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
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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
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
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
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!
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
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
Thursday, April 02, 2009
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.
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.
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