Newsletter
of the Stanford Cat Network
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Spring 2002 About
Our Program |
All photos
by Dolores Arnold © 2002 |
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| Welcome
to the second edition of Whisker Whispers, the annual newsletter
of the Stanford Cat Network. We hope you will enjoy this collection
of educational articles and heart-warming stories! The Stanford Cat Network is a nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for the homeless cats who live on Stanford University property. The Network is comprised of Stanford staff, students, faculty and community volunteers. By agreement with the University, the Stanford Cat Network is responsible for the care of all free-roaming cats on campus. A registry of the Stanford cats and established feeding stations and schedules enable caregivers to monitor the health and well-being of the cats and identify hungry newcomers, before they are assimilated into the Campus population and reproduce.
Unsocialized cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and released back into their Campus territory, where they are fed and monitored daily by Network volunteers. Every effort is made to find the owners of stray tame cats. Unclaimed tame strays and any kittens are boarded or fostered, until adoptive homes are found. No cats are euthanized, except as warranted by a veterinarian to relieve suffering. Studies have proven that trap-spay/neuter-vaccinate-release is the single most successful method of stabilizing and maintaining healthy feral cat colonies with the least possible cost to local governments and residents, while providing the best life for the animals themselves.
Do Not Abandon, Do Not Adopt Campaigns Due to the transitory nature of University life, students are generally not in a good position to take on the 20 year responsibility of caring for a cat. The Network encourages students to carefully consider the long-term commitment required before adopting a pet, and as a rule SCN does not adopt cats to students. Pets are frequently left behind as their owners move away and do not make arrangements for the animal they took responsibility for. Many people assume their animals will survive when they move away and leave them behind. Often they believe that their cat will be able to hunt and support herself, or that someone else will find her and care for her. Contrary to popular belief, domestic animals do not automatically return to their “natural” instincts and cannot fend for themselves. Humans have bred domestic companion animals and they have become dependent upon us for survival. Many abandoned cats die from starvation, disease, abuse, or as food to a predator. Informing the Stanford community and public on these issues is of principal importance to the Network. Counselling and care by example are provided by Network volunteers.
George was abandoned on convocation weekend in the late spring of 2001. Apparently, some graduating student no longer wanted him and had not thought ahead to make plans for a new home. Perhaps the owner hoped someone else would rescue their pet and find him a home, or maybe they mistakenly thought he could take care of himself outside, hunting for food. Lucky for George, he found a Stanford Cat Network feeding station where he met a volunteer putting food out for the feral cats. George ravenously ate some food, and then wound his way around the feeder’s ankles and asked for attention. He was scooped up and transported to a local veterinary clinic, and after a week with no owner to claim him, George was put up for adoption. Since he is a very handsome and friendly cat, we did not anticipate having George for long! He was extremely outgoing and friendly, got along well with other animals, and seemed to take everything in his stride. But as the summer wore on, and the rescued kittens came in, no one had interest in an adult cat. One situation that is always tempting to a puppy is to bark at or chase a cat, and that would not be safe behavior for a guide dog. So the puppies need to get used to being around cats in a controlled environment, like the Guide Dog campus. For this job a very outgoing, calm and friendly cat would be a necessity – a brave cat who would tolerate puppies sniffing and playing with him. The cat would also need to be friendly to the volunteers and supporters who come in and out of the offices throughout the day. When Kelli contacted us in search of such a cat, we knew we had the perfect candidate in George! Not only did he possess all the necessary personality traits, but he also boasted a Stanford education, although his major was undeclared.
Kelli went through our adoption screening process as any other potential adopter would, and during her meetings with George she brought her young and active Boston Terrier to see George’s reaction. George passed the test and was adopted as the puppy socialization cat for Guide Dogs for the Blind. On the San Rafael campus, George enjoys comfy quarters in a large office suite with plenty of attention from Kelli and the puppy socialization volunteers throughout the day. He doesn’t mind at all his daytime canine visitors, who sniff him and follow him all over until they lose interest in him. And he gets to do his part in bringing freedom and happiness to the lives of the visually impaired by helping in the Guide Dog training process. What a career!
