It Takes A Community

Why are these cats here? Where did they come from? That’s what we hear from so many people who either love or dislike cats. It took many communities on our island to create this situation and it will take many communities to work on the solution. When one person leaves an un-neutered female cat behind when they move or abandon it, the next thing you know there are 12 cats at the end of that year. If all survive, those 12 can produce 66 the second year, 382 the third year and so on. AdvoCATS has solutions, but we lack the volunteer power to make it happen. We need more veterinarians to work with our program or more appointments. We only have between 2 - 8 appointments a week from each of our 4 veterinarians on the west side of the island! We need a free and unlimited spay/neuter program for the general public. Oahu has one! We need a mandatory and enforceable spay/neuter law in Hawaii. Without these, animal overpopulation will continue. But here’s how you can help now; when you go to a meeting in your community talk about the importance of spaying and neutering animals. If there are colonies of cats roaming in your community, start a community project to TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) these cats. Hold community garage sales to pay for the costs. Set up a feeding area that your community can take care of. Make it fun; see who can make the most original feeding station and compete for who has TNR’d the most cats. We want to stop the needless suffering and reproducing of homeless cats, but advoCATS has a very small amount of volunteers. Believe it or not, there are only about 12 of us who do the daily work that keeps the organization running. We can’t do all the work that needs to be done with only this many volunteers. We need every community on the island to help us work on the solution. If you spay and neuter the cats in your neighborhood, annoying mating behavior and fighting will be reduced. You will be humanely allowing existing cats to live out their lives, while in turn they will keep down the rodent population. People who might understandably object to 20 strays, fighting and breeding in the neighborhood, might be pleasantly surprised to find that a smaller, neutered colony providing eco-friendly rodent control is very acceptable to have around. Join us to help the kitties!

advoCATS Volunteers Who Foster Kittens

Some of our foster kittens were born in the wild and some were born at a foster moms home when a colony cat was trapped right before the kittens were born. If a kitten is trapped before they are 4 - 6 weeks of age they can usually be socialized enough to become adoptable house cats. Any older than that they are usually too old to be tamed. Our dedicated foster moms spend time with these kittens and handle them daily so they become accustomed to humans. Through the years advoCATS foster moms have found homes for over 300 homeless kittens! 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. We also hold spay/neuter clinics at various locations for our homeless and abandoned cats and kittens.

Foster mom’s from left: Nancy, Jan and Jennifer

Nancy Hitzemann - I grew up in The Dalles, Oregon. When my mother brought me home from the hospital she found our family kitty in the bassinet keeping it warm for me. That started a long love of kitties. I graduated from The Univ. of Idaho in 1963 and taught grades kindergarten through 4th in California, Nevada and Washington. I started fostering kittens in 1990 after reading a story on Mother’s Day in Escondido CA about the need for foster moms. When fostering newborns I took them to school in a little basket with a hot water bottle for warmth. I explained that the class would need to be very quiet so as not to wake the kittens. The kids became very concerned and would shush anyone who used a loud voice and many would stay in at recess and lunch time to help. After retiring from teaching and moving to Kona in 2004, I planned on sitting under a palm tree sipping cool drinks and reading books, but I read about an advoCATS S/N clinic and volunteered. Soon I had new foster babies. I average around 35 adoptions per year. This year I’ve had 18 adoptions so far.

Jan Abbott - All my life I’ve been an animal lover but I wasn’t really exposed to cats until later on. I have wonderful memories of feeding the farm cats with my grandma and their favorite meal was left over pancakes. Now instead of pancakes, the kittens in my care get what’s appropriate for their age. Sometimes it’s kitten replacement milk fed through a syringe or a tiny baby bottle. I may be a lousy human cook, but the bigger kittens love my version of mush. I discovered kitten fostering after moving to Hawaii in 2000 after a career as an educator in Flagstaff, AZ. Soon after moving here I had homeless cats showing up at my door with hungry tummies. One of the first was a pregnant orange tabby and it was one of her kittens who became the hero of my first children’s book, Sundance and the Bully, published by Playbooks®. Fostering kittens is my passion. I can’t imagine life without little furry ones depending on me for food, medicine, and socialization, and in turn giving me joy and a sense of making a positive difference. In the last 3 years I’ve had 201 kittens adopted.
Jan has her own kitten web site: http://bigislandkittens.com

