Homer is missing and what I've been up to on Facebook

It's hard to keep track of the days sometimes, and I find myself relying on technology to figure out when I did something. For example, when did I last talk to Mom? Oh I'll just check the call display on the home cordless phone set. Or what is the phone # for the lady who called about kittens right after I got out of the shower and didn't have a pen handy to write it down? Again, I refer to call display history on the home phone. I look on my cell phone to track call history, review emails to see when who said what, and when I need to see when I recently did something, I look at my Facebook posts on my profile. So that's what I am going to do here, to help me chronicle the activities of the past few days.

Wed. Dec 9th
Euthanized Snowflake due to ongoing urinary issues.
Step-grandfather Doug had a second heart attack today. His wife Shirley was admitted to a home yesterday due to Alzheimers.

Thursday, Dec. 10th 9:44am door blew open during storm overnight and now Homer is missing
Called Animal Control to see if his dead body was reported or picked up - no info
Called vet to report missing cat - no info
Set traps in my yard - 3 traps, for Homer, Karma and Jack the bad guy. Jack is the big scary tabby feral cat who hurt Kramer this summer/fall, andhe sprays on my property and feeds here often.

Friday, Dec 11th
Caught Jack around 1pm, too late to have him neutered today, so he is in my shed in a cage for now and he will be TNR'ed on Tuesday.

Went to Fisherman's Cove and installed a winter shelter to keep the 3 Cove cats warm this winter. We jacked up the empty tuna containers that they hide beneath, and installed the large Rubbermaid and Styrofoam cooler lined with straw. Once the tuna containers were let back down into place, the cats can still crawl under and it blocks the snow and wind to prevent the shelter from blowing away.
While installing the shelter, I had to crawl under the tuna bin to shovel away gravel, so we could push the shelter underneath. I was moving away old garbage that had blown in there, and discovered an old carcass of a deceased cat. It was absolutely hollow, nothing but skin and bones left. Poor thing must have crawled in there last year, maybe froze to death or just laid down there to die of his injuries or infections. It makes me sad to know that the living cats have still had to crawl in there, as it is the only place to stay dry, beside their dead comrade or family member. I removed the deceased cat's body and brought it to the vet for humane disposal. At least now the living cats at the Cove won't have to admire thier dead buddy....

Went to the colony on Howard Avenue and took 2 kittens (about 4 - 5 weeks old) from a feral mother cat, and delivered the babies to Inge at Pick of the Litter Society

Back to check traps, no sign of Homer

Emails:

Flea products that kill

Hello pet lovers,
NEVER purchase over-the-counter flea treatments on your cat or dog, (such as Hartz brand) unless you want it to possibly die a horrible death due to poisoning. See the You Tube video below for more information. Only purchase veterinary prescribed medications such as Advantage, Revolution or Program and follow the dosing instructions very carefully

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_uqBjvy7YI

Sonya Higgins

Hazardous toys and risk of obstructions

My mother had to bring one of the cats she adopted from me, Glow, to the vet for emergency surgery today. Mom noticed the cat wasn't herself and it appeared (in a multi-cat household, it's hard to keep track of everyone) that Glow had not eaten or used the litter box in a day or so.

She paid over $1,000 for the poor sick kitty to have an Xray, subcutaneous fluids and surgery to remove the items the cat had swallowed. At least a foot and a half of thin yellow ribbon and several elastic bands were extricated from the cats twisted and mangles intestines and bowels.

Please do an inventory of your pet cat or dogs toys and throw away any of the following dangerous articles that may cause an obstruction or perforation:

• ribbon or string - anything less than an inch wide can be ingested, so use long thick strips of fleece to attach dangling toys or mice
• tinfoil balls - because they can chew off bits that will harm the intestines
• styrofoam packing chips
• elastic bands ( some cats like Fefe tend to steal hair elastics as well and then eat them)
• twist ties (use plastic bread tags to keep bags closed)
• do not use tinsel on your Xmas tree
• small toys with foil, jingle bells, the eyes on fuzzy mice, many small things that can come off a toy will go down a cat's throat easily enough, but it will not pass in the stool
• sewing needles and thread - make sure these are put away in drawers the cat cannot reach
• plastic bags of any sort - some cats will chew and swallow parts of shopping bags, then may not be able to vomit or poop it out

How to find a lost cat

I hope you find your lost kitty! If you want to borrow a humane trap, please call me at 469-6369 to make an appointment for a lesson on how to properly use the trap and sign a waiver form and give a deposit. I am attaching files so you can make your own lost cat flyers to put up in the area. You should also check out these websites for tips:

www.missingpetregistry.com

http://www.metro.spcans.ca/lostFound.html

http://petdetective.ca/

http://www.catsinthebag.org/

http://www.halifax.ca/AnimalControl/index.html

On posters, Minimize description and put PLEASE CHECK: Sheds/garages, Basement windows/skirting/crawlspaces, Vacant homes/apts/offices, Unused Vehicles for sale or not, Dumpsters open AND closed, Drainpipes under driveways. Focus on sensory-impaired and elderly folks' places

Consider sharing this email with a list of other animal lovers who may assist you in finding your pet.

I strongly encourage you to post ads online on sites such as Kijiji, Facebook, and our local community site here http://www.easternpassage.ca/news.php

http://geocities.com/helpfindsabina/

http://www.petfinder.com/classifieds/classifieds.html

http://www.flealess.org/lostpets/novascotia.html
http://www.flealess.org/lostpets/lost.found.pets.html
http://www.maritimeanimalrescue.com/lost.shtml


Check with other rescue organizations to see if your cat was found, you can find some here:

http://www.maritimeanimalrescue.com/contacts.shtml
http://atlanticcanadarescue.ca/links.html
http://www.petfinder.com/awo/index.cgi?location=B3G+1B1&keyword=


Good luck in your search and let me know if I can help

Sonya Higgins
Cat rescuer extraordinaire
469-MEOW
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NS28.html
katsonya@accesswave.ca
469-MEOW (469-6369)

How to donate and what we need

Hello from the kitties at Healing Animal SCARS,

We always need financial donations to pay the vet bills. Every cat costs a minimum of $300 and with the time dedicated to actual hands-on animal care, we have little time to spend on fundraising events. You can donate by PayPal on our Petfinder website ( see link in this post)

Below is a list of items we could use, as well as cash on our account at the Eastern Passage Village Veterinary Hospital - call 902-465-1213 to donate by credit card

Our vet bill is already over $500 and we have 9 new kittens to be treated and spayed or neutered, so cash is vital to our success!

