Catalyst for Cats. The success of spaying and neutering was the. Keeping the Faith

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Lee McBride
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Caalys for Cas A Non-Profi Organizaion Dedicaed Alering he Fuure for Ferals N E W S L E T T E R PO Box 30331 Sana Barbara, CA 93130 Phone: (805) 685-1563 Email: caalys4cas@cox.

org Summer 2011 Our Mission: As a feral ca organizaion our primary purpose is spay and neuer feral and abandoned cas, and socialize and find homes for rescued kiens.

1 Caalys for Cas A Non-Profi Organizaion Dedicaed Alering he Fuure for Ferals N E W S L E T T E R PO Box Sana Barbara, CA Phone: (805) caalys4cas@cox.ne Volume 20, Number 2 Summer 2011 Our Mission: As a feral ca organizaion our primary purpose is spay and neuer feral and abandoned cas, and socialize and find homes for rescued kiens. These services are designed address he feline overpopulaion problem and preven cruely animals by prevening he birh of unwaned and uncared for cas and kiens. From he Founder The success of spaying and neuering was he focus of an Associaed Press feaure earlier his summer. The aricle saed i has aken years of campaigning change aiudes abou serilizing pes, bu ha i has paid off. This year fewer han four million unwaned dogs and cas will be euhanized down from as many as 20 million fory years ago. The reasons are many, bu animal expers agree ha spaying and neuering has played he bigges role in saving so many lives. Nearly every sheler and animal welfare organizaion donaes money, space and/or ime for low-fee spay/neuer services. Pe serilizaion has even become he law in some saes, counies and ciies. Wih early (as young as eigh weeks) spay/neuer available, animals are fixed prior adopion hrough reliable agencies. While shelers are firmly on board, he bigges challenge coninues be selling he concep of serilizaion pe owners. We deal wih his sruggle on a daily basis, bu he resisance coninues amaze us. Some owners feel heir pes should enjoy a naural life and ha i is somehow agains naure fix an Keeping he Faih 1 animal. The public needs learn jus wha naural living means for hese poor animals and heir offspring who suffer and die needlessly. Of course, hose of us in animal rescue he euhanasia numbers are sill far o high. Considering he overwhelming number of animals we deal wih, and how over-worked we are, i migh help us keep he faih if we look a he big picure and remember ha overall progress is being made in curbing feline overpopulaion. We care so much, bu here is sill far o much pain. So le s hope he numbers coninue improve over he nex few years. Maybe some spring, insead of rying save a kien s life we will be able sp and smell he roses insead. Tha day can come o soon, bu unil hen we mus hope and ask for your financial assisance. These economic imes make TNR Poser Child: A conened ca from a newly i difficul for so many animals as well as people. Your sabilized colony. generosiy will be grealy appreciaed as we coninue our ques wards every ca a waned ca.

One can no find enough kind words say regarding our dedicaed voluneers. Unless one is acive in animal rescue, i is hard undersand he amoun of ime and effor our voluneers conribue.

Belinda Burns coninues organize rappers and feeders for he Sana Ynez Valley colonies and also coordinaes relocaion sies C.A.R.E.4Paws for help wih spay/neuer services in Buelln and Sana Barbara.

