Focus on Felines

East Valley volunteer recruitment flyer

cmoon — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:42:44 GMT

Re: Is Anyone Out There From Rockford Illinois or Winnebago County Illinois?

castaing173 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:48:24 GMT

I am not from Illinois. However, if you need any help getting started or have questions, we have a great feral cat program here in Jacksonville, Florida that was started with help from Best Friends. I'm certain they would help with any aspect they can. Their website is at FCNMHP.ORG and the contact I've always talked with is Dianne Wiles. I'm certain your project will have success. Good luck!

Sheryl Castaing

Is Anyone Out There From Rockford Illinois or Winnebago County Illinois?

kathypobloskie — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:20:31 GMT

Looking for interested people to join a new group in Rockford to help lower the high euthanasia rate in the county shelter of feral cats.

Food drive for community cats programs

shellyk — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:55:40 GMT

Las Vegas Mandatory Spay Neuter

cmoon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:07:02 GMT

Re: Starting a feral cat food bank - got any tips?

jmuhj — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:37:48 GMT

Those are great ideas, Deedoe! I unfortunately can't better them, but I can suggest networking with other BF Cats people via the net and getting things going at various places around the nation; the Network can be the central database, and maybe caregivers can communicate via twitter as to supply and demand. Also, more companies may want to get involved, such as Petco and local one-off's. How about veterinary clinics? And the home storage is a great idea, saving storage costs.

Starting a feral cat food bank - got any tips?

deedoe — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:25:30 GMT

Jury-Duty Spay & Neuter in Pensacola, FL www.jury-duty.org

We're going to be starting a food bank for the feral population. I'm looking for ideas or shared experiences. We already have a feral colony database (currenlty being revamped). Our food bank plan includes:

donations
food drives (companies, pet food stores (petsmart), grocery stores, schools)
storing in homes through out the area to start
getting donated storage space at a monthly storage facility
tracking who gets food, how much, etc...

Got any other or better ideas?

Humane trapping instructions for community cats

Annag — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:42:12 GMT

Community Cat Relocation

Annag — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:40:33 GMT

Community Cat Program fact sheet

Annag — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:36:36 GMT

November Boot Camp

cmoon — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:58:53 GMT

Trapping therapy

shellyk — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:04:09 GMT

Hands one work in field always makes me happy. I had a great time this last week trapping in LV.

We were able to trap 8 cats from the hotel casino. We also found a 3 week old kitten under some pallets. He was screaming his head off all by himself. We discovered that the property is home to 5 separate colonies with a total of about 35-40 cats. Our local LV coordinator is continuing the trap effort.

PRWeb podcast interview with Shelly Kotter

jhayes — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:59:41 GMT

Hear Focus on Felines campaign specialist, Shelly Kotter, discuss National Feral Cat Day and what the public can do to help community cats.

Re: your feedback on Best Friends and Focus on Felines Campaign

rcooperbaer — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:41:02 GMT

How and why did you become involved with Best Friends? What is it about Best Friends that motivates you to enact social change for animals?

I'm not really sure how I became involved in Best Friends. Most likely I stumbled onto them through another animal rescue or animal rights site. Best Friends seems to get more accomplished than most other organizations. They actually care for more animals, hands on, than most that I'm aware of. They not only give the animals the medical care they need, shelter, food, etc ... they make a sincere effort to find them 'forever homes'. They also work hard to make the changes our society needs to make in order for animals to get the care and respect they deserve. They encourage others to get involved in caring for animals as well.. not only the ones they've rescued, but in their own local areas. And just seeing what all they've accomplished proves it can be done. That alone is an awesome bit of motivation. Just knowing that it is possible to save these souls from the horrors they face and to care for them and love them..... makes others want to do the same. [and lets them know they can]

How would you describe Best Friends Animal Society to someone who had never heard of the organization before?

As a VERY hands-on, actively aggressive organization that works non-stop in every facet of animal rescue / animal rights. [by actively aggressive... I mean they don't just talk about rescuing animals, they DO it. They don't just focus on one type of animal or one area, they rescue ANIMALS, regardless of what an undertaking it may be]. And they see ALL animals as having positive potential, of having value. They don't euthanize a cat because it's FIV positive... or blind. They didn't turn their backs on the Michael Vick dogs when so many others were writing them off as unsalvagable and needing to be euthanized. Those things are what makes BEST FRIENDS the amazing organization they are.

What is the social impact and importance of Best Friends Animal Society and Sanctuary, in your opinion?

I believe they are having an effect on how society thinks about animals. People are finally beginning to see animals as feeling, caring souls.. not just property. I think Best Friends has been a large part of that. They give animals a refuse in time of need. Anyone involved in Best Friends would have to look at animals in a different light. You see them as another soul wanting and needing love, companionship, and respect in addition to the life basics of shelter, food, water, etc .