So I can’t quite tell you how I found myself in the situation I did, but I can tell you it wasn’t a good one to be in. I was wandering the Stanford Campus, hanging out mainly in the French Quarter, hadn’t eaten in ages, my ribs were showing and I had been in one too many cat fights that I somehow managed to lose (it’s tough to win when you are weak and starving you know!) I wasn’t a pretty sight and I wasn’t enjoying life too much, to say the least. I just couldn’t figure out what it was I had done to deserve this life. I’d been good. I’d been nice. I was a handsome fella in my days gone by. “Why me???”, I asked myself as a stranger approached... I thought maybe I was going to get lucky and this person might give me a morsel of food product, something, anything would have been fine with me. Instead, I found myself scooped up and taken away in this little cage like thing and I have to admit I was thinking to myself “just when I thought it couldn’t get ANY worse!” I bounced around in the crate, tried communicating with my most sympathetic cry to no avail, and finally landed at a strange place where there were TONS of fellows like me all kept in small cubicles. It was like out of a SciFi novel or something! The upside to this strange place (which I later heard referred to as “Doctor Mell’s”) was that I got to eat! And my space, although small, was kept clean! I wouldn’t go as far to call it heaven or anything but for a kid from the streets like me it definitely was a step up in life. People would come by daily. They’d say nice things about me. Many would pick me up and pet me and I’d do my damnedest to put on a good show for them, purring, rubbing, whatever they wanted I did it! I heard many of them say, “this one is perfect if it wasn’t for the FIV!”, and back in the cage I’d go. Now, I was a Stanford graduate and all, but I had no clue what this FIV stuff was. One by one I would see my neighbors leave with people never to be seen again, and I questioned when it would be my time. It seemed like a long time had gone by. I was feeling a lot better. The folks that I saw daily were pretty darn nice, and then this guy came in and I could tell he “fell” for me. I don’t know. We had some sort of bond from the moment we met. Once again I heard the dread “FIV” mentioned, knowing that it meant I wouldn’t be seeing this fellow again. But instead, I heard him say something like, “well, that’s perfect, I’ve got AIDS.” FIV? AIDS? What these people were talking about I hadn’t a clue. But next thing you know I was back in one of those cage like things, bouncing around, and taken to this “new” place, with this new fella. It was heaven right off the bat. There was a big soft couch and I jumped right on it and immediately took a nap (since I didn’t know when I’d get the chance to do such a thing again I HAD to take advantage of it!) When I woke up the fella was still there. And so was I. “Another dream??” I asked myself. Well, as it turns out, it wasn’t a dream at all. Now I am fat and happy, living in the great place with this cool guy that I have a great time playing with and driving crazy, and for that he feeds me DAILY! and pets me and loves me. It is a strange thing, but I love it.
Early this spring, a call came in on the Stanford Cat Network helpline reporting an injured cat. The caller was a campus resident who has been feeding a feral cat in her yard. Recently she noticed a deep gash on the cats’ neck and realized he needed veterinary attention.
Two SCN volunteers responded immediately, and were able to catch the cat with their nets, safari style. They quickly transported the fearful feline to a local veterinarian, where the staff works closely with the Stanford Cat Network and is accustomed to handling feral cats. After sedating the cat, the veterinarian was able to examine the injury. He found that the wound completely encircled the neck, was infected and contained maggots. Under general anaesthetic, the vet cleaned out the wound and removed the dead tissue from the area. Deep within the wound, he found a leather collar - the cause of the cat’s pain and injury. Someone had placed a collar on this cat while he was younger, and as he grew the collar dug deeper into his neck - restricting his air passage and eventually causing this terrible wound. After the collar was removed and the wound cleaned, the area was stitched up and antibiotic injections given. Although the cat was on the road to recovery, he certainly looked strange with his shaven neck and the row of neat stitches encircling his head. In fact, he looked like he’d had his head sewn on and was dubbed “Frankenstein” by the clinic staff. Frankie for short! After a 2 week recovery period, Frankie was released back to his campus territory where he is fed and monitored daily by Network volunteers. Without veterinary help, Frankenstein would have gradually succumbed to the wound as it grew deeper and affected his airways and vital arteries. What a terrible fate could have awaited him! This near tragedy illustrates the importance of caution when placing collars on cats. Not only can the collar grow into the neck and cause injury or discomfort, it can get caught on something and choke the cat. Loose collars are just as dangerous as tight collars because they can get caught on something or the cat could get the collar into his mouth or under his arm. To avoid causing such suffering, remember these points: Feral
