Fall '08 Major Project Update

Ten volunteers worked an entire weekend in November to assist a caregiver in cleaning up her property. There are 30+ cats in this colony, and all of them had parasites, ranging from fleas, tapeworms and roundworms to ear mites and ringworm. Many also had upper respiratory infections, evidenced by eye infections, sneezing, nasal discharge, and a general look of illness. The cats were exposed not only to their own waste, but also to that of dogs living on the property. There were only temporary, makeshift shelters available. We decided that the only way the cats could regain their health would be for them to have a clean environment, adequate outdoor shelters, and appropriate treatment by the vet, including spay/neutering. We also requested the caregiver to limit the amount that the dogs spent in the front yard where the new shelters were located. This was not because there was any aggression by the dogs, but to limit the contact the cats had with the parasites that are contained in the dog waste. We wanted to limit re-infection of the cats once they had been treated for parasites.

Since fleas carry tapeworm eggs, we also wanted to treat the outdoor property for fleas to limit contact from fleas in the yard. We started the transformation by giving them a cleaner environment, high-quality food, fresh water and new, weatherproof shelters.

Then after being spay/neutered and treated at the vet, this colony would have the best chance to regain their health. We also worked with the caregiver so she knew more about parasites and their transmission.

The caregivers responsibility would be to maintain the care that we had instituted and contact us if she saw evidence of illness in any of the cats.

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Friends of Felines is extremely fortunate to receive a very generous donation from the Betty H. Graham Charitable Trust. FOF purchased a used Ford Expedition, which will be used to pull our Rescue Trailer, and for trapping cats when needed. So, if you have wanted to learn to trap feral cats and help us, but felt you couldn’t because you did not want to transport cats and traps in your vehicle, we have the solution. If you are interested in learning to trap, please let us know.

The Trust trustees have assured Ray that they continue to be interested in funding projects in the future. Thank you, Larry and Pat for believing in what we do -- the generous donations will certainly help us in our work with so many feral cats.

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Moving Forward

Friends of Felines is pleased to announce that we are moving forward with plans to completely outfit a trailer to do rescue work in the case of a natural or manmade disaster situation. A minimum of 25 volunteers are needed, who are willing to be trained and certified through ICS 100/200 classes, which can be done online, and first aid, which has been arranged with a local vet. Read the full news release at Friends of Felines to Offer Midwest's First Mobile Rescue Unit. Sign-up to volunteer for this project at Rescue Volunteer.

Make a Difference with Your Charitable Donation For additional information, email us at info@felinefriendsks.com

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