ALLEY CAT ACTION Alley Cat Allies Newsletter SPRING 2018 For Alley Cat Allies Over 650,000 Supporters and Activists Across the Nation and Around the World Kittens are born with blue eyes. Eye color may change after 3 weeks. Like most animal shelters, Fort Bend County Animal Services and Harris County Animal Shelter, both in Texas, see an influx of kittens each spring and summer. This is kitten season, and this year, these two Texas shelters were prepared with Alley Cat Allies Wait Until 8 program. Here s how it works: When people find litters outside and bring them to a shelter, the staff members, instead of taking the litters in, recommend that the individuals care for the kittens at home with Alley Cat Allies Kitten Care Kits. Once neonatal kittens reach 8 weeks of age, they can be taken back to the shelter to be spayed or neutered and put up for adoption. The program maximizes the kittens chances for survival as kittens in shelters are at risk for illness and disease, or worse, are often killed due to the lack of resources or staff to care for them. Alice Burton, associate director of Animal Shelter and Animal Control Engagement at Alley Cat Allies, provided her expertise to the two Texas shelters in February as they prepared to kick off Wait Until 8. The eyes of newborn kittens open around 1 week of age. WAIT UNTIL 8 SAVES KITTENS LIVES It s a solution the community can be part of, says Kerry McKeel, a spokeswoman at the Harris County Animal Shelter. The Regional Center for Animal Care and Protection in Roanoke, Virginia, implemented Wait Until 8 in 2017 after learning about it from Alley Cat Allies at a conference. (continued on page 4) EARLIER-AGE SPAY AND NEUTER GAINS MOMENTUM Alley Cat Allies has long supported pediatric spay and neuter, which is performed when healthy kittens are about 2 months old and weigh 2 pounds. Now the American Darling is Veterinary Medical 2 months old, Association (AVMA) 2 pounds, and other veterinary and ready to groups are slowly be neutered! moving in this direction. In a recent decision, the AVMA endorsed a recommendation that veterinarians spay and neuter cats by 5 months of age, one month earlier than had been customary. Cats, however, can get pregnant as young as 4 months. The Veterinary Task Force on Feline Sterilization made the new recommendation. The Feline Fix by Five campaign, spearheaded by Esther Mechler and Joan Miller, advocated for the task force s recommendation. Mechler has been a driving force in the spay and neuter movement in the United States for the past 30 years. Follow us on social media! /AlleyCatAllies
PRESIDENT S MESSAGE I m so excited to tell you about the important work Alley Cat Allies is doing this spring. On page 1, you ll read about animal shelters using our Wait Until 8 program to empower people to care for kittens until they reach 8 weeks old. This is critical in the spring and summer months when kittens are born and brought to shelters. Speaking of kittens, Alley Cat Allies worked quickly to get two brave little ones in grave situations the help they needed. A tiny 4-week-old tabby was found alone in a cold, pitch-black underground utility tunnel. We rushed her to a nearby veterinary hospital. Thankfully, the kitten (we named her Gertrude after the patron saint of cats) was given a clean bill of health. Our staff fostered her until she was 8 weeks old and could be spayed and adopted. In the other case, our very own program manager, Kim Kean, found a young tortoiseshell on a median strip on a busy highway in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She and two police officers stopped traffic and scooped up the cat. Then Kim rushed her to get medical care. Amazingly, she had no injuries and is in a foster home. Her new name? Miracle! And finally, remember the California fire cats who were displaced by the wildfires and mudslides? We funded local groups to rescue and reunite those cats with their families. Wait until you see their photos and stories on page 3! For the cats, Roni, one of the cats displaced during the California wildfires, is reunited with his family. Connect with me online facebook.com/acapresident instagram.com/feralbecky Becky Robinson, President and Founder twitter.com/feralbecky 7920 Norfolk Ave., Suite 600 Bethesda, MD 20814-2525 Tel: 240-482-1980 Fax: 240-482-1990 www. 2018 Alley Cat Allies. All rights reserved. ALLEY CAT ACTION, Volume 28, Issue #3, SPRING 2018 PRESIDENT: Becky Robinson VICE PRESIDENT: Donna Wilcox BOARD MEMBERS: Karyen Chu, PhD; Irina Dline; Rachel Gorlin; Patricia E. Kauffman; Dina Paxenos; Becky Robinson; Donna Wilcox All rights reserved. We may make this material available for use by other groups, but none of it may be reproduced in any format without specific written permission from Alley Cat Allies. Alley Cat Allies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and tax-exempt organization. Alley Cat Allies federal employer ID number is 52-1742079, and our CFC number is 10964. All contributions, donations, and gifts are tax-deductible, as allowed by law. It is Alley Cat Allies practice to exchange the names of our donors with other charities that share our values. We do this in order to both expand our donor base and spread our mission, and to support those charities that we feel are working toward the good of animals and our community. Please notify us if you would prefer that we not share your name. We would be happy to remove your information from our exchange list. ALLEY CAT ACTION, SPRING 2018 2 Alley Cat Allies is proud to have earned the highest rating of four stars from Charity Navigator, the nation s largest and most respected charity evaluator. Join us and our more than 650,000 supporters at www.. OUR MISSION: To transform and develop communities to protect and improve the lives of cats. OUR GOALS: 1) Reform public policies and institutions to serve the best interests of cats; 2) Expand and promote cat care; 3) Increase understanding of cats to change attitudes and eliminate misconceptions.
POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE: SAVING CALIFORNIA S FIRE CATS Alley Cat Allies is helping animal rescues keep hope alive for cats and people still recovering from the devastating 2017 California wildfires and 2018 mudslides. Surrounded by the smoke and chaos of the blazes, hundreds of cats were displaced from their homes. Alley Cat Allies provided grants to two local groups, Outcast Cat Help (OCH) and Surfcat Rescue and Adoptions, to support their lifesaving mission to care for the fire cats and reunite them with their families. Roni Roni & Storm Through feeding stations equipped with cameras, OCH volunteers spotted and trapped Sebastian. He was reunited with his family 55 days after they fled their home during the Sonoma County fires. I ve pinched myself every day since Sebastian got home, says owner Coreen Allen. I m so grateful to everyone who contributed in having him come back. Nemo Sebastian Thanks to OCH trapping efforts, Nemo was reunited with owner Claudia Meglin 87 days after he went missing during the Sonoma County fires. I ended up losing everything in the fire, but the biggest pain was that we didn t have Nemo with us. Evacuating without him was one of the hardest things I had to do. Now we re back together, and I almost can t believe it, Meglin says. The Thomas Fire in Ventura County left little Roni with singed whiskers and ears, and paws so badly burned that she could barely walk. Surfcat volunteers rescued her and got her immediate medical attention. A month after her rescue, Roni was reunited with her brother, Storm, who was saved by another Ventura County rescue. Now they re safe and sound in a forever home together. Look how good Roni looks! Scarlett Frankie s owners had nearly given up hope after two months of searching following the Santa Rosa fire that burned down their home. With OCH s guidance, Frankie was finally returned to his family s arms. Frankie Scarlett went missing when her family evacuated from the Thomas Fire. After weeks of failed efforts, Surfcat volunteers finally trapped and reunited her with owner Katrina. ALLEY CAT ACTION, SPRING 2018 3
Pat Frederick cares for 80 community cats in Philadelphia every day. Compassionate caregiving by extraordinary people is in the news once again. Pat Frederick caught the media s attention in Philadelphia as she set out to feed 80 community cats around her neighborhood. A photographer captured her in a daily routine that takes five hours: Going from colony to colony, and from one street to another, to feed the cats. PROFILE IN COMPASSION: PHILADELPHIA WOMAN CARES FOR 80 COMMUNITY CATS Pat s commitment is inspiring. As supporters like you know, this dedication to cats is shared by so many unsung heroes like Pat all around the country. Pat moved from Chicago to her parents house in Philadelphia eight years ago. That s when she began to feed the two dozen community cats on their block. That number grew to 80 cats after neighbors told Pat about other stray or feral cats outside. Pat carried out Trap-Neuter-Return on the colonies with help from her community and Alley Cat Allies. Pat Frederick walks to the colonies she feeds as several cats gather around her. Pat says she feels rewarded by this work, which she does in every kind of weather. It takes a 16-pound bag of dry food, 32 cans, and three gallons of water to feed the cats each day. Several neighbors help by giving her a few bags of food each month. The best thing is when the cats are happy and giving you love, she says. WAIT UNTIL 8 SAVES KITTENS LIVES... (continued from page 1) About 15 people who brought kittens to the shelter have participated in the program in 2017, says Libby Carden, a shelter supervisor. It saves the kittens and people are willing to help, she says. They just needed resources. A lot of people, as soon as I mentioned, We can get you food, we can get you a litter pad, they were like Oh yeah, she says. It takes away that barrier that they have to go get supplies... and I think they felt they had more support. Wait Until 8 programs help save kittens lives (like Butternut and Spaghetti)! In Canada, Morgen Manners, operations manager at the Lloydminster and District SPCA, began asking people who brought in litters if they would care for the kittens until they were 8 weeks old. The response was so positive that the Wait Until 8 program was implemented this year. Barbara Vass, a coordinator for the Fort Bend shelter, also had high hopes for community involvement. If we re able to give them the guidance and resources to get started with the Kitten Care Kit, I think it s going to have a big impact on people wanting to help, she says. Interested in providing kitten care? Volunteer with your local shelter, foster neonatal kittens, or encourage a shelter to start a Wait Until 8 program. Caring for neonatal kittens? See our easy-to-follow guide at /KittenGuide. Check out our Kitten Care Kit instructions at /KittenCareKit. Learn more at /WaitUntil8. ALLEY CAT ACTION, SPRING 2018 4
