Niki-- animal rights seminar
Niki, You wrote in an email a while ago that you had attended a CLE seminar on Animal Rights. Who offered that, and where? I am just curious, as I am a lawyer too and worked on animal law issued while in law school and have been informally trying to keep track of the expansion of animal rights law groups and seminars. Thanks, Michelle
Re: NJ feral group
Renee, You are so very welcome. How nice to be someone's angel! I'm glad some of my suggestions made sense to you and that my moral support helped you feel less alone. This group is full of angels, as you've now found out. As I said before, I'm betting that Emma, (and probably her best friend too), will make the transition to house cat pretty quickly. You guys already have a connection. I understand the reluctance to "force" the issue, but most cats are not good with change of any kind and Emma might be inclined to keep the status quo without some stronger persuasion, (she has no idea how wonderfully her life will change!). Her short life has been all about simple survival, getting through the day alive, that's all she'll be thinking about. Ya gotta be a little pushy so she can see for herself all the benefits of being with you. You won't be sorry, once she understands that you are her 'angel', you'll have a devoted friend for life. If you've never trapped before, I can understand your feelings of discomfort with the prospect. Look at it this way, yes they're frightened, yes it is unpleasant for them, but it's a necessary trade off for making their lives sooo much better. It's like dealing with visits to the dentist. Pleasant? No. But so much better to endure the momentary discomfort and keep your teeth! The truly feral cats that you trap will be so much better off getting neutered/shots. The colony will not only stop multiplying, but as long as they have food and water provided, they will stop fighting and live much more harmonious lives, (having food provided and being neutered eliminates the reasons for fighting, hence cutting down on the transmission of disease!). Continuing to feed a feral colony, while well intended, is only half the solution. I have had the misfortune of seeing the suffering and miserable deaths of sweet innocent kittens (most kittens born in the wild do not make it to their 1st birthday). You have the power to stop some of this suffering! We humans put these poor cats in the position of surviving on their own, only we humans have the power to stop the cycle. Get with one of the rescue organizations in your area, (Jenn sent you a wonderful list of links that will surely turn up some help for you). Let them know that you are willing to do the work, but you don't have the funds necessary for such a large undertaking. Hopefully you'll not only get financial assistance, but find a new friendship in someone who will help you with the physical tasks as well. Patti is right, you don't have to handle the ferals at all. You trap them, take them to the vet still in the trap and bring them home while they are still asleep in a carrier. Transfer them to a larger pen where they can recuperate from their surgery in safety and then release them a couple days later. If you trap someone that's friendly, hopefully the rescue you've found will be able to foster them and find them a home. You can do it girl. Sorry this is so long. Can you tell how near and dear to me every feral in the world is?! Please let us know how you are doing. Whatever the depth of your undertaking to help these guys is so very appreciated, esp by any of the cats you help! Nina Renee M. Simon wrote: Oh Nina, Thank you, thank you, thank you! YOU HAVE BEEN MY ANGEL TODAY. i was feeling so frustrated and your words really soothed my soul. I completely believe that the angels send certain kitties my way. Last summer a feral close to death arrived on my doorstep. After vetting and testing, wetook him in. He is sleeping next to me now. I found him collapsed on the grave of my beloved Miss Kitty. I really loved your ideas about shelter. I think I will open my crawl space tomorrow. I can't believe I didn't think of that! And this is farm land, so free pallets are always around! Maybe my hubby could get some heavy totes from work and we can use them. See, all I had to do was ask and wonderful help arrived. I cannot thank you enough! you have just eased my mind tremendously. At least I have a good start and something constructive to do tommorrow for Emma and Abby, as well as the others who live in the marsh. Three days ago, someone who was feeding one all summer decided to take him to the vet in hopes of adopting him. He tested positive, but was asymptomatic. I do not know if they kept him or pts. My boy Jasper was tested twice and was negative, so we were lucky. I currently have 4 cats and 2 dogs. I have over 3000sq ft so they all have their own places. My hope was to bring Emma into the house, but she seems to feral to me and I am not sure she would make the transition.She is about 2 yrs old I think. I don't know if she is positive or not and I don't have a room to keep her isolated safely. I am waiting for divine inspiration on that one! I am also going to write to my local newspapers and see if they can help,maybe an article? I will also post an ad to see if anyone can donate supplies. It is a start. I