What would be “success” for Best Friends?

I'd say they very much are already a success. They've saved the lives of many animals. However, I think they would consider it a success when their services are no longer necessary.. when all animals are treated w/respect and given the type of care they deserve.

What do you think are the biggest obstacles that Best Friends Animal Society faces? Are the obstacles avoidable or surmountable, in your opinion?

I believe that the two largest obstacles facing Best Friends are the same two faced by all animal rights / rescue groups: financial backing and social thinking.

First, there is never enough money to do all you'd like to do in the name of animals. It requires a great deal of money to feed, house and care for so many animals [and there are so many more out there in need of their services.],

Next, is social thinking. Too many people think of animals as property, not having value. They believe since humans are the top of the food chain, they can treat animals in any way they choose. They don't realize that being at the top of the food chain doesn't mean you have to mistreat or eat everything below you. Too many don't see animals as having any feelings of their own. They believe they operate on instinct only, that they don't think or feel w/their brain at all. Unfortunately, they couldn't more wrong and many animals suffer because of that. Until that type of thinking changes and people begin to see all animals as the loving, feeling, thinking souls they are... some things will never change.

Do I think these issues are insurmountable? NO.. but I do believe they will take time to overcome. Money is tight for everyone right now... but it is out there. And this is a very deserving cause. Mankind is just beginning to think of animals as living, caring, feeling souls w/minds of their own, with thoughts of their own. They are just beginning to see that they form families, protect one another, and communicate w/one another. They are not just mindless robotic creatures moving about on instinct alone. But, as in all things, any major changes in societal thinking takes time. More and more will begin to see animals for the wonders they truly are. More and more will begin to take up their cause. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.

Re: your feedback on Best Friends and Focus on Felines Campaign

Felis_sapien — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:44:37 GMT

How and why did you become involved with Best Friends? What is it about Best Friends that motivates you to enact social change for animals?

I was contacted by Best Friends more than a decade ago as part of their fundraising campaign. I assume they had purchased mailing lists from like-minded animal rescue and humane organizations. I was so impressed when I received a "thank you" for a very minor donation. It convinced me BFAS was genuine and sincere and did not discount anyone who supported it.

How would you describe Best Friends Animal Society to someone who had never heard of the organization before?

Best Friends stands behinds all its beliefs about animal welfare with its actions and commitment. It is of course a no-kill sanctuary, but it is also ready to help others acheive no-kill goals as well. It practices as well as preach spay-and-neuter, rescue response, TNR, and end of puppy mill industry. But what distinguishes it for me is its emphasis on a positive response that focuses on results and problem-solving rather merely calling for change and criticizing failtures. It's put its money, staff and reputation where its mouth is. It seeks change in a manner that is nonviolent and supportive.

What is the social impact and importance of Best Friends Animal Society and Sanctuary, in your opinion?

Wherever Best Friends has been, it has left its mark, distinguished mostly by leaving people with a sense of hope and a set of activities or a program that can help them acheive what they set out to do. Case in point, the TNR program Best Friends helped the community of Randolph, Iowa, establish. Another case: The Great Kitty Rescue of Pahrump. Recently it has stood behind its campaign against puppy mills by helping to rescue the canine victims, and it is building a center where it will raise and rehabilitate the puppies it rescues. It took 22 of Michael Vick's dogs and has already made great progress in turning many of them around from "vicious" fighting dogs to loving pets.

The sanctuary is something that must be experienced to believe. It will make you a believer that there is goodness and kindness in the world and that caring for the injured and vulnerable not only heals those who are cared for, but those who do the caring. It shows you by its action that kindness to animals really does create a better world for all.

What would be “success” for Best Friends?

In my view success for Best Friends runs the entire spectrum and scale, from throwing its effort to saving a tiny kitten to flying to Beirut to rescue pets from the ravages of war to rehabilitating wild life and developing care protocols for animals with special needs to give them a better quality of life. Success, for Best Friends, seems to be helping just one as well as the many.

What do you think are the biggest obstacles that Best Friends Animal Society faces? Are the obstacles avoidable or surmountable, in your opinion?

Best Friends has always broken barriers. I am constantly astounded by what they do, from the moment I met the first neurological kitties so many years ago who were thriving at the sanctuary because the Society believed they had intrinsic value to the rehabilitation of Vick's fighting dogs. When I've read of each campaign, I have at times wished them luck, but thought perhaps this time they bit off more than they could chew, but so far they have always astonished me. I realize now that Best Friends never chooses to do anything unless it has a good plan of action. It is staffed by professionals from all aspects of animal care from veterinary needs to behavioral and societal aspects, so it's not just rushing in willy-nilly without a plan. It has somehow managed to blend idealism and pragmatism, stay focused on the positive and search for ways to get results. This is why I like the organization. It is the qualities I think any person or group needs to make a difference.

