Volunteers Use Networking Skills—

Animal Center Helps 150 Feral Cats In First Year

By Dottie Evans

Tuesday, February 28, is Feral Cat Day. Do you know where your cat is?

More importantly, has it been neutered or spayed, and is it safe inside the house when the sun goes down?

Beyond these concerns shared by most responsible cat owners, what about the sad plight of the many cats and kittens that do not have homes — the dozens and even hundreds of undomesticated or feral cats that roam our towns, neighborhoods, and surrounding countryside that have never known a human touch, much less received any veterinary care?

How can their population be controlled when their ranks continue to swell as more and more kittens are born?

These are the issues that 25 volunteers at The Animal Center worry most about, and though they do not have an actual building from which to operate, they are addressing problems as they arise through networking and sheer determination.

“The exploding population of feral cats is our greatest community animal welfare challenge,” said The Animal Center co-founder and president, Monica Roberto.

“Our approach is to be forward thinking. We do the research before we act, because we know we’re not going to adopt our way out of this problem,” she added.

Ms Roberto said she used to volunteer by walking the dogs at the pound, and though she soon realized they needed a better facility, she preferred to focus her energy on the greater problem of homeless animals.

“It’s about education. How to keep them out of there in the first place. We have to address the root causes,” she said.

Co-founder and treasurer Kim Coleman agrees.

“It’s not just the indoor animals we’re concerned about. It’s the ones that show up at the back step. You feed one stray cat, and before you know it you’ve got 400 coming that need help.”

The Animal Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping animals — not unlike other humane advocacy groups in town, including Spay and Neuter Association of Newtown, Canine Advocates, and Newtown Animal Control.

After forming The Animal Center more than a year ago, Ms Roberto and Ms Coleman immediately applied for tax-deductible status in order to begin fundraising. Within two months they were given their 501(c)(3) designation and began receiving donations.

“We are trying to go about this in a professional manner, and operate as though we were a modest-sized business,” said Ms Roberto.

“Our ultimate goal is to keep these cats out of the streets in the first place. That can only be done through education, in the context of a TNR [trap, neuter, return] program. It makes so much sense,” she added.

The dollars earned through fundraising are being used for vet fees and to help the volunteers who foster the cats with expenses for food, as well as for educational outreach. The Animal Center has published a newsletter and brochure, and booths are often set up in public places in the hopes of encouraging more people to join in the effort.

Marj Cramer, a Newtown resident and member of The Animal Center Advisory Board, has lived in New York City and was inspired by the forward thinking approach of animal control groups there who worked with city officials.

“New York City is the model. They’ve got a forward-thinking mayor and a ‘no kill’ goal for 2009. What they are doing is amazing. They have alliances with shelters throughout New England for placing large dogs, and their approach is creative and innovative,” said Dr Cramer.

Ms Roberto said The Animal Center is “very grateful for our humanely-oriented Newtown First Selectman.

“Herb Rosenthal is a real facilitator,” she said.

“Doing The Research” Before Acting

Before the volunteers decide how to rescue a certain local population of feral cats, they do the research, which means networking with people who have spent years working on the problem to find out what works best.

“We’ve got a definite protocol we follow,” said Ms Roberto.

Sometimes this means fielding calls from concerned individuals who know where the feral cats hang out, and finding skilled volunteers who will trap them.

Then it might mean finding compassionate veterinarians who will give the cats shots against infectious diseases, and then neuter or spay them.

“We are forever in debt to our vets. They offer these services at cost, so the feral cats can be vetted and returned to the wild for approximately $95 each,” Ms Roberto said.

Before releasing them, however, the cats are fostered and assessed for possible adoption, although adult feral cats are usually returned to the environment from which they came. The adults have learned to survive in the wild and most can never be adequately socialized. After the cats are released, volunteers feed and keep an eye on them.

As long as they have been given shots and have been neutered or spayed, it is far better to let them go free, Ms Roberto explained, just as long as the reproductive cycle has been interrupted so the colony does not get any bigger.

In the case of kittens between eight to 12 weeks, “it is often possible to turn them around,” said Ms Roberto.

At this point, The Animal Center turns to volunteer Janice Paik, who becomes involved in her capacity as “kitten socializer and tamer.”

“At first, I just try to hold them and make them relax, possibly even accept a treat from my hand though they won’t usually take food until they trust me,” said Ms Paik.

“We need more volunteers to help at this stage. The more people who get involved and provide positive stimulation to the kittens, the better the chances of their becoming used to humans and adoptable.”

Apparently, newly trapped kittens coming from feral colonies are not able to play with people and are “afraid of toys.”

“They’re actually scared out of their minds. Their mothers have already taught them to survive in the wild, so you’ll see this little 4-week-old kitten hissing and spitting,” she added.

Marj Cramer summarized The Animal Center’s mission in the following way: “The answer to the problem is human education. We hope we are providing a solid base or place where people who are concerned can go, a place to channel the energy needed to accomplish this.”.

The dedicated individuals who volunteer and who support The Animal Center would like to some day have a physical building in the Newtown area that might provide such a place. Until then, they are doing what they can without bricks and mortar.

Right now, their “base” is their combined ability, experience, and determination to do what it takes to save or help as many animals as possible, and to educate as many people as possible about feral cat populations.

Having trapped, spayed or neutered, and vetted more than 150 feral cats in one year — and having found homes for many kittens and some older cats that proved adoptable — their hard work is producing results.

To volunteer, to find out more information, or to make a donation, call 203-313-4814, visit TheAnimalCenter.org, or write to The Animal Center at PO Box 475, Newtown CT 06470.