RE: NJ feral group
Title: Message Renee, I brought Big Boy, aka Romeo, in during a bitter cold snap here in NY last year. I had been feeding him outside for 2 years and when I pulled up to the feeding area, I could hear him meow all the way across a parking lot--it was his way of telling me he was here, don't go! He would rub up against my legs but would jump away if he saw my hands coming towards him. I finally trapped him and brought him him. As we speak, he is lying on my bed sound asleep and has turned out to be the most affectionate of the brood, hence the name change to ROmeo. He still won't let me pick him up but absolutely craves attention. He was an adult cat when I got him. He turned out to be FELV+ (never sick) and I mix with my others (one of them is also FELV+). If you bring her in, I know there are a lot of folks here who can help you get her acclimated--trick is that once they understand the good life, they figure out its OK! Chris [EMAIL PROTECTED] Renee M. Simon wrote: Oh Nina, Thank you, thank you, thank you! YOU HAVE BEEN MY ANGEL TODAY. i was feeling so frustrated and your words really soothed my soul. I completely believe that the angels send certain kitties my way. Last summer a feral close to death arrived on my doorstep. After vetting and testing, wetook him in. He is sleeping next to me now. I found him collapsed on the grave of my beloved Miss Kitty. I really loved your ideas about shelter. I think I will open my crawl space tomorrow. I can't believe I didn't think of that! And this is farm land, so free pallets are always around! Maybe my hubby could get some heavy totes from work and we can use them. See, all I had to do was ask and wonderful help arrived. I cannot thank you enough! you have just eased my mind tremendously. At least I have a good start and something constructive to do tommorrow for Emma and Abby, as well as the others who live in the marsh. Three days ago, someone who was feeding one all summer decided to take him to the vet in hopes of adopting him. He tested positive, but was asymptomatic. I do not know if they kept him or pts. My boy Jasper was tested twice and was negative, so we were lucky. I currently have 4 cats and 2 dogs. I have over 3000sq ft so they all have their own places. My hope was to bring Emma into the house, but she seems to feral to me and I am not sure she would make the transition.She is about 2 yrs old I think. I don't know if she is positive or not and I don't have a room to keep her isolated safely. I am waiting for divine inspiration on that one! I am also going to write to my local newspapers and see if they can help,maybe an article? I will also post an ad to see if anyone can donate supplies. It is a start. I have lived here for 7 yrs. I am not sure why I felt compelled to do something now and not earlier. All I can do is my best. Emma really stole my heart. I really feel a connection to her. I pray for her every night and during the day I try to learn how to help and what else I need to learn. Low cost spay here is running about $75 a cat, which is hard for me to manage for more than a few. And certainly not for 30- 40. Thanks so much for being my angel today. I went from tears to really feeling like it is not hopeless. I appreciate the kindness you have shown me. Have a wonderful night! Renee
Re: Sam ~ Del
In a message dated 12/2/05 11:30:01 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My Sam (negative 6yo) now HCM, threw a saddle clot two weeks ago and is recovering the use of his legs gradually I have been wondering how your Sam was doing. Prayers go out for his continued recovery. Patti
Fwd: [NMHP] FIP and other uncommon vaccines
Hideyo-- some info on FIP ---BeginMessage--- My Groups | NMHP Main Page Question from Janice:I work with cats in a local Humane Society, which isa foster homeorganization. Over a year ago we had an outbreak of FIP and it was a particularlyviral strain and lost not only kittens but several adult cats. My problem nowis how to tell if there is a carrier among my own or long term foster cats. Iwant to resume rescuing cats from local shelters, but worry about not onlyexposing the new foster cats, but that they might even carry FIP to theadopter's existing cats if they were adopted. Can you talk about this problem andlikelihood of contamination, if there is any way to determine who is actuallya carrier, and also discuss the controversial FIP vaccine? It was suggested that giving the vaccine to acatwho is a carrier would be the same as adeath sentence for the otherwisehealthy cat. While you're at it, can you also address other vaccines which are not universally recommended, such as FIV and FeLV? And are there any canine vaccines which can do more harm than good? Response from Dr Kate Hurley: You are a person after my own heart: you managed to