Chatham Animal Rescue & Education

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1 Summer 2005 Inside this issue: Found a Stray? 2 Bylaws Changes 2 Adoptions Update 3 Foster Homes Needed 3 CARE Wish List 3 Upcoming Events 3 From Hissing To Kissing: Introducing a New Cat to Your Household Woof-A-Palooza Registration Amanda Jones, Pet Photographer Coming to Chatham County Low Cost Spay/ Neuter Services for Chatham County Chatham Animal Rescue & Education We're Movin' Our Paws for a Worthy Cause! Come Out on Saturday, September 17th for the 4th Annual Woof-A-Palooza Dog Walk Put one paw in front of the other and you're all set to join the fun at the Woof-A-Palooza dog walk benefiting the animals of C.A.R.E. The 4th annual Woof-A- Palooza will be held Saturday, September 17th from 10 to 2. You and your pet will have a howling good time as you enjoy the activities, contests, demonstrations and refreshments. "This year's walk should be even more fun than last year's," says Fundraising Chair and Board Member Karen McMaster. "Hurricane Ivan and the aroma of all those wet dogs could not dampen the enthusiasm of Best Retriever contest at 3rd Annual Woof-A-Palooza, September the loyal animal supporters as they helped raise more than $7,000 for C.A.R.E.'s programs at the 2004 walk". Proceeds from the walk provide critical veterinary care and supplies for the animals in C.A.R.E.'s foster program. The walk also supports humane education programs in Chatham County Elementary Schools. A number of sponsorship opportunities starting at $125 are still available for businesses that want to reach the lucrative community of North Carolina animal lovers. Your participation in Woof-A-Palooza will help save the lives of animals in our community. You can register for the walk by completing the registration form on page 5. Additional Walk applications, pledge forms and supplemental information about C.A.R.E. are available online at Low Cost Spay/Neuter Services in Chatham County Did You Know? 1 female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats within 7 years.. 1 female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs within 7 years Please do your part to reduce pet overpopulation spay or neuter your pet! See inside for low cost spay/neuter options... In late 2004, C.A.R.E. partnered with the Chatham County Health Department to produce a brochure providing information to the public on low cost options for spaying or neutering pets. This brochure can be downloaded in PDF format from the C.A.R.E. web site at or from the Chatham County home page. It describes free services for low income residents, as well as low cost services available to everyone that may be more affordable than most veterinary clinics. Please distribute this brochure to everyone you know whose animals have not yet been sterilized. Spaying and neutering is the only solution to the tragic and seemingly endless pet overpopulation problem in NC, which results in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of animals each year in our animal shelters.

2 Page 2 C.A.R.E. Board of Directors Officers Becky Norman President Kathy Dorsey Vice-President Joan Cunningham Secretary Laura Young Treasurer Board Members Jennie Boone Chris Casey Bill Davis Frances Haman Michael McCormick Karen McMaster Dennis Money Chatham Animal Rescue & Education Summer 2005 Found a Stray? Don t Panic Follow These Simple Steps Spring and summer are kitten and puppy season, and are especially busy for C.A.R.E. volunteers. We receive many phone calls and s from people who have found stray animals. In such situations, it s easy to panic and feel overwhelmed. Here are a few tips to help. First, determine if the stray animal is actually a lost pet - someone may already be searching for it. Check for a name tag. If the animal has only a rabies tag, contact the vet listed on the tag, as they can locate the animal's owner. If the animal carries no tag, call the local animal shelter and vet clinics to see if anyone is looking for a pet of similar description. They can also scan for a microchip. Put up cat/dog found flyers in your neighborhood, local vets or other public places with bulletin boards, and place an ad in your local newspaper which may allow free "pet found" ads. Also check with humane groups. If an owner cannot be found, it may be time to find the animal a new home make sure to check with your local animal control as to the official waiting period before the animal may be adopted. Before trying to place the animal, consider having it examined by a vet to make sure it is healthy. A healthy, vaccinated and sterilized animal will facilitate placement. If you have other animals in your home, keep the stray separated for a two week period while it is being checked by a vet and to make sure that it does not carry an infectious disease that could be passed to other cats or dogs. If you cannot keep it in your home, consider having the animal boarded. Assess the animal s personality, including any aggressive behaviors, and determine if this is an animal you would want to have in your home or around your children or other animals. Take a good close-up photograph and write a description of the animal, highlighting its unique personality or other characteristics. Submit this ad to Petfinder.com and other local bulletin boards. In addition to allowing rescue groups and shelters to post animals, Petfinder permits individuals to post animals available for adoption. Do NOT advertise animals as "free to a good home". These ads often attract people selling animals to research labs or who may be looking for bait to train fighting dogs. Phrase your adds to indicate that the animal is available for adoption to a good home. Ask adopters lots of questions, check references, consider doing a home visit, and ask for an adoption fee as reimbursement for veterinary costs. Check with local rescue groups, including C.A.R.E., to see if space may be available in a foster home or if they can facilitate adoption. Rescue groups often keep track of requests for specific types of animals and can match these with those needing homes. C.A.R.E. s web site ( provides a list of web addresses for other rescue groups in the Favorite Web Site section. However, be aware that most rescue groups are in a situation similar to C.A.R.E... too many animals, not enough foster homes. Good luck you are doing the right thing! Changes to C.A.R.E. s Bylaws The Board of Directors of C.A.R.E. recently voted to amend both Articles of Incorporation and the C.A.R.E. Bylaws to incorporate several changes. To facilitate accounting and tax procedures, the reporting year will now be a calendar year with the annual meeting in January instead of June. The Board also voted that C.A. R.E. would no longer be a membership organization. This change is consistent with other rescue organizations in the Triangle. C.A.R.E. will offer non-voting levels of support instead. The nominating committee will also be enlarged to five people: three board members, one non-board member of the dog welfare committee, and one non-board member of the cat welfare committee. In addition to nominating new board members, the nominating committee will prepare a proposed slate of C.A.R.E. officers and both new board members and officers will be elected at the January meeting.

3 Chatham Animal Rescue & Education Summer 2005 Adoptions Update Page 3 C.A.R.E. s foster program had a very successful year in A total of 433 animals (327 dogs, 106 cats) were taken into our foster program and 418 (298 dogs, 120 cats) were adopted out. These numbers, however, under-represent the efforts of C.A.R.E. volunteers to find loving homes for homeless animals. Our volunteers also regularly transported Chatham County Animal Shelter cats to Petsmart adoption centers in Cary and Apex; since last November, 24 shelter cats were adopted at Petsmart. Also, after appearing on C.A.R.E. s web site or via referral by a C.A.R.E. volunteer, an additional 59 shelter cats were adopted from the Chatham County Animal Shelter during this same time frame. Foster Homes Needed for Cats and Dogs Do you love animals, but are unable to make a long-term commitment to a pet? Consider becoming a CARE foster parent and temporarily open your home to a homeless cat or dog. C.A.R.E. foster homes provide transitional care for cats and dogs until permanent homes can be found. C.A.R.E. provides the veterinary care and food, and the foster home provides the love, care and socialization to help make animals friendly, healthy, well-adjusted and desirable pets. Foster homes also participate in adoption events and interview prospective adopters for their foster animals. There s nothing more rewarding than helping to give a cat or dog, puppy or kitten, a new chance at life. To become a C.A.R.E. foster home, contact us at our web site at help@chathamanimalrescue.org. Calendar of Upcoming Events Cat Adoptions at Apex Petsmart Aug. 1-14, Aug. 29-Sept. 11, Sept. 26-Oct. 9, Oct. 31-Nov. 13, Nov. 28-Dec. 11. Cat Adoptions at Cary Petsmart Aug , Sept , Oct , Nov , Dec Triangle Town Center Adoptions July 24, Outdoor courtyard Dogs and puppies for adoption C.A.R.E. Wish List Recent model computer Good quality puppy and kitten food Used or new crates of all sizes Safe cat/kitten toys Durable leashes and flexleads Durable dog/puppy toys Extra small and small collars Scoopable litter and litter boxes Dog and cat beds Used or new blankets, towels Woof-A-Palooza Dog Walk Sept. 17, Central Carolina Community College 10 am to 2 pm Amanda Jones Pet Photography Oct. 15 & 16, Book-signing Oct. 14, McIntyres Fine Books, Fearrington Villiage Pittsboro Street Fair Oct. 29, Downtown Pittsboro Portable play pens Used or new baby gates Dog and cat shampoo Rawhide bones and dog treats Metal food bowls Citronella bark collars Frontline Top Spot for large dogs Frontline Top Spot for cats Exercise pens To make donations, contact C.A.R.E. at help@chathamanimalrescue.org. Men have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You remain responsible forever for what you have tamed. Antoine Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

