NEWSLETTER March 2012

All cats pictured in this newsletter are up for adoption.

ARCTICA’S COLONY

Just one of countless local TNR Success Stories

Purr-fectly happy” seems the best summing-up of all the many positive comments from Arctica’s
Trap-Neuter-Return Colony’s visitors about the well-being of resident felines there.

That’s good, because like all good soldiers, the Arctica’s Colony cats have done their duty well.
And now, after a decade of distinguished service in a neighborhood TNR colony, these veterans just want to go home. For most, when that miracle finally happens for them, it will be a matter of “Going Home” for the first time ever!

Arctica

That is because the majority of these Arctica’s Colony kitties never in their lives so far ever had opportunity to experience a real home life in which he or she was the one-and-only little family “pet” and the center of attention. Sure, their loving colony-keeper held, hugged and lavished luxurious amounts of affection, protection and praise on these babies every day of their colony life. That’s just never quite the same as being the one-and-only sole recipient of that so well deserved adoration.

These little guys yearn for the gilded life lived in a one-pet family, or maybe a really large human family with lots of animals appreciating family members, all with plenty of leisure time to divide among just two or possibly three pets at the very most and, of course, with economic resources and wisdom to properly provide for pets’ many needs. They know such legendary good human folks really do exist.

Well, at least, they’ve read that such marvelous creatures do truly exist out there somewhere and that that all the legend-and-lore about them are not just manufactured myths parent cats and dogs make up to amuse their kitties and puppies.

If you think you qualify as an adopter of and can give a good home to an Arctica’s Colony kitty and would like to schedule a meetand-greet-the-kitties tour of Arctica’s Colony, please contact the Colony caregiver at 1-386-740-0651.

ARCTICA

FLUFFY YELLOW

PRETTY PAIR

BLACK BEAUTY

 


VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. CAN YOU HELP? CALL 386-740-0651 FOR INFORMATION

SANCTUARY, Please

In January, 2011 the following plea for SANCTUARY ran in this publication. We are asking you
to please read it again now.

Just a little Volusia County land – just temporary use of it, not ownership – can save thousands of lives and millions of dollars. The numbers of healthy, innocent puppies and dogs, cats and tiny kittens being killed annually by Volusia County and its cities’ local governments are still in the thousands and taxpayers are still stuck with paying the exorbitant cost of these killings we don’t want!

Yet, these heartless killings are not making even a dent in our out of control pet overpopulation crisis. Obsolete animal control policy is not controlling the problem!

Citizen volunteers’ alternative solutions – spaying-neutering, trap-neuter-return, fostering and adoption – are succeeding, but cannot complete the transition to a No-Kill animal control-and-care system until sanctuaries are established for relocating sterilized animals that don’t get adopted and cannot be returned to their original outdoor homes.

Animal activists are begging our county council (working with our city governments) to provide property for sanctuary.

Council members appear to be listening and considering. Council knows hundreds or thousands of this county’s citizen volunteers who already give time, energy and most of our income to saving cats and dogs by our own means gladly will help care for animals housed in sanctuaries. Readers, please confirm – quickly! --via phone calls, letters and emails to your Council representative that a Volusia sanctuary is needed!

Pet overpopulation can be contained without killing. San Diego proved it decades ago. Other cities across America copied. Jacksonville-Duval is proving it. Our time is now! Sterilization of all pets – which can cost as little as one-third the million dollar cost of killing – and sanctuary, backed up by
smaller trap-neuter-return colonies, is the solution.

In a few years, killing our surplus pets will be only a bad memory. Our only concern will be how could we have been so barbaric in the past? There will be peace for our pets and a clear conscience for us humans. Hurry that day.

Tell County Council we need a sanctuary!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DELAND’S SECOND CHANCE SHELTER

Volunteers are needed to assist with the animals. Our trained Animal Control Officer needs to be
free to do his job. Volunteers are needed to do housekeeping, walking and being with the animals.
Petting a scared kitty. Calming a confused dog. They need YOU.
EMAIL thomasg@deland.org

CAT’S EYE EDITORIAL
Hard working Volusia animal activists, please just keep on doing what you’re doing.
Should-be volunteers not yet helping, please sign on soon.
So many helpless animals so greatly need our help!
Happily, we are winning this war we’ve waged against our national tragedy of senseless and barbaric killings of healthy, happy, innocent kittens, puppies, cats and dogs, eight million of these wrongful deaths annually nationwide, with taxpayers forced to fund this atrocity!

And, we Volusians, are not alone in our war on the misnomer “euthanasia” of healthy animals at equally misnamed shelters that more accurately are kill-sites.

All over the USA others are choosing the same alternative solutions for replacing “euthanasia” that we are working on here – spay and neuter, TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), fostering and adoptions, sanctuaries and education programs about those better ways of controlling animal overpopulation, without killing.

Some places even very successfully operate community thrift shops and other fundraising projects to help finance an end of the killings.

