A publication of Alley Cat Rescue, Inc.

- The US National Cat Protection Association

ALLEY CAT
Vol. 10, Issue 1

MEWS
www.saveacat.org
By Kylie Riser

Alley Cat Rescue Raises Awareness Through Santa Paws Program

On December 12th and 13th, Alley Cat Rescue had a great time participating in an event hosted by PETsMART called Santa Paws. Every year, PETsMART invites rescue groups to their stores during the weekends in December to dress up as Santa and take pictures with pets. A portion of the proceeds goes to the rescue groups who participate. This year, ACR employees Denise, Maggie and Kylie spent Saturday and Sunday hugging and kissing animals and taking adorable pictures with some beautiful cats and dogs. Denise, our newest employee, played Santa all day on Saturday (and that suit is WARM!) and Maggie and Kylie split the time on Sunday. We took pictures with over 20 animals, which was wonderful and many customers of PETsMART gave extra donations! Kylie Riser, Denise Hilton, Maggie Funkhouser We met a woman who had adopted two cats from ACR and got to hear how great the kitties are doing and how happy she was. We want to thank everyone who came out to have their picture taken with Santa and thank PETsMART for their support! We hope to take even more pictures next year. We also had several wonderful volunteers who helped raise money for ACR by running Santa Paws at other stores and on other days. Cheryl, Caroline and Sue did a great job at another PETsMART. Beverly, Paula and Doris had one of their days foiled by the snowstorm we had here on the east coast, but they did a great job the next day and even stayed for extra time to take more picture. We are so grateful that so many people are willing to help Alley Cat Rescue raise funds. They are all very special Features people. Page 1: CALL TO ACTION- Save the Cancun The Santa Paws program is a great way for Tigers rescue groups to raise awareness of their cause. While many people come in just wanting their kitty Page 3: ACR Announces Free Feral Cat Spay or doggy picture with Santa, we are also able to Day on April 27th 2010 give them information on our adoption, TNR and low-cost spay/neuter programs. We also gave out Page 4: Education Series- Feline Obesity copies of our newsletters with every picture. Page 5: How You can Help ACR Order ACR t-shirts on Page 6!

CALL TO ACTION: Save the Cancun Tigers

By Maggie Funkhouser There are nearly a dozen tigers and other exotic animals suffering in Cancun, Mexico today and their lives hang in the balance, as they wait for someone to help them! In 2005, Hurricane Wilma hit Cancun, Mexico causing massive destruction. Before the hurricane hit, the owner of Pep's (previously a restaurant) fled, leaving the animals behind to fend for themselves. When he returned to his property, he found that some of the animals had escaped and some had died, while others were found battered and bruised still inside their enclosures. Returning to Mexico with no money, Pep did not reach out for help in caring for these animals, instead he left them in their decaying environment. He is quoted as saying he feeds them whatever he can and often the tigers feed on stray animals that accidently wander into the cages. One female tiger in particular desperately needs medical attention for an inured leg; she is seen in the video severely limping. Since the summer of 2008, The Wild Animal Sanctuary (TWAS) located in Colorado has been working with Last Chance for Animals (LCA) in California and a group in Mexico called Gente Por La Defensa Animal (GEPDA) to rescue these poor animals. The Mexican government revoked Pep's permits and officials from the Mexican Wildlife Department (PROFEPA) met with representatives of GEPDA, LCA, and TWAS to discuss a rescue mission to save the animals in Cancun. The Mexican Government had originally agreed to rescue these animals and have them transported to TWAS in the US, but changed their minds a few days prior to the scheduled rescue--leaving the animals to suffer in their dirty environment.
According to www.savethecancuntigers.com (a website setup by the involved rescue groups): Representatives from GEPDA, LCA and TWAS expressed great concern over the revised plan, as the animals will have to be rescued regardless, and opting to transport the animals half way across Mexico in rental trucks would put the animals at great risk of injury, illness, trauma or distress. And holding them in temporary cages for many months, in multiple facilities around Mexico City, while court cases drag on would only compound their suffering. The representatives went on to add that the animals would be far better served if officials would go back to the original rescue plan. Doing so would allow the animals to be immediately rescued and transported to their final destination (The Wild Animal Sanctuary) without being subjected to arduous road trips (they would be flown by Jet Aircraft to Colorado), and would save the animals from spending months - or possibly years - in temporary cages that will not be any better than the ones they currently live in. The meeting ended with PROFEPA rejecting GEPDA, LCA & TWAS's request to reinstate the original humane rescue plan, which was a great disappointment. PROFEPA's disregard for the ultimate welfare of the animals was clearly visible, as their new plan was noticeably driven by their desire to minimally satisfy the public's demand to help - while lessening the burden on them

