Caregiver
of the Month
Irene Meisel
Irene, a long-time dedicated feral cat advocate, has trapped, transported, and rescued countless kitties. Even as a cancer survivor still in treatment, she continues to volunteer at our monthly clinics and always shows up with a smile and a car full of kitties to nip!
On behalf of all of OC and the kitties
THANK YOU, Irene, for your big heart and hard work!
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Volunteer
of the month
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Meriam Molstad
Dr. Molstad, officially a graduate of UF College of Vetmed as of next week, has generously offered her time at dozens of OC clinics in the past several years. Meriam has performed hundreds of neuters and nearly 100 spays through OC -- a true feral cat advocate!
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Have room for
1 more?
We have several displaced nipped ferals that need a new colony. If you have room for 1 more, contact the Caregiver & Cat Coordinator at 352-380-0940
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Donate nowIf your business would like to donate products or services, please contact: operationcatnip@ nmhp.net |
Can't volunteer on Catnip Sundays?
How about trapping?
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Every month we are forced to turn away caregivers and their strays because they are unable to transport their cats to the clinic. We always need volunteers who can set traps and transport cats.
If you are available on Friday &/or Saturday evening before a clinic and have transportation, this is the job for you!
For details,
operationcatnip@
nmhp.net
352-380-0940
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Support OC!
Wear an OC T-shirt!
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Sizes Sm-XXL
$20
Check them out online
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Wish List
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Dish Detergent
Super Glue
AA Batteries
Plastic drop cloth 4mil
Masking Tape
Scissors
Pens/Sharpies
Paper
Office Supplies
Laundry Detergent
Isopropyl alchohol
Hydrogen Peroxide
Medical Supplies
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Stay updated by visiting
www.NMHP.net
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May 26th, 2009
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Dear Catnip Supporters:
At our monthly clinic for homeless cats on Sunday, May 17th, our
ambitious volunteers spayed, neutered, and vaccinated 203 cats in less than 5 hours!
Here are more clinic stats:
Volunteers
Veterinarians: 9
Dr. Julie Levy-OC Medical Director, Dr. Fred Schirmer of Westend Animal Hospital, Dr. Deborah Cottrell of Westend Animal Hospital, Dr. Terry Tomlin of Town & Country Veterinarians, Dr. Alex Gallagher of UF, Dr. Cynda Crawford of UF Shelter Medicine, Dr. Sara Kirk, Dr. Jack Gaskin, Dr. Nirit Tzipory (student surgeon supervisor) of UF Shelter Medicine.
Vet students: 18
Other volunteers: 47
Total = 74 volunteers!
We had a limited number of volunteers at this clinic due to the time of year and nature of our college town - thanks to all the volunteers who changed their summer plans in order to help out at OC!
A special thanks to volunteers like Jordan Mercer who postponed his trip to Boston to volunteer at OC, Lauren Unger who forwent a leisurely day at the springs to instead Captain the Anesthesia station, Catherine McDermott who makes a monthly trip from Tampa to help set-up on Saturday and volunteer on Sunday, Chip & Jenny Steele who travel from Orlando EVERY month to head the Bladder expression and Spay/neuter Prep stations, all the junior vet students who helped at non-surgical stations when they would have rather spayed, and thanks to everyone who generously volunteered their time!
Operation Catnip is NOT POSSIBLE without its dedicated volunteers!
Cats
Males 87= (% kittens, 3-5mo old)
Females 116= (% kittens, 3-5mo old)
Ratio of Males:Females = 43:57
Vaccine-Only = 6. These ferals are trapped each year by their caregivers to return for vaccine boosters only.
Total = 203 cats were spayed or neutered, received Revolution
to prevent heartworms, fleas, and worms, and were vaccinated against Rabies,
Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia, and Feline Leukemia
Virus!
The first cat was anesthetized at 8:00am on the dot by the Anesthesia Team. The very last surgery was completed by 1:00pm! Our Discharge Volunteers sent cats home from 1:30pm to 5:00pm and the remaining volunteers helped clean the facility until it sparkled.
Thanks to all the volunteers who make these clinics possible!
Lunch was provided in part by generous donations from volunteers, by Veg4Life - Thank you Zia and Winnie for the delicious creulty-free food!, and by Judy Angley, our Food Committee Chair Volunteer.
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There are always volunteer opportunities during the month. To help with tasks such as fundrasing, advertising, trap repairs, or inventory, contact operationcatnip@nmhp.net for more details.
The next opportunity to help out during a clinic is just a few weeks away. Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 14th.
You can find all future clinic dates at our website.
Thanks for doing your part in YOUR community!
Kathy Pennenga
No More Homeless Pets, Inc.
Operation Catnip Program Coordinator
katherine.pennenga@nmhp.net
352-258-6757
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**UPDATES **
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Because of the dedication of local veterinary practices that partnered with NMHP, 1,159 pets of low-income families, 313 PitNip pit bull dogs, and 6,425 feral cats will not contribute to pet overpopulation in Alachua County!
We are pleased to announce that NMHP's long-awaited low-cost spay/neuter clinic is expected to begin operations in our temporary home, the Big Fix Rig, by July! Pet owners and feral cat caregivers throughout the region will be able to bring their animals directly to the Big Fix Rig for low-cost sterilization. That will bring and end to the following NMHP-sponsored voucher programs as of May 31st:
-Operation Catnip Outreach
-"Red" Gallenkamp Vouchers
Distribution of all vouchers has ended. The Humane Society's Gallenkamp program will continue to distribute traditional black-printed Gallenkamp vouchers only.
Watch the website for updates!
www.NMHP.net
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The Curious Case...
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... of the Gunshot Victim?!
All
too often we hear of animal creulty cases involving feral cats. This
strapping tom cat was a prime example of animal creulty when volunteer
Danielle Marks discovered an odd lump in his shoulder at the
spay/neuter prep station. Prodding the lump revealed a large, snub-nose
bullet from a .22 gauge weapon! Vets at the clinic helped remove the
bullet from the tom cat's shoulder and concluded that besides the tiny
entry wound, he was in good condition -- and a very lucky kitty!
 Uncaring individuals might think that shooting cats is a good way to control the climbing cat numbers -- but the studies show that killing cats does not decrease the population! The only effective method of population control is Trap-Neuter-RETURN. A key element of TNR is "Return". When we return a sterilized cat to its colony we ensure continued competition for food, thus keeping the numbers down. If we removed all the cats when we sterilized them, we would cause the environment to be a perfect place to breed - a place with no competition for territory or food. Keep your strays sterilized and inform your neighbors of the benefits of TNR - we save lives! |
???? 'Nip Trivia ????
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Question:
What does a cat receive when at the Ear-tip Station (besides an ear-tip!)?
Last Month's Trivia Question:
How is rabies transmitted and why are we so careful at our clinics?
Answer:
Rabies is transmitted primarily through saliva of the infected animal. Non-porous gloves are appropriate protection, but we highly recommend all volunteers to receive a rabies vaccine.
http://www.cdc.gov/RABIES/
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