Animal Rescue Wish List

-Cat Litter – clumping or non-clumping, wood pellets or other types

-Canned/wet Food – any type will do for feeding outdoor cats or colonies, but our rescued cats and kittens are only fed Veterinary prescribed diets

-Kitten food – Royal Canin Baby Cat 34 dry kibble and cans of Medi-cal Development or Medi-cal Development dry food

-Adult Cat Food – Medi-cal Preventive dry or wet food, and other vet diets, such as food for cats with crystals or Urinary Tract Infections (i.e.: Medi-cal Urinary S/O or Hills Prescription Diet c/d)

-Cat Treats (preferably Medi-treats from the vet or Greenies)

-Whiskas Cats Milk-Kitten Replacement Milk – or dry milk powder formula, available to purchase at vet clinics

-Kitten Nursing bottles, baby blankets, onesies (baby outfits for injured cats to wear to cover wounds), baby wipes for cleaning paws and kittens bums

-Cat Toys

-Bleach and other cleaning supplies, such as Mr Clean magic erasers, Lysol wipes, Laundry Detergent, Dish Detergent, Garbage Bags-Spray Bottles

-Latex Gloves

-Facial Tissue boxes, Paper Towel

-Blankets, Towels-Pet Carriers, Humane traps, wire Pet/dog crates, plastic Vari-kennels

-Stainless Steel Bowls

-Stainless Steel Litter Pans

-Newspaper

-Canadian Tire Money & Gift Cards to various stores, grocery or department stores

-Recyclables (refundable bottles only, such as juice, pop or alcohol bottles – no milk containers accepted)

-Puppy Pads

-Electric Heating Pads

-Large Shoe Boxes

-Pet Beds

-Plastic Shower Curtains

-Hand Sanitizer

-Plastic Storage Containers

-Pillows & Pillow Cases

-Digital Food Scale

-Cat litter pans, either small trays or large hooded-type litter boxes

Thank you on behalf of the kitties at Healing Animal SCARS,


Sonya Higgins
Chairman/Director, “Sonya’s Cat & Animal Rescue Society”
katsonya@accesswave.ca
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NS28.html

469-MEOW (469-6369)

converted ferals make Great pets

I got an email today from Angela, who had fostered our "hard to place" feral cat Ruffian for a while before finding him a purr-manent home with her in-laws. I asked her permission to share it, as a testimonial that feral cats, even those who are hard to tame, make wonderful pets.

Everyone who met Ruffian recognized that he was a fabulous cat, but he was a difficult cat to adopt out. Ruffian had a history of fighting with other pets, escaping and running away for 6 months, and multiple other issues than deterred most adopters from considering taking him home. Ruffian was with us for months at a time, then in winters he would be shuffled off to a new foster home. He was even adopted a few times, but it turned out to be a bad match in each case, so he came back to our rescue time and again. When he was transferred to yet another foster home (with Angela), he won their hearts! They introduced him to Wilma and Ed, who decided to take him home. They understood that he would be shy and hide at first, and it took him a while to come out and show his true colours. Now I think Ruffian finally understands that he is home.

Here is Angela's email:

2 weeks ago Ruffian got outside by accident! Wilma was going out the patio doors and he bolted past her. We all knew it would happen eventually, Wilma obviously needs more time and room to get out than most people. (*she uses a wheelchair) Anyway, she was sick over it all. Ed got home and called for him, walked around, and went to the neighbours' houses to let them know their cat was out.

Later on in the late afternoon Ed went out on the patio and called him and he came right up to him, he must have been just around the house/under the patio! He came right inside and right to his food dish. Guess he didn't want to miss supper time.

Since then he has gotten out twice more (he has a taste for it now) but he stays mostly just on the patio and sometimes wanders down to the pavement in front of the garage and lays on it in the sun. He comes back into the house without any problems, so everyone is pretty happy about that! :)
They figured he has it too good there, so he wasn't going too far, just went for a little exploring adventure. haha :) Seems to have that out of his system now!

He is Wilma's little snuggler. He hops up on her and lays in her lap. They really couldn't be happier with him. When we come over he comes right up to us and jumps up on the couch or wherever we are looking for some pats.
He really has done a total 180. He's just a happy lovey cat now. No one would ever guess he used to live outside and be scared of people. Ruffian is a true example of how feral cats can become loving pet cats.

Angela

Lost and found

time for a rant: so it's the first time this has happened to me. I rescue a cat from possible death and 4 days later I get a call from a person asking if I might have taken in their lost pet. I was very taken aback when I heard her description of her missing cat, as my heart sank, I realized the cat I rescued could in fact be her missing cat. In most circumstances, I would be jumping for joy at the opportunity to re-unite a missing pet with it's owner. However, this "owner" admitted that her cat (only a 4 or 5 month old kitten) is primarily an outdoor kitty, and he has never been to a vet.

So I tell her she would have to repay me for all his vet work, which was over $100 and to email me photos ASAP, and she says she can do it as soon as she gets off work at 9pm that evening. I hear nothing from her that night or the following day. I finally get an email from her 28 hours later, no photo, and asking if I can accept a payment plan....

So I waited 24 hours before I replied to her, seeking advice from other rescuers about how to best handle this ethical problem. See below for what I sent her

The story goes:

On Friday, August 7th at 9:39am I received a call about a found cat at Fisherman’s Cove. I made inquires with the SPCA and Bide Awhile to see if a cat matching that description had been reported as missing. I went to the Cove to see the cat and took photos at 11:13am, assessed his condition; he appeared to have been on the streets for months, as his coat was greasy and he was flea infested. He was full of bite wounds and injuries I promised to come back for him with a carrier. I made an appointment at my vet for the earliest time they had available, 1:20pm. He was tested for Feline Leukemia and FIV, then examined and treated for bite wounds, worms, fleas, and a host of problems due to his life outside. He had his paw and tail shaved to treat the bite wounds, and finally he was vaccinated. We took him home and set him up in a safe cage with food and litter. He was ravenously hungry. The following day, after waiting 24 hours for the Advantage flea treatment to settle in, we had to bathe him to get rid of the hundreds of dead fleas and all the flea dirt. The grooming took well over an hour, but he turned out to be a clean and happy kitten in the end.



I sent an email to the person with the following information:

This is a link to the Nova Scotia SPCA website for Lost and Found Pets. http://www.spcans.ca/community/lostAndFound.html Then a similar link to the Metro Shelter http://www.metro.spcans.ca/lostFound.html This is from Animal Control for HRM http://www.halifax.ca/animalcontrol/LostPets.html how to get your pet back, if reported within 72 hours http://www.halifax.ca/animalcontrol/FoundPets.html#HowDoIRetrieve

I am still awaiting a photo of your missing kitten, to confirm if he looks like the kitten we rescued.

