HELP US SPREAD THE WORD

A couple things are predictable in the Green Valley area every spring: it will start to get hot, people (and their checkbooks!) will leave for the summer, kittens will arrive, and people will get annoyed with feral/stray cats roaming the area looking for mates or food. And the latter can bring out the worst in human nature. Recently, a woman called to say she had a wild cat in a trap and please come get it. I explained our practice of
Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) and said we could have the feral cat sterilized
and vaccinated and then return it to its neighborhood. ―Oh no!, she said.
In fact, we have 3 more we‘re going to catch for you. I want them out of
here. I went on to explain that the cats‘ best chance of survival was in the
area they already know, but their survival was not important to her. Neither was the fact that removing all the cats creates a vacuum effect and other cats will move in within a couple of days. And since many of the residents are gone for the summer, rodents move in, but that didn‘t deter her either. Other people in the area tell us the trapped cat was probably dumped in the desert or turned loose on a ranch with little chance of survival. Feral cats are domestic cats, just like pet cats, but at some point they were left outside to fend for themselves and have developed a fear of humans. Although they generally cannot be adopted, they can live healthy lives in their outdoor homes, or colonies. And they are protected by the same laws which apply to pet cats and dogs. They provide wonderful rodent control. Our goal is to spay/neuter/vaccinate as many feral cats as funding allows which ensures they are treated humanely. And when we have foster homes available, we take in tame strays and kittens of feral cats until they are adopted. Please help us continue to achieve these goals.
Patti Hogan, President

TIS KITTEN SEASON

This year, we were ready for the arrival of kittens which came a few weeks later than in 2009, but the moms are definitely fertile! None of our litters have had fewer than 5 kittens, and so far, most are black, the hardest color to place in new homes. We had emergency kits prepared and for several weeks leading up to mid April, we were very selective in taking in any cats. Why? Because many of our foster families would be gone for the summer and we would have to absorb their foster kitties, and we needed to save any contributions for the new kittens. It is much harder for kittens to survive outside than it is for a feral adult so our focus this time of year is always on the kittens.

We have lots of kittens for adoption. They will all have at least one of the
required series of three shots before they go to a new home and we will
follow up to get them spayed/neutered and finalized with their shots. Our
goal is to get them placed into good homes as quickly as possible after they are 8 weeks old. We also need kitten foster families before June 14 since we'll be losing 2 foster homes for the summer. Currently, we have 15 kittens that will need to be relocated if they have not found permanent
homes. If you are interested in fostering one or more kittens, please
contact Paws Patrol at 520-207-4024 ASAP.

Through June 30, all cats and kittens are available at special summer
adoption fees: $50 for 1 or $65 for 2. In addition, seniors over age 65 and
disabled individuals at any age may qualify to adopt one cat over six
months of age at no cost, while our military families qualify for 50% off
(that‟s $25 for 1 cat) through June 30. If a military family is transferred or
deployed and cannot take the cat, the cat MUST be returned to us.

BLAKE – FEATURED CAT OF THE MONTH

The home we need for this month‘s featured cat is quite different for us, so we‘ll let him tell you about it.

―My name is Blake and I was born on a ranch about 3/25/08. I'm a brown
tabby kitty with Bengal markings. I only have half a tail but everyone says
this feature gives me real PURRsonality. My brother, Jake, adjusted well to being an indoor cat, but I miss the great outdoors. I am an alpha male, and sharing my indoor territory with a lot of other foster cats is REALLY
stressing me, so my vet says I would be much happier as an outdoor kitty
with someone to watch over me and keep me as safe as possible. My foster mom doesn‘t like this idea, but she knows I would love to catch rodents, and lizards and things so she has decided to let me go. Paws Patrol believes tame cats need to be indoors where they are safe, but they want me to be happy. I‘d prefer my outdoor home to be a screened enclosure and I wouldn‘t mind another cat, as long as she‘s a female. I am neutered, up to date on shots and ready to go. And, to help me find a perfect home, my foster mom says “if the right folks want to adopt me, Paws Patrol will waive my adoption fee”. So call and find me today—520-207-4024!! Note from foster mom: Blake is a sweetheart! He will make a great outdoor pet for anyone. He loves most other cats, dogs and kids and is the official greeter in our home.