ACR is urging our members to please help rescue these tigers in Cancun, Mexico. Take a moment to watch TWAS's video regarding the story and contact Mexican and US government officials to express your concern for these beautiful creatures and their desperate need to be rescued. Contact information:
Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan Embassy of Mexico 1911 Pennsylvania AV, NW Washington, D.C. 20006 Tel: (202) 728 1600 Name: Secretario Juan Rafael Elvira Quezada Title: Titular de la Secretara de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources) Address: Blvd. Adolfo Ruiz Cortinez 4209 Jardines en la Montaa C.P. 14210 Alley Cat Mews, Page 1 Tlalpan, D.F. Mxico Email: c.secretario@semarnat.gob.mx Name: Dr. Hernando Guerrero Ccerez Title: Coordinador de Asesores Secretara de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Chief of Staff to Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources) Address: Blvd. Adolfo Ruiz Cortinez 4209 Jardines en la Montaa C.P. 14210 Tlalpan, D.F. Mxico Email: hernando.guerrero@semarnat.gob.mx

ACRs Office Gets Facelift Thanks to Donor

By Maggie Funkhouser Thanks to a group of handymen (and donations from Terrapin Pets!), the loft/attic area of ACR's office space and storage area has been transformed into a wonderful play area for our office cats. We call it "Kitty Daycare" or "Kitty Day Spa;" as you can see from the pictures, there is plenty of rest and relaxation. However, when they decide it's playtime, it sounds like horses upstairs romping around! These kitties get their fair share of exercise too. We use our office space to socialize shy and semi-feral cats and kittens. The kittens in the pictures fall into that category. Once they have been tamed, they will be placed into the adoption program. We also sometimes use the space to see how cats interact with one another before placing them into a forever home. Kylie and Louise will even bring their dogs into the office to see if the cats will do well in a home with dogs! But we could not have done it without the help from one of ACR's volunteer trappers, Christi Fries, who also operates Terrapin Pets, a pet sitting business located in Beltsville, MD. She and her staff were so kind to gather donations for local animal rescue groups, and we were one of the lucky groups to receive some of the donations. From June until the end of October, Terrapin Pets gathered items such as blankets, beds, toys, crates, scratching posts, dishes, litter boxes, etc, for the Presents 4 Pets campaign sponsored by the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS). This annual collection drive benefited pets in shelters by providing items desperately needed to help keep the shelters operational and their animals comfortable and safe. According to Christi, Terrapin Pets cleaned, logged, and staged 1681 items, with a Salvation Army value of $3618.00! After receiving a slide show of the donations, Alley Cat Rescue, College Park Animal Shelter, and Greenbelt Animal Shelter submitted their "wish list" so items could be distributed per their Bucky loves his new bed! list. Courtesy of Animal Control Officer, Abigail Lightnting, of College Park. K.C. Company, Inc, the area's Pella Window and Door Distributor, a truck and driver was donated to help Christi deliver the presents to the pets during the first week in November. On Nov. 6th, excitement was Sammy, Buck and Grey enjoy in the air when a large box truck pulled up in front of ACR. We were their new toys! speechless to see how large of a donation we would be receiving! We are truly grateful to have such thoughtful volunteers and thank the community for their kind donations. We will use every item donated and our kitties are already enjoying their new toys, beds, and scratch posts. Thank you to everyone who participated! For more information on Terrapin Pets, please visit http://www.terrapinpets.com/

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Alley Cat Rescue Announces

FREE FERAL CAT SPAY DAY:

Helping to Curb Cat Overpopulation
On April 27, 2010, Alley Cat Rescue will launch Free Feral Cat Spay Day to encourage the veterinary community and individuals to get involved in putting an end to cat homelessness and decreasing euthanasia rates at local shelters. ACR President and TNR pioneer, Louise Holton, sent out a plea to veterinarians across the US, asking them to participate on this important day by offering at least two free spays or neuters of feral cats to the public. Holton says, We have a Perfect Storm brewing in our country with the troubled economy causing many people to lose their homes, causing them to relinquish their pets. Unfortunately, when people find out that shelters may euthanize their animals, they turn to private rescuers; most of them are full to capacity and have to turn people away. In times like these, people go to great measures to save their cats. Countless people naively think a cat can fend for himself, so they put him on the streets or drop him off in the country. This is the perfect climate for a perfect storm, says Holton. Many cats will die on the streets, but others will go on to form or join feral cat colonies and breed unwanted feral kittens. There are estimates of around 60 to 100 million feral cats living on the streets and in alleyways in America. For decades they were ignored. If enough people complained about them, they were systematically trapped and killed. This quick-fix is not a real solution. Twenty years ago, I am proud to say, I was one of a few pioneers who introduced TNR (trap-neuter-return) to the United States says Holton. In 1999, the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) introduced their feral cat altering program and their pet altering program for low-income caregivers. It was said that this achievement raised the bar and set a new standard for the country. The program received widespread support and participation of over one thousand private-practice veterinarians and the dedication of animal lovers and feral cat caregivers throughout the state162,000 feral cats were spayed or neutered! If veterinarians could offer 2 free spays each, we could avert much of the tragedy of unwanted kittens being born on the streets and in alleys. Over 50% of feral kittens born in alleys will suffer and die, usually unseen by human eyes. Female cats in unmanaged colonies struggle to feed their kittens. And unneutered male cats get in fights during mating, and can contract and spread viruses. A controlled, managed, sterilized colony puts an end to all this needless suffering. Please help ACR get this message out to your veterinarians, your local shelters, and to your local media! Thank you so much for all of your support! Banana shows off her ear tip, which tells people that she has Been TNRed
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Dr. Manzoor of the Brentwood Animal Hospital spays a feral cat for ACR

Obesity in Companion Animals

By Kylie Riser Every day, statistics about the obesity crisis in America are plastered all over the news. The effects of being overweight and obese are well known, but how often do you hear about the obesity crisis with companion animals? According to a 2008 study done by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention or APOP (www.petobesityprevention.com) over 44% of dogs and 57% of cats are now estimated to be overweight or obese. In particular, 17.8% of cats are considered obese and 39.6% of cats are considered overweight. Researcher for APOP, Dr. Ernie Ward stated that "Pet obesity continues to emerge as a leading cause of preventable disease and death in dogs and cats. Our pets are in real danger of not living as long as previous generations and developing serious and costly diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and other largely avoidable conditions. Many of the problems that people can face when overweight or obese are the same problems cats face. Joint problems such as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Another disease specifically associated with obesity in Diva Plays with a kitty toy Cats is hepatic lipidosis, which is a severe form of liver failure that usually occurs when obese cats are stressed and stop eating. Hepatic lipidosis used to be almost universally fatal, but now with prolonged and aggressive treatments, about 80% of cats can be treated (http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/obesity.html) Of course, just like with people, every cat has a different ideal weight, based on several factors. To determine if your pet is overweight or obese, it is best to discuss the issue with your veterinarian. It if is determined that your pet is overweight, the doctor can then give you an idea weight range as well as diet advice. And just like with humans, it is always advisable to discuss a diet for your Cats hang out in the cat tower companion animal with a doctor (or veterinarian in this case) Which is great for exercise because there is always the issue of going to far with the diet and your companion animal losing too much weight or losing too fast, which can cause other health issues. One factor is feline obesity is a lack of exercise. It is very important to make sure that your kitty is getting plenty of play time. Just putting toys out is often not enough. Interactive play is crucial. One of the first things that you can do is to figure out what kinds of toys get your cat ready and raring to play! Is your friend a feather toy kind of cat, or does he like something more simple? Does she go crazy over bouncy balls, or love to chase the laser pointer? If your cat is excited about the toy, it is easier to get them to play. Once you figure that out, the next step is to get them playing. Have your kitty chase a toy around the house. Encourage them to jump and pounce after the feather toy. Throw the bouncy ball down the hall way so they run after it. Get that laser pointer moving around. It is important to start slowly though. Just like with humans, if your cat is overweight or obese, exercise might be hard for them at first and you don't want them to overexert themselves. Watch for shallow breathing and make sure there is plenty of water around. Try not to play right after eating, as the effects may not be what you intended! Continued on page 5
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Scratching posts and cat towers are also great for getting your cat to exercise. The stretching that is involved with scratching at a post is great for a kitty, and climbing up and down a cat tower is also good exercise. Multi-story towers keep things interesting. Playing these games with your cat not only will help keep him or her trim and pretty, it is also great for bonding. Keep a good rotation of toys around to peak her interest. Another issues related to pet obesity is food. There are many great low calorie foods on the market that are available for the overweight pet. Indoor formula foods also tend to be lower in calories, which can help with long-term weight maintenance. If you are going to switch your cats food, it is important to do so slowly as to not cause and upset stomach. Mix a little bit more of the new food in with the old food over several days until you are feeding only the new food. Of course, it is always good to discuss your food options with your veterinarian. Pet obesity is a serious concern, and hopefully some of these tips will help keep your cats happy and healthy.