Firstly, I would like to ask why it took you over 24 hours, from our initial phone conversation on Monday, August 10th at 7:06pm, until Tuesday at 10:57pm, to get in touch with me regarding your missing cat. I had asked that you email me current photos as soon as you got off work at 9pm that evening. I think I told you when you called that I was in the process of interviewing potential adopters for him! I was waiting to hear back from you, before I could introduce the cat to the lovely people who were interested.

Here is our stance on this issue: as you have previously stated, your kitten was living in conditions that are obviously dangerous for him. If, in fact they are the same cat, then your cat is not being kept in sanitary conditions. When we found the cat, he was filthy dirty, horribly flea and worm infested, full of bite wounds and injuries, and last but not least, he was starving.
So again, if in fact they are one and the same, and you truly care about your cat, wouldn’t you rather know that he is going to live a long, happy indoor life, with the best of care? When interviewing potential adopters, we ensure they are planning to spoil the cat and can afford to take him to the vet regularly.
Or would you rather see him back with you, where you cannot keep him inside, and see him disappear again before he reaches a year old. Or worse, to find him dead in the street, if he gets hit by a car on your very busy road.
The infections from his injuries alone could have caused his death within a matter of days or weeks. This cat was found at Fisherman’s cove, where certain individuals have been drowning and killing cats through other cruel methods. His only saving grace was that the man who reported him found said, “this one was too nice to drown”. The Cove also has a colony of feral cats who would have surely beaten the stray cat up and maybe killed him.

If you wanted the kitten back and could provide concrete proof that he is your kitten, you would first have to re-pay me for all his vet bills and boarding costs. He has been scheduled to be neutered next week, before I can release him to anyone, whether it is a previous owner or a new adopter. We cannot accept personal cheques or any type of payment plan.
If we believed that this was an accidental loss of a pet and it was going to be returned to a safe environment, we would return that pet (still needing to be compensated for the care).
The vet bill on Friday was for $111.23, which includes a combo test for Feline Leukemia and FIV, a fecal analysis ( which discovered roundworms) and a full set of vaccines; FVRCP + Leukemia and Rabies. We also paid for the following medications: Advantage $12, Milbemax $10, Clavamox $25 ( an antibiotic for his bite wound injuries). We paid $50 for professional grooming on Saturday, since his fur was badly matted and he had to have a bath to clean all the fleas and dirt from his fur. We follow the same policy as the SPCA and HRM Animal Services, and need to charge $25 a day for boarding costs.

The total we would have to be re-imbursed so far is $358.23, plus he must still be neutered, so that’s an extra $90 on top of that figure.

Please call or email me within the next 24 hours if you wish to discuss this further,


Sonya Higgins
Cat rescuer extraordinaire
469-MEOW

so what do you think? Will I ever hear back from this person? Will she try to make a bad name for our rescue and claim that her pet was "stolen" ? Will she even give a damn, now that she knows how much she is on the hook for financially? Will she browse Kijiji for another free kitten? Will she learn a lesson about keeping her pets inside? Will she bother to spay and neuter her other 8 year old cat or her dog?
Worse thought, will I end up taking more animals from this person if someone el;se finds them on the streets and surrenders them as strays?
Can't she be stopped? There are millions out there like her, who leave animals outside all day long and THINK IT'S OKAY - not in my books!

abandoned cats tied up in a box

It is time for government to fund animal rescues and get legislation in place to deal with cruelty and abandonment cases. We also need a huge amount of Public Education and PR about abandoning pets, and the importance of spay and neuter. The problem, is not with cats - the probelm is with people who allow cats to breed.
My favorite bumper sticker I've seen in a while: Don't litter, fix your critter

This article was recently in the Herald:

The faces of abandonment
Ditched kitties just tip of the icebergBy BRIAN MEDEL Yarmouth BureauSat. Aug 8 - 4:46 AM
These kittens were tied up in a cardboard box and tossed into a water-filled Digby County ditch.These kittens were tied up in a cardboard box and tossed into a water-filled Digby County ditch
This cardboard box held an adult cat and her young kittens. (Brian Medel / Yarmouth Bureau
DIGBY — It’s been one week since someone stuffed a mother cat and her kittens into a cardboard box, tied it shut with black twine and then tossed the box into a ditch filled with water.The animals are alive, but the director of a local animal shelter is fuming.Dorothy Andrews said that she saw two kittens and an adult cat sitting by a soggy cardboard box as she was driving home from the TLC Animal Shelter at about 6 p.m. on Aug. 1.The cat had somehow scratched and poked her way through the wet box as it lay partially submerged, less than two kilometres from the animal shelter.Ms. Andrews said the cat had likely pulled her kittens out of the box, which had been tied shut like a Christmas gift.Ms. Andrews went back to the shelter for a live trap and some cat food. When she returned to the scene, she heard another kitten crying a few hundred metres away. This cat was larger and obviously from a different litter. It too had been thrown away.On Wednesday, another kitten was found near the trap, barely able to move."It must have been hiding under the brush," Ms. Andrews said Friday.The mother hasn’t been caught yet, and no wonder, said Ms. Andrews. The animal is traumatized, she said."I’ve seen the mom there looking for her babies," said Ms. Andrews. "I set a bigger trap there but I can’t seem to catch her."Sadly this episode is not unique.At the end of each month when people move, cats and dogs are often left inside the former residence or tied outside. Sometimes they’re simply left to wander.People routinely drop cats at the shelter during the night, sometimes in boxes and sometimes loose, said Ms. Andrews."A neighbour will call and say, ‘My neighbour moved out west and is not coming back and they left their dog," said Ms. Andrews."These are adults . . . and the children are seeing this."The TLC Animal Shelter is a "no kill" shelter, and it’s bursting with cats and dogs.All animals that pass through the shelter are spayed or neutered before being released for adoption. The shelter relies solely on donations and all who work there volunteer their time.The shelter needs supplies, especially cat food."We so over-supplied with cats," said Ms. Andrews.It’s important to stress to pet owners that they are responsible for finding homes for pets they can no longer keep, she said.( bmedel@herald.ca)

Raffle basket - tickets for Sale

ca-r-ma and Healing Animal SCARS
Raffle Basket
Tickets only $2 each or 3 for $5
Lottery Licence #
AGA-225891.09