ECONOMIC HARDSHIPS AFFECT OUR FERALS

We all know the economy is having an impact on our personal budgets but we also want to update you on how it is affecting the area‘s feral cats. Your donations of dry or canned cat food, scoopable litter and cash are needed to help feed and sterilize our colonies in central Arivaca. Last year, we started a new project to get the ferals/strays in central Arivaca fixed and provide some feeding stations, food, etc. Since then, we have sterilized over 100 of those cats, and Pima Animal Control euthanized 68 who were very ill and not being cared for properly. We‘ve had indoor and outdoor spay/neuter clinics, and although no one knows exactly how many cats are left, we estimate at least 150-200.

The issue is complicated further—This spring, 3 colony caregivers have lost their homes and those cats, estimated at 50- 100 have been left to wander throughout the town. We need your help to ensure these ferals stay healthy and get sterilized and vaccinated. Each male costs about $70 and a female, $100 for s/n and rabies vaccines, plus additional treatment for fleas, ear mites, wounds, etc.

2011 PAWS PATROL CALENDAR

It is time to begin work on our third annual ―Ears, Tails & Paws calendar.

Last year, we asked our adopters to submit photos and write-ups of cats
they had adopted from Paws Patrol. Of those entries, most were entered
into our calendar, and one, Buzz, was the cover cat. We would like to get
even more entries this year so email or mail us your best photo and a write up on why your Paws kitty is so special—whether he or she is a barn cat or a house cat. We need your submission by June 30. Don‘t worry if you are not a superb photographer—if we use your kitty, we‘ll send the photographer to take new photos. So start working on your calendar gift list now.

OUR STATISTICS

So far in 2010, we have taken in 60 cats and kittens and sterilized 73 cats.
We have returned 50 cats to their colonies and currently have 19 in foster
homes, down from a high of 50 fosters. Since April 2006, we have trapped
over 800 cats. Our ability to further TNR efforts in our area is limited only
by 2 things: funds and available foster homes.

Paws Patrol began in April 2006 with the primary objective of reducing
feral cat overpopulation through Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR). During our
nearly four-year history, we have learned many things, particularly that
there are SO many more ferals in the area than we imagined and there are scores of tame kittens and adult cats we find which need to be placed in foster homes until they can be adopted. Petsmart estimates that there are 12,000 ferals in our coverage area—Green Valley, Sahuarita, Amado,
Elephant Head, Tubac, Rio Rico and Arivaca. Clearly, we have only
scratched the surface in sterilizing all feral cats.

BARNS NEEDED

Paws Patrol never wants to relocate feral cats because their best chance of survival is generally where they are living. However, there are times when cats must be moved, such as when a new development is being built or the safety of the cats is being threatened. For these limited situations, we have a Barn Relocation Program—we provide sterilized, vaccinated feral cats at no charge to approved barns and in return, we ask that the cats receive food to supplement their daily hunts, and that we be advised if one is injured. We currently need more barns on our list. If you know of a ranch, warehouse, etc. which might like some great mousers, like Harrison shown below, please let us know.
Harrison Needs a Barn NOW!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Please make plans to see us at one of our upcoming events, and feel free to offer to volunteer your time!
Farmer‘s Market—every Wednesday, Green Valley Village, 8:30am to
12:30pm
June 13-- Cat Adoption Fair, 1pm-4pm, Green Valley Canine in Green Valley

AZ License Plate Grant

Paws Patrol gratefully acknowledges receipt of a grant in the amount of
$5000 from the Arizona Companion Animal Spay/Neuter Committee to be
used for spay/neuter of feral cats. These funds are made available from the support and sales of the Arizona Companion Animal Spay and Neuter Pet
Friendly License Plates. You can support their efforts and view and
purchase a license plate by visiting www.AZPETPLATES.ORG. Cost of the
plates is $25, $17 of which goes to the spay/neuter fund.