Whenever one of our lovely animals dies, because we Volusia animal workers could not save it from euthanasia in time, however, the sadness makes us feel we are indeed so very alone and helpless,
Even in painful times like that, Volusia’s animal-work volunteers can at least find some comfort in knowing it is our never-ending efforts that are creating the positive changes happening here.

Our rescue and care of animals and our adoptive- homes-finding for “surplus” pets with no place to be are already starting to create those essential changes here. We’re even influencing the way uninvolved others in our communities treat our non-human-species animals.

Volusia’s dedicated animal activist volunteers are indeed saving the lives of great numbers of wonderful, deserving little animals!

At the same time, however, many of us are paying such a heavy personal price for all those precious saved lives and for the safety of all those animals rescued and tended with such good care.

Non-stop, never-ending daily rescue-and-care routines for achieving our No-Kill goal are exhausting and never ending. That can be very tough on us.

After so many years of such endless hard work and monetary and other personal challenges and sacrifices involved in this work, so many of us are just SO TIRED! WE ARE SO VERY, VERY TIRED!!!

Free time? What’s that? No, no, of course not. No such thing exists in our lives these days.
We will not stop doing whatever it takes to save the animals’ lives, not until our No-Kill goal is reality, not until the animals are safe. Just keep on keeping on, fellow animal activists! We have to, for our animals.

“It’s all about the animals,” summed up one heavily involved volunteer.
She couldn’t have summed up better for all of us our feelings about that..

 DEATH ROW PETS’ LIVES DEPEND ON YOU!

BE AN ACTIVIST FOR ANIMALS, JOIN ANIMAL RESCUE TODAY!

The No-Kill War to end official killings of our “surplus” pets as an ineffective and outdated animal control policy IS being won, but too slowly. Meanwhile, too many of our innocent healthy pets are still dying needlessly. There is only way to end the wrongful killings soon.

More volunteers must join in the work to make this right and just cause reality.

Please join in today this lives-savings crusade for justice for our pets who so unselfishly give their all to making us humans happy.

Join and work with any of the many local animal rescue efforts throughout Volusia and neighboring counties.

In Volusia’s county seat, DeLand, you won’t have to look far to find a vital animal rescue site where the role you play can help save large numbers of animal lives.

The City of DeLand two years ago courageously and mercifully stepped up and took the lead locally, in switching from the antiquated and merciless killings of a darker era of history to today’s kinder, gentler, more sensible and certainly more economical (to taxpayers who formerly financed the kill-contracts!) way of doing animal population control.

The secret of DeLand’s Second Chance program ‘s success is all of its hardworking and dedicated volunteers who labor endlessly to find adoptive homes for every cat, dog, kitten, puppy or other lost, abandoned or independently-surviving lost pet picked up by the city’s animal- control-and-care department.

The city is justifiably very proud to report that not one pet picked-up by its animal control has been killed since its Second Chance program. replaced the earlier system in which the city had to fund huge sums for out-of-town kill contracts for ridding the town of its pet pests.

Local animal advocates are elated with Second Chance’s success in saving formerly doomed animals’ lives and they are investing in its continued success by giving all the time, energy and hard labor they can to keeping Second Chance alive.

These Second Chance volunteers’ never-ending hard work has kept Second Chance and great numbers of rescued cats, dogs, kittens, puppies and other animals alive these difficult beginning years. It is time now to give these dedicated humans a break, even just a little rest now and then. It is time, as they say in the old westerns-and-war -movies, for the cavalry to ride in.

Rescue, in the form of new recruits, is now essential for the weary folks who got all this started years ago and who have been working too hard too long.!

Please join one or more of the several area rescue groups working with Second Chance or just call Second Chance and ask what you can do to help there.

There are so many ways, from the essential chores involved in keeping the Second Chance haven clean to walking the dogs and calming scared kittens.

The saving of precious lives depends so much on the decision of those reading this to take on a vital lives-saving role in this citizens’ effort to stop the killing!

Just VOLUNTEER! The rest will fall in place.

TO VOLUNTEER, CALL: Respect for Pets 386-985-1100 ARK 386-738-2771 CAT’S EYE 386-740.0651

EUTHANASIA LEADS TO OTHER ABUSE

Animal abuse links to human abuse and other crimes. Why it is so important to STOP ANIMAL ABUSE!

This includes indifference to unwarented animal euthanasia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/magazine/13dogfighting-t.html

THE CAT'S EYE PROJECT NEWSLETTER

SANCTUARY, Please!

 
Just a little Volusia County land – just temporary use of it, not ownership – can save thousands of lives and
millions of dollars.

The numbers of healthy, innocent puppies and dogs, cats and tiny kittens being killed annually by Volusia County and its cities’ local governments are still in the thousands and taxpayers are still stuck with paying the exorbitant cost of these killings we don’t want!