or Semi-feral cats: Pet
cats: If you chose the safety release buckle, test the snap to ensure it will come apart easily enough to release your cat, but not so easily that the collar will always come off. There is also a safety collar known as “Slip-Purrz” which are beaded safety collars, their coiled construction means they slip off when caught. Slip-Purrz are available at www.frogprince.bigstep.com
Everyone knows that cats love to climb and scratch with their claws! They also love to perch up high and survey their domain. What many people don’t realize is that by providing their cat(s) with their own “furniture”, they can not only help avoid such socialization as furniture scratching, they can have a positive impact on their cats’ happiness! Many cats who feel insecure on the floor near the feet of humans will be much friendlier and outgoing when they are perched up high, closer to our arm level. Cat trees and climbers also provide wonderful exercise. There are many styles of cat furniture available at pet stores, but often they can be very expensive. For those of you with a smaller budget and handy with a few simple tools, making your own cat tree is a fun weekend activity! Your cat will love you for it - once the noise of the saw and hammer has gone, that is! In this article, I will describe how to build a very simple cat tree. For more advanced designs, go to http://www.amby.com/cat_site/ or simply examine some commercial furniture and improvise! MATERIALS: DIRECTIONS: Cut a piece of carpet to 2’ 8” square. Using an exacto knife, remove a 4” diameter circle from the center of the carpet for the post to attach through. Apply double-sided carpet tape to the edges of the wooden base and center it on your carpet square, with tape side down. Using the knife, cut away the square of carpet from each corner of the wood (Fig 1). Fold under the edges of the remaining flaps and then fold the flaps over onto the bottom of the base. Secure the flaps to the bottom of the base using the roofing nails (Fig 2).
Hold the post against the carpeted side of the base and use the 3” nail to secure it in place from the bottom. Drill through the existing holes in the base into the post, then use the lag bolts to secure the base to the post. You can recess the bolt heads by drilling with a special drill bit so they will not touch your floor. Stand the tree upright on it’s base and secure the 16” square of lighter plywood to the top of the post using the 4 wood screws. Flip the tree upside down to carpet the perch. Cut a 24” square of carpet and follow the same procedure described for carpeting the base. Now, you may leave the post bare or cover it as you wish. If you are covering it, turn the tree on its side. Lay a strip of double-sided carpet tape down the length of the post on one side. For carpet, stick one edge of the 1’ X 4’ carpet piece to the tape and roll the carpet around the post. Turn the other edge under and crease it, then secure the edge every 6” with the roofing nails. Pound them in well so they are sunk into the carpet. Make sure the edges of the carpet are not accessible for scratching, check at the top and bottom where the post joins the base or perch. You may want to melt the edges before you carpet the post. For a sisal wrapped post, decide where to start the wrapping and secure the rope to the post with a roofing nail. Wrap tightly around the post, the tape will help keep the rope in place as you wrap. Every foot or so and at the end, add a roofing nail to secure the rope. As with the carpet, pound the nails hard into the post so they are sunk deep into the rope. Give the tree a final check over to make sure there are no protrusions, unravelling carpet, etc. Place the tree near a window or favorite hangout of your cat, and rub it in catnip if desired. Remember to check the tree frequently for signs of wear and unravelling! Cautionary
notes for building your own or purchasing a tree: Feel free to email us with any questions or for advice!
Adoption Program is a Continued Success During the year 2001, the Stanford Cat Network found homes for over 60 cats. That is about 3 times the number adopted during previous years, and the success was due in most part to increased exposure to a wider community through our online adoptions and our partnership with Petfinder.org. We keep all tame or tamable cats for as long as it takes to find them a loving, permanent home. To this end, we carefully screen potential adopters to ensure the best match for each cat. Since we don’t have a shelter, cats are boarded at a vet clinic or kept in foster homes while they await adoption. Foster homes are difficult to find and boarding is very costly, so the adoption program is one of our major expenses. However, it is also one of the most satisfying endeavours as we see once neglected and abandoned pets flourish in their new homes. 
We stay in close contact with our adopters, and usually receive regular updates by email or letter. We like to share these heart-warming stories, so we established the “Happy Tails” gallery on our website featuring photos and stories of adopted cats. If you have a story or photos of a cat you adopted from the Stanford Cat Network, please email or mail it to us, we’d love to hear from you! |
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Two
types of break-away collars are commercially available, the elastic
stretch type and the break-away buckