February Article
IT’S ALL ABOUT ME…..OW
By Ellen Kilgannon, Executive Director, P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter
Cats: They’re everywhere. Cats curled up happily in homes, dodging cars on the streets, barely getting by in feral colonies, and filling up shelters around the country. Even in areas where adoptable dogs fly out the doors of animal shelters — cat numbers are still a challenge for shelters trying to figure out how to reduce their overpopulation and the suffering that goes with it
What is a “feral” cat? Feral or, “wild” cats are free-roaming house cats that were never socialized by humans or have lived outdoors for so long that they have gone back to being wild. Adult feral cats typically cannot be handled and are not suitable for placement into homes as pets. There are an estimated 50 million feral and stray cats, also known as community cats, in the United States.
Free-roaming cat populations generally consist of a mixture of truly feral cats, semi-tame cats and lost and abandoned pets. Free-roaming cats sometimes referred to as “community cats,” are found in all areas of our county and tend to gather together in groups also known as “colonies”.
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Attempts to kill free-roaming cats in these groups have failed; cats that are killed are replaced through reproduction by the remaining members. The natural progression for the group is to repopulate the vacated space.
Right now the most humane and effective strategy for controlling free-roaming cat populations is a program known as “trap-neuter-return” or TNR. Free-roaming cats are trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, and returned to their colony of origin. It is a project anyone can take on if they have a feral cat problem and wish to stop the growing population of a free-roaming cat colony and, over time, reduce it. At the same time, the spraying, vocalizing and fighting behaviors of cats in the colony are largely eliminated. Example: in 2007 P.A.W.S. assisted a family that was feeding over 30 feral cats. It started the year before with one stray that came on to the property. Many of the kittens were extremely sick and some were dead. With our help they were able to trap them over time and get them fixed. They had gone on to manage the colony and today they are down to 3 cats. Any new cats that come into their yard, they now know to get out the trap and get ‘em fixed.
P.A.W.S. supports the care of free-roaming cat colonies through TNR and, when our resources allow, we take action to help the community trap, fix and feed these wild strays. Once you have fed a feral cat, you have opened the door to more coming into the area. The most important step to take is to get the first one that shows up fixed. P.A.W.S. has live cat traps available and can help you set up a schedule for trapping and then releasing after getting them fixed. You should return cats to their origin only if they are receiving adequate food, water and shelter, and the area is safe for outdoor living. Keeping the colony away from busy roads or areas they can be abused or harmed is best. If necessary, we recommend re-location of the colony to maintain their safety outside of natural predators.
If you have one or a group of stray and feral cats, P.A.W.S. would like to teach you how to trap them and help you get them fixed. It isn’t difficult; it just requires your willingness to help one cat at a time. For more information, call Ellen at P.A.W.S., 333-4267 or drop her a line at pawsbyrsoncity@yahoo.com P.A.W.S. is a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter dedicated to helping the animals and people in Swain County as much as our resources allow.
On The Road Again……………
By Ellen Kilgannon
Back in 2007 P.A.W.S. began a transport program working with a shelter in Connecticut that was very successful in getting many homeless dogs here in Swain and the surrounding counties into permanent homes. Through the years we have delivered hundreds of dogs to homes that were patiently waiting for their arrival. “Why do you do that?” is a question that I am often asked. While not obvious to everyone here in the south, the answer is simple: There are more homes available for pets, in this instance dogs, than there are dogs in the northeast part of the country. “What?” Yes, it’s true. I’ve seen the lines of people waiting for the doors to this northern shelter open when they hear that P.A.W.S. dogs were arriving. These shelters would alert potential adopters of our scheduled transport and they would be there. “How come?” In the minds of the public, spay and neuter is as routine as the rest of a dogs vet care. The number of dogs getting fixed up north has had a direct impact on overpopulation problems.
For the past two years P.A.W.S. and fellow rescue A.R.F. in Jackson County had not been able to do much transporting up to northern shelters for a combination of reasons. We were getting a fraction of the dogs out of the shelter and off the streets than we had been. I am happy to say that this is changing and we now are back on the road helping as many homeless dogs as we can. Once again P.A.W.S. is getting rave reviews from shelters, foster homes and adopters from New Jersey to Massachusetts about how well socialized, sweet and healthy our dogs are. It brings great joy to the staff to see a dog that has been in the shelter for 6 months finally get a second chance at a happy life.
While I’d rather adopt our dogs out here locally, again, it’s a matter of available homes. Transporting dogs to their forever homes opens up space in our foster homes and in the shelter to help more in need. I would like to have the problem of not having enough dogs (and cats) to meet the demand for companion pets, but right now that is not the case.
P.A.W.S. is calling on anyone interested in being a part of this very successful and important program to contact us. Right now we are looking for volunteers to drive our transport vans to receiving shelters in the north. Each transport needs two drivers so if you have a friend, spouse or relative that would like to do a road trip, get them involved as well! It’s a great way to make a HUGE contribution to saving lives if you love to drive, see another part of the country and want to get away for a couple of days! Information and transport volunteer application available at P.A.W.S. Thrift Store, 828-333-4267 or pawsbrysoncity@yahoo.com. Ask for Ellen if you call or stop by the store.
May 2011
By: Ellen Kilgannon P.A.W.S. Director
Proverbs 12:10 states: "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel." I interpret this as meaning that kind, responsible people respect all animals whether they are their own or not. The people who do not are cruel even in their attempts at kindness. An example I remember was a past landlord of mine who kept his dog in the backyard on a short chain. There was no shelter from the weather and he was never let off the chain. When I asked him why he couldn’t run in the yard since there was a fence he said it was for the dog's own good, since he might leap the fence and be struck by a car if he were left unchained. My landlord’s "tender mercies," were, in fact, creating ill health and suffering in the animal. Everyone has their idea of how animals should be treated, but nowhere in the Bible will you find the Good Lord condoning abuse or neglect of any living being. Animal cruelty can be either deliberate abuse or simply the failure to take care of an animal. Either way, and whether the animal is a pet, a farm animal, or wildlife, the victim can suffer terribly. Don’t despair, however, anyone can take steps against cruelty. A shocking number of animals diefrom neglect every year, right under the noses of the entire community Signs of neglect:
o Chained animals without shelter in extreme heat or cold.
o Clearly emaciated animals: clearly visible bones
o Obvious, untreated wounds or other medical conditions
o Too many animals living on one property. This can be a sign of animal hoarding.
o Dogs or cats inside abandoned homes.
Obvious violence
If you witness overt violence against an animal or suspect it, speak up! If you don't feel comfortable directly intervening in a situation, quickly call the authorities. In a report of alleged animal cruelty, the responding agency is required to investigate. Swain County does have a paid animal control officer working in the Sheriff’s department who can answer and investigate cruelty and neglect cases.
How are complaints investigated? The officer will look into the complaint to see if animal cruelty laws have been violated. If a violation has occurred, the officer may speak with the owner and issue a citation and give the owner a chance to correct the violation. This is more likely in cases of animal neglect.
In other cases, animal neglect or abuse may be extreme and require the animals to be removed by a humane agency to protect them. The agency will present the case to the prosecutor's office for further evaluation and possible prosecution. Animal cruelty is illegal in every state (and a felony in 46 including North Carolina)
Just as we humans are God’s creation, so are the animals. Treat them as such.
April 2011
Sallie – A Civil War Hero
By Ellen Kilgannon
P.A.W.S. Director
One morning in May of 1861 a civilian came to the quarters of First Lieutenant William R. Terry. Out of a basket he pulled a four week old brindle bull terrier puppy. As promised, he gave the pup to Lt.Terry and the lieutenant promptly made a soft warm bed for her under his bunk. He fed her milk and bread which was in plenty supply, cared for her, and named her Sallie. Her only orders were to eat, sleep, play with the other soldiers and get petted. After three months, Sallie was now a large pup and very independent. When Lieutenant Terry’s regiment reorganized in 1862 for 3 years service, Sallie enlisted also. She learned the soldier’s life and was first out of quarters to attend role call. During drills she would pick a soldier to prance alongside during exercises. By 1864 Sallie had grown with a soft coat and broad chest. Her eyes were a bright hazel. She was active and quick with powerful endurance. She frequently positioned herself at the end of the battle line barking at oncoming troops.
Two months before the war’s end Sallie was killed at Hatcher’s Run. Amidst the raging battle her regiment buried her on the field where she fell. In 1890 the surviving members of her troop dedicated a monument to all those soldiers who fought and died in that great battle. At the base of the statue is a bronze statue of Sallie...keeping watch through eternity over the spirits of her boys. A dog so loyal they insisted she be remembered on “their” monument for all time.
Sallie is also being honored in this year’s P.A.W.S. quilt raffle. “Sallies Quilt – Inspired by a Civil War Dog” is made with Civil War reproduction fabric by Maddy Haughn and Susan Roper. It measures 91” x 106”. An actual photo of Sallie, taken during the war will be reproduced onto the back label of the quilt.
Sallies Quilt will be displayed at The Cottage Craftsman and tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. Tickets are also available at the P.A.W.S. Thrift Shop, the shelter, The Smoky Mountain Times and upcoming Bryson City festivals. For more info call 488-0418 or 333-4267.