Yet, these heartless killings are not making even a dent in our out of control pet overpopulation crisis. Obsolete animal control policy is not controlling the problem!

Citizen volunteers’ alternative solutions – spaying-neutering, trap-neuter-return, fostering and adoption – are succeeding, but cannot complete the transition to a No-Kill animal control-and-care system until sanctuaries are established for relocating sterilized animals that don’t get adopted and cannot be returned to their original
outdoor homes.

Animal activists are begging our county council (working with our city governments) to provide property for sanctuary. Council members appear to be listening and considering. Council knows hundreds or thousands of this county’s citizen volunteers who already give time, energy and most of our income to saving cats and dogs by our own means gladly will help care for animals housed in sanctuaries. Readers, please confirm – quickly! --via phone calls, letters and emails to your Council representative that a Volusia sanctuary is needed!

Pet overpopulation can be contained without killing. San Diego proved it decades ago. Other cities across America copied. Jacksonville-Duval is proving it. Our time is now!

Sterilization of all pets – which can cost as little as one-third the million dollar cost of killing – and sanctuary, backed up by smaller trap-neuter-return colonies, is the solution. In a few years, killing our surplus pets will be only a bad memory. Our only concern will be how could we have been so barbaric in the past? There will be peace for our pets and a clear conscience for us humans. Hurry that day. Tell County Council we need a
sanctuary!

RESCUE ME!
 

This is BAXTER. He and his family were used for target  practice and were full of beebees when they were rescued. His mom and siblings now have forever homes. Baxter is friendly and playful. He is about 11 weeks old, is neutered and has had his first set of shots. Please call (386) 740-0651 if you have space in your heart and home for him. 

TRIBUTE TO LOST LOVES

IN LOVING MEMORY OF WESLEY 2000-2011 

BUDDY

IN LOVING MEMORY OF BUDDY 1999-2010 Buddy is the dog in the story of how he was abandoned with a whole litter and survived while being abused until I stopped my car, lifted him into the back seat and took him to his forever home. The whole story of Buddy is on this blog. 

Buddy died last summer while being treated for severe diabetes and other health problems. The last time I saw him, he did not know me and his time was very short. He was being lovingly treated by Dr. Evers. We all miss Buddy and think of him every day.

The Legacy of St. Francis!
Did You Inherit It?

America’s historic 20th century battle for human rights, we keep our eyes on the prize, knowing it’s been a long time coming, but “change is gonna come” again, and this time it will be for animal’s rights that the times, they are a-changin’! From Ponce Inlet to Deltona to DeLand, here’s what’s happened today to St. Francis’ legacy.

SAVING BUCK -- A DELAND STORY WITH A VERY HAPPY ENDING.

“Buck” is alive and well, because a Good Samaritan intervened in a split.

A handsome life-loving young brindle pit dog, Buck spent much of his life chained in his back yard. By day, it was a heartbreaking sight. At night, his loud barking brought neighborhood threats of shooting him. His family knew they couldn’t keep him. Sadly, they arranged for a family friend to pick him up and take him to a “shelter” to be killed. Why? Like 20,000 Volusia animals annually, Buck was going to be killed only because there was nowhere for him to go.

Buck had different ideas. An hour before the scheduled pick-up time, the family unchained him for a final few minutes of freedom. Buck seized his chance to live. Literally running for his life and with all the family’s small children in pursuit, Buck ran toward busy Amelia Avenue.

Somewhere along his escape route a car driving by stopped and the driver asked the children what was going on. “Buck’s going to be killed, because we can’t keep him,” the children explained, repeating by rote the words they had told everyone they met that sad day. “Then, I’ll take Buck home with me, if you want me to,” the man told the kids.

The relief in their happy eyes celebrated their joy that their good dog Buck was not going to die after all. The impromptu dog rescuer was a member of the family that owns the popular long-time store on the corner of Amelia and Voorhis in the No-Kill City of DeLand, a town with a big heart where people care about animals and if one needs rescuing, somebody will step up and do it.

The Legacy of St. Francis Did You Inherit It?

 

THE BROKEN CAT -- ANOTHER DELAND STORY, ONE TO BREAK YOUR HEART.

She was just another restaurant parking lot cat, one of the multitude of overpopulation-caused starving homeless cats struggling for survival on food scraps found in nightly foraging. She lived with other cats in the woods behind a popular drive-through fast food enterprise.

The animal activist heard about the unfortunate cat from a friend who saw her at the restaurant, dragging her back legs. Deeply touched by the description of the cat’s severe injuries, probably from being run over by a car, the activist hurried to the site, determined to catch the suffering cat and get her to a veterinarian for treatment.

Time after time, for weeks, the would-be rescuer fought her way through dense woods thickets in search of the broken cat, sometimes sighting but never able to get her, grievously saddened each time she had to leave without the hurt cat. After a while, she never saw the cat again.

