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Galahad is happy to be in good hands after being rescued from a moat by a caring onlooker and TNR volunteer Susan Wright. Photo by Susan Wright Kitty Beat: Report from the Boroughs All across Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the New York City Feral Cat Initiative and New York City Feral Cat Council TNR organizations are humanely reducing the number of feral cats in neighborhoods and improving the quality of life for the outdoor cats in their care. Following are some highlights of this spring's accomplishments. Brooklyn From the NYC Feral Cat Initiative… The NYC Feral Cat Initiative presented a free TNR Workshop hosted by Slope Street Cats on March 1 at the Park Slope Food Co-op. Workshop instructors included Jesse Oldham of the ASPCA and founder of Slope Street Cats and Aimee Hartman of the ASPCA. Sir Galahad is Rescued from the Moat: We received an e-mail from a Brooklyn woman reporting that she heard crying while walking down the street and, by following the sound, discovered a black-and-white cat stuck in a moat twelve feet below street level at a construction site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The woman rushed to her office and shot off an urgent e-mail asking if someone could rescue the cat. We called local TNR volunteer Susan Wright, who immediately headed out to the site. It was, indeed, a moat, and she went about securing a ladder and rescuing the panicky feline. The super of the building next door said that a man had moved the previous week and abandoned the cat on the street before he left. Susan named the cat "Galahad" and took him straight to one of our partner veterinarians to be examined. Fortunately, Galahad had escaped injury, and from his purrs we could tell he was happy to have been rescued. To Galahad, volunteer Susan Wright will always be a hero! From the NYC Feral Cat Council… Slope Street Cats' new TNR community outreach flyers, "I Love Cats" and "I Hate Cats," are now available to download, print, and distribute to your neighbors, friends, and the public.
IDA award honorees Debi Romano (SaveKitty Foundation), Valerie Sicignano (IDA), Rosary Immordino (SaveKitty Foundation), and NYC Council Member Tony Avella (D-Queens). Photo by Mike Phillips Queens From the NYC Feral Cat Council… CSM Stray Foundation rescued a litter of kittens during a recent TNR project in Rosedale. These lucky kittens were taken for their first veterinary visit and cared for in a foster home before being adopted into permanent homes. SaveKitty Foundation and its co-founder, Debi Romano, were honorees of the In Defense of Animals 2008 "Companion Animal Guardian Award" on May 3. SaveKitty Foundation was honored for completing the highest number of feral cats Trap-Neuter-Returned out of any group in New York City. Debi Romano was honored for her hands-on TNR and emergency rescue work. May was a busy month for SaveKitty Foundation. They rescued 70 kittens for adoption placement, including 17 from one colony in Queens Village, and started a trap bank with a grant from Neighborhood Cats. The trap bank is located in Bellerose and traps are available for loan, free of charge, to anyone who has completed the TNR Workshop. To borrow traps, call (347) 993-3161. On June 19 and July 17, SaveKitty Foundation hosted free TNR workshops in East Elmhurst, instructed by Rosary Immordino and Debi Romano. SaveKitty has also started offering a free monthly Pet Bereavement Support Group in Jackson Heights that will be led by a licensed mental health professional. To attend, contact (718) 507-6843 or petbereavement@savekitty.org.
A litter of feral kittens in Queens was rescued, vaccinated, socialized, and adopted into new homes by CSM Stray Foundation. Photo by Nancy Fahnestock Bronx From the NYC Feral Cat Initiative… The NYC Feral Cat Initiative presented its second TNR Workshop in the Bronx on March 30 at the Bronx Public Library. The workshop was hosted by Bronx Tails and the instructors were Jamie Lehman and Teresa Noto, founders of Bronx Tails. Teresa Noto gave a Humane Education presentation to the third grade class of PS 163 on May 30. The students were delighted to receive the humane education materials that were distributed, including Maddie's Tail Wag activity books from Maddie's Fund and ASPCA Animaland pages. Manhattan From the NYC Feral Cat Initiative… So far this year, we have facilitated eight TNR Workshops at the ASPCA. In addition, we presented two feline educational events: "Animal Hoarding in NYC: Recognition and Intervention," presented by Allison Cardona of the ASPCA, on March 25, and "Socializing Feral Kittens 10-weeks and Under," presented by Valerie Sicignano, NYC Feral Cat Initiative/IDA, and Mike Phillips, founder of Urban Cat League, on April 25. In addition, we hosted two meetings of the NYC Feral Cat Council on January 10 and May 22.
The newest addition to the ASPCA Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic fleet has increased spay/neuter surgeries available to the New York City rescue community by 30% since January. Photo by ASPCA From the NYC Feral Cat Council… At the beginning of 2008, the ASPCA Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic Program added a fourth clinic to its fleet. This state-of-the-art hospital on wheels has increased the number of spay/neuter surgeries available to New York City's rescue community by 30% since January. The Urban Cat League film, Tough Love: Socializing Feral Kittens, is now available for viewing on YouTube in three separate sections: Part One (8:17), Part Two (9:56), and Part Three (10:00). Urban Cat League has established an adoption center at Pets NYC, located at 594 9th Avenue (between 42nd and 43rd Streets) in Manhattan. To date, 31 cats have been adopted into permanent homes from the adoption center. Actress Louise Sorel, known for her role as Vivian Alamain on Days of Our Lives, filmed several public service announcements (PSAs) at Animal Haven SoHo. The PSA themes included: "Adopt a black cat or big black dog because they are the last to get adopted in shelters across the country," "Adopt an older or special needs animal," and "Be a good pet guardian." The PSAs will be available for download on the In Defense of Animals website in September.
Days of Our Lives actress Louise Sorel filmed PSAs at Animal Haven SoHo this spring. She is pictured here (in red) with Valerie Sicignano (NYC Feral Cat Initiative), Fred Begely (Animal Haven SoHo), and camerawoman Francesca James. Photo by Mike Phillips Staten Island From the NYC Feral Cat Initiative… We taught our second TNR Workshop at the Blue Heron Nature Center on April 5. The workshop was hosted by P.L.U.T.O. Rescue of Richmond County. The Staten Island Feral Initiative (SIFI), a group of local volunteers organized by Elena Bass, held its first two meetings on May 29 and July 10 to recruit TNR volunteers in Staten Island. SIFI was also awarded a grant from the NYC Feral Cat Initiative and Neighborhood Cats to establish a trap bank. If you have taken a TNR workshop and would like to borrow traps — or if you would like more information on SIFI meetings or volunteer opportunities — contact Elena at kats_miow@yahoo.com.
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