Washington Humane Society Blog

The Weather Outside is Frightful

  By: Bridget Speiser, CatNiPP Director

O.K.  So the weather outside is not frightful . . . yet.  But the cold and snow are coming.  And at a time of year when our thoughts turn to family and home and hearth, it is important for us to be mindful of the thousands of cats that are not able to cuddle with us indoors.

Thousands of cats in the Greater DC area make their homes in the shadows of our streets and alleys.  These cats are there because some person either thoughtlessly abandoned them or because intact cats were allowed to roam -- creating litters of kittens that grow into street savvy cats.  Some of these cats are what we call 'feral': meaning they are wholly unsocialized to humans and wary of any human interaction -- which means they are not good adoption candidates.  Many of the cats on the streets are simply strays.  Some still friendly and eager to interact and others more cautious; perhaps due to some memory of human mistreatment that they may have endured.

WHS is as committed to helping these homeless cats as we are to providing aid to any adoptable or homed animal.  Our CatNiPP program not only provides necessary spay/neuter/vaccination resources to the outdoor cats but also works to teach communities about compassion and the responsibility of pet ownership.  The friendly strays are often routed from the street through our foster and adoption program to find loving homes.  The feral cats that become part of CatNiPP are lovingly cared for by neighborhood caregivers who monitor them regularly, provide nutritious food and shelter and have often cared for them for years.  These cats may be homeless, but they are loved, valued and cared for.

During this holiday season let's all hold our pets a little closer and take some time to remember the animals that must make their way in the world without the comforts of an indoor life.  Together we can work to curb the pet overpopulation crisis and to stop the abandonment of animals.  Every cat deserves an indoor home, but until that day comes, WHS will be here to support the often overlooked cats in our communities and the people who love them.

Happy Mother's Day!

  By: Bridget Speiser, Program Manager: CatNiPP

Mother's Day seems like a really appropriate time to reflect on all that the Washington Humane Society is doing to support the effort of animal population control through our various spay & neuter programs. 

While we all love the cuddles and kisses of puppies and kittens, the stark reality is that a real crisis exists when it comes to the number of animals and the number of available, loving homes.  Affordable, accessible spay & neuter services are key in combatting the population boom and really getting ahead of the crisis of available homes.

CatNiPP - the Cat Neighborhood Partnership Program - works through our Spay & Neuter Center to provide spay/neuter and vaccination services to the stray and feral cats that share our neighborhoods.  These services are provided through the work week and then once-a-month we hold a special clinic day on a Sunday, dedicated only to these often forgotten neighbors.  This Sunday clinic is typically held the 2nd Sunday of each month.

Normally I work to coordinate around calendar holidays.  It's nice for the volunteers to not have to choose between family commitments and community support.  But Mother's Day felt like a great day to hold a clinic.

In the past year, through CatNiPP, we have spayed, vaccinated and health-checked 740 female cats without traditional homes or families.  That's 740 kitty-mamas that can relax this year and simply enjoy their retired status.  I know that each of their dedicated community caregivers will be providing them with the very best pampering this holiday, like they do every day of the year.

Of course, there were male cats cared for as well - 668 male cats received services, too.  But we'll give them their day in July!  This weekend is about remembering the mommies!

If you are mommy to a sweet cat (or dog) of your own -- HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you!  If you regularly see a kitty in your neighborhood, stop for a moment this weekend and let them know you value them, too.  And we can help with spay/neuter services, if they need it! 

This Sunday, and in the days to come, we will continue to work to reduce the numbers of kitty-mamas until each and every kitten and cat can have a loving home to call her own.  Because every cat deserves a mommy of her own!

UPDATE - Help the Cats at the Meadows of Chantilly

By: Bridget Speiser, Program Manager: CatNiPP

Late on a Friday afternoon is always a good time to get a GOOD update!

Alley Cat Allies released an announcement via their website this afternoon that conversations with Equity LifeStyle Properties -- the management company for the Meadows of Chantilly -- were very productive and very well received!

Per the Alley Cat Allies website, your actions made a real difference: Thanks to the more than 2,000 letters from advocates who took action, along with an offer of help from Alley Cat Allies, the company further assessed their situation and agreed to work with us and their residents to ensure the cats’ safety.

There is still local groundwork to be done.  If you are interested in helping in a hands-on way over the coming weeks, please visit the Alley Cat Allies site to Volunteer.

Thank you for all of your efforts!

Help the Cats at the Meadows of Chantilly

By: Bridget Speiser, Program Manager: CatNiPP

Over the past several days, there has been much attention in the local media regarding a large colony of stray and feral cats living in Chantilly, VA.  (Washington Post - March 12, 2008: Wild Cats at Chantilly Trailer Park To Be Trapped, Probably Killed).