She later learned that a month earlier – the last day she saw the cat -- animal control had been called, had trapped the cat and taken her to a veterinarian where a broken back spinal injury and two broken legs was the diagnosis, with no hope of recovery, and a decision was made to euthanize.

She had not been contacted and informed of the cat’s demise during that long month she continued to search desperately for the cat almost daily, because the animal control officer she was working with was hospitalized that day and his substitute was unaware of her  efforts.

The activist’s terrible grief was doubled by the fact she had earlier succeeded in persuading a well-know local animal refuge to take the cat in and give her a home, if caught.

“It haunts me,” the grieving would-be rescuer said later, “but at least I know I tried. She is in heaven now.”

PONCE INLET: LEADING THE WAY FOR TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN SOLUTION!

Based on the very successful TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) procedures established by Animal Control Officer Suzanne Holy in Ormond Beach, Ponce Inlet has a well managed community TNR program that provides indisputable proof that the TNR solution works as an alternative to yesteryear’s obsolete animal control policy of killing animals.

And, Ponce Animal Welfare, Inc.Welfare, Inc. (PAW) president Jo Ellen Basile is doing a great job of spreading the word that well managed TNR colonies like Ponce Inlets’ are the only solution to the problem of free-roaming cats that has the support of the public.

“Most people,” she stated, “would agree that preserving the life of innocent creatures instead of routinely killing them when they multiply out of control is the right thing to do. Tax dollars are saved through donations and through a reduction in animal control needs and humane society fees. Google ‘TNR success’ and you will be overwhelmed by the countless reports and studies showing the success of TNR.”


Halifax Humane Society just took a giant step forward toward Volusia County animal advocates’ goal of “No More Euthanasia 2014” by providing 400 free spays or neuters during eight days in early February. What a wonderful surprise gift that was for animal rescuers!


Especially to be praised was Halifax’s inclusion of not just household pets but free roaming (feral) neighborhood cats as well in these free-spay days. Halifax’s generosity was a huge help to the county’s hundreds of financially overburdened citizen volunteers who maintain TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return and Trap- Neuter-Relocate) colonies at our own expense and we are grateful!


Those four hundred sterilized cats will add up to inestimable generations of homeless kittens not born just to be killed, not slaughtered victims of the surplus pet overpopulation crisis.


We mourn the too many innocents who have already died – like The CAT’S EYE Project’s logo cat Que Sera – but we celebrate an end in sight now, the day when no more innocent healthy kittens, puppies, cats and dogs will be killed just because till now there was no place for them all.


Thanks, Halifax, for this splendid reinforcement of hope and faith in the No-Kill Revolution!

AND YET, LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS PUTTING OUT MORE KILL CONTRACTS!

From the West Volusia Beacon: “Disposing of strays, Deltona has allocated as much as $10,000 for the Southeast Volusia Humane Society and as much as $80,000 for Halifax Humane Society to impound and possibly euthanize the dogs, cats and other living things caught within the city limits by animal control officers.

Volusia County has allocated $300,000 for animal confinement and euthanasia during 2011.”

This adds up to a $390,000 kill-contract price tag for taxpayers! Just visualize how great a sanctuary program nearly $400,000 could buy for our doomed beloved animals with no place to go now but to Death Rows and the killing chambers. A combination of sanctuaries and TNR can save thousands of cats’ and kittens’ lives and, indirectly, dogs and puppies as well!

The only way that can happen is for citizens to tell County Council and City Commission elected representatives you don’t want to kill again!

Tell them to stop killing our healthy innocent animals and to start sending those homeless pets to a sanctuary with overpopulation-ending sterilizations at only half the current cost of killing!

Tell them today!

WE’RE KILLING KITTENS, PUPPIES, DOGS AND CATS…

Only YOU can save them. PLEASE VOLUNTEER!

Dedicated animal activists are winning the “No-Kill” war to end misnamed and unnecessary “euthanasias” of healthy, harmless, lost or abandoned pets whose only crime is homelessness.

Victory, however, requires quick arrival of new reinforcement troops, because veteran animal rescuers, fosterS and adoptions workers are too weary to keep carrying our heavy loads alone. We’ve been fighting this battle too long without rest, some for decades, and we are worn out! Energetic fresh volunteers are desperately needed!

YOU are needed, if you care enough about innocent animals doomed to premature deaths to volunteer a bit of your time and energy to rescuing them and helping find homes for them or providing back-up support in many ways, from fundraising projects to telephone work at home.

Please call (1-386) 740-0651 today and let us put you in touch with field workers desperately needing the assistance of new volunteers with the very skills you possess. Call back if no reply, because the volunteer manning the phone for recruiting new volunteers is busy with overseeing a cat colony requiring time and attention and is frequently out in the field. Evening calls are best.

Halifax Humane Society just took a giant step forward toward Volusia County animal advocates’ goal of “No More Euthanasia 2014” by providing 400 free spays or neuters during eight days in early February. What a wonderful surprise gift that was for animal rescuers!