Disney’s Aristocats 5 piece Gift Set – cat bed, blanket, collar, 2 stuffed cat toys
Double-wide Cardboard Scratch Post with catnip
Large deluxe Cats bath towel Cat & Kitten Birthday Book
Green Polar fleece Friskies blanket Herring Steak cat treats
White golf shirt with Friskies logo Blue plastic large food dish
Cat Tunnel Exercise Toy Cat litter box plastic tray liners
Catnip “grow it yourself” Garden Large tub of Cosmic Catnip
Magnetic Cat notepad Ceramic ornament - Cat with hat & ribbon
Brooch: silver 3 cats in a basket pin Cat Charm Key Chain
Anna’s Bears & Wares ceramic Cat Pin
Ceramic Cat magnet Bottle of “Keep Away” cat repellent
Set of 4 pewter cat magnets – Seagull Pewter
Small pewter clock with 2 cats - Seagull Pewter Cat wallet
Garfield pencil and bookmark 14 Cat Toys
Black and white cat Pen
Cat stickers EZ Fill Automatic Waterer and Feed dish
Healing Animal SCARS - Sonya's Cat & Animal Rescue Society has joined forces with ca-r-ma (CAt-Rescue-MAritimes) to hold a raffle fundraiser.
We have a large basket of cat-related items valued at over $250 to be raffled off. Tickets are being sold for only $2.00 each or you can buy 3 tickets for $5.00.
They are available for sale at the Eastern Passage Village Veterinary Hospital at 105 Cow Bay Road, or you may contact Sonya at 469-MEOW or at katsonya@accesswave.ca to purchase tickets.
The draw date is September 30th and it will take place at the EP Village Vet Hospital.
Lottery permit # AGA-225891.09

Snowflake needs a home

Home Wanted

This very loving kitty needs a home. He’s a wonderful kitty (currently called Snowflake) who wants nothing more than a safe, comfortable home. He has all his needles, has tested free of Feline Leukemia and FIV, is neutered and is all ready to love. He’s quite content to be an indoor kitty. If you can help, please call
469-MEOW

We will interview potential adopters and ask them for a donation towards his vet care, and to sign an adoption contract

Petition to HRM for TNR of cats

I have started a petition to be presented during my meeting with the Mayor and Council. It asks for funding from the municipality to be provided for a Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) program in Halifax Regional Municipality.

It reads as follows:

Healing Animal SCARS – Sonya’s Cat & Animal Rescue Society Petition Started August 5th, 2009
Phone 469-MEOW Email: katsonya@accesswave.ca by Sonya Higgins
Website: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NS28.html 143 Briarwood Drive, Eastern Passage, NS B3G 1B7

Petition to HRM for TNR of stray and feral cats
We, the undersigned, do request municipal funding from HRM to create a TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) program for stray and feral cats in our community. TNR involves humanely trapping cats to take to the vet for medical attention, including testing for Feline Leukemia and FIV, then fully vaccinating each cat and getting it spayed or neutered to prevent population growth. Tame cats and kittens would be put into shelters and adoption programs, while feral or wild cats would be returned to their original location and provided with a volunteer caretaker to feed and monitor the cat colony for injured or sick cats, and to watch for new entries that would need to be TNR’ed to keep the colony size stable.

I would like to get help to distribute paper copies of this petition across HRM, in businesses and workplaces. If anyone would like copies, please contact Sonya at 469-MEOW or email katsonya@accesswave.ca

My lofty goal is to obtain 25,000 signatures. If we can show the politicians that this is an issue that matters to the taxpayers of HRM, perhaps they will take it seriously and consider providing tax dollars $$ to volunteer groups, who could carry out the work on behalf of HRM. All we need is money to pay the vets!

finally something sensible on Kijiji

Free to a good home – two male HUMANS – father and son combo. Breaks my heart to have to part with them as I've had them for such a long time. The trouble is – I’m afraid one is going to seriously hurt the other if they continue to live in the family home and obedience classes for either one is out of the question (aka expensive). In addition, all of a sudden I’ve become allergic to the younger one! The older one does need a bit more attention - certainly is in good health, but urinates and poops on the floor when left alone for more than 12 hours, isn't walked or played with. I would like to keep them together or the suppressed behaviourial problems might surface. They are used to being ignored and would thrive with the right attention. I guess I should have done the research before committing to such a huge responsibility and forever screwing up their lives.

Does anyone realize that it sounds just as ridiculous when you are giving away a pet? Animals are supposed to be for life, not just keep them until it becomes inconvenient. Please consider your animal's feelings before detaching them from the lives and people they are accustomed to. For people considering adopting an animal, why not leave Kijiji now and surf on over to Petfinder, where you can save a life of a shelter animal? Before you decide to take a pet home, be prepared for a lifetime committment!

Kittens to adopt

Elegance and Hallie are the last 2 kittens left for adoption. They are survivors of a distemper outbreak. Each one is loveable in their own way. Elegance is more feisty and a bit of a tomboy, as she loves to wrestle with Hallie. Hallie, on the other hand, will purr as soon as you touch her, and is gentler most of the time. But when she sees something she is afraid of ( a big cat or a raccoon) Hallie will growl and hiss and act tough! Both kittens are sweet and cuddly in bed.

Read about Elegance here: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13590964

and here is Hallie's biography http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13795814 She was already spayed, to prevent accidental litters of kittens.

We are hoping to adopt them out soon, so we can finish disinfecting the rescue workshop and re-paint it. Then we can begin rescuing new cats again!

Jeannie's owners passed away and she needs a new home ASAP

Hello animal lovers,
I am sending out a desperate plea for help. Jeannie is a formerly feral cat who was rescued in February 2007 from the waterfront in Eastern Passage. A kind lady named Gloria had been feeding Jeanie and her kittens until I rescued them. Eventually she ended up adopting Jeannie and understood that the cat was still a little bit hissy and fearful of humans. The family came to love Jeannie a great deal and she fit in well, despite a few bites when she wasn’t getting enough attention!
Sadly, Gloria passed away in December 2008 and Jeannie came back to live with me for a few months, while the family got their lives back in order. In March 2009 Jeannie went back to live with Gloria’s daughter Lisa and has been getting along well in her new home. Unfortunately, Lisa just got news today that her father passed away while on a trip to visit family in Scotland, so Lisa has to leave the country and cannot take care of Jeannie anymore. She doesn’t even know where she will be living when/if she returns to Canada.
So we are really hoping that somebody out there is willing to foster or adopt Jeannie. She is a spicy little meatball that needs a person who understands her moods. Here are some excerpts from emails between myself and the Lindsay family

“I couldn’t wait to tell you that Jeannie hopped on my lap last night when I was sitting on the couch. I rubbed her for a while, she hissed and pretended to bite, so I shooed her off of me. I am NOT going to reward nasty behaviour! A few minutes later, she jumped back up and sat in my lap for a long time. Tonight she got in Frank’s lap while he was downstairs building a fire. She is meowing at me as soon as I get home and in the front door. I think she has decided to claim me as her own! “


