9/3/06: Adoption Fairs For NOLA Animals / MS Cats Poisoned /
Katrina Pups Need Homes
PAST NEWSLETTERS: http://www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/default.html

IN THIS MINI-ALERT:

1. ADOPTION FAIRS: For Nola Animals, Need Sponsors
2. 3 Cats Poisoned. Survivors At Risk. Can Anyone Help?
3. Katrina Pups Cheza & Elvis Need Loving Home

1. ADOPTION FAIRS: From NOLA To U.S. & Canada
Need Contacts, Sponsors, Shelters/Rescue Orgs
SOURCE: Cadi Schiffer, cadi@arusa.org / Animal Rescue New Orleans

RESCUE GROUPS WANTED TO HOLD ADOPTION FAIRS FOR NOLA ANIMALS
No-kill groups interested in a multi-organisation, one-day, media-spotlight ADOPTION FAIR for cats (and maybe later, dogs) rescued from the streets of New Orleans. I’m aware people often have misgivings about rescuing animals outside their area -- when our own animals still need so much help. But post-hurricane circumstances are bad enough to warrant an open heart and mind. In New Orleans alone, there is an estimated minimum of 40,000-80,000 animals surviving on the streets right now. The only available food is supplied by volunteers and poorly funded rescue groups. They have no access to garbage scraps (people no longer live in neighbourhoods where animals are hiding)... Additionally, the proposed arrangement is beneficial to participating groups in terms of money and media attention.

I'm working with Southern Animal Foundation (SAF) <http://www.southernanimalfoundation.com/> , a wonderful and respected rescue/veterinary organisation in New Orleans that has been a major cornerstone of the grassroots animal rescue and treatment effort since Katrina hit. They received a large HSUS grant to TNR, treat, and feed the growing stray population still struggling in New Orleans. (SAF currently spay/neuters 30-40 animals A DAY, six days a week!) But the problem is massive: New Orleans had one of the largest stray animal populations pre-Katrina. Add an estimated 10,000+ animals evacuees left behind, and the fact less than 5% of ALL animals were altered -- and you have a HUGE, RAPIDLY GROWING population -- despite the 30,000 animals rescued over the winter and the tens of thousands more who died since the storm (many due to starvation in the last 4-6 months).

Also, a fraction of the original human population has returned and the local options for adoption are fostering are limited at best. Moreover, all state-run shelters have an 80-95% kill rate for animals brought in (often with only a 1-5 day hold), and many of those still use gas to euthanise.

So for most groups, including SAF, the only viable options are to transport animals out of state or to release them back to the street (including house cats/kittens). Sadly, sweeping sections of New Orleans and surrounding parishes are still bleak piles of rubble, black mold, and toxic mud. It's no place for an animal, any animal, to live.

• Animals will receive full medical check-ups before leaving New Orleans.
• SAF will vaccinate, microchip, and spay/neuter all animals.
• Driver experienced in animal transports will move animals in temperature-controlled truck.
• Transport costs to be fully covered by SAF’s grant.

There will be NO COST to any organisation involved. Adoption fees will be yours, free and clear (a 100% donation, without usual secondary costs associated with rescued animals). For each animal sponsored, you could earn $50-200, depending upon your group’s adoption policy.

Your group will fully control the adoption process. You’ll determine whether adopters meet your criteria and conduct your own home checks, etc. Ideally, each group holds their ADOPTION FAIR at their own shelter. Or, foster groups with no physical shelter may hold them in a church basement, school gym, etc. This will not only minimise stress on the animals, but also maximise control over your own animals and adoption process (e.g. people won’t “shop” between groups). It will also spread animals across the area, so downtown resident won’t need to drive 40km to adopt from one mega-location...

An ADOPTION FAIR for New Orleans animals will publicize your group’s name and shelter location (if desired), targeting the same people most likely to donate/adopt from you in the future. Moreover, a single day of mini-fairs can maximise media coverage. For example: “ADOPTION FAIRS are underway at 10 locations across the city... Ah, look at all the cute little kittens...” Moreover, Katrina survivors (or their offspring) will garner media attention in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s one-year anniversary.

