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WeSNIP NEWS
Friday, October 16,
2009, Lynden
Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible,
and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
Today is October 16 - National Feral Cat Day, as it has become known internationally by animal rescuers, thanks to the committed efforts of Alley Cat Allies. It is a day to recognize the growing problems of feral cats, and their place in our lives whether we are aware of it or not. National Feral Cat Day is more than just thinking about the problem, though. It is a day of action.
WeSNIP participated the first time in Alley Cat Allies'
National Feral Cat Day
by offering spays/neuters for $5 each for feral cats.
 
Bunny and David braved the dark and cold to begin Feral Cat Day registration.
 
A kitty waited in the cab of her family’s truck while a Dad registered his kitty.
Hey, that’s a weird looking Feral Cat!!!! Oh, they allowed 2 dogs to “crash” kitty day. As they waited in line, families discussed how difficult it had been to capture the feral cats living on their property. They had not been sure they would even be able to catch them and bring them to the Spay Station.
Cat boarding began in a drizzle.
Kitties looked out from their carriers. One client assumed the kitty she caught in her barn is a male because he
is an orange tabby. Yes, he was.
The drizzle turned to rain and David brought out the WeSNIP umbrellas that had been generously donated by Bill and Thea Mancha.
Zara had returned from her busy summer in Alaska. She drove the Station to the Safeway parking lot and helped out with multiple tasks as Kat was ill.
Patricia looked on as David kindly held 2 umbrellas to help Kathryn handle boarding details.
Bunny, Kathryn, Patricia, and David went over final scheduling details before the surgeries started.
Dr. Karen finished the final surgery as Kathryn handled some clean-up tasks.
Jen, Kathryn, and Dr. Karen had smiles at the end of the day. The day had set a new record for number of safe surgeries performed! Kathryn prepared a kitty for her carrier.
One kitty had a light snack as others looked out from their cages - in various stages of recovery.
Lyla attempted her escape. Jen added extra tape to keep her safely inside her box. National Feral Cat Day added extra attention and work because of very skittish kitties and many cardboard boxes as transport carriers.
This Siamese girl showed the small tattoo near her spay incision site. Tattoos protect kitties against receiving unnecessary surgery if they get lost in the future and it needs to be determined if they have already been spayed. Jen carefully removed her from her cage and placed her on a soft towel in her transport box.
Jen hugged Ben, the newest addition to the WeSNIP canine mascots - Bessie, Oz, Thoreau, and Sunny. Ben is her 4 month-old stray puppy who joins Bessie on board the Station. He showed off his gorgeous eyes playful puppy antics.
Families arrived for group post-surgical instructions and pick-up. They discussed where they could put their feral kitties during recovery and how it would be nearly impossible to keep feral cats quiet.
The 2 dogs were discharged first.
Families carried home their cats in various sized carriers and boxes.
Kathryn gave sweet Bella, the blood hound, a cuddle. She waited with her family for a kitty to be discharged.
Special thanks again go to Debbie at Woods Coffee for her kind help with espressos and sweet treats for the Station
staff.
Thanks also the Safeway store for hosting the Spay Station for
National Feral Cat (Spay) Day.
A big thank you goes out to Bunny and David
for being the WeSNIP Registration Team.
FERAL CATS
A feral cat is an un-owned and un-tamed domestic cat. Feral cats are born in urban, suburban, or rural areas, and basically anywhere that people reside. They should not be confused with wildcats, as they are not wild animals. A stray cat (or alley cat), though un-owned, still exhibits temperament similar to that of a pet. Strictly defined, feral cats are born, and live without direct
human contact. Therefore, they revert back to a "wild" temperament, with a fear of humans.
Cats may live alone but are usually found in large groups called feral colonies. These colonies tend to meet two essential criteria: a good hiding place (often a small wooded area, or abandoned buildings or cars) and a food source. This is why they are often seen near restaurant dumpsters. The average life span of a feral cat that survives beyond kitten hood is about two years for individual cats and five years for cats in a managed colony. An indoor domestic housecat lives an average of 12 to 18 years, though not uncommonly, indoor-only cats have been known to live to their early 20's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_cat
The feral cats seen on the Spay Station had their ears tipped.
Ear tipping is a method to indicate a feral cat that has been spayed or neutered. Removal of the tip of one of the ears (or pinna) is the accepted global standard for marking or identifying a neutered free-roaming or feral cat. Alley Cat Allies (a national humane organization that serves as a resource on feral cats) recommends removal of the LEFT ear tip and this standard is widely used. Ear tipping is performed in order to clearly and permanently visually identify neutered, vaccinated cats that are being humanely managed using trap-neuter-return (TNR). When cats are ear tipped, animal control officers, shelter workers and caregivers can easily and reliably identify cats that are graduates
of a TNR program.
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