“It will be good to find a home for Jeannie but I will miss her. She has fit in quite nicely here after a while, and chases the other cats playfully. She has totally taken over the spare room downstairs yet spends a lot of time upstairs and even hops into my bed with me sometimes. She is very playful and wants affection”

Please consider giving Jeannie a chance. You can begin by fostering her, and I will provide the food and litter, then if you fall in love, you can keep her without an adoption fee. If you are interested or know someone who needs a cat, you may contact Sonya by phoning 469-MEOW or by email at katsonya@accesswave.ca

Her profile in on my Petfinder website here: http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=8196117


Sonya Higgins
Chairman/Director, “Sonya’s Cat & Animal Rescue Society”
katsonya@accesswave.ca
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NS28.html
469-MEOW (469-6369)

Bottle Drive was a success, but we need more volunteers

We did a bottle drive yesterday and earned nearly $400 to help the animals. While I am content with any amount, it would be nice if we had a bigger team of volunteers to help with the fundraising.

I must thank the volunteers who did show up:

Darlene Richard: a fabulous woman who is my lifesaver! Without Darlene's help I don't know what I would do! She volunteers almost every day in the kitty workshop, and I can always count on her to help with fundraisers. Darlene and her husband Michel have adopted Hazey and Eeyore from Healing Animal SCARS, and they paid to TNR some cats in their back yard.

Darlene volunteered to stand all day at a table to display our cause and collect donations.

Shane Bennett: Another wonderful regular volunteer who is reliable and helps with everything under the sun. Shane and his lovely wife Amanda have adopted Marble from our rescue. They live just down the street from me, so I can call on them for anything, and they even take home laundry to clean for the kitties!

Lee Sampson: the big hearted pizza man! He runs the King of Donair on Windmill Road and has helped numerous cats. He recently adopted Reese (aka Cinnamon), an emaciated and dying cat foundoutside his restaurant. When I found her, Lee immediately took over as her Fairy Godfather and my vet and I were considering euthanizing her, but Lee nurtured her back to life.

Anita Doward: she was willing to drive, even with last minute notice from me, and always helps at our Bottle Drives. Anita takes in stray cats too and has 4 lovely young kitties for adoption on our website.

http://search.petfinder.com/shelterSearch/shelterSearch.cgi?shelterid=NS28&preview=1

Nicole Bigney: a great lady who works at Mercedes and has helped with many events since we began almost 3 years ago. It was great to see you again Nicole!

Wendy McKellar: another great gal, she lives in Shearwater and I helped her find her missing cat Skytz a few months ago. Wendy was willing to pitch in and help with her mini-van, even with two babies in carseats! Thanks a bunch for your help!

Juanita Faulkner and her son Adam Greenly: They read an ad on Kijiji and offered to start volunteering. Adam sells chocolate bars and donated the $24 profit to Healing Animal SCARS. Big thanks to a great young man!

Katie Hanrahan: my little sunshine girl! Katie has been a dedicated volunteer and always helps out at the kitty shed and at all events. I can always count on you Katie! You're the best!

Rachel Dix: another sweet girl who lives on my street and helps with Bottle Drives and Car washes. We really appreciate your help!

Michelle Clark: she helps with the kitties too and many fundraisers. Michelle brought along a new volunteer to help, her friend Kelly

Kelly: Thanks so much for joining us yesterday! We hope to see you at future events

Kassie Hagen: Her family has rescued countless cats and found homes. Kassie is a young woman with a huge heart and loves all animals. She has brought me many kittens over the years, most recently a litter of barn kittens from the barn where she keeps her horse. Unfortunately these kittens turned out to have Distemper and 4 of the 5 kittens died. Elegance is still hanging on though, and looking better every day.

We pray that Elegance will pull through and be the true poster child survivor story!

So in closing, I want to thank all the volunteers who showed up, and every person who donated to our cause, whether by donating refundables to the volunteers who knocked on your doors, or those who dropped off recyclables to the Depot to donate to our cause.

The kittens thank you too!

SPCA hosting Town Hall Meeting on feral cats

Will you attend this important meeting?
http://www.spcans.ca/events.html
May 30, 2009
Town Hall Meeting on Stray and Feral Cats
8:30AM-12:00PM,
Saint Mary's University, Sobey Building, Room 265,
903 Robie Street, Halifax.
Volunteers, advocates, concerned residents, municipal animal services staff, and veterinarians from across the province are invited to this meeting facilitated by the Nova Scotia SPCA to discuss approaches for managing and assisting stray and feral cat populations. The meeting will provide a forum for generating new collaborations and sharing information

Ruffian is doing well in his foster home

Ruffian is making himself at home in a new place again.

He is now comfortably ensconced in a spare room chez Angela Miller until we can find him a purr-manent home! Angela and her partner Mark are actively helping us look for an appropriate home, where Ruffian will be understood and loved. After all he has been through, I don’t think I should send him home with just “anyone”. While he has been very good with the many children he has met in my rescue workshop over the years, and he is great with my boyfriend’s 4 year old daughter Sidney, I do not entirely trust him not to lash out with his claws if a child alarmed or harmed him. So I don’t think he should go to a home with small children. Also I have tried adopting him to someone with physical limitations but they could not reach under the furniture he was hiding under. At first he is shy but if you can reach under the bed/chair/couch/whatever, Ruffian pushes his head against your hand to get rubbed. Soon after he will come out and sit on the furniture and allow you to caress him all over! He is very playful and loves other cats, if properly introduced. He was very social with the multitudes of cat-friends he met in my rescue workshop over the years.


Here is the latest message from Ruffian's foster family, sent Sunday afternoon:

Hi Sonya,
Ruffian doesn't hide anymore. Whenever we go in to visit he is laying on the bed. When one of us lays down with him he snuggles right in :)
Mark's dad popped by yesterday afternoon and met Ruffian. He really liked him. He told Wilma (Mark's mom) about him and she wants to meet him. Would it be okay with you if we took Ruffian up to meet Wilma ?
(edited)
She has a soft spot for orange tabbies, and they didn't want a male cat, but they may make an exception for him and put in an application to adopt him.
Apparently Wilma really missed Moxie once we got back from Mexico last month, and they started talking more about getting a cat of their own.
Angela

So together I hope we can find a permanent home for this loveable cat! Truly everyone who meets him loves him.