Especially to be praised was Halifax’s inclusion of not just household pets but free roaming (feral) neighborhood cats as well in these free-spay days. Halifax’s generosity was a huge help to the county’s hundreds of financially overburdened citizen volunteers who maintain TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return and Trap-Neuter-Relocate) colonies at our own expense and we are grateful!

Those four hundred sterilized cats will add up to inestimable generations of homeless kittens not born just to be killed, not slaughtered victims of the surplus pet overpopulation crisis.

We mourn the too many innocents who have already died – like The CAT’S EYE Project’s logo cat Que Sera – but we celebrate an end in sight now, the day when no more innocent healthy kittens, puppies, cats and dogs will be killed just because till now there was no place for them all.

Thanks, Halifax, for this splendid reinforcement of hope and faith in the No-Kill Revolution!

Editor................................................................Jami Baker-Nebeker
Photographer…………………………………Rik Nebeker

Staff writers…………………………………..Janice Potter,

Jennifer Shackley,

Charlotte Jones.

Ramona Whaley

Circulation ………………………Robert Baird, Janice Potter

Proof Reader………………………………….Linda Shuhy

Blogmaster……………………………………Nan Smith

The CAT’S EYE Project Director……………Ramona Whaley

The CAT’S EYE Project publishes quarterly, in Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. The publication and accompanying blog are independently operating projects of Animal Rescue Konsortium (ARK) based in DeLand, Florida. Blog address http://thecatseyeproject.blogspot.com


R.E.S.P.E.C.T. for Pets
Volunteers and Donations needed for this non profit
Cat Tail Corners P.O. Box 952
Deleon springs, FL 32130

COUNTY COUNCIL MULLS CAT SANCTUARY

Just a little Volusia County land – just temporary use of it, not ownership – can save thousands of lives and millions of dollars.

The numbers of healthy, innocent puppies and dogs, cats and tiny kittens being killed annually by Volusia County and its cities’ local governments are still in the thousands and taxpayers are still stuck with paying the
exorbitant cost of these killings we don’t want!

Yet, these heartless killings are not making even a dent in our out of control pet overpopulation crisis.

Obsolete animal control policy is not controlling the problem!

Citizen volunteers’ alternative solutions – spaying-neutering, trap-neuter-return, fostering and adoption – are succeeding, but cannot complete the transition to a No-Kill animal control-and-care system until sanctuaries are established for relocating sterilized animals that don’t get adopted and cannot be returned to their original outdoor homes.

Animal activists are begging our county council (working with our city governments) to provide property for sanctuary. 

Council members appear to be listening and considering. Council knows hundreds or thousands of this county’s citizen volunteers who already give time, energy and most of our income to saving cats and dogs by our own means gladly will help care for animals housed in sanctuaries. Readers, please confirm – quickly! -- via phone calls, letters and emails to your Council representative that a Volusia sanctuary is needed!

Pet overpopulation can be contained without killing. San Diego proved it decades ago. Other cities across America copied. Jacksonville-Duval is proving it.

Our time is now!

Sterilization of all pets – which can cost as little as one-third the million dollar cost of killing – and sanctuary, backed up by smaller trap-neuter-return colonies, is the solution.

In a few years, killing our surplus pets will be only a bad memory. Our only concern will be how could we have been so barbaric in the past? There will be peace for our pets and a clear conscience for us humans. Hurry that day. Tell County Council we need a sanctuary!

This is BAXTER. He and his family were used for target practice and were full of BB's when they were  rescued. His mom and siblings now have forever homes. Baxter is friendly and playful. He is about 11 weeks  old, is neutered and has had his first  set of shots. Please call (386) 740-0651 if you have space in  your heart and home for him.

LETTERS TO COUNTY COUNCIL

In a message dated 2/3/2011 11:46:47 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
janice.potter@zurichna.com writes:

To the Volusia County Council:

I have been doing some research and talking with several very knowledgeable people since I have heard back from Pat Northey and Carl Persis back in December. Then in January heard from Pat that in February you all should be hearing from the Animal Committee. Please see the information I have gathered for all of you.  If you could pass on to your committee - that would be wonderful.  Thank you. I am extremely curious to see what your committee thinks should be done about our feral crisis in Volusia County.

Found out there is a discussion coming up this evening on the following channel - sharing with everyone on your council..... Feral Cat  Discussion on WDSC-TV ch 15 Feb 3 @ 7:oo pm Tune In - sure to
be informative...

There are many good examples of TNR programs happening in our state very close by.  How about if we invite some of these folks to speak to their successes with TNR programs and feral sanctuaries.  Lets get educated and make educated decisions! These groups are leaders in the feral initiative and should be heard.  First Coast No More Homeless Pets in Jax has reduced euthanasia from 23,000 to less than 9,000 last year - this was a two year result!  They are celebrating their 2 year anniversary this year!!  If you think about what Volusia pays Halifax for every cat to be killed  - that represents a savings of about 1.3 million!  That is quite a bit of money!