2 One can no find enough kind words say regarding our dedicaed voluneers. Unless one is acive in animal rescue, i is hard undersand he amoun of ime and effor our voluneers conribue. They are he backbone of our organizaion and he ones ha make i happen. Their personal sacrifice is a rue labor of love and concern. Some are menioned, bu all are appreciaed. Belinda Burns coninues organize rappers and feeders for he Sana Ynez Valley colonies and also coordinaes relocaion sies C.A.R.E.4Paws for help wih spay/neuer services in Buelln and Sana Barbara. Barbara Hilaire for her unwavering and generous suppor of our program. The Sana Maria Sheler Clinic Trish and Mike Founain for heir remarkable commimen and willingness assis in a muliude of ways. As a ferel ca organizaion we do no have a sheler, which makes i difficul show our kiens for adopion; herefore, we ofen rely on adopion agencies help. We hank hem for heir cooperaion despie he many challenges hey all face: ASAP (Animal Sheler Assisance Program). A special hank you RESQCATS for heir help in adoping ou dozens of our feral socialized kiens. And for heir generosiy in helping spay and neuer ame felines from he Sana Maria area. San Roque Pe Hospial where we show our kiens, and especially Ka Niks, who coordinaes he successful program. Fosering feral kiens is a vial par of Caalys for Cas s work. Our kiens are he offspring of feral moms, and because of lack of human conac, hey mus be augh rus us in order be adoped. Once socialized hey make wonderful pes. Thank you our fosers from he Sana Ynez Valley: Kia Becker (who also raps), Arianna Daphne, Julie De Marcus, Tina Hawkins (lier afer lier), Melinda Siebold, and Marci Kladnik, who wears many has foser coordinar, foser, rapper, and wrier of a biweekly column for he Sana Maria Times and he Sana Ynez Valley News. Thanks also our rappers, fosers and feeders from Sana Maria, all of whom hold jobs in addin: In Appreciaion Suzzane Canus and her daugher Valarie. Lavi and Monica Gonzalez (The Pied Pipers of Sana Maria), and Debbie Merry. I was especially difficul for Debbie Walker. A feral moher ca esed posiive for leukemia, as did five of her kiens. Debbie and he family made a huge sacrifice and commimen foser he kiens for over eigh weeks be reesed. Someimes he kiens are able hrow off he virus bu his did no happen and all had be euhanized. This was hearbreaking as we waied for he es resuls. Thank you, Debbie, for going above and beyond. Diane and Mark Poudrier of Guadalupe for heir commendable effors in he Guadalupe area. Dr. Brenda Forsyhe and he saff of he Orcu Veerinary Hospial for heir many kindnesses. Pauline Simes and family of Sana Barbara. Caalys for Cas is very happy and relieved again be in possession of a reliable van for ransporing cas and equipmen. A few weeks ago we purchased a 2008 Honda van wih less han 30,000 miles on i, wih help from many kind people: he Bull Foundaion, C. J Enerprises, Barbara Hilaire DeLore, Toyoa of Sana Maria, sponsorship from Honda of Sana Maria and an anonymous donor along wih funds from las year s Ca s Meow Raffle. We hank all he benefacrs for undersanding he imporance of a reliable van for a feral ca organizaion s work. And many ohers for heir effors on behalf of he felines hroughou he couny. Wish Lis Caays needs he following in order carry on is chariable and educaional goals. If you can help, please call : Transporers, feeders and rappers for Sana Maria. Fosers for he kiens ha need socializing. Ca food for he many, many colonies we monir and mainain. We spend housands of dollars helping feed hese colonies. We prefer mea flavors from Purina, Friskies, or Cosco raher han fish flavors.. More people who undersand he imporance of spaying and neuering. New colony in Golea finds sabiliy hrough TNR By Randi Fairbroher Many years ago before Caalys for Cas evolved and sared our program of TNR (rap, neuer and reurn) Golea was swarming wih large groups of breeding feral cas everywhere. I ok many years change ha, bu we evenually urned hings around. So I was a bi surprised awhile back when a new Golea colony was called our aenion. I all sared abou a year ago when a family of cas showed up a a business sie in Golea. People pu ou food for hem, bu afer a few days he cas disappeared, which was kind of srange. Abou a monh laer, hough, anoher ca showed up and we did manage cach him righ away and find a loving home for him, since he was a ame sray and no feral. Inac males will spend heir lives roaming, seeking ou females wheher hey have caregivers or no. Then early his year I received a phone call abou a group of cas in Golea. I recognized some of he cas as he same as hose repored from he previous call from he business sie. This was a fairly large group of cas and i jus shows how we mus say vigilan. The cas had raveled quie a disance perhaps half a mile or so. A ha ime he feeding was done on a hi or miss basis, and ha may explain why hey raveled so far and hen disappeared. I called Beh Rushing, our rapper for he Sana Barbara-Golea areas, and we formed a plan. Wihin a wo-week period we TNR d 14 cas. Over he nex monh or so, we TNR d anoher six as hey showed up a he feeding sie. 2 3 While ha process was going on we received an encouraging regarding his colony. One of he group s feeders, named Lani, wroe, I saw your posed sign no feed he cas because hey are be fixed. Thank you for doing his. These specific cas have many fans and people who feed hem and give hem aenion when hey are up i. The fixing par we can do. We are in much graiude. Keep up he grea work. As we sruggle change he public s percepions of he value in spaying and neuering domesic animals (see his monh s essay Keeping he Faih, page 1), ha was cerainly graifying. Also many hanks ASAP for assising us wih his colony. The cas are fed and waered daily, and some are now able be peed. Forunaely, his was done early in he year before any kiens or even pregnancies had occured. A happy ending wha could have been a very differen sry. Mealime: Caalys voluneer Beh Rushing feeds hungery cusmers a a Golea business sie early his year, prior carrying ou a TNR plan sabilize he (hen) recenly formed colony. A Few Monhs Laer: Algeher 20 cas were TNR d a he Golea sie, where populaion growh is zero and food is pleniful.

off a iny kien Playing soccer hey d found wih her favorie noisy crinkle balls hrough a room full under he 101 overpass. He waned know wha of furniure was no problem a all. Her hearing was so do wih i.