ALLEY CAT ALLIES GETS KITTENS THE HELP THEY NEED FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT With your support, Alley Cat Allies saved the life of a brave little kitten! In March, a tiny 4-week-old tabby was found huddled alone in a cold, pitch-black utility tunnel in Bethesda, Maryland, where Jakob Martin had been working. He heard the kitten s distressed cries through the darkness. Since the kitten s mother was nowhere to be found, Martin picked her up and sought help from Alley Cat Allies. Jakob Martin rescued 4-week-old Pyramid. The kitten (we named her Gertrude after the patron saint of cats) didn t seem to respond to movement or light. We wondered if she might be blind. We rushed her to get medical attention at a nearby veterinary hospital. Thankfully, the kitten was given a clean bill of health and the veterinarian expects her eyesight to return! MIRACLE ON A HIGHWAY To rescue a young cat from a busy six-lane causeway in New Jersey, Kim Kean, the Atlantic City program manager at Alley Cat Allies, had to think fast. She spotted the little tortoiseshell on the median strip as she was driving, while cars and buses zoomed by. I realized I had to act quickly, she says. Kim knew she couldn t save the cat on her own. She called an animal-loving police officer who has worked with Alley Cat Allies through the Atlantic City Boardwalk Cats Project for years. An Alley Cat Allies staff member fostered the kitten until she was 8 weeks old and could be spayed and adopted. Then she s expected to go to the perfect forever home: Martin s! Pyramid was found in a cold, dark tunnel. Fortunately, she was given a clean bill of health. I ve always wanted a cat and I was thinking about getting one in the next few months, says Martin, who is renaming the kitten Pyramid. It was like destiny just walked in. How was I going to back down from that? Our generous supporters and donors like you make it possible for Alley Cat Allies to get kittens like Pyramid the help they need. Thanks to your compassion, she will live out her life safe and sound with her rescuer. TWO STATES CONSIDER BILLS TO SUPPORT TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN You have the power to save more cats lives in South Carolina and Vermont! Lawmakers in those states are considering bills that would provide statewide support for Trap-Neuter-Return programs. Alley Cat Allies sent letters urging legislators to pass Senate Bill 841 in South Carolina and House Bill 204 in Vermont. We need your help to make this happen! If you live in these states, ask your representatives to support this important legislation. Take action now at /Action. A few minutes later, the officer and her partner arrived. Kim helped them stop traffic in both directions and scooped up the little tortie with a net. Then, Kim took her to a veterinarian. The cat was scared but, amazingly, had no injuries. She was very tiny, though only 3 pounds at 6 months old. The veterinarian thought the little cat was so cute that she decided to foster her! Guess what we named her: Miracle! Miracle is safe and sound in a foster home. Community cats and people benefit from Trap-Neuter-Return. ALLEY CAT ACTION, SPRING 2018 5
ONE-OF-A-KIND TRIBUTE FOR A SPECIAL CAT ADVOCATE Terry and Robert Briggs got married in 1984, and it didn t take long before, with Terry s gentle coaxing, they became full-fledged cat advocates together. Throughout their marriage, the couple adopted and fostered orphaned kittens and became supporters of Alley Cat Allies. Caring for cats was such a big part of their lives that when Terry passed away in May 2017, Robert decided to recognize her lifelong commitment and compassion with an Alley Cat Allies Tribute Plaque. I wanted to honor Terry in a very special and lasting way, and a way that would also benefit a cause she so deeply cared about, Robert says. This was a perfect opportunity to do both. Robert became a cat advocate along with his wife, Terry. Alley Cat Allies Tribute Plaques are a meaningful way to commemorate animals and those who love them. The plaque that Robert added to our Hall of Remembrance celebrates Terry s life and legacy and helps support our lifesaving work for cats. Terry s tribute plaque is displayed at Alley Cat Allies. Robert continues to care for his five cats and also helps community cats. At Alley Cat Allies, we are thankful every day for people like Robert and Terry. If it was not for meeting my dear departed Terry, I would not be an Alley Cat Ally now, Robert says. For more information about Alley Cat Allies Tribute Plaques, please call our Development team at 1-866-309-6207 or go to /More-Ways-To-Give. Robert s cats: Lucky, Fuzzy, Willow, Charlie, and Sweetie. HISSES AND PURRS The stories of those who deserve to be celebrated...and scorned. PURRS to Virginia s Fairfax County Animal Shelter, the Humane Society of Fairfax County, and Anicira Veterinary Center, for helping 4,000-plus cats through Trap-Neuter-Return programs since the start of 2017! HISSES to the Western Governors Association, whose members include all 22 state governors in the western United States, for listing feral cats as one of the top 50 worst invasive species in the region. PURRS to New Hampshire for changing its law to allow cats with FIV and FeLV to be adopted. HISSES to Panama City, FL, for considering a feeding ban that would fine well-meaning citizens for caring for community cats. SAVE A CAT WITH A MOUSE With just a few clicks, you can make a difference in cats lives and help transform communities. Here are some online resources to help you on your way: $ QUESTIONS? Looking for assistance with cats? Get the help you need! /GetHelp DONATE Support cats nationwide. /Donate LEARN Advocate for cats in your community. /CommunityChange TAKE ACTION Receive our FeralPower! action alerts and other emails. /SignUp Printed on 100% Post-Consumer Paper with Environmentally Friendly Inks. ALLEY CAT ACTION, SPRING 2018 6