1.   Melissa Cranis who is leader/speaker for CARE program in Orlando, which is a TNR program is a great speaker. I bet if someone contacted her (CARE Feline TNR Message Center at (407) 522-2617.) she would come and speak at a council meeting. They have had a very successful program in Orlando.

2. No More Homeless Pets in Jax has been a great leader and we should take notice of their amazing results.  Their contact info is:  First Coast No More Homeless Pets, Inc.  in the Joseph A. Strasser Animal Health & Welfare Building 6817 Norwood Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32208 WELLSS CLINIC HOURS: 904.425.0005

3.  The Flagler County Shelter has been very successful with TNR and their own feral sanctuary.  The director's name is Jeff Hale and his phone number is (386) 445-1814 Ext 305.

4.  I received a summary of a seminar that occurred recently by Nathan Winograd.  He is a TRUE expert in the NO KILL movement and it would be very beneficial if we could incorporate his ideas into our Volusia County plan.  He speaks all over the country and was recently in Melbourne.  One of the participants of that seminar wrote a summary of his speech and I have included them into this email for your review.  It is enlightening - please read when you have a few minutes - it includes accurate percentages and statistics of what this program do to help.  Also, if you have time, you can go to You Tube and watch and listen to portions of his seminars.  He also has a website at www.nathanwinograd.com.

Highlights from the Nathan Winograd No-Kill Seminar

Nathan took his "No Kill" equation to cities all over the US to shelters with extremely high kill rates. Within one year of implementing his program, the shelters were at 96-100% NO KILL! No healthy dogs/cats were killed and NO treatable cats/dogs were killed. They even adopted out dogs and cats with all sorts of handicaps & terminal illnesses. His NO Kill model worked in rural areas, suburban areas, areas who had the highest unemployment rates and highest foreclosures, progressive areas and conservative areas alike, rich and poor areas. National Data records PROVE that the NO KILL equation works! We can save 90% of animals in our shelters!

There are currently 4 million dogs and cats killed yearly in the US. If every community embraced the NO KILL model, we would have 3,600,000 still alive today.

Tougher spay/neuter laws DO NOT WORK! They cause MORE deaths- because when this was put into place in one of his communities, animal control officers would go door to door to give citations to those pet owners not in compliance. Instead of paying the fines, the people turned their animals over to the shelter- which ended up killing them. FREE spay and neuter is the way to go! He instituted a program called "Greenbacks for Gonads"- they actually gave people $5.00 to bring their pets in to get spayed and neutered for free. IT WORKED! And ended up saving them a TON of money in the long run... Intakes to the shelter were cut IN HALF, cat deaths declined by 73%, dog deaths declined by 66% and 0% healthy animals were killed.

Here is the "NO-KILL equation" for the shelter to follow (which has been proven to be 100% successful in EVERY city who implemented into their shelters). 

• Need foster homes Conduct off site adoptions 
• Thorough cleaning standards 
• Willingness to work with rescue groups 
• TNR (trap neuter release) programs for feral cats - 
• Behavioral help for pets -  
• help phone line in order to deter animals abandoned at shelter - 
• Proactive efforts to help reunite lost pets (not just holding them in a kennel- getting out and going door to door where the animal was found) - 
• Effective adoption campaigns- use EVERY holiday, every celebration to adopt out animals! 
• Socialization & training programs (actually work w/ dogs in kennels- not leaving them in day after day to go cage crazy)

Shelter Leaders MUST be held accountable.
 
Most animals are dying for 1 reason- FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS THAT WORK! There are  rresponsible people in the community, however, there are MANY in our community that care! Do good things for the animals, tell people about their needs, turn challenges into opportunities! It all comes down to leadership! Individual leaders make or break lifesaving efforts.


IT IS NOT THE SIZE OF THE BUDGET, it is the SIZE OF THE DIRECTORS HEART ! The difference in lifesaving rates is determined by the leaders running the shelter.

Recipe for NO KILL:

Passionate director
Implement the NO KILL Equation
Believe in the community
Trust in compassion of community

"THE POWER OF ONE LEADS TO AN ARMY OF COMPASSION!"

It is NOT PET OVERPOPULATION that is killing the animlas. That is a myth! It is a LACK of foster programs, LACK of outreach in the community, LACK of cleanliness, LACK of TNR programs which is KILLING the animals!

The following problems are literally STEALING THE LIVES OF ANIMALS:
 
Poor customer service (rude staff, not answering phones)
Dirtiness
unavailable hours for public
lack of staff

*The shelter MUST take responsibility for the animals and save them!

REGIME CHANGE:
Must have a turnover of managers and staff to become NO KILL
Get the right people on board
Fight to get rid of uncaring and lazy staff
People are the HEART & SOUL of ANY organization!!!
Need people who LIKE PEOPLE as well as animals!