Barn Kittens with Panleukopenia

these 5 kitties were found by Kassie Hagen at the barn where she rides horse, so she and her mom delivered them to me on Saturday night, April 25th. It appears they are from 2 different litters. The 2 orange tabbies and the brown tabby are about 5 weeks old. The two tiny black striped kittens are only 2-3 weeks old

Tue, 5 May 2009 18:19

Hi there friends and supporters,

It is with great sadness that I must report that for the first time in 3 years and 201 rescued cats, we have a confirmed case of distemper (panleukopenia) in a kitten. Tongo was outwardly healthy for the first 8 days he was here, but on Sunday morning, he suddenly fell quite ill. We treated him and kept him as comfortable as possible, but by Monday afternoon, he was too far gone to hold out any hope for survival, so I helped him make a trip up to Heaven, by humanely euthanizing him at the vet.

His littermates, Elegance and Unicef, are living in separate cages, so I can monitor how much each of them is eating, drinking, peeing or pooping. The other 3 kittens (Gemma, Hallie and Woofer) are doing fine, still sharing a cage. For those who have visited the rescue workshop in the past week and seen the kittens: Thanks for all your help with them in the last week,and I wish I could still let volunteers come over, but it is shut for now. Quarantine is required to diminsh risk of contamintaion. We don't want the sickness to spread, but the volunteers shouldn't have to worry about bringing it home to their cats, as long as those cats are up to date on vaccines

Friday, May 8th

Unicef has joined his brother Tongo at the Rainbow Bridge. I will miss him so much! Unicef was doing farily well when he went to the vet yesterday afternoon, but upon arriving home he suddenly took a turn for the worse. He wouldn't eat anymore, got very tired and lethargic, then started vomiting bile. Over 24 hours he lost a lot of weight, could not even keep waer or Pedialite down, and had constant mucous coming from his poor sore little bum. Last night his fever skyrocketed to 40.3 degrees Celsius, so this morning I decided to bring him to the vet for IV fluids, instead of giving subcutaneous fluids every few hours. As soon as the kind doctor saw him, she shook her head and said, "No, Sonya" She knew he couldn't handle the trauma of having an IV needle stuck in his leg, the veins are too tiny , dehydrated and collapsed. I took a few moments to say goodbye to him, kiss him goodbye, and then I held Unicef while the vet gave the needle to end his pain and suffering.

Ruffian has found another foster home

Ruffian has been rescued again.

I posted the following request on Facebook: "Ruffian needs a home ASAP - he is coming back from foster this week and cannot enter the infected rescue workshop , due to the distemper outbreak. Check out his profile here http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=8002355 and tell everyone who loves cats that he is about to become homeless! Foster or adopt this lovely boy"

Well the Facebook nation came through for me! I had a few responses from adopters and volunteers, also Laurie Wheeler posted Ruffian's bio on her HART website here: http://www.valleyhart.com/adoptus.htm

Yesterday I met a wonderful woman, Angela, who offered to bring Ruffian into her home of 2 other cats and 2 dogs. I brought her to his former foster home, and she met him and saw how he like to be rubbed, once I dragged him out from under the bed. So I brought him to Angela's house to help him get settled in. It is starting as a foster home, but if he gets along well with the dogs and resident cats, he may be adopted!



Here is a message sent this morning by Angela, his new foster Mom


Hi Sonya,
just wanted to give a quick update on Ruffian. He came out from under the bed last night on his own after a few hours of Mark and myself being in and out of the room for visits. He hopped up on the bed with Mark at one point and laid down with him.
Both our cats have been at the door hissing and sniffing. Ruffian is interested and goes to the door but doesn't make any noises. He also caught a good look at our German Shepherd, I don't think he knew what to make of that, but he seemed very curious.
Last night around 3:30am he started to cry. He was scratching around in his litterbox quite a bit too. So I went in and cleaned the box and added some more litter. He was still crying so I gave him some more food and he seemed fine after that.
This morning he's playing hard to get again, but I don't expect it will last too long based on last night.
Angela

Bottle Drive Fundraiser

Healing Animal SCARS is doing another bottle drive to fundraise for rescued cats and kittens. Please let me know if you would be available to volunteer on Saturday May 16th from 9:30am to 1pm

We need to fundraise to cover veterinary costs, as each cat is tested for Feline Leukemia and FIV, fully vaccinated and spayed or neutered. Each cat can cost over $300 so raising money is vital to our rescue.

Desperate plea: we had an outbreak of distemper and need to buy all new supplies and pay the vet bill for the sick kitten that was euthanized. Now more than ever, we need helpers for this bottle drive. If you don't want to travel to join us in the Eastern Passage area, maybe you could canvass your own neighbourhood for refundables and let me know how to obtain it from you.

We need volunteers with a truck or van to drive! Other volunteers can be passengers and knock on doors to request donations.

Residents who wish to support may deliver their own refundable recyclables to the Enviro Depot on Cow Bay Road in Eastern Passage at any time and put it on Sonya's Cat Rescue account. Each month we earn enough to neuter another cat! Every can or bottle helps add up to make a difference.

Call 469-MEOW to volunteer or donate or adopt a cat.

Hi there friends and supporters,

It is with great sadness that I must report that for the first time in 3 years and 201 rescued cats, we have a confirmed case of distemper (panleukopenia) in a kitten. Tongo was outwardly healthy for the first 8 days he was here, but on Sunday morning, he suddenly fell quite ill. We treated him and kept him as comfortable as possible, but by Monday afternoon, he was too far gone to hold out any hope for survival, so I helped him make a trip up to Heaven, by humanely euthanizing him at the vet.

His littermates, Elegance and Unicef, are living in separate cages, so I can monitor how much each of them is eating, drinking, peeing or pooping. The other 3 kittens (Gemma, Hallie and Woofer) are doing fine, still sharing a cage. For those who have visited the rescue workshop in the past week and seen the kittens: Thanks for all your help with them in the last week,and I wish I could still let volunteers come over, but it is shut for now. Quarantine is required to diminsh risk of contamintaion. We don't want the sickness to spread, but the volunteers shouldn't have to worry about bringing it home to thier cats, as long as those cats are up to date on vaccines
Here is what I wrote on Facebook on Monday morning, before he died:
I am very sorry to report that for the first time in our 3 years of rescue, we have a kitten with distemper, also called panleukopenia. He is very sick and I am praying he will survive, but it is not looking good. Tongo was doing fine since he arrived last Saturday, but yesterday he suddenly developed a high fever, is vomiting, has bloody diarrhea and no appetite or energy. We provided Pedialyte and subcutaneous fluids last night, and this morning I took him to my vet. He was tested with a rectal swab SNAP test, and it came back positive, so this is not just a suspected case, but has been confirmed.
Thus we are trying to disinfect EVERYTHING he may have come in contact with, and will have to keep the rescue workshop under QUARANTINE until further notice. Donations of bleach and disinfecting wipes are badly needed.
We will have to throw away all our litter boxes, scratching posts and cat beds. We would really appreciate donations of new cat supplies, to re-stock our rescue.
As it is, I don't have any idea how I am going to pay the enormous vet bills! Please volunteer at our Bottle Drive on May 16th Thanks so much,
Sonya Higgins