combine about six different questions in one fell swoop J First of all, a little about FIP. As you may know, FIP comes from a mutation of feline coronavirus (FeCV, also sometimes called FCoV). FeCV infection is extremely common in cats, especially in multiple cat environments such as shelters, rescue homes or catteries, and is not in itself likely to cause serious disease. FIP is very rarely transmitted directly from cat to cat. What usually happens is FeCV spreads cat to cat, then mutates in some of those cats to cause FIP. We dont know all the factors that decide whether FeCV will mutate to cause FIP in a particular cat. Some factors we know are important include: Genetics: littermates of FIP cats are much more likely to get FIP than non-littermates, even if they are exposed to the same strain at the same time, such as when two litters are mixed on the same queen Strain differences: some strains of FeCV are more likely to mutate than others Amount and duration of exposure: cats that live in environments with at least five cats are more likely to develop FIP than cats in homes with four or less cats; it seems the longer they are in such an environment, the more likely they are to get FIP so cats that spend a couple of weeks in a shelter dont have nearly as high a risk as cats that live long term in a home or rescue with lots of cats. Some things that could increase the amount of virus cats are exposed to: Poor sanitation literally billions of viral particles can cling to a single piece of litter. Although it is virtually impossible to eliminate spread of FeCV in a multiple cat environment, good sanitation and low-tracking litter (for group housed cats) will help decrease the dose of exposure. Kittens kittens shed at much, much higher levels than adult cats. Keeping kittens and adults separate will protect both groups from one another. Stress in one study, shedding of FeCV increased by as much as a million-fold when cats had been in a shelter with a pretty high stress housing situation (single stainless box cages) for as little as one week. Gastrointestinal infection of any kind if a group of cats has a chronic infection such as Giardia they are passing back and forth, that increases the turnover of cells in the gut and could increase the amount of virus shed in the environment. I had an interesting conversation once with two women who worked in the same cat rescue group. Both had similar (large) numbers of cats in their respective garages, and drew their rescue cats from similar sources. However, one woman had over a dozen confirmed FIP cases in her rescue and the other woman had none. The most remarkable difference was that the woman who had all the cases of FIP had also had a serious Giardia problem that year. This is just one anecdotal experience, of course: take it with a grain of salt. It could be that one group of cats had just gotten a strain that was more inclined to mutate than the other group. But its always good practice to diagnose and treat any treatable GI infections in group housed cats. The bottom line is, we dont fully understand WHY some groups of unrelated cats experience relatively high rates of FIP infection. To answer your actual question about identifying carriers, there is a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test that looks for FeCV genetic material in feces. Unfortunately, this test is relatively expensive and you would need to test every cat monthly over a period of 6-12 months. Moreover, a positive fecal PCR only tells you if a cat is shedding FECV, and not whether it has FIP, will transmit FIP to another cat or will develop FIP in the future. We have no test that can tell whether a particular strain of FeCV is more
Re: NJ feral group
Thanks for the info. I learned something new and i love that! They only get rice or pasta twice a week and it is equal parts with wet food and dry cat food. I will definately begin adding chicken and beef fats. That is easy to do. Thanks - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, December 03, 2005 1:42 AM Subject: Re: NJ feral group Lately I have been adding in rice and pasta to help beef up their body weight. Actually, by doing that, you are doing exactly the opposite of what you intend to do. Cats are carnivores, and do not get hardly any benefit from carbohydrates, they are built to run on animal derived FAT and PROTEIN. You would be better off adding MORE fat to their food than pasta and rice. Any meat trimmings you might get when you prepare your own food, like the skin off chicken, or the fat trimmed offsteaks would be of benefit to the cats. A little bacon grease stirred into the food would boost the fat content and help too, but don't add too much or they may end up with diarrhea. Make sure that if you give them any kind of pork fat or meat, that it is WELL cooked, because pigs carry tritrichimonsis, and it is highly contagious to cats (and humans). You don't need to cook beef or chicken before feeding that. In addition, feeding pasta and rice to cats will cause taurine deficiency, which leads to blindness in cats. A little is OK, but it's not something you want to regularly use to dilute the cat food to make it go further. Jennhttp://ucat.ushttp://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.htmlAdopt a cat from UCAT rescue:http://ucat.us/adopt.html Adopt a FIV+ cat: http://ucat.us/AWrescue/FIV/Adopt a FELV+ cat:http://ucat.us/FELVadopt.html~~~I collect KMR kitten formula labels for Bazil, a 3 yr old special needs cat who must live on a liquid diet for the rest of his life.Bazil's caretaker collects labels and sends them to KMR, where they add up until she earns a free can of formula!PLEASE save your KMR kitten formula labels for Bazil!If you use KMR, even just one can, please email me for the NEW address to send them to!