3 L her reperire, ever home. My proving she was cell phone rang The anyhing bu a he p of San disabled. She d Marcos Pass. scamper up I was a shop he all ca ree owner in Los wihou pausalamos where I ing, hen swing live saying ha herself over he a couple had side shimmy jus dropped By Marci Kladnik back down. off a iny kien Playing soccer hey d found wih her favorie noisy crinkle balls hrough a room full under he 101 overpass. He waned know wha of furniure was no problem a all. Her hearing was so do wih i. Luckily I had a large jus empied cage in acue ha she would sp shor of running in hings my garage and here was a neighbor wih a key my because he y had bounced off firs. She could even house, so ha is where I found anoher black kien rack birds flying across he yard if she were in he caio when I reurned home wihou Amelia. or leap in he air afer a y ssed over her head. ha evening and all nigh long! I was consumed wih worry for Amelia. I had been less han hrilled hen World War Pee broke ou in my house! I don leaving he kien in he home I d brough her, and know if i was because he lack of eyes frighened now I had he srong urge rescue her. The nex afermy cas or if Tweey, he only oher female, decided one noon, I drove back down do jus ha, even hough I d princess was enough, bu someone was definiely no have barricade her upsairs again, which she haed. I happy wih Amelia s presence. knew if I were paien I d find he righ home for her. Amelia was once An hour before I wen recover Amelia, I received again sequesered upa call from an ineresed couple in Sana Ynez who had sairs and a large 4 high read abou Amelia in he local paper. They were wonbarrier was pu up dering if she were sill available. There was a poenial keep her here. By now problem, however. They already had wo FIV+ cas on she was no longer a iny he premises and here was he quesion of wheher or kien bu a four-monhno i would be a safe environmen for he kien. old eenager and she I would be passing heir home on my way Sana would no be blocked Barbara, so I spped mee hem and see heir house. in. I wasn long before I was very pleased wih boh he couple and he layou I caugh her scaling he of he home. I even me heir wo cas. I ld hem ha I wall and I had raise i hough i would work wih some precauions and ha I anoher four inches. would sp on my way back home wih Amelia so hey Black Is The Color of My True Love s Hair: Amelia naps on he window sea as Freeway makes friends Now she was really could mee her. I did and hey in urn fell in love wih wih Maggie. upse, and I could ell her a firs sigh. she was very lonely. Maggie (my Scoie) and I spen Amelia and I lef hem mull hings over, reurning kien, his made i much easier care for her in hose a lo of ime upsairs wih her, and I le her ou in he home a new waiing kien. firs couple of pos-surgery days. caio for a few hours every day for some fresh air and Now wih his oher smaller black kien in he garage, sunshine, bu I could ell she was missing feline commy fosering ok more hours of he day. Boh cas s ime wen by, Amelia was no conen say uppanionship. She especially needed anoher kien needed companionship, and I could only spread myself sairs in he bahroom and office. She waned be wresle and play wih. She was, afer all, sill a kien so hin. downsairs wih my oher cas, and so I began le her herself. uckily, lile Freeway, as he d been named, was old mingle. Things wen well and I ld Randi ha I would A few long weeks laer I was driving Amelia down enough be neuered and esed. Tesing clean, I be keeping her myself. Sana Barbara wha I expeced be her new forinroduced he wo kiens and le hem work i ou for a Every day she amazed me by adding some new rick as March a beauiful lile eigh-week-old shiny black kien was rescued from a man on he sree in Sana Maria. Perfec she was, bu for her eyes which were boh damaged beyond repair by he herpes virus mos likely conraced in he birh canal. Finding a forever home for a one-eyed kien is always a challenge; finding one for a ally blind one would be a dauning prospec. Sill, before he final decision was made pu her down, we asked Dr. Brenda Forsyhe of Orcu Veerinary Hospial examine and es her. She esed clean and he saff fell in love wih her, so we made he expensive decision have boh eyes removed. I voluneered foser her hrough he recovery period and Dr. Brenda offered se up a cage in her waiing room when i came ime find her he perfec home. I had his lile kien for only hree days prior surgery, bu during ha ime I, o, fell in love wih her spunk and al fearlessness. I dubbed her Amelia afer ha legendary fearless flyer. Amelia came home sporing he expeced rigid collar which would no be removed for hree weeks. She was very groggy, having no only undergone double eye removals bu a spay as well. Since she was such an acive Purrfec Mach A Tricky Adopion Made Possible by Paience and Good Luck T T A L 4 Tubular! Amelia eaches Freeway how use wo ys a once. few hours each day unil he rilling and playing became more han he hissing and growling. I was only hree days before lile Freeway was aemping nurse on Amelia, and she seemed be enjoying i. Wih he bond made, much sress was relieved for all involved. However, now I had a double dilemma. I now had TWO black cas, one eyeless and older, ha needed be adoped ou geher. I wondered how I was going break his he Sana Ynez couple. The weeks dragged by wih only a couple of phone calls beween he couple and myself. Finally I was ld ha hey waned give i a ry bu ha hey were going have he house cleaned, he carpes shampooed, and he oher cas se up be ouside or in anoher par of he house. All good news, bu now I had menion Freeway and hope for he bes. I needn have worried as here was no hesiaion a all. Everyone agreed ha here is nohing sadder han a single kien. The deal was sruck, he kiens were ransferred. I was a purrfec mach all he way around. Thank you so much Dina Joseph and Sephen Harper for rescuing no one, bu wo beauiful kiens. May hey bring you years of purring pleasure. 5

4 Each one of hese names represens a level of love and caring hose remaining. They each have heir own sry. In Honor of: Belinda Burns by Ken Reed Clay and Beh Rushing by Cheryl Imp Copper, an adoped Caalys ca, by Tom Garder and Mona Nicall Felix, hanks Beh by Jan and Rober Iy Kiy on your ninh birhday by Wilma Tius JJ and Charley, my consan companions by Charlene Malzman Davic Morris, for all he grea voluneer work he does by Jaccie Wheeler Orange Juice by Deby Larango Ranch Cas placed by Beh by Fred Rohrs Randi hanks for all you do help he cas by Carl Anderson Randi, my long ime friend by Ehel Barclay Tonka by Naalie Werk In Remembrance of: Cisco, whom we miss so much by Elizabeh Hillis Cole, our beloved ca by Teressa Hall Flipper by Carl Anderson Tribues & Memorials Foser by Margery Nicolson George by Mary Roscoe William Bill Francis De Lore by Barbara Hilaire DeLore Darren Hall by Gloria Shepard Lilih, who I loved for over 17 years by Kim Kenny Love and Joey, wo marvelous feral cas by Karen Pick Juba, always wih us by Jan & Chas. Clouse Miens, Maureen Lynch s ca by Leslie McGann Molly by Jennifre Engmyr Mousie by Bonnie Bisoglio Numeg and Princess by Ria Fleming Paula, died one year ago on June 13 by John Keih Kinealy Rae and Shadwen by Vicria Blun John Sakmar by Veronica Eden Sheba by Tamera Bowles LeRoy E. Secker, my lae faher by Diana Palmer Tom Snow by he Saloi Family Toby by Bonnie Wilson Nelie Wyse by Paricia R. Massee Barbara Thornburgh, my friend for over 40 years, and a ca lover by Randi Fairbroher Tragedy of feline leukemia srikes he Sana Ynez Valley Our very busy Vice Presiden, Belinda Burns, has been working on a huge rapping job in Sana Ynez. Since 2007 we have fixed over 45 cas from his ho spo a our expense. Now he siuaion has reached a crisis poin again, bu his ime he surrounding communiy will be picking up he ab. By he ime Belinda go he call for help, 17 kiens were already being held in cages, bu she saw many more daring hrough he yards and across he sree empy fields. The firs seven kiens aken in esed posiive for feline leukemia (FeLV), and anoher esed posiive he nex week wih ye anoher ill from severe Upper Respirary Infecion. In he las few weeks, 21 cas and kiens have gone in for surgery wih eigh esing FeLV posiive. Anoher weny-some are ye be rapped. We don know how many of hose carry he disease. The saddes par is ha had someone called us a he firs kien sighing four years ago, his breeding of conagious cas would have been nipped in he bud. This is also a warning he residens of he Sana Ynez area: FeLV is now very much presen in he Valley. Sana Maria has been a problem area for years, and we know ha i is also now spreading in Sana Barbara. If you have oudoor or indoor/oudoor cas, you should have hem esed and vaccinaed agains his deadly disease. A Gavioa Trapping Advenure of Dauning Scale by Beh Rushing A call came in from a woman who lived on a ranch in Gavioa. She said he coyoes had previously kep he feline populaion a bay, bu now cas and kiens were everywhere. Could I help? Two days laer, my friend Helene and I drove ou he ranch check he siuaion ou. As I looked around he propery, I realized I was looking a he highes number of cas and kiens I had ever seen in one place (oher han he sheler, of course). They were hiding under mobile homes, bushes, and ou-buildings, so i was hard ge an accurae coun. I esimaed i was somewhere beween 20 and 40. As we were geing ready leave, some young children came up us and handed us five hree-week-old kiens, so we pu hem in a carrier and ok hem direcly ASAP. Tha was only he beginning. A plan was made