|
|
Nancy Fahnestock of CSM Stray Foundation noticed that Square had an injured ear and was able to get him the surgery he needed before returning him to his Queens colony. Photo by Carole Milker Kitty Beat: Report from the Boroughs All across Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the New York City Feral Cat Initiative (NYCFCI) 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 the work accomplished this spring. Brooklyn Rosie Whitelaw of Urban Cat League took a litter of neonatal kittens from Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C) for round-the-clock bottle-feeding and adoption placement. Two of the four newborns — an orange male and a tortoiseshell female — turned out to be polydactyl (having extra toes) on both their front and back paws! Rosie is also a founding member of the newly incorporated TNR organization, Brooklyn Animal Action. Queens In May, Linda's Feral Cat Assistance completed a TNR project in which 17 cats were TNRed and seven kittens were removed for adoption placement. Nancy Fahnestock of CSM Stray Foundation gave the following account of a recent issue with a CSM Stray Foundation feral cat named Square: "Feral cat colony maintenance not only requires food, water, and shelter, but also the monitoring of each colony cat to ensure their continued health in quality of life. We recently noticed one of our long-term colony members named Square had a swollen ear. At first we thought it was a bug or animal bite, or a scratch from another cat. After a week, during which the size of his ear increased, we knew we had to re-trap him and get immediate medical attention. It turned out that he required two surgeries for a hematoma. After his hospital stay, we returned him to the colony with a normal looking ear, and he is happy to be back with his friends."
Two of the Brooklyn kittens taken in for bottle-feeding and adoption from AC&C by Urban Cat League's Rosie Whitelaw are polydactyl! Photo by Rosie Whitelaw Manhattan Mike Phillips, LVT, of Urban Cat League, is the first-ever recipient of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association's (HSVMA) "HSVMA Best Friend to Feral Cats" award. The award is designed to recognize a veterinary professional — veterinarian, veterinary technician, veterinary student, or veterinary technician student — who has made a significant contribution to helping feral cats. Watch for an interview with Mike in our next issue of NYC Eartips. Urban Cat League completed a TNR project in midtown in May. Yukari Komeno, Maria Barney, and Mary Braeunig worked on the project in which four cats were TNRed and 22 friendly cats and kittens were removed for adoption placement. The cats and kittens are available for adoption from Pets NYC. Bronx Jaime Lehman and Teresa Noto have formed a new non-profit organization to work with feral cats called Bronx Tails.
|