4 Chatham Animal Rescue & Education Summer 2005 Page 4 From Hissing to Kissing: Introducing New Cats to Your Household Have you ever considered adopting a second cat, but were afraid your old cat wouldn t accept him? Perhaps you are concerned about them hissing and fighting. Having fostered cats for a long time, I ve learned to speak fluent Cat. If you don t speak fluent Cat, you may not understand what is happening when you bring a new kitty into your household. People become overly alarmed and scared by the verbal exchange between old and new kitties. Usually the people are more upset than the cats! Don t give up. And absolutely don t return the cat. Here s a quick lesson in what all the fuss is about: Hissing is normal. This is cat language for Who are you?, I m the boss, Don t pick on me and This is my territory what are you doing here? Usually most of the hissing starts from the old kitty. The new kitty often seems to be ignoring it at first. The old kitty then may resort to growling. People get scared by this sound, because perhaps they have never heard a cat growl before. Don t be dismayed by this. It s just old kitty trying to get new kitty to Take me seriously! Hissing will not keep your cats from becoming friends. I ve seen the worst caterwauling enemies turn into inseparable buddies who sleep and groom each other after two weeks. To make the transition easier for everyone (people, old kitty and new kitty), here are a few easy steps to follow. First of all, put yourself in new kitty s place: an unfamiliar house with people and kitties he s never met before. He doesn t know what s happening. Imagine how scared he must be! It s up to you to reassure him that he s safe. Start by putting new kitty in his own room apart from the rest of the household for a couple of days. It can be a bedroom, bathroom, or any room where he can feel safe. Set him up with water, food, a comfy bed and litter box. Let new and old kitty sniff each other through the door. Scent is ultra important in getting the two acclimated to each other. When you feel things are calm enough, crack the door to let them get a peek at each other. Do this a few times. If things are going pretty well, you can let them out together in a supervised area. They will probably hiss and spit at each other. Fake fighting (pawing the air) is normal too. Don t be alarmed by any of this. This is just what cats do! However, if you see any signs of true bodily harm, separate them again right away. Even if things go peaceably, put the new kitty back in his space after a little while. Repeat the whole process a few times, and it will get better and better until you can leave them out together unsupervised. I ve seen the worst caterwauling enemies turn into inseparable buddies who sleep and groom each other after two weeks. Meanwhile, provide a lot of love and snuggle time for each kitty. Let each know he is safe and secure. Old kitty just wants reassurance that he is still a loved part of the household. New kitty needs to know he is wanted. Once they are used to each other, they will like having another cat around. It makes life a lot more interesting, as cats are curious and get bored if they are alone. It also makes things so much better for their humans: you don t have to feel guilty when you go on vacation or when you re at work all day because your kitty won t be lonely. Please consider adding a second kitty to your household. There are so many benefits: you are saving a life, adding a loving family member to your home, and introducing your current cat to a new friend. It s all good! By Audie Schechter

5 Chatham Animal Rescue & Education Summer 2005 Save the Date! September 17, 2005 Woof-A-Palooza 10 am - 2 pm Rain or Shine At Central Carolina Community College in Pittsboro Page 5 Fill out the registration form below and mail in. If you have questions, or would like to be a corporate sponsor, please us at woofapalooza@chathamanimalrescue.org. Photos by Amanda LaFrance 4th Annual Woof-A-Palooza DOG WALK, CONTESTS & FUN Registration Form Mail your registration form and fee to: Chatham Animal Rescue & Education, Inc. P.O. Box 555, Pittsboro, NC Day of Event Registration Fee: $25 per walker Early Bird Registration Fee: $20 per walker (Must mail in registration form by 9/1) Walker s Name Under 16? Yes No Address City/State/Zip Code Address T-Shirt Size (Circle One): S M L XL Other I am participating as a walker. I am unable to participate but my gift to the animals is enclosed: Total Gift Enclosed $ Visa Check Enclosed Total Fees Enclosed $ Mastercard Card Number Expiration Date Cardholder Signature

6 P.O. Box 610 Pittsboro, NC chathamanimalrescue.org Acclaimed Pet Photographer Amanda Jones Coming to Chatham County! C.A.R.E. is pleased to announce that Amanda Jones will be in Chatham County Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16 to photograph your pets and raise money for Chatham Animal Rescue & Education. Amanda began her photography career in 1992 after graduating from Ithaca College with a degree in Cinema & Photography. In 1994 she photographed her first dog and has been photographing dogs and cats across the country ever since. Last year, C.A.R.E. s Board President, Becky Norman, traveled to Virginia with her two dogs for a portrait session with Amanda. I told everyone I was doing it for my husband s Christmas present, but I don t think anyone bought that story. My dogs and I were totally captivated by Amanda. She was amazing the way she worked with Maggie and Sadie and my photographs were absolutely wonderful! The cost will be $ and includes the portrait session, the proof sheets (10 total) and one framed final print of your choice. You will have 120 photographs taken and receive your proof sheets back in approximately three weeks. The price includes one framed and signed 11 x11 print (framed to 16 x16 ) or you may use the credit of the framed print towards any other print combination or sizes you like. Amanda will donate a portion of each portrait session to C.A.R.E. To schedule a session go to com/raleigh. If you do not have internet access or have questions, feel free to contact Becky Norman at In addition, Amanda will be at McIntyre s Fine Books at Fearrington Village Friday evening October 14 th with her new book, Dachshunds Short and Long. Her two other books, Greyhounds Big and Small and Frenchie Kisses will also be available at the signing.