The Washington Humane Society's Cat Neighborhood Partnership Program (CatNiPP) is committed to providing much needed spay/neuter/vaccination resources to all stray and feral cats living in the Greater DC area.  This offer has been explicitly extended to the caregivers working tirelessly to save the cats living in the Meadows of Chantilly.

The cats still need your help!  There is an online petition that is open to residents of DC, MD & VA.  Please consider adding your voice to the cry against the needless euthanasia of these outdoor cats -- many of which have already been spayed and neutered at no cost to the residents or management of the Meadows.

If you would like to offer more direct help, please email Alley Cat Allies at: washdc@alleycat.org.

For more information on CatNiPP and what the Washington Humane Society is doing to help support stray and feral cats, please visit: www.washhumane.org/catnipp.asp.

Adopting from the Washington Humane Society is Hot, Hot, Hot!

By: Tara

Two days ago when I drafted my first official blog, I remember thinking, will I really have enough to blog about every day? Now, just two days later I can't stop telling myself, don't forget to mention this, this, and this! I have so much to tell you about, I don't know where to start! Today, I want to give a HUGE thank you the radio station Hot 99.5, who has partnered with us on their "12 Strays of Christmas" promotion. I also have to thank a very good friend and supporter of WHS, Heather Guay, (Side note: Heather and I become good friends when we worked together at Washington Life Magazine a few years back) who is the PR Manager of the new Bloomingdale's in Chevy Chase, or "Chevy Chic" as Heather likes to say. Heather was on the way to work last week and heard on the radio that Hot 99.5 was hoping to do this, and e-mailed immediately to tell me.

Starting this morning Hot 99.5's well-known morning host, Kane (see photo), will promote 12 of our wonderful Washington Humane Society (WHS) animals available for adoption, featuring 6 cats and 6 dogs on their web site, and talking about it on air all through next week!

In honor of this, we named one of our fantastic Georgia Avenue shelter residents after Kane (see photo of our four-legged Kane below)

This promotion means so much to WHS and to me. Since we operate the only two open-access shelters in Washington, DC, we take in an average of thirty animals a day, and we are committed to our 5-year Good Home Guarantee plan that promises to place every adoptable animal entering our shelters in a loving by 2010. I often find from talking to members of our community that so many do not know the amount of incredible work that WHS does, how multifaceted we are, that we are the only DC based organization answering every single call for help, and turning NO animal away (24 hours a day-7 days a week), and just how much support we give the entire DC metro region through all of our programs and services, (not done yet) and just how committed we are to becoming a model for urban animal care to lead the entire country!

All of this is what brought me to WHS just a little over a year ago, and I can't wait to tell you all the story on how I got here! It is quiet an interesting "tail!" I hope to see you tomorrow at the new Bloomingdale's, Chevy Chase, for our holiday Santa/Frosty photo event! Please keep your comments coming, they are really helping me through this blogging process!   

A tale of two cities

It's the best of times; it's the worst of times. Our Spay/Neuter Center will be one month old tomorrow. We're celebrating by holding our second CatNiPP clinic at the shiny new facility. As many as 60 feral cats will receive free spay/neuter surgeries as well as flea/tick treatment before being returned to their colonies. (Check out the Cat Tattler's report on a recent patient's experience!)

In addition, Bridge Speiser, our CatNiPP program manger, will be hosting an open house at the Spay/Neuter Center (1101 L Street SE; closest Metro stations are Navy Yard on the Green Line and Eastern Market on the Blue/Orange Lines) at 7pm next Monday. Please join us to learn more about how you can help stray/feral cats in your neighborhood! Space is limited, so please RSVP.

Meanwhile, you may have heard about the feral cat crisis up in New York (I found out through Slope Street Cats and Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition). Hundreds of feral cats and kittens live on JFK Airport property. The NY Port Authority recently began a kitty crackdown, claiming they jeopardize aviation safety. Caretakers have been prohibited from feeding cats, who are being trapped and turned over to animal control for euthanization.

The Port Authority rejected trap-neuter-return as a humane way to manage and reduce cat population. To date, 17 cats have been brought to animal control. All have been rescued by the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, but many, many more are in danger. You can voice your objection to feral cat extermination by signing In Defense of Animals' letter to responsible officials.

PS - The kitten above is Gitano. He and his brother Horatio were born to a feral mom. They were rescued as week-old babies and are being fostered by Lisa from Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition. See more photos of them here!

You can help area stray cats!

Every year hundreds of stray and feral cats and kittens arrive at regional shelters with very little chance of being tamed, socialized or adopted, resulting in their unfortunate demise.  In response to this crisis facing stray and abandoned cats, we have developed a program that contributes to the long-term management of stray cat populations in the Greater DC area.

On Monday - November 5, 2007, we will be holding a volunteer orientation seminar to explain CatNiPP -- the Cat Neighborhood Partnership Program and to discuss the many ways that community residents can get involved.

