10/24/07

The past few weekends have been busy ones for the folks at the Nine Lives Foundation. We're nearly finished unpacking and setting up the new shelter. I hope to have photos up of our new place soon.

Dr. Thompson's surgery suite is nearly ready for her to restart her low cost spay/neuter Sundays, which we're very excited about. She and several other volunteers and board members have pulled a lot of cats in the past few weeks. In addition to those mentioned previously on this blog, we have lots of new young kittens and a number of beautiful young, healthy adult cats. Loads of these cats are very healthy and will be available for adoption at this weekend's adoption faire. A few were pulled for broken legs and some for the nasty URI that SJACC seems to have so much of.

I'm working very hard at getting as many of them as I can up on our website and Petfinder site. If you're looking for a new cat, please keep an eye on our available cat listings, or call for an appointment to drop by and see them yourself.

In other news, Steve Wozniak is working hard to help feral cats in Silicon Valley. This is such exciting news for Dr. Thompson and the folks at the Nine Lives Foundation. Perhaps now there will be more money for the wonderful people who tirelessly TNR colonies in their area. Below is the complete article from the Mercury News.

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Goldston: Feral cats have a new champion: Steve Wozniak
By Linda Goldston
Mercury News
Article Launched: 10/20/2007 01:38:01 AM PDT

The homeless cat problem in Santa Clara County went global Tuesday: Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak launched a video on YouTube.com about the estimated 125,000 stray and feral cats here and urged people to get involved.
His video introduces a film trailer about the "Cats Without a Home" documentary, produced last year by Humane Society Silicon Valley.
Tuesday was National Feral Cat Day. I'm delighted someone of Wozniak's stature is taking on the cause. Emmylou Harris, my all-time favorite singer, has gotten personally involved with rescuing and fostering dogs in my home state of Tennessee, and I hope these kindhearted celebrities will prompt many more to step forward.
It takes a big name sometimes to get people involved, which is interesting because so much of the work and so many of the animals are faceless and nameless to much of the world.
"Cats Without a Home" introduces the viewer to six people who are working hard to reduce the homeless cat crisis in Santa Clara County. The volunteers and the film endorse a program called trap, neuter, release - TNR - where cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered (and vaccinated, microchipped and ear-notched) and then returned to their neighborhoods.
All tame, healthy cats are placed for adoption whenever possible.
As Wozniak points out on the video, "There are 125,000 homeless cats in my county alone, but the problem isn't just here. It's occurring nationwide."
The computer whiz urges viewers of the video to go to the www.hssv.org site to order the 30-minute documentary and learn how they can help homeless cats in their neighborhoods. Copies of the DVD film are $15 each.
Christine Benninger, president of the society, estimates that it costs about $250 for cities and counties to pick up, house and euthanize one homeless cat. For the same price, she says, five cats can be spayed and neutered.
Burnout is a big problem for the groups that work all the time with this problem. And since the need for help and volunteers is so great, I'm hoping people will contact me.
If we in Silicon Valley can't lick this problem, who can?
"For all the progress we've made in Silicon Valley developing innovative products that changed the world, we still have a long way to go to help animals," Wozniak says in the YouTube video. To view the video, visit: www.youtube.com/catsdogsbunnies.
The Humane Society Silicon Valley Web site has a list of local groups working with cat overpopulation. Please sign up today to volunteer with them or let me know if you're willing to help.
Earlier this week, I received an e-mail from Colleen Peltz of San Jose, who has just the right spirit.
"I would like to be a part of a community TNR program," Peltz writes. "I have one humane trap, and am very willing to help trap, transport, and feed ferals that need a little extra help.
"I have personally used TNR at the horse ranch I used to work at in Half Moon Bay (26 spays and neuters, and eight kittens adopted out!) and also at Golfland in San Jose on Blossom Hill, where my husband works, where we trapped/altered 13, and adopted out six kittens.
"The Half Moon Bay colony is still growing slightly, because after I left the feeding was kept up, but not the continued TNR of new arrivals, but the Golfland population is now down to only one or two cats.
"This is the very best way to manage feral cats, for both the community and the cats themselves. I am very excited about the prospect of a more organized large-scale effort for our county's ferals!"

Send your animal stories to Linda Goldston at lgoldston@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5862