Operation Catnip Newsletter Clip and Snip June: 61 cats (35 female / 25 male) 2 deaths, 2 euthanized (FELV/FIV) July: 75 cats (41 female/ 34 males) 1 death, 3 euthanized (FIV) August: 72 cats (33 females / 37 males) 2 previously fixed, 2 young kittens, 2 deaths September: 73 cats (36 females / 37 males) 3 previously fixed, 2 euthanized (FELV/FIV) Show m e the M o ney! 3 rd Quarter 2008 Richmond, Va July: $225.00 at clinic August: $262.00 at clinic September: $250.00 at clinic Macy s Shop for a Cause: $155.00 Yardsale: $672.00 Ukrops Golden Gifts: $544.00 Raffle: $36.00 Purchases baby scale, autoclave, medications, calendars, accounting software, new tent, and t-shirts Upcoming Events Feral Cat Day is October 16 th We will recognize Feral Cat Day at our October 19 th clinic. We will accept up to 200 reservations! Quilt Raffle Get ready to sell tickets the quilt is done. The tickets are $5.00 each. The winning ticket will be drawn at the December clinic on the 14 th. See the attached flyer. 2009 Calendars.. Get em while they are hot! The calendars should be in by the end of the month. The calendars will be $10.00 each. Email Jennifer for more information: jenerisman@comcast.net
Bulletin Board Remember to bring in fixed cats for rabies booster shots Per Virginia law (3.1-796.97:1.), all dogs and cats over 4 months of age need to be current on their rabies vaccine. If you are claiming ownership of your colony cats then they must be kept up to date on vaccines. Also, make sure that the rabies certificate accurately and specifically describes the cat that it belongs to. ["Owner" means any person who: (i) has a right of property in an animal, (ii) keeps or harbors an animal, (iii) has an animal in his care, or (iv) acts as a custodian of an animal. 3.1-796.66. ] If your cats are not up to date, you may be fined and they are more likely to be euthanized if they have a run in with a rabies positive animal. Rabies is a serious issue in Virginia, and cats are the most impacted of our domestic animals. If we are caring for these animals and interacting with them, they should be vaccinated for rabies for their protection and ours. WE REALLY NEED HELP AT SATURDAY SET UP!! With 5 people it only takes an hour or two. We start at Farmers at 12:30pm the Saturday prior to the clinic. Wish List Q-tip brand Q-tips Paper towels Shop vacuum Nitrile/latex gloves (S/M) Dishwashing gloves (XL) Paper plates Toilet paper Bottled drinking water Towels Heavy Duty garden trash bags suggestion box : -make sure that all of the traps are latched on both ends when the cats are admitted -Keep the Back door closed at all times The Box will be located at the sign in/lunch table. Lunch Update Remember, our lunches are as good as you make them. Please bring a dish or make a donation to keep our bellies full.
Reminder for all stations it is extremely important for both the safety of volunteers and the cats to remember that our patients are wild, unvaccinated animals. Always use precautions with cats in the pre-anesthesia stations as well as after surgery. Any cat displaying behaviors that suggest it is waking up should immediately be put in its trap. Please check that the cat s number with the card number at each station It never ends..the chore of laundry after each clinic is a never ending one and the need for volunteers is great. Please consider signing up to do laundry for at least one month of this year s clinics. Detergent is provided and you can chose how much or how little you want to do. Recipe Corner GERMAN SLAW 1 head of cabbage, finely shredded 2 onions, very thinly sliced Dressing: 1 cup Cider Vinegar 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil 2 teaspoons Celery Seed 1/2 teaspoon Salt 1/2 teaspoon Pepper 2 cups Sugar Combine all dressing ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour the dressing over the Cabbage & Onions while it is still warm. Mix all ingredients. Cover and Refrigerate. Best if made a few days in advance.
Then bring to OC for our lunch Can you have too many? An animal hoarder is defined as someone who has: Accumulated a large number of animals, overwhelming that person's ability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, and veterinary care Failed to acknowledge the deteriorating condition of the animals (including disease, starvation, and even death) and household environment (severe overcrowding, very unsanitary conditions) Failed to recognize the negative effect of the collection on his or her own health and well-being, and on that of other household members In a typical hoarding situation, the hoarder will put their own needs to be surrounded by animals ahead of providing even the most basic care. Although professing great love for the animals, they are often oblivious to serious illness, animals in desperate need of veterinary care, starvation, and even death of the animals. Few if any animals are ever adopted or placed, and new animals are never turned away, even in the face of rapidly deteriorating conditions. There are often substantial efforts to acquire even more pets. Some hoarders acquire the animals passively because they are "known" as a shelter or good samaritan. Others can go to great lengths, often pursuing extremely clever subterfuge to infiltrate legitimate rescue groups, shelters, veterinary clinics, etc. There have been cases where very well done Internet sites advertising themselves as a "No- Kill" sanctuary taking special needs pets was a front for hoarding. Unfortunately, owners desperate to place an unwanted pet may not ask too many questions, even when the solution sounds too good to be true. It is extremely important that veterinarians and other professionals recognize, that despite the animal hoarder's claims of extreme love and concern for the animals, animal hoarding is more than just a misguided attempt at rescuing animals. "It's not about a legitimate shelter or animal rescue," he said. "It's not about the animals; it's about fulfilling a human need. In fact, many experts suspect there may be psychologic problems that lead to animal hoarding. Animal hoarding may be symptomatic of psychologic disorders such as dementia, addiction, attachment disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Stereotypes such as the "cat lady" may not be useful, because animal hoarders come from all social and demographic backgrounds. Although hoarders tend to be socioeconomically disadvantaged people, there have been cases where working professionals such as college professors, nurses, bankers, and even a few veterinarians were discovered to be hoarding. Animal hoarders often accumulate multiple species, though cats and dogs are the most common victims. Cats are involved in 65 percent of the cases and dogs are involved in 60 percent of the cases, according to a study by Dr. Patronek that appeared in Public Health Reports. Animals rescued form hoarding situations are often too ill, too old, too debilitated, or too unsocial to place through legitimate adoption avenues. Even in the best of circumstances, a large influx of difficult to place pets will overwhelm most sheltering and rescue organizations, making humane euthanasia the sad end to the suffering of hoarded animals. Additionally, animal hoarding can create severe hazards to the health of the hoarder, family members, and the animals involved.
Household conditions often deteriorate to the point where appliances and utilities are not functioning, and proper food preparation and basic sanitation measures become impossible. There may also be rodent or insect infestations, fire hazards, or dangerously high concentrations of ammonia in the house. "These conditions are unlivable for people and animals," Dr. Patronek said. "It's not a humane environment." Many animal hoarders are repeat offenders. Difficulty prosecuting cases, light punishments, and a lack of follow-up supervision often lead animal hoarders to begin accumulating animals shortly after their previous animals are confiscated. "The drive to do this is so strong that recidivism is almost 100 percent," Dr. Patronek said. To avoid enabling a hoarder, Dr. Patronek warned that veterinarians and rescue groups should be careful about frequently referring unwanted pets to a client or staff member, or providing free supplies, without knowing the situation. Taken from: http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/oct02/021015a.asp For more information on animal hoarding or the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium, visit www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding.html. Did your cats miss the last clinic? Try the following services: FREE: PETFIX COALITION - clinic on the Second 2 Mondays of each month for feral and stray cats and dogs; the clinic is held at the Richmond SPCA. Cats seen at the clinic are sterilized and receive a rabies vaccination. Reservations are required. For more information: www.petfix.org or call 739-7868. www.richmondspca.org or call 521-1300. Low cost: Virginia Kincheloe Spay/Neuter Clinic F burg/s ylvania 540-834-0080 Prevent A Litter Clinic Richmond VA 804-359-6369 Males $25, Females $35 RICHMOND SPCA - Rabies vaccinations are included. Reservations are required; the RSPCA does have traps to loan. For more information: Newsletter Questions, Comments, Suggestions???? Email Cate at catemcmanus@hotmail.com Operation Catnip Quilt Raffle
Tickets are just 5 dollars. Quilt is about the size of a twin. Quotes about cats are written on some of the squares. Drawing will be held December 14, 2008 Winner will be contacted by phone All proceeds go to help spay and neuter homeless and feral cats. Quilt was made by hand and donated for raffle by dedicated Operation Catnip Volunteer, Jane Gintout