"BETTER TO FIRE ONE BAD STAFF MEMBER THAN TO KILL A GOOD ANIMAL!"

At the closing of the seminar- he told us to imagine we are dying in the hospital. The doctor comes in and says we have two courses of action: We can implement the procedure we have done for years that is proven not
to work -- or we can implement the procedure which has a proven 100% success rate- which would you choose.... it is a no brainer!

PLEASE PASS this info along to others you know would benefit from this and truly care about the animals needlessly dying in shelters all over our communities!  


THE KILLING HAS TO STOP!!!!

Thank you for your time and when the animal control committee comes to the council and provides their recommendations - I would be VERY interested to hear the plan.  Thank you !!  Jan

CATS EYE NEWSLETTER

Wear Orange Ribbon To Alert Unaware Public To Feral Cats' Needs

THE CATS EYE PROJECT

"Watching over All Animals and Being Their Voice" 

CAT'S EYE: Counties' Alliance to Sterilize and End Yesteryear's Euthanasia
OCTOBER 16 IS NATIONAL FERAL CATS DAY

As nationally celebrated October 16 Feral Cats Day nears, all animal advocates everywhere are preparing to spread the word on that day to the unaware public that feral cats are being caught in a deadly overpopulation crisis and these endangered cats need and deserve our help.

About eighty per cent of Volusia County's approximately 20,000 kittens, puppies, dogs and cats taken by animal control to "shelters" to be quickly and routinely killed every year are feral cats and kittens, and other feral kittens are left to starve after their moms are caught and killed.

Feral cats are just normal felines whose once pampered housecat ancestors two or three or more generations ago became lost or abandoned.

Homeless cats and their two or three litters of kittens born every year in the wild survive by joining a feral colony, adapting to living outdoors and learning to fend for themselves. (Many included in the count of feral cats killed are not in truth feral, but are someone's lost pet now living in the feral community.) If former owners failed to spay, colony cats rampantly reproduce.

Determined to reduce the numbers of our endangered feral cat communities, local dedicated volunteer feral cat and kitten rescuers are out in the field every day working hard to trap, neuter and return feral cats or to trap-neuter-and relocate them via foster-and-adoption programs.

Jacksonville-Duval County government and its animal loving citizenry, along with the City of DeLand in Volusia, have set the standard locally for achieving a No-Kill status that includes our feral cats.

Volusia and other counties and cities' governing councils need to copy Jacksonville-Duval and DeLand hastily, because the atrocity of unnecessary killing innocent healthy kittens, puppies, cats and dogs at taxpayers' expense cannot be allowed to continue. Caring citizens WILL stop the killing!

____________________________________________________________________________

Read on pages 2 and 3 of this CAT'S EYE publication the story of how the combined efforts of a few people who decided to become involved and DO SOMETHING saved a family of kittens.

™—~^—™—™™~~™~™—™~~™™ — ————^™™ —————"«•"••—— — — "• —— — ——™—— — — —™m»—————— — —— ———.l..^—— —••—.__««__ ~>BM______««I_HI_____H____V____ ••«••»«•I—. ____

And, be sure to take the back page of this publication to Applebee's Restaurant at 2599 Enterprise Road, Orange City on October 14 to earn funds for local animal rescue!

SEE    http://thecatseyeproject.blogspot.com/

Page 2_____________ The CAT'S EYE PROJECT_________ October 2010

Addressing the feral cats overpopulation problem without killing..

ONE CAT AT A TIME!

Editor's note: Every year five to eight million kittens and puppies, dogs and cats — mostly feral cats — are killed in America, due to pet overpopulation. Trap-Neuter-Return and Trap-Neuter-Relocate volunteers are working to end that tragedy. Just one, two or a few dedicated people stepping up and doing something to start solving this crisis can change everything!

By Janice Potter

One day this past July I was at Dunkin' Donuts in DeLand and happened to look next door at a Rodeo Whip Ice Cream shop. There was a litter of kittens and a very young mama kitty at the rear of the building. I took one of my bags of cat food that I carry with me in my car trunk and walked over there, where I was told by an employee that the owners feed the kittens. I saw bowls outside for food and water, so I left the bag of food.

A couple of days later, I stopped by and spoke with the ice cream shop owner's daughter, Paula Dumas. I asked if they had any plans to try to spay or neuter the cat and kittens. She said she hadn't thought about it, but that she would be willing to help do that.

I contacted my vet, Dr. Bailey at Woodland Animal Clinic. His clinic manager, Sherica Egan, gave me contact info for two local animal activists. I contacted them to see what we could do and one of them, Charlotte Jones, met with the ice cream shop owner's daughter and me. She trained us in how to operate a humane trap. Then, she lent us the trap.

Three of the kittens were trapped the next day and were brought out to the ice cream shop owner's daughter's house. Paula has some land and it would be safer there for the kittens than at the ice cream business fronting right on Highway 17-92.