Jennifer Olson - I grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota and graduated third in a class of 200. I attended Minot State University and graduated with a double major of Elementary Education and Deaf Education. After that I moved to Fergus Falls, MN and was an itinerant teacher covering a 30 mile radius around Fergus. In 2003 I became tired of cold winters and moved to Kona. I taught at Kahakai in Kailua for 3 years, but after building a home in Ocean View I transferred to teaching special education at Na'alehu. I had started taking in strays in Minnesota; neutering them and finding them homes, but not to the extent I do here! So when I built my house, I built it around cats. There are kennels outside for homeless mothers to have their babies and care for them without worrying about where their next meal comes from. I've taken in at least a dozen mothers and MANY babies. In the last 12 months I've had 20 adoptions and currently have 11 kittens and several adults looking for loving homes.
Jennifer has her own kitten web site: http://home.hawaii.rr.com/bigislandkitties

Our Foster Mom’s Special Kitties of the Month

All advoCATS kittens are spayed or neutered.

There are always many beautiful cats and kittens waiting for adoption.
See pictures and information on our Web Site: www.advocatshawaii.org

Special Interest Class Visits the Kittens

Innovations Charter School 3rd and 4th grade class

AdvoCATS foster mom’s Nancy Hitzemann and Jan Abbott, along with advoCATS treasurer Roberta Agre who is also a feeder and trapper, visited Mrs. Bobb's 3rd and 4th grade classrooms at the Innovations Charter School to acquaint them with advoCATS. The students had been reading about a homeless kitty in their literature class and wanted to learn about the plight of kitties here on our island. Jan brought a foster kitten who was the star of the presentation. Eight of the students wanted to continue learning about advoCATS and they formed a special interest group with their Friday Interest Group teacher, Mrs. Uno.
Mrs. Uno had adopted 2 of Nancy's foster kittens in the past, so she arranged for the group to have a "foster care home visit" at
Nancy's. The foster kittens definitely loved their "play date" with the students. Roberta explained the T/N/R program and she gave a demo of the workings of a trap. Tia Amafala was part of this group and she decided to devote her community service hours to advoCATS; hence the wonderful kitty café “Hawaiian style” shown in the article at the top.

In Buddhist teachings, the body of a cat can sometimes become the temporary resting place of the soul of very spiritual people.

Japan’s Good Luck Cat is Popular in Hawaii

Maneki Neko Cat

Maybe you’ve noticed that most businesses in Hawaii have a cat sculpture like the one pictured above. Have you been wondering what they symbolize? The Maneki Neko, aka; Beckoning Cat, Welcoming Cat, Lucky Cat, Money Cat or Fortune Cat is believed to bring good luck to the owner. They are usually given as a gift when a new business is opening. Maneki Neko can be found with either the right or left paw raised (and sometimes both). The significance of the right and left raised paw differs with time and place. The most common belief is that the left paw raised brings in customers, while a right paw brings wealth and good luck. It is commonly believed the higher the raised paw, the greater the luck. Consequently, over the years Maneki Neko's paw has tended to appear ever higher. Maneki Neko cats come in many colors with different significances: Calico is considered especially lucky and is the most popular color for maneki neko. White cats indicate purity. Black cats are believed to bring good health and keep away evil. Red is also a protective color, and is believed to keep away evil spirits and illness. Gold cats are associated with wealth. Pink is associated with love. Purple brings artistic strength. Green brings academic achievement.