CAN YOUR GROUP AGREE TO ‘SPONSOR’ A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF ANIMALS?
If not all find homes at the ADOPTION FAIR, can you promise to shelter and adopt out these animals after the event? I strongly believe the vast majority will be adopted during the fair, but I need assurance you’ll care for any who remain. You may select any number of animals to sponsor -- 5 or 500 -- as long as your organisation can reasonably place and/or shelter them. If important, you may choose animals based upon individual health status (re: FIV & FeLV), socialisation (feral vs. non-feral), and even an approximate age range. Unfortunately, so many animals need rescue in New Orleans, you can be fairly specific about which ones you choose to sponsor.

NO SET TIMELINE FOR ANIMAL TRANSPORTS YET...
I hope to form an itinerary based upon scheduling preferences of local groups. We may need to hold more than one (smaller) ADOPTION FAIR to accommodate groups, and/or wait until kitten season ends. These are details I’ll finalize while working in conjunction with participating organisations. I’d like to also organise an event for New Orleans dogs, but feel it would stress animals to transport cats and dogs in the same truck. So an ADOPTION FAIR with dogs will have to wait until later in the Fall.

ABOUT CADI SCHIFFER, ADOPTION FAIR COORDINATOR
For more than four months this winter, I rescued, trapped and fed animals like crazy as a volunteer in New Orleans. I eventually directed the on-site food/water program for Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO) from December-March (we left 30,000lbs of food per week at nearly 3,000 feeding stations across southern Louisiana). I worked closely with SAF throughout my stay in New Orleans and know firsthand how dedicated they are to the animals there.

My goal is to transport a large number of animals out of state to relieve pressure on Louisiana foster families and save as many animals as possible from release back into disaster zones. I also hope participating groups can raise significant funds and public awareness for themselves in the process.

IF INTERESTED IN HOLDING AN ADOPTION FAIR, CONTACT: Cody Riess, cody@codyriess.com Cody is the SAF volunteer organizing transports.

QUESTIONS, NEED MORE INFO, CONTACT: Cadi Schiffer, cadi@arusa.org

2. MS Man Poisons 3 Cats Who Scratch Paint On His Vehicle Surviving Cats At Risk. Can Anyone Help?
SOURCE: Kim Johnson <rrsighthound@aol.com>, Adrienne Dearmas <adrienne@chrisusher.com>

REPLY BY EMAIL TO: Adrienne DeArmas AND Kim Johnson
adrienne@chrisusher.com, rrsighthound@aol.com

REPLY BY PHONE TO: Adrienne DeArmas, if you can offer concrete help,
202-262-7112

GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI -- A man fed 3 cats poisoned food because they scratched the paint on his new vehicle. He justified the killing with: “[The cats] were too sick and weak to jump on the truck, so they scratched it trying to get on top.” The cats were more than likely attempting to seek refuge from a swarm of fire ants at this location.

SURVIVORS -- This man may poison remaining cats. All are at high risk:
1 Orange/white tabby, young, intact
2 Black/white "cow pattern" (one of whom I think is pregnant)
2 Tortis, one younger/thin, 1 older
1 Grey/white tabby with a flea collar, intact
1 Grey/white grizzled old tom cat (I think he's neutered)
1 B/W tuxedo – doesn't hang with this group, belongs to another neighbor I think.

The man who poisoned the cats claims they belong next door in a home that is presently unoccupied (by people who evacuated and never returned).

UPDATE, from adrienne dearmas <adrienne@chrisusher.com> 9/2/06: This morning we put out food over by the "neighbor's house" where the cats were hanging out, only to find a couple, Emma and Dave, who were home. Not their cats, but they have been feeding them. They said it's the *other* next door neighbor who the cats belong to and she's been wanting to take them to a no-kill shelter. Which, according to a vet I ran into at the local coffee shop this morning (wearing a BF shirt), is in Jackson, MS.

ADDRESS WHERE THE CATS CONGREGATE:
827 Oakleigh Avenue; Gulfport, Mississippi
(next door to 835 Oakleigh Avenue)

1. Does anyone know a trapper in the Gulfport, Miss. area who has around 10 cat traps? We need a trapper to volume-trap all of these cats. (Please note,  there are FIRE ANTS everywhere, so the trapper needs to elevate the traps  and use some kind of ant deterrent to keep the ants away from the traps).


2.  We need a place to take the cats for spay/neuter, other veterinary care.


3. We need a place to receive all 6 cats (maybe more) after vetting... A no-kill shelter, feral colony or barn, or preferably a forever home.

1. The guy at 835 Oakleigh Avenue where we are parked in our travel trailer, told me he killed 3 of the cats with poison. We don't yet know when he did it or if he still is doing it...
2. There are cats in the mix who belong to people in the neighborhood and are cared for, so it's not a blanket trap 'em all.