The other two kittens stayed clear of us. At that point, we had no place to put them anyway, so they had to be left with their mama at that location, though maybe they could be moved out to Paula's house after they were trapped and spayed or neutered.

The next day the mama cat was trapped and brought to Woodland Animal Clinic for spaying and her shots. I purchased a reduced-cost spay-neuter certificate at the Halifax Humane Society on LPGA Boulevard. Dr. Bailey is one of the veterinarians who honor those certificates.

The City of DeLand sponsored a spay-neuter fee reimbursement program until this past September 30 for the city's residents, so I would be reimbursed for the spaying. I returned to the ice cream shop a couple of times soon after we brought mama kitty back to the business location. She looked great and seemed to be doing fine.

We discovered, while I was going back and forth so many times checking on mama kitty and the two ice cream shop kittens, that there was also a whole other litter of kittens there, about a month old. I contacted Teresa of Candy's Cats in Orlando and she told us that if we could socialize these younger little feral kittens, she would be able to get them adopted out as soon as they were ready to eat kitten food. We decided we would go try to catch them and be their fosterers until Teresa could take them.

October 2010

The  CAT'S  EYE  PROJECT

Page  3

Addressing the feral cats overpopulation problem without killing...

ONE CAT AT A TIME!., . continued

Paula and I agreed that we would like also to get that second mama cat spayed. I hoped that all five older kittens from the earlier litter and this new mama could be spayed or neutered before the reimbursement deadline. (Reimbursement requirements specified a veterinarian's itemized bill, a rabies shot and the typical notched ear signifying cat or kitten has been sterilized. To stay informed on DeLand's reimbursement program and whether it might be repeated in the future, contact Antoinette Montanez at the City of DeLand, 386-626-7023 and request a reimbursement form.)

ANIMAL CLINIC

I am thankful for Paula Dumas' dedication in addressing the spaying-neutering issue with the cats that were living behind her mother's business and for her socializing the ones she took to her house, enabling adoption And, I'm thankful for her mother, Joyce Doolittle, owner of the Rodeo Whip ice cream shop at 1250 Woodland Avenue for her love of the cats and her dedication in feeding them every morning. They both are awesome! I'm thankful, too, for Dr. Bailey and his wonderful staff, especially for their flexibility and help with this big project of spaying and neutering this feral colony.

Since that first experience, Paula has become quite an expert in trapping feral cats! The ice cream shop owner purchased a trap, and they have trapped the second young mama cat and another female and one of the male cats. All have been brought to Dr. Bailey for spaying or neutering and shots. The ice cream shop family purchased many reduced-cost spay-neuter certificates provided by Halifax Humane Society. Paula tells me she will continue to trap and neuter feral cats until the entire colony has been sterilized. She told me another of the kittens from the original litter now has joined its siblings at her home.

This whole process was kind of stressful, since it was our first time, but we just wanted to get the job done and make sure those kittens were all safe.

I know this is just a drop in the bucket in addressing the feral cats crisis, but we can address this one-cat-at-a-time. It is a terrific thing these ladies are doing. They are fantastic examples of what happens when people act to make a difference.

October 2010

The CAT'S EYE PROJECT

Page 4

REST FOR WEARY HARDWORKING ANIMAL ACTIVISTS:

EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY AT APPLEBEE'S!

CAT'S EYE EDITORIAL

On Thursday night October 14 - that's just two days before nationwide Feral Cats Day activities -- a brief but reinvigorating respite for animal activists (and anyone else who loves and wants to help animals!) is being provided by our local Applebee's Restaurant in Orange City.

The address is 2599 Enterprise Road in Orange City and the time is from 5 p.m. till 9 p.m.

During that time, ten per cent of your food bill will be donated by Applebee's to a local animal rescue organization for saving and helping animals.

This is a great opportunity to earn much needed community monetary aid for all our animal activists' animal rescues, fostering, adoptions and Trap-Neuter-Retum and it advances our cause of ending Volusia County's and its cities' annual misnamed "euthanasias" of around 20,000 healthy, happy, harmless kittens, puppies, cats and dogs by the year 2014.

All you have to do to contribute to this lifesaving project is to go eat dinner at the Applebee's Restaurant in Orange City between 5 and 9 p.m. on October 14 and hand this page to your server along with your bill.

Please make many copies of this page, give them to everyone you meet, and encourage them all to go eat at Applebee's that evening to save animals' lives!!! Be very sure to remind them they must give their servers' this page in order to get the Applebee's contribution for animals.

Get all your animal welfare friends to join you at Applebee's on October 14 for this rare "R and R" (rest and recuperation) brief getaway from our seemingly endless animals-saving daily sessions. Come meet, greet and get to know your fellow troops in this battle for saving animals!

While there, talk with Applebee's management and schedule your own group's Applebee's evening very soon. This Applebee's project is succeeding in saving animals all around America!

Pasted text from the pages of the paper edition of the Cats Eye Project newsletter.