Re: your feedback on Best Friends and Focus on Felines Campaign

snuggles94 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:04:02 GMT

Hi,

I first was introduced to Best Friends 2 years ago at the Everything Pets Expo in Cincinnati. They had a booth set up with info about the organization. One of the volunteers told me about the website and how to join the network. From the moment I first heard about Best Friends I fell in love with the organization and the work that they do. Being from Kentucky is hard because the way animals are treated here is absolutely heartbreaking. I would love to be able to open a sanctuary where I could save animals from being killed in our high kill shelters in the area. Best Friends mission and the work they do and what they stand for is what further motivates me. I came across the Best Friends book and read how the organization was founded. That drew me to help them even more.

If I encountered someone that had never heard of Best Friends I would start by telling them that Best Friends is a no kill animal sanctuary located out in Kanab, UT in the Angel Canyon region. Best Friends takes in injured, abondoned, neglected animals and helps to rehabilitate and socialize the animal so it can find a forever home. The animals are able to spend their entire lives at Best Friends if they don't get adopted. Best Friends also has different educational programs and grass roots projects that it sponsors. Their mission is No More Homeless Pets. They're striving to reach a day when there won't be any pets that don't have a home.

Best Friends is a presence in the United States and around the world as a Sanctuary for animals. Their projects and work that they do helps many animals that are in need. Best Friends has been to help the animals that were victims of Hurricane Katrina. They've also helped with animals that are stuck in war torn Iraq and such. They have a very positive and much needed presence in this world.

I know Best Friends greatest success would be reaching that day when there are "No More Homeless Pets". I believe that each day its members wake up and care for and love the animals in their care they are reaching a great success. These animals deserve unconditional love and care. Best Friends is having great success each and every day already.

I think uneducated humans are a huge obstacle for Best Friends as well as the way the economy is right now. Humans neglecting and abusing animals provides a great obstacle for Best Friends because they are seeing these animals in horrible situations and then having to rehabilitate the animals so that they'll like people again. If humans would just surrender their animal before it becomes fearful Best Friends would have an easier shot with the animal. Or if humans would take the time to think about the necessary requirements and if they can meet the basic needs of an animal before they go and get one this would be a big help. I believe that Best Friends faces each obstacle head on and tackles it with great success.

your feedback on Best Friends and Focus on Felines Campaign

AlainainFoCo — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:30:14 GMT

Hi,

My name is Alaina, I'm a student at Colorado State University. I am currently working on an assignment about the language of social change. It would be a huge help for me to hear some opinions from the members and concerned friends, volunteers and animal lovers out there in the Best Friends Network. If you could take a moment to answer any of these questions!

How and why did you become involved with Best Friends? What is it about Best Friends that motivates you to enact social change for animals?

How would you describe Best Friends Animal Society to someone who had never heard of the organization before?

What is the social impact and importance of Best Friends Animal Society and Sanctuary, in your opinion?

What would be “success” for Best Friends?

What do you think are the biggest obstacles that Best Friends Animal Society faces? Are the obstacles avoidable or surmountable, in your opinion?

trapping in Sin city

shellyk — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:18:09 GMT

Getting ready to trap at a LV casino/ hotel

Several weeks ago the Focus on Felines was able to work with the hotel management on implementing a TNR (trap, Neuter & return) program.

We began by setting up several feed stations in discreet locations on the hotel property. The locations were picked after taking a tour with management. He was able to let us know where the cats had been seen the most. After setting up the feed stations volunteers and Bf staff monitored them for three weeks.

(If is possible you should start feeding a couple weeks before trapping to insure the cats are of a good weight for surgery as well as getting them used to eating in a set place. This helps a lot when trapping.)

I will pull the food at least a day before I set the traps. I then will I bait the traps with yummy but really stinky Salmon or maybe some Mackerel. Because they will be good and hungry, they should have a hard time resisting my tempting offerings.

Now that we know where all the cats are; we will begin trapping.

I will be trapping for two nights I hope to catch as many as a dozen cats with this first effort. I will be documenting this effort with video. (Coming soon to a theater near you! J )

going to city council

shellyk — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:43:43 GMT

Presenting to Ivin’s City Council this Thursday

Holly Sizemore of Utah NMHP, Kris Neil Second Chance along with myself, are presenting this Thursday the 17th of September.

The city of Ivan’s has already made some bold moves and become a no kill community making them the example in Southern Utah. This is no easy task by any standards even in smaller communities.

Killing is always easier, but at what cost? And to what end?

TNR Trap (Neuter & return) is a key component to a no kill community. Without a plan for the feral and stray cats you will never successfully become no-kill.

power point presentation for TNR

shellyk — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:20:19 GMT