CAN YOU HELP?
REPLY BY EMAIL TO: Adrienne DeArmas AND Kim Johnson
adrienne@chrisusher.com, rrsighthound@aol.com

REPLY BY PHONE TO: Adrienne DeArmas, if you can offer concrete help,
202-262-7112

rrsighthound@aol.com writes: Adrienne has already contacted HSSM, who is horrified but can't do anything about it. She then contacted Animal Control, who said they can't set traps on private property. And in order to prosecute, they need either a confession or at least the bodies of the cats.

adrienne@chrisusher.com writes: The cats are getting friendlier with us — one seems to want to approach. I haven't yet talked to the "owners" of this group of cats. I will do that today. I don't know if they know what Jason [man who poisoned 3 of the cats] did, and am treading lightly with respect to Chris' connection with the guy as a journalist. I think this guy is very sick, and want to make sure the cats are safe from future poisonings. Emma and Dave said that if I get the owner's permission to trap the cats, they will call animal control and ask for traps to be set on their property. I will be interviewing Jason for our project this afternoon and will see if he will allow the same and agree not to poison them.

3. Katrina Pups Cheza & Elvis Need Loving Home
SOURCE: Rachel McKay Laskowski <GriffinsGallery@mac.com>
http://www.dogbusters.blogspot.com

REPLY TO: Rachel McKay Laskowski 610-409-0805,
GriffinsGallery@mac.com

PHOTO CREDIT: Heidi Poor
Pups picked up by Dogbusters, NOLA, mid-Nov.

The four little puppies in Kinship Circle’s August 29 tribute/photo album < http://www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/gulfcoast/newsletters/8_29_06.html > were picked up by the "Dogbusters” in Mid-November. Best Friends was full of puppies, thus they weren't allowed to go, and were held at Magazine and Felicity for a few days. I was about to go home, so they came to PA with me... The one on the far right (Cheza) was adopted out, but ended up coming back months later, and is now with me again and looking for a home...

CHEZA NEEDS A NEW HOME
She was picked up from underneath a house in mid-November off the streets of New Orleans with her four littermates. She was adopted out, but unfortunately the family who adopted her had housing problems and can no longer keep her, thus she is back with us. She is good with kids. Good with other dogs. Comes when called. She was/is house trained if you let her out enough. She is spayed, and is current on all her shots. I will also consider letting her out to a foster family, for I am 8 months pregnant, and will need to get focused on other things. Cheza is right around a year old now.

CONTACT: 610-409-0805 or griffinsgallery@mac.com

  
Cheza, as rescued Katrina puppy                      Cheza, today

ELVIS -- LOVE ME TENDER. HE NEEDS A HOME!
Approximately 7 months old. Elvis, was transported to us from Waveland, MS, where the Katrina devastated shelters are having high surrender rates, and low adoption rates. He needed a lot of TLC, when he came to us. He had a hernia, now repaired on his own! He had mange, now treated and cleared up. He has had his shots, and rabies shot, dewormed, and frontlined. He has also been neutered, but the vet place was much like a shelter so he was stressed and broke out with ringworm. He is almost done his treatment. He is papertrained, and 80% house broken. He is very affectionate. He likes to chew. He likes to play but he also likes hang out with you and help pick up the tree that just fell down! $125 adoption fee to go to Animal Rescue Front.

CONTACT: 610-409-0805 or griffinsgallery@mac.com

Elvis, Labrador Retriever-Hound Mix
Size: Medium / Age: Young / Sex: Male

REPLY TO: Rachel McKay Laskowski 610-409-0805, GriffinsGallery@mac.com

Cheza Needs A Home Or Foster Family! http://tinyurl.com/lqgy7
Elvis -- Love Me Tender. He Needs A Home!http://tinyurl.com/pgm35

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Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Relief List will report Gulf Coast needs, news, missing/found animal reports, etc. for as long as needed. There are still thousands of animals roaming sparsely populated areas...

We also report needs/news for animals in other disasters, as we’ve done for the Northeast (USA) floods and Middle East situation. Thank you for your commitment to forgotten victims in disasters.

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Shannon Moore July 22, 1969 ~ May 31, 2006
http://memoriesofshannon.blogspot.com/

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Caring about innocent animals caught in Katrina’s wrath
doesn’t diminish human suffering. It makes us human.
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