It's Best to Target One Area at a Time

Targeting One Area at a Time

By Edie Hubler, FOTAS Board of Directors

as seen in the "Aiken Standard " on Feb. 2, 2014

Patches is a 2-year old stray calico cat who lives in the woods behind Mrs. Smith’s house in Aiken.  Life is mostly good for Patches.  She plays in the woods, lies in the sun and sleeps under an old outbuilding when it’s raining.  Kindly Mrs. Smith sets out a bowl of cat food each day and Patches is never hungry.  Her days get stressful, however, when she has a litter of kittens to take care of because almost all of them are killed by hawks, dogs, disease and accidents.  There is nothing she can do about it.  One day, Mrs. Smith puts Patches’ daily bowl of cat food in a shiny wire box.  Patches has no idea why but she trusts Mrs. Smith and goes in the box to eat.  Suddenly the door of the box slams shut and Patches is trapped and scared.  Someone covers the box and takes it away.  She is terrified and sure she will never see her home again.  The next day Patches is brought back to Mrs. Smith’s back yard and let out of the box.  She doesn’t remember exactly what happened and her belly is really sore but otherwise she is ready to have some dinner and go lie in the sun—glad to be home.  She doesn’t know it but she’ll never have to worry about taking care of kittens again.

Not all of Aiken County’s stray cats are so fortunate, but FOTAS has spearheaded an effort to reduce our community cats  through  FOTAS’ Lenny’s Brigade Program.  In 2013,  FOTAS funded spay/neuter surgeries of 152 “community cats” through our Lenny’s Brigade volunteers, who trapped and brought them to surgery at the SPCA low cost spay/neuter clinic , and then released them in approved areas.  Dr. Kathy Bissell, who leads  FOTAS’ Lenny’s Brigade, stated “In the reality of the 21^st century, any reputable animal control or animal welfare group--private or public--that wants to decrease euthanasia rates on the cat side of the equation MUST embrace TNR (trap,neuter, release) for un-homed cats in their community.”

FOTAS also is leading  an effort to reduce our homeless dog and cat pet population through our FOTAS FIX a Pet program.  In 2013, FOTAS organized and funded 227 citizen owned pet cat and dog surgeries plus organized many pick ups in the county to get these animals to the surgery clinic at the SPCA.  

This year, from our FOTAS donations and fund raisers, we will continue and expand our targeted FOTAS Fix a Pet outreach.  FOTAS is committed to reducing the number of unwanted  pets  in our County  and thus reduce the number of animals coming into our shelter.

Last month,  Colleen Timmerman, Dr. Kathy Bissell and Carol Miller started planning this year’s FOTAS Fix a Pet program.  We will identify and prioritize specific hotspots in the County and concentrate its resources primarily on one hotspot at a time in order of priority. Once the population is under control in a targeted area, it will move it's concentration to the next area.

“It is a known fact that unless 75% of the dog and cat population in a specific area are spayed or neutered, you’ll never stop the unwanted  strays,”  says Dr. Charlie Timmerman, FOTAS Board member and local veterinarian. “ We’ll be starting with Wagner and moving on to other hot spots  in the County that have rampant unwanted  breeding,” says Colleen Timmerman, FOTAS Fix a Pet Chairperson, who will be working with Vicki Wright and Dottie Gantt, who work tirelessly in facilitating the spay/neutering of so many animals in need.  Our first pick up date in Wagner will be February 18.  For more information call 803-645-4021.

Please consider volunteering and/or making a donation to FOTAS’s Spay/Neuter programs..  Together we can stop pet overpopulation in Aiken County.  Having received over 4700 dogs and cats at our shelter last year, we need your help. www.fotasaiken.org or call 803-514-4313

FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road.  For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

County Shelter Fiscal Year 2013

Received:  4794 dogs and cats

Re-Homed:  1581

Euthanized:  3381

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” 

**All adoption fees include:  spay/neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.

SYLVESTER STALLONE   Bull terrier,  male, 1 1/2 yrs old, 62 lbs  Only $70 

PRINCE WILLIAM  Orange tabby -- male -- 3 yrs. old, 8 lbs  Only $35

Community Cats Inspire a Community Effort

Early April, a lovely calico cat wandered into a vacant farm and purred her greeting to the farm-sitter.  He could not take her with him when he had to leave, so he called FOTAS.

One FOTAS volunteer took the cat to a local vet to be tested for feline viruses and, as she was pregnant, scheduled her to be spayed Monday morning.  It was Friday, so a second (dogless) volunteer agreed to foster the cat for the weekend, but that night the cat had five kittens.  So the very excellent momma cat and her babies were accommodated in a third person’s guest cottage for seven weeks. 

They named momma cat Nona, and several FOTAS people provided food, litter, toys and company for the feline family.  A second local vet agreed to place and “fix” the five kittens.  Last week Nona found a loving home on an occupied farm.  That’s one way FOTAS brings the community together to make a difference.

Now that summer is in full swing abandoned animals will overwhelm the already overcrowded County Shelter.  So it is opportune to celebrate Lenny’s Brigade and the volunteers who created it as our Month-of-the-Cat points to another need.

Founded by two cat-lovers: Kathy, a retired veterinary cat specialist, and Carol, a retired accountant with a passion for spay/neuter as the best response to animal overpopulation, Lenny’s Brigade extends FOTAS’ Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) beyond household pets to stewards of community cats.

 Lenny’s Brigade (named for a stray kitten that didn’t make it, a symbol of too many like him), is a trap-spay/neuter project directed at cat-lovers whose hearts are bigger than their pocketbooks when it comes to stray cats.  Founded in the fall of 2012, Lenny’s Brigade goes where called to help people get the cat colonies they are supporting under control.

The SPCA Albrecht Center also partners with Lenny’s Brigade, providing surgical services and even surgical facilities for Kathy to use when available.  Carol carefully researched trap performance and funded 20 traps, for which she has also sewn covers to help trapped cats remain sane. 

As word traveled, grateful clients have called on Lenny’s Brigade: the owner of the Wagener Feed Store; the New Ellenton Post Office; an elderly man with Parkinson’s who loves every cat that wanders in and is overwhelmed as they multiply; the kindly woman who rescued her neighbors’ abandoned pregnant cat.  She placed the first two litters, but finds there is no place for the third.

Volunteers, too, have responded to the need.  They help identify colonies, or with trapping, or transporting.  There are even vet tech volunteers helping Kathy with surgeries.

Lenny’s Brigade is currently seeking contacts in Warrenville and Gloverville.  They would also love to hear from any other cat advocate groups in Aiken County. 

Lenny’s Brigade “Community Cat” Hot-line is: (803) 507-6315.  If you, or someone you know, are a “Community Cat Ally” call Lenny’s Brigade and you can help make a difference, too.

Our progress shows in “The Numbers” – take a look.

tagline:  FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road.  For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

We are Making a Difference!

May	2012	2013
Intake	613	510
Adoptions	61	74
Transfers	47	55
Put Down	558/91%	412/81%

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” 

 

 

FELIX – Adult tabby. This guy is purr-fect! $35

DIXIE – 1 yr. boxer.  Affectionate, smart and ready to go home with you!  $70  

 

*All adoption fees include: Spay/Neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.