ACR Rescues 7 Kittens from West Virginia Shelter by Kylie Riser

In October, ACR recieved a frantic call from a rescue group in West Virginia that had run out of money and had to shut down. They had many cats and dogs that they had pulled from the county shelter with a highkill rate. ACR was able to take seven of the kittens. Almost all of them have since been adopted. These adorable babies were given a new lease on life and will be very happy in their forever homes! From Left to Right: Cheddar Officer Fuzz Captain Tunabreath Sniffles

How You Can Help Alley Cat Rescue Alley Cat Rescue relies on the support of our members to keep running. Your support is critical in our ability to help save more cats every year, and there are several ways to help ACR. -Planned giving will provide you with an opportunity to meet your personal financial goals and will strengthen our work to help cats in the future. By giving ACR a planned gift, you may be able to increase your current income, while reducing income and estate taxes. Enjoy tax savings and turn appreciated assets into income for yourself and others. Planned giving is a tool that helps you to help animals. Charitable gift annuities allow you to make a gift of $5,000, $10,000 or more and receive fixed interest payments for life as well as tax deductions. For more information email ACR@saveacat.org or call 301-277-5595 -Wills and Bequests: Consider Alley Cat Rescue in your estate plans .This will insure that our love and care for cats continues beyond our lifetimes. They need our help, as there are many who still hate cats and would harm them. Suggested bequest language: I give (specific amount or property) to Alley Cat Rescue, Inc., Having its principal offices at 3902 Rhode Island Avenue Brentwood, MD 20722 or PO Box 585, Mt. Rainier, MD 20712 for its general purpose to help stray, abandoned and feral cats. Tax ID: 52-2279100. -Matching gifts. Many corporations offer matching gift programs, which can double or triple your gift to Alley Cat Rescue. Speak to your Human Resources director to find out if your company will participate. -Monthly donations. You can give ACR a recurring monthly donation, which will ensure that our daily expenses are met.
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Show Your Support For Alley Cat Rescue: Order an ACR T-Shirt!
$18 each (MD Residents please add $1.08 for sales tax) Spay or Neuter: Save a Life Today! T-shirt Maroon writing on a grey shirt

Neuter is Cuter: Spay or Neuter Your Cat T-Shirt Navy writing on a blue shirt

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please return this form with your cash, check or money order for the number of T-shirts times $18 to: Alley Cat Rescue PO Box 585 Mt. Rainier, MD 20712
Name_______________________________ Phone ____________________________________ Email________________________________ Address______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Spay or Neuter Tshirt Small_____________ Medium __________ Large ____________ X-Large___________ Neuter is Cuter Tshirt Small _____________ Medium ___________ Large _____________ X-Large____________
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Our Mission Statement:

Visit ACR Online

Alley Cat Rescue (ACR) works to protect cats on several levels: locally through rescue, rehabilitation and adoption of cats and nationally, through a network of Cat Action Teams. ACR is dedicated to the health, well-being, and welfare of all cats: domestic, stray, abandoned and feral. ACR also assists the international animal community.

www.saveacat.org Blog: Alleycatrescue.blogspot.com Care 2 Http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/ACR Google Groups: Http://groups.google.com/group/cat-chat

Please see page 3 for information on our Free Feral Cat Spay Day on April 27th 2010
Alley Cat Rescue Staff Louise Holton- President and Newsletter Publisher Kylie Riser- Editor and Director of Operations and Publications Maggie Funkhouser- Director of Communications and Public Relations Denise Hilton- Campaign Manager

Earn money for Alley Cat Rescue by using the search engine "Goodsearch" Www.goodsearch.com Search Alley Cat Rescue and join Our Facebook group!

Board of Directors Dr. Pervaiz Manzoor, DVM Desire Stapley, M.Ed., R.D. Peggy Hilden Virginia Messina, MPH. R.D. Louise Holton

Alley Cat Rescue P.O. Box 585 Mt. Rainier, MD 20712 Address Service Requested

NONPROFIT ORG NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT No. 114 VA MERRIFIELD, Langhorne, No. .1679 PERMIT PA