Do you have a car?  Often we need cars to help transport trapped cats to-and-from clinic.

Do you have a garage or basement?  The trapped cats need to be held in safe, quiet places both before and after clinic.

Are you curious about the trapping process?  We can always use more experienced, volunteer trappers to help throughout the city.

There are even opportunities to help in the clinic environment, itself.

Come November 5th, to learn more! 

7:00pm 

The National Capital Area Spay & Neuter Center (1001 L St., SE)  The event is FREE, but space is limited.  Please RSVP to: bspeiser@washhumane.org or by calling: 202-608-1356 x 101.

Neighbor helping neighbor, we can make a difference!

Good news and bad news

I came across something cool via the Tipped Ear Clan. Did you know that Trap-Neuter-Return is national policy in Israel? Some years ago, a decision by the High Court of Justice led to the establishment of a feral cat management committee, with the participation of the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Environment and Interior, local authorities, and animal welfare organizations.

According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection's website: "Feeding street cats means taking overall responsibility for their welfare. This includes responsibility for their spaying/neutering as well as for their overall health by providing medical treatment when needed." (Photo from the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection.)

Meanwhile, back in the US of A, 40+% of the respondents in Alley Cat Allies' recent public opinion survey said they've given food or water to feral cats. 20+% reported having done so in the past year. That's the good news. Unfortunately, widespread Good Samaritanism leads to rapid kitten proliferation.

Neva writes that there could be as many as 60 unaltered cats in her neighborhood (pictured above are Buddy, left, and Pookie, right). Each female produces 2-3 litters per year of 3-4 kittens each. Now cats are so densely populated that there isn't room enough for all of them in the colony. As a result, feline residents fight over territory and drift beyond their home base. Without regular feedings from committed caretakers, they resort to tearing up trash.

Slow but surely, though, Neva is converting the entire colony into one happy tipped ear clan. Last Sunday alone, she brought 11 cats (including 8 females!) to the CatNiPP clinic. Speaking of which, the next CatNiPP clinic is coming up on Sunday, November 4. Please contact Bridget Speiser if you can help bring in cats from your neighborhood or transport cats between their colonies and the clinic. For more information on Washington Humane Society's CatNiPP program, please click here, or sign up for updates via the CatNiPP Yahoo! Group. Thanks!

Happy National Feral Cat Day!

And happy birthday to our friends at Alley Cat Allies, which was founded 17 years ago today.

(These cats live in SE DC. They were part of a targeted trapping in May 2007. All have since been spayed/neutered/vaccinated and returned to their loving caregiver. The adoptable kittens were routed through a foster and adoption program.)

The only time in their lives

He doesn't know it, but I got to hold him for a little while during yesterday's CatNiPP clinic. He has beautiful markings (including the cutest polka dotted paw pads!) and wonderfully soft fur. He's a feral cat who's lived outside all his life. This might be the only time he'll ever be touched by human hands; it felt like such a privilege to see him up close. (Update: his name is Omar! Check out Neva's post about Omar and his colony.)

On the second Sunday of each month, CatNiPP (Washington Humane Society's Trap-Neuter-Return program) offers DC-area feral cat caretakers free spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, and flea/tick grooming for cats from their colonies. 58 cats received treatment yesterday. Check-in started at the crack of dawn, after many caretakers spent a late night coaxing their cats into fish scented traps. By late afternoon, our patients were ready for pickup, and CatNipp's year-to-date tally broke the 700 mark.

(If you look closely at the right side of this photo, you'll see that quite a few of the cats have very similar markings. They're all from the same colony - Omar's! - and are most likely related. I wonder if they know that?)

According to this Wall Street Journal article, each pair of unaltered cats could be responsible for a population increase of at least 100 - and possibly as much as 5,000 - over 7 years. This means 700 surgeries will prevent no fewer than 35,000 kittens from being born on the streets.

By the way, yesterday's feral cat marathon was made possible by Dr. Elton Vhyfuis (he's on the far right) from Adams Morgan Animal Hospital, who donated his entire Sunday to performing surgeries alongside the National Capital Area Spay/Neuter Center's Dr. Dan Teich. Several volunteers joined CatNiPP program manager Bridget Speiser in providing surgery prep and post-surgery care. (Bridget is on the left in the photo below, and Glynnis, a CatNiPP veteran, is on the right. She's volunteered at every single feral cat clinic over the past year!)

I helped out for the first time and got the best workout I've had in months! The Spay/Neuter Center is a 3-story building where check-in, surgery and cat pick-up take place on different levels. After a full day of carrying cats up and down three flights of stairs, I might have burned more calories than from a whole year of sporadic gym visits! It's an experience I highly recommend; to volunteer at the next CatNiPP clinic, please contact Bridget. Thanks!