours a week you could really make a difference. We could use help with feeding, trapping, taking the TNR cats to veterinary appointments, fostering kittens and answering our advoCATS phone. The rewards are infinite and the Kitties will thank you. Call us at 327-3724 or email advocatshawaii@aol.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just a Reminder; Recycle for the Kitties Please take your HI-5 recyclables to: Atlas Recycling: 329-6868 in the Old Industrial Area and designate advoCATS as the recipient. The guys at Atlas are great; they help take things out of your car and count them up for you. We’d love to have advoCATS H-5 receptacles all over the island, if you’d like one at your place of business call: 327-3724 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ____ Other amount $_____________ 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. Download our printable donation form.
As of July 2006 we have spayed or neutered 3492 Mahalo To All Our Veterinarians and Staff!
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| advoCATS Inc. P.O.Box 4415 Kailua Kona Hawaii 96745 Phone: (808) 327-3724 Email: advocatshawaii@aol.com Web Site: www.advocatshawaii.org |