Report of Activities
(December 2006)
HOME BASE
We continued to operate from our Pearl City residence with its two part outdoor facility attached to our house. Also, some of the cats live in the house with us. All cats who enter our house or yard have been tested negatively for FELV and have been treated for fleas and worms (if necessary). Although many of the cats are adoptable, several that live with us are now older or have habits that make them undesirable to new owners.
TWO COLONIES CARED FOR (fed daily, given medical help and neutered)
We continued this year to support two major colonies of feral cats. The third colony we've worked with is at the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill. The Landfill colony has a regular feeder, so we have only been involved in fixing at that colony this year.
A) Kapahulu Colony
Over the years we have neutered 70 ferals at this location (mostly using the Hawaii Humane Society Feral Cat Spay / Neuter program at $5 per microchip with a free "fix"). Seven were adopted from this colony in the past and we usually see about 10 of the remaining ones at the daily afternoon feeding. If we are able to stay for a night time feeding more cats are in evidence. We supply the food for a volunteer who feeds here on the weekends and during holidays. One of the friendly "regulars" from this colony was hurt this year and came to live out her elderly years at our house.
B) Airport Area Colony
A total of 52 felines from this colony have been fixed, mostly using the Feral Cat Spay / Neuter program at the Hawaii Humanen Society. The Faran family and the Kusakabe family help the Armstrongs with the feeding of this colony. We see about 20 cats on a regular basis. Two "drop offs" (friendly cats dropped off when people no longer wanted them) were among the above fixes. These two are now living at our house.
C) Waimanalo Gulch Colony
This is a colony which is fed and watched over by a third party. At present this colony is totally spayed / neutered and we are on a "We'll call you if unneutered cats arrive" basis with this very cooperative management.
ORPHANED AND ABANDONED CATS & KITTENS TAKEN IN
We opened our doors to 22 orphaned or abandoned kittens this year. One is an adult mail (which we usually do not take in) but he had been in a car accident and then was later mauled by two dogs. He's here recuperating and the young men who brought him hope to be able to adopt him some time in 2007. Two of this number were older kittens abandoned by their owners (mentioned in the Airport Colony paragraph above). Both have now been fixed and live with us. Seventeen of the others came to us this year as tiny baby kittens. Six came with a mother, Mama Chrissy. She also adopted a litter of fice about the age of her babies and then she took in one last kitten that was found by its dead mama. She fed and raised 12 of our 17 babies. Late in the summer two more babies were found alone and turned in to us. Then three tiny calicos (one with a broken leg) were found at the Honda complex and brought to us by a cat loving salesman. These five became bottle fed babies.
ADOPTIONS / EDUCATION
We have adopted out 14 kittens to date this year to indoor homes. (Unfortunately two were returned.) Ten kittens adopted out have been neutered by their new owners. Two are not yet of the age to be fixed.
OPERATIONS / DONATIONS
(For detailed cost/receipt information, please email us)
Our incredible blessings include the Love-A-Cat Charity Board of Directors for their love and help, the feeders mentioned above, the Hawaii Humane Society (their Feral Fix Program), Hawaii Mega Cor. for the many bags of "damaged" food they have donated and "The Pet Stop" in Pearl City that discounts litter for us and is willing to refer potential adopters.
We are very grateful for Melanie Roller's continual support with our Love-A-Cat website and for her continuing work with the "Virtual Adoptions" program. This has brought new donors to our organization as well as a few visitors who actually adopted kittens. A huge thank you to the entire Board for their support of Virtual Adoptions and the entire Pet Expo project this past year. Your funds, jewelry, quilt, cards and other items for sale (as well as your time spent "manning" the booth) were so encouraging. A special thank you to Phil & Eric of the San Francisco Salad Co. for their willingness to display pictures of cats available for adoption on their countertop for their customers to see.
As our population in the colonies and here at Home Base ages, we expect costs of care to rise. It has helped that two of the vets at Waipahu Animal Clinic have been very generous with their time and talents. A large portion of the medical care has gone to support the typical problems of older cats in a population.
FIXES
We have been instrumental in fixing 22 cats this year who have been abandoned or appeared in our colonies.
FUTURE HOPES & DREAMS
1) We are so happy with the Virtual Adoption program which continues to be an important source of income to help with the kitties. We want to continue supporting Mel's ongoing work with these virtual adoptions.
2) We hope to have the funds to operate a double booth at the Pet Expo this year as we notice double booths attract even more attention.
3) We hope to add a coat of paint and some sides to the new "Popoki Hale" in the backyard and perches for kitties in the two newly roofed areas behind the house.
4) We will continue to fix those arrivals / "drop offs" in our two neutered colonies and in the Landfill colony.
5) We really need ideas / help for actual adoptions of the six young kittens we still have (and possibly the two, very sweet, Airport abandoned kittens/cats.) If we do not get them adopted, we really cannot take in next year babies that will be abandoned or found. We really are full.
Our mission remains "to help end euthanasia of unwanted cats by caring for feral and abandoned felines, spaying or neutering them, and when appropriate, adopting them out. |