~Does your cat have chronic diarrhea that does not respond to treatment, or has your cat been loosely diagnosed as IBD? Have you tested for Tritrichomonosis? The test is new, the new drug makes it curable. Ask me today how you can test for Trich! No virus found in this outgoing message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.13.10/190 - Release Date: 12/1/2005
Re: [NMHP] FIP and other uncommon vaccines
Thank you so much! I have printed it out and added it to my feral binder. I need to learn as much as possible, so I greatly appreciate your time. - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, December 03, 2005 1:29 PM Subject: Fwd: [NMHP] FIP and other uncommon vaccines Hideyo-- some info on FIP
Re: NJ feral group
Nina, thank you again for your words of encouragement and support. I woke up today feeling like a new woman...which isn't so easy anymore at 41! I decided that I must change my perspective for the time being. It is very easy for me to become overwhelmed at the enormity of the situation and the lack of support both physical help and financial. So, I decided to take a deep breath and realize that I do not have to fix everything today. I will step up my efforts and be diligent in learning as much as I can, while investigating all avenues. If I let myself get overwhelmed, then I am afraid I might fizzle out. So, I wll just put one foot in front of the other, start thinking creatively and get going.As only 1 person, I certainly cannot afford to fix it all myself, so I will do what and can do.I think that is a good start. I very much appreciate you being there with me in this. They are all such precious souls and I will do whatever I can to improve their health and existance. I promised them that I would do my best. I am going to print out some relevant info and see about approaching some people in town. But I hesitate to draw too much attention to them, because I fear for their safety. People here are always looking for scapegoats and excuses for acting violently. I do not want these babies to pay the price because I was naive. So I will read, learn and do my best for them. Thanks again so very much!! Renee - Original Message - From: Nina To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, December 03, 2005 12:25 PM Subject: Re: NJ feral group Renee,You are so very welcome. How nice to be someone's angel! I'm glad some of my suggestions made sense to you and that my moral support helped you feel less alone. This group is full of angels, as you've now found out. As I said before, I'm betting that Emma, (and probably her best friend too), will make the transition to house cat pretty quickly. You guys already have a connection. I understand the reluctance to "force" the issue, but most cats are not good with change of any kind and Emma might be inclined to keep the status quo without some stronger persuasion, (she has no idea how wonderfully her life will change!). Her short life has been all about simple survival, getting through the day alive, that's all she'll be thinking about. Ya gotta be a little pushy so she can see for herself all the benefits of being with you. You won't be sorry, once she understands that you are her 'angel', you'll have a devoted friend for life. If you've never trapped before, I can understand your feelings of discomfort with the prospect. Look at it this way, yes they're frightened, yes it is unpleasant for them, but it's a necessary trade off for making their lives sooo much better. It's like dealing with visits to the dentist. Pleasant? No. But so much better to endure the momentary discomfort and keep your teeth! The truly feral cats that you trap will be so much better off getting neutered/shots. The colony will not only stop multiplying, but as long as they have food and water provided, they will stop fighting and live much more harmonious lives, (having food provided and being neutered eliminates the reasons for fighting, hence cutting down on the transmission of disease!). Continuing to feed a feral colony, while well intended, is only half the solution. I have had the misfortune of seeing the suffering and miserable deaths of sweet innocent kittens (most kittens born in the wild do not make it to their 1st birthday). You have the power to stop some of this suffering! We humans put these poor cats in the position