and several days laer, Helene and I reurned he propery wih as many raps and ransfer cages as we could fi in my van. In order cach as many as possible in he beginning, we used a sring rigger he raps so we could cach more han one kien a a ime.two and a half hours laer, we had capured 22 cas and kiens and he van was full he brim! ASAP agreed help wih his huge job by allowing me use one of he oudoor runs a he sheler as a saging area for he cas I brough in from he ranch. The younger kiens were sored in large cages in he runs while he aduls waied unil he nex day for heir spay/neuer surgeries. The day afer he surgeries were done a ASAP, I was able place eigh fixed cas from he colony as mousers on a differen ranch. Two days laer, my invaluable Exclusive Coupon Offer for Caalys FIZZION, he fanasic new ca pee sain and odor remover ha really works. Order online a and ener Caalys1211 in he Coupon Code box a checkou. Can be used repeaedly hrough 12/31/11. Spread he word! These seemingly healhy kiens were pu down due FeLV. 6 7 assisan Helene and I reurned he propery rap once again. We reurned wih eigh more. Again hey were held in he run overnigh, fixed he following day, and all eigh were hen placed on a hird ranch geher. More kiens were spoed ha evening so I reurned he nex morning rap wo more aduls and wo more kiens who had moved a large woodpile jus down he road. When I ok a final coun, i added up 39 cas and kiens from ha propery in less han one week! Many of he kiens are sill in foser care as I wrie his, and seven cas have been reurned he original sie, leaving a sable and much healhier colony live ou heir lives here. Wha an exciing and rewarding feeling know ha all of he cas and kiens are so much beer off now han when we began. Thank you everyone who made i possible! During he las couple of years Beh Rushing has done an ousanding job of rapping for us in Sana Barbara and Golea. As a long ime voluneer and pas Board Member of he Sana Barbara s Animal Sheler Assisance Program (ASAP), she has been a valuable resource in faciliaing a working relaionship in conjucion wih ASAP. The rapping aciviy described in his aricle occurred in July of his year. Help Caalys for Cas When You Shop Online Every ime a purchase is made hrough AdopASheler.com a any one of over 400 p name online sres, 100% of he amoun displayed is donaed he animal organizaion or sheler chosen by he shopper. You can buy jus abou anyhing online and earn a donaion, all wihou logging in or remembering a password. Check us ou a

Caalys for Cas, Inc. Pos Office Box 30331 Sana Barbara, CA 93130 em probl oluion!

one feral and he oher merely sray were rapped, neuered, and afer a shor while, adoped in he

N ever declaw a ca! Declawing ofen resuls in irreversible physical and psychological damage.

5 Caalys for Cas, Inc. Pos Office Box Sana Barbara, CA em probl oluion! e h o s adds dds he r e i l a Every pay/neuer s Every Caylys Cuies: Two once-wayward felines one feral and he oher merely sray were rapped, neuered, and afer a shor while, adoped in he household of Caalys supporer Veronica Eden of Sana Maria. Cas come wih claws! N ever declaw a ca! Declawing ofen resuls in irreversible physical and psychological damage. An excellen scraching pos is available from Felix Company (206) ). Ask for heir caalog. The #1 (large) is a good selecion. 8

A Non-Profit Organization Dedicated to Altering the Future for Ferals

Catalyst for Cats A Non-Profit Organization Dedicated to Altering the Future for Ferals N E W S L E T T E R PO Box 30331 Santa Barbara, CA 93130 Phone: (805) 685-1563 Email: catalyst4cats@cox.net Volume