Since writing that message, I have had a case of bleach donated! So we don’t need any more bleach right now, but I am including a “Wish List” for the things we could use:

I would like the following items for cleaning:
paper towels
boxes of tissues
Disinfecting wipes (Lysol, Mr. Clean, Clorox or any brand)
hand sanitizer
small hand broom sweepers with dust pans

Extra miscellaneous items:
a Dust Buster
a space heater
a large cat scratching post or tower
a digital thermometer

Cat items:
small scratching posts
cat beds
cat blankets
toys: balls, mice, feather wands, etc
cat carriers
litter boxes
litter scoops

Of course, we need money to help cover the vet bills. Donations of cash may be made in person at the Eastern Passage Village Vet hospital to the SCARS account. They also accept debit and credit card. If you want to donate, but cannot make it to the vet in person, you can call in your credit card and they would mail you a receipt. I have also had a few people send me an Interac email money transfer.
Personal Cheques are not accepted at the vet, but may be mailed to me:
143 Briarwood Drive
Eastern Passage, NS
B3G 1B7

Thank you so very much on behalf of the (remaining) kitties,

Since the distemper virus can live for a long time in the environment, as it is airborne, we will NOT be able to take in any new kitty cats for quite some time. At least a few months, possibly for up to a year! This does NOT mean the end of Healing Animal SCARS – we can still help people who are willing to foster the kitties through our program. I can also still help folks who want to TNR an adult cat, as long as they are not looking for financial assistance. People who want to help a feral or stray cat and are willing to pay the reduced veterinary costs, can borrow a trap form me, get help trapping, plenty of advice. I can lend them equipment to keep the cat confined in their own shed or spare room for a few days post surgery. I just cannot have any new cats come into my rescue for a while. So please spread the word! We need foster homes desperately!


Sonya Higgins
Chairman/Director, “Healing Animal SCARS - Sonya’s Cat & Animal Rescue Society”
katsonya@accesswave.ca
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NS28.html
469-MEOW (469-6369)

getting rid of cats on Kijiji

Why do I ever look on Kijiji? I post ads about my rescue and have found some wonderful volunteers and compassionate people, but when I see so many ads to "get rid of" a cat or "free kittens" it makes me sick.
The following is an example of someone giving away kittens. When I asked for more information, this is the story I got:

Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009
From: katsonya@accesswave.ca :
RE: Reply to your "Kittens For FREE!!" Ad on Kijiji
To: debra
____________________________________________
can you tell me more about these kittens?

She replies:


They are six weeks old.I cant tell if they're boys or girls they're healthy.i own the mother, shes the most loving cat ever.the father is a male cat from the neighbor hood & hes a tabby.


So I stupidly reply again, offering to help:

Hi Debra, If you are interested in getting the mother cat spayed, I can get you a discount at my vet. Then I would be willing to take these kittens to adopt into loving homes that can afford their health care. One of the pictures shows a kitten with black, white and orange – calico cats are always girls. Sonya Higgins

then she tells me____________________________________________

hi first of all i also have another cat that had 3 kittens 3 weeks ago a black and white 1 and 2 orange ones they are all short hair also i was wondering how all calico can be females when the mother is not a calico so that would mean that the father is i think anyways how much would it coast me to get both females spayed and i dont have a car or any way 2 get them to a vet




End quote. So the only way I could possibly help someone like this is to put myself in great personal debt to spay/neuter her pets and take away all the kittens. This would probably not teach her any lesson about the importance of Sp/neutering because the next cat she gets, she will figure, "hey, Sonya will just take care of it for me"

In conversations with other animal rescuers and shelter managers, I hear a lot of different philosophies, such as "if you can't afford an animal, you should not get it in the first place" What about those softies who can't bear to watch a starving stray and when they start feeding it, more cats show up, start mating and make a colony on the kind person's property? It is so easy to get in over your head. The local SPCA used to tell people not to feed stray cats if they didn't want them around. Or that if they did feed the cat, it was now thiers, so they had to pay to get it fixed and the shelter wouldn' t take it. Luckily, their position statements have changed, pointing out that NOT feeding is inhumane and even starving pets still mate.
Wow, I got off topic here... Kijiji sucks for pets... The posts should be only permitted for rescue groups and animal related services, not backyard breeders and people who continually allow thier cat to have kttens by accident... We need a TNR and spay and neuter clinic here in the Halifax area NOW

Adoptathon

Healing Animal SCARS is sniffing out good owners for homeless pets.
Thousands of animal welfare organizations in cities across North America and around the world are teaming up with Healing Animal SCARS for Pet Adoptathon 2009, an event designed to unite pet-loving adopters with homeless pets that are in need of quality homes. Pet Adoptathon, founded by North Shore Animal League America, is a 36-hour event scheduled for May 2nd and 3rd that aims to link thousands of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens with good loving adopters.
Pet Adoptathon 2009 will kick off at 9am, Saturday May 2nd.
Name of organization Healing Animal SCARS
Address 143 Briarwood Drive
Day/Date Sat, May 2nd and Sun, May 3rd
Time 9am to 8pm
For more information, call 469-MEOW.

Looking for that special someone in your life? That lifelong companion? Lifelong friends have been hard to find
... until now.
Healing Animal SCARS has just the friend for you — a furry friend, that is. On May 2nd - 3rd, we are
joining thousands of other animal welfare organizations throughout the world for Pet Adoptathon 2009. The annual worldwide event, founded by North Shore Animal League America, was organized to make lifelong friends by matching adorable homeless pets with loving people — like you.
Special Pet Adoptathon 2009 activities include things you won’t want to miss. Specially trained volunteers will help find you the perfect pet to match your lifestyle.
So visit Healing Animal SCARS at 143 Briarwood Drive in Eastern Passage on May 2nd - 3rd, from 9am to 8pm to find your lifelong friend. For more information, call 469-MEOW

TNR - overcoming objections

TNR involves several aspects to be successful. First we humanely trap each cat and transport it to a vet for testing for disease, vaccinations to keep it healthy, and it is spayed or neutered to prevent further populations of cats from being born. (After a cat is surgically altered, it will stop many, if not all, of the undesirable behaviours, such as spraying urine to mark territory, howling and fighting during mating, and it will improve the cat's quality of life.)
TNR Part 1: If the cat is feral or wild, we would opt to return it to the original location - relocation is rarely an option, as it requires weeks of containment in the new area to ensure the cats doesn't just run away. A newcomer cat is not always welcome in an existing or new colony and would have to fight for food and hierarchy within that colony.
TNR Part 2: If the cat is tame or we find a kitten, obviously we don't want to return it to a hard life on the streets, so we put it into an adoption program.
TNR Part 3: If the cat tests positive for either Feline Leukemia or Feline AIDS (FIV) then we would opt for humane euthanasia. This prevents suffering of the individual sick animal and also serves to protect the countless number of other cats who could be infected from one sick feline.

TNR = Trap, Neuter, Return: It is all part of having a healthy, stable, sterile colony of cats returned to keep the colony from growing. Google information on the vacuum effect for cat colonies that are simply removed, you will see that it is only a band-aid to a much larger problem. Removing all the cats simply leaves space for more cats to move into the territory and start reproducing. They cycle continues. Once a whole colony has been TNR'ed, if a new cat is abandoned or shows up at a colony that has already been fully fixed, then we can catch the newcomer right away and get it fixed to prevent more kittens.
I got 2 females from the Cove spayed last week, and both were pregnant... Do you think I should have left those dozen kittens to be born outside and suffer with the rest? NO - we must spay and neuter all the cats there ASAP if we don't want dozens of kittens being born this season. Of those born, less than half will survive to 6 weeks, succumbing to cold, starvation, infection and parasites, or being eaten alive by larger prey. So let's do TNR to help the whole problem. Some objections are easy to overcome, others need a little research into a solution, but I believe that we can do it!

Once returned, the cats will have 3 things to improve conditions:

1. Shelter
2. Feeding station
3. Litter boxes

Update on Fisherman's Cove colony of cats

April 29th
Here is an update: I have take 8 cats in total from Fisherman's Cove. Four of them were kittens or tame cats that had been dumped there, so I sent them into adoption programs. They don't deserve to endure the hazards of living outside!

The other 4 cats were young semi-ferals that I wanted to return to the Cove after they had been tested, vaccinated and spayed/neutered, BUT too many people were objecting to me returning them. Some fishermen threatened to kill them if they caught the cats on board their vessels... Harbour authorities also said they will poison them. Other cruel individuals threaten to shoot them, just because they see the cats as a nuisance.

So I ended up relocating these 4 cats to a barn, thanks to help from the Provincial SPCA

A maintenance worker was quite upset with me for removing cats - and told me I better pay for rat removal too! How can I please everyone?

The day after an article was published in the Chronicle Herald, I found a dead cat at the Cove, so it was sent for an autopsy, to determine if it was natural causes or cruelty (ex: shooting, poison, drowning). I am aware that some people making threats are just "acting tough" but I have had confirmed reports of men beating a cat to death with a shovel... I don't want to catch the individuals, just to educate the community at large about cats and hopefully prevent more cruelty.

I know TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) is the only effective way of managing cat colonies, but I cannot get the locals of Fisherman's Cove to come to an agreement on what to do... Some folks are mad if I don't take away the cats, others are upset if I DO take away the cats.. I just can't win!!! And nobody in the community has offered to assist financially, so I have to fundraise and spend money out of my own pocket to pay for the vet work.

If all the cats were removed, it creates a vacuum effect and more cats would move into the territory and start the cycle all over again. So TNR is the only way to maintain a stable colony size and keep the rat catchers working!
Two of the cats I caught were pregnant, so the vet spayed them to prevent the birth of more kittens who would suffer. One black cat has had her kittens and is hiding them outside somewhere, hopefully I will find them before it's too late. There are also 2 other pregnant cats there, ready to drop any day!

Suggestions are welcomed.

Harbourville Cats still around

The following is an email I recieved moments ago from Laurie Wheeler, of HART

Hello everyone,
Scott Saunders, Anthony Watton and myself all went to the Wharf at Harbourville late this afternoon to post signs. Much to our total disbelief we immediately spotted two ferals on the restaurant deck. I will attach pics later, IF they turned out. We were so shocked. These are the two that live under the deck area of the restaurant. We immediately went over to the rocks by the water, not too close to the restaurant, and didn't see any evidence of the other cats. We waited a while, but nothing. We are wondering if perhaps the colony living in the rocks are the ones removed? We have no idea why the two cats at the restaurant went missing for a few days. When I had received the telephone call from the restaurant owner, Elke Huber, she was adamant that ALL of the feral cats were gone. She was very sure of it. We are praying that they are still alive, but still have many doubts. I personally can't help but wonder why the two we saw this evening were there if the others are gone, or why they went missing for a few days, and did not touch their every day feedings for a few days .... beats the heck out of me. Needless to say, we did not post ANYTHING. If ALL of the ferals are still there then we still want to perform a TNR. We want this done ASAP. We cannot do anything until we know we can return these cats after having them altered and tested, IF they are still there. If there are only the two cats by the restaurant we will still TNR those two. A meeting must be held asap regarding this URGENT matter to deal with these cats PROPERLY (TNR). I wish we knew had more proof of whether they are or are not there. I need someone to camp out there and watch the "rock area"!!! Any volunteers??!!!
Warm regards, Laurie WheelerPresident, H.A.R.T.
visit our website:www.valleyhart.com
Please spay and neuter your pet!

Atlantic Regional Summit

Hello animal people,

Check out this information – I plan to attend. It would be good to convince all HRM animal control/services staff to attend this summit.

I am especially concerned about the identification of deceased pets since I discovered last week that HRM does NOT check for microchips when they dispose of a pet carcass. Microchips can be an effective way of reuniting lost pets with their owners, but it would be good if municipalities would start to scan the dead bodies to see if they were micro-chipped so the owner can be identified and become aware of the outcome of their lost pet.

http://www.bsuas.com/Content/Documents/Document.ashx?DocId=43567

Sonya Higgins
Cat rescuer extraordinaire
469-MEOW
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NS28.html

Help needed to start TNR at Fisherman's Cove

I am looking for volunteers to help me start a TNR program in Eastern Passage at the Fisherman's Cove, where some fishermen want to get rid of the cats. We need to convince them that it is beneficial to keep a small sterilized colony of cats there to manage the rats, if we remove all the cats the vacuum effect will allow more new cats to move in and start the cycle all over again.
Update April 14th - I have captured 7 cats so far, 4 of them were adoptable and the other 3 have been spayed and neutered, etc. I want to be able to return these 3 cat sto their own home environemtn at Fisherman's Cove, but until I am convinced that there will be no cruelty I do not want to put the cats back. Any suggestions welcomed.