of surviving on their own, only we humans have the power to stop the cycle. Get with one of the rescue organizations in your area, (Jenn sent you a wonderful list of links that will surely turn up some help for you). Let them know that you are willing to do the work, but you don't have the funds necessary for such a large undertaking. Hopefully you'll not only get financial assistance, but find a new friendship in someone who will help you with the physical tasks as well. Patti is right, you don't have to handle the ferals at all. You trap them, take them to the vet still in the trap and bring them home while they are still asleep in a carrier. Transfer them to a larger pen where they can recuperate from their surgery in safety and then release them a couple days later. If you trap someone that's friendly, hopefully the rescue you've found will be able to foster them and find them a home. You can do it girl. Sorry this is so long. Can you tell how near and dear to me every feral in the world is?! Please let us know how you are doing. Whatever the depth of your undertaking to help these guys is so very appreciated, esp by any of the cats you help!NinaRenee M. Simon wrote:
Re: NJ feral group
Renee, Yep, one day at a time, one task at a time. I'm always beating myself up for not doing more, but doing ANYTHING is what's important. I know exactly what you mean about getting easily overwhelmed. We both have to work on narrowing our focus and just helping as much as we can. A plan is always good :). The world is such a mess, we can only deal with what is right in front of us. The trick is to keep moving, keep doing something positive. I try to keep the Serenity Prayer in mind. Easier said than done! I would be very careful about who you approach, for the very reasons you've stated. Some people have nothing better to do than to make life miserable for those that can't defend themselves. Sad, but true. I would go down that list of rescues, make up a form email to send and look for help from them. Don't give up easily, make yourself a pleasant, but squeaky wheel. Sometimes I think they wait to see just how persistent you're going to be! So many people say they want to help, after the rescue gets involved the contact drops the ball and the rescue is left dealing with everything on their own. When they know you are serious about helping and not just someone looking to pass the buck, they become much more receptive. One of the rescues that I've worked with pays the full price for spays/neuters, sometimes they pay for the shots as well. They haven't been able to help me with adoptions, (hence my overflowing household!), but I'm happy to take whatever assistance they can give. They'll have traps to lend you, valuable advice and sometimes can give you food and supplies too. Don't be discouraged if some of the rescues don't share our love of ferals. I'll never understand how people can say they love cats, but are selective in that love. Sigh. Do stick your head in any feed stores, or pet stores and let them know you could use donations of food that's about to expire, (you don't have to tell them the location of the colony). You'll be surprised at what you can get, but you have to ask! You better believe I'm with you. I'm right there at your side, I wish it could be more than in spirit, but you've got lots of unseen help behind you. I truly believe that. You just wait and see, things will start falling into place and you're going to make a tremendous difference in those cats lives! Oh, wait a second, I dropped one of my pom poms! Seriously, you are earning Heaven points big time. Keep it up! Nina Renee M. Simon wrote: Nina, thank you again for your words of encouragement and support. I woke up today feeling like a new woman...which isn't so easy anymore at 41! I decided that I must change my perspective for the time being. It is very easy for me to become overwhelmed at the enormity of the situation and the lack of support both physical help and financial. So, I decided to take a deep breath and realize that I do not have to fix everything today. I will step up my efforts and be diligent in learning as much as I can, while investigating all avenues. If I let myself get overwhelmed, then I am afraid I might fizzle out. So, I wll just put one foot in front of the other, start thinking creatively and get going.As only 1 person, I certainly cannot afford to fix it all myself, so I will do what and can do.I think that is a good start. I very much appreciate you being there with me in this. They are all such precious souls and I will do whatever I can to improve their health and existance. I promised them that I would do my best. I am going to print out some relevant info and see about approaching some people in town. But I hesitate to draw too much attention to them, because I fear for their safety. People here are always looking for scapegoats and excuses for acting violently. I do not want these babies to pay the price because I was naive. So I will read, learn and do my best for them. Thanks again so very much!! Renee