Two good web sites for more Maneki Neko information:
http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/maneki-neko.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maneki_neko

Mutts

Fun Cat Stuff on the Net
Meet single people who love pets; cat lovers can find each other and purrrr:
www.petpeoplemeet.com

Find cat names and meanings, cat horoscopes, and a fun cat personality test:
www.cats-tell.com

You Can Sponsor a Spay/Neuter Clinic in Hawaii and Neuter 50 Cats!
The average cost to alter a cat at a clinic is $20. - less than half the cost for our normal appointments. This includes the costs for the anesthesia, pain relief, surgical pack and vaccines. During a typical clinic 40-50 cats are altered, including 25-30 spays. Funding for the advoCATS spay/neuter program comes primarily from private donations. Individuals and organizations can help reduce the number of homeless cats by sponsoring an advoCATS mass spay/neuter clinic. Clinic sponsorships are $1,000 and provide surgery for 50 cats.

Unused Frequent Flier Miles Can Help Spay and Neuter Cats in Hawaii
Do you have 35,000 frequent flier miles you don't need? We would like to offer these to veterinarians coming to do our spay/neuter clinics who would like to come and help, but cannot afford the airfare. We really need mainland veterinarians to volunteer at our clinics, as we cannot get enough vets in Hawaii to participate. Coming to Hawaii on vacation and spending one day at our clinics is a wonderful way to get them here. We have places for them to stay, so all they need to do is to rent a car.

Hawaii Island Humane Society Spay/Neuter Clinics
HIHS continues to hold a free clinic once a month in Kailua, Keaau and Ocean View and you do not need a coupon. Call them for more information at; 329-1175. They also have a new program for domestic dogs and cats. They test cats for feline leukemia and HIV; if the cat is positive they euthanize the cat. They also tip both ears.

In Remembrance Of
Beatrice Hendrickson from Jim and Nancy Hitzemann
Tigger from Jacob Teitelbaum
Mac and Pinky from the sanctuary

In Honor Of
The cats at the Mauna Kea Resort from Eric and Heather Redman
Janet Mello from William and Linda Hardy

Garage Sale August 9th
We will be having a garage sale in Kailua on Saturday, August 9th from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm. Location is 75-6124 Alii Dr., across from the Alii Gardens Marketplace. If you have items to donate, please do so before August 1st so that we have time to price and organize them. We will not be able to set up the day before, so we could use volunteers to help us set up Saturday morning starting at 6:30 am. Please contact Judy at: 329-3902 or Email: BaliKaiHi@aol.com if you can help or have items to donate.

Remember to Recycle for the Kitties
When you go to Atlas or ARC tell them your proceeds goes to
advoCATS! Mahalo to our supporters who are already donating their Hi-5 returns to help the kitties!
H-5 Recycle at all Atlas locations: Mon-Fri 7- 4, Sat 8-3 They also accept glass, plastic, aluminum and bi-metal. Every little bit helps the kitties and especially the environment!
H-5 recycle at all ARC locations on the Big Island.
H-5 recycle at your workplace. Another great way to contribute to our programs is to put a recycle container at your office or job site. Call us at 327-3724 or email us advoCATShawaii@aol.com to get a container.
Recycling ink jet cartridges is no longer being done with plastic mailing pouches due to postage costs. Instead Empties 4 Cash now sends us pre-paid boxes. Bring your cartridges to one of our meetings or garage sales. You can also put one of the pre-paid boxes at your office and collect even more from your customers! You will find one of these boxes at Witchers Engineering in Kailua Kona.
Cell Phone Recycling - We can make money on these too! Bring cell phones to meetings, garage sales or give them to one of our volunteers.

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/neuter fund. If you have a permanent Maika`i card, go to any checkout counter during September and specify the amount you wish to donate to advoCATS. Since the program began in 1999, over $8 million has been raised for the community.

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 July 2008
5505
Cats Have Been Spayed or Neutered Since 1999
Mahalo To All Our Veterinarians and Staff!