The Neuter Scooter June 1-7 2009

It was a whirlwind of a week as hundreds of cats were recently trapped, then spayed and neutered in seven days at five locations on the Big Island. Veterinarian, Dr. Tess Peavy DVM and her incredible team neutered and scootered their way around the island and left 416 cats sterilized in their wake. This included 333 feral/colony cats, as well as 83 owned/domestic cats. In addition to the Big Island, the Neuter Scooter went to Oahu and Maui the week before and after they came here.

Left - The Peavy/Armendariz family. The Neuter Scooter began in 2001 and since then they have spayed or neutered over 73,000 cats! They do this for a living and a lifestyle: preventing more unwanted kittens from being born and saving cats from years of suffering the fate of producing kittens year after year. They were here in February and did 160 cats (130 feral/colony cats & 30 owned/domestic cats) at one clinic in Kailua Kona.

So far Dr. Peavy is licensed to do clinics in Indiana, their home state, Hawaii, Illinois, Florida, Ohio and Oregon and can spay or neuter up to 200 cats a day. Check their web site for more information: www.neuterscooter.com

At the Kailua clinic there were two litters of kittens born. One litter was born after the mother was trapped the night before the clinic and the other litter was born right at the clinic. Both mothers were spayed and returned to their kittens that same day and are now being fostered by an advoCATS volunteer.

We had a special and unexpected volunteer at the Kailua clinic: Dr. Erik Baulis (left) a General Practitioner from Tasmania who was on vacation and visiting an advoCATS volunteer. He was a big help tipping the cats ears and we had fun teasing him about what he would tell his friends back home that he did while vacationing in Hawaii.

At the Kohala clinic Dr. Peavy delivered a litter of kittens by caesarian while the mother was being spayed. The kittens were full term at the time of surgery. A volunteer foster mom ended up taking over when the young mother refused to take on the job of nursing. At this clinic we also had a human doctor volunteering: Joe Triggs (below) who enjoyed helping as well as observing the surgeries.

Dr. Peavy complimented the advoCATS volunteers by saying we are one of the best organizations she has seen. She said we are very organized and nice to work with and we bring more cats to her clinics than any other group.

It takes a tremendous amount of time to organize these clinics and make them run smoothly. There were dozens of volunteers who worked at the clinics, as well as those who trapped and transported cats, organized and moved the traps and supplies to various locations, prepared food for volunteers and provided the Neuter Scooter family with accommodations.

Normally cats come to the clinics in traps and cat carriers, but one tiny kitten came to our Ocean View clinic as a stow-away in a car engine! Tiny mews were heard in the parking lot and someone realized they were coming from a car. After inspection, two tiny eyes were seen peering from inside the engine of a volunteer’s car. It was quite an ordeal to get the kitten out and then catch it after it got away. The volunteer had no idea where the kitten came from, but it was neutered just the same and is now being tamed and fostered by an advoCATS foster mom.

At our Ocean View clinic, another kitten was suffering so badly from worms and fleas it was very anemic. Dr. Peavy said if it were not treated it would die, so she administered medications. Later the kitten was having respiratory problems and needed special attention, so Dr. Peavy asked to take the kitten with her to their next location in Keaau. In the mean time she kept the tiny kitten inside her shirt to keep it warm. Later on in the day, vet tech Terri fell in love with the little thing after helping to care for it and wanted to adopt it and take it back to Indiana with her. In our opinion, the kindness and dedication from this team is unsurpassed.

TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN, (TNR) is recognized internationally as the humane method of controlling abandoned, homeless and feral cat populations.

The following is known as “The Vacuum Effect” used with permission from Alley Cat Allies.

The fact is trap-and-remove does not work. “Trap-and-remove” is a euphemism for capturing and killing feral cats, which is Animal Control’s traditional approach to feral cats. Trap-and-remove attempts may temporarily reduce the number of feral cats in a given area, but two things happen: one, unsterilized survivors continue to breed prolifically and, two, other cats move into the now-available territory. This is known as the vacuum effect.

New cats will move in. Feral cats establish territories based on the availability of food sources and shelter. When the cats are removed from this environment, other cats move in to take advantage of whatever sources of food and shelter are available and continue to breed. The vacuum effect has been documented worldwide.

If you stop feeding feral cats, they will not simply go away. A feeding ban will not make the cats go away and is, in any case, arbitrarily enforced. Why? Cats bond to their territory and are opportunistic scavengers that can, if necessary, survive on garbage. Under a feeding ban, the cats suffer as they search for new sources of food.

There is a solution. Trap, neuter, and return (TNR) lowers cat populations. Here’s how it works. Colony cats are humanely trapped, sterilized, and vaccinated. Young kittens (under 6 weeks of age) are removed from the colony and adopted into homes if possible. Adult feral cats are ear tipped for identification and returned to their outdoor homes where their numbers gradually go down through attrition. It’s simple.

TNR breaks the cycle of reproduction and lowers cat populations. TNR is cost effective. TNR, which enlists community volunteers in a comprehensive program, costs one-third to one-half as much as trap-and-remove efforts. Why? Trap-and-remove endeavors require continuous trapping and killing, is not supported by the community, and is an unending budget expense.

We can make a difference and save lives. Together, we can help people understand how effective the humane solution, TNR, can be.

A seed was planted in 2005 when Dr. Michael Stoskopf, a teaching veterinarian from the North Carolina State University was visiting his parents here in Kona. His parents requested his help with feral cats on their property. Dr. Stoskopf contacted advoCATS, Inc. to borrow traps and get the animals neutered. He attended a meeting of advoCATS, Inc. that summer and agreed to solicit veterinarians for the surgeries if advoCATS could provide the surgical space and support staff.

Sixty colony and feral cats from public parks and shopping centers, from Waikoloa to Pahoa, were trapped, neutered and released in a 2 day spay/neuter clinic in Kona. Kona Veterinary Services hosted the clinic. Veterinarians; Doctors Robert Jordan, Jenny Chartier, Bob Magnus and Jim Gressard donated their time and made this clinic possible. The clinic, in conjunction with advoCATS, Inc. all volunteered their services and supplies in a humane effort to reduce the feral and abandoned cat population.

Dr. Stoskopf procured the help of teaching colleagues Drs. Susan Jones and Kelli Ferris. They operate a mobile surgery in North Carolina, funded by public grants, private donations and the university for teaching students of veterinary medicine. Their surgical unit travels the state with six surgery tables and often neuters 150 cats a day. Drs. Jones and Ferris paid their own travel expenses to Hawaii and volunteered their valuable experience in the organization of spay/neuter surgery on a "mass production" scale.

Frequently Drs. Robert Jordan and Jenny Chartier donate the use of their clinic space, being centrally located and roomy enough for the various phases from registration and preparation to recovery. The volunteer support staff include dedicated members of advoCATS, and other animal welfare groups on the island.

On behalf of advoCATS, Inc. our fondest purrs and meows of thanks to all who participated and donated the goods and services to make these mass spay/neuter clinics such a cooperative success. Donations for the continuance of such programs are urgently needed. If anyone wishes to help and participate in future events please contact advoCATS at 327-3724.

advoCATS supports the Trap-Neuter-Return Program to control over-population as well as to maintain good health among the colonies. Once trapped, the cat is transported to a local veterinary hospital. After examination, healthy cats are then neutered, ear tipped (R-female/L-male), allowed to recuperate from surgery and then returned to their colonies where the advoCATS volunteer monitors their recovery. The advoCATS caregiver reserves the right and assumes responsibility for any testing or further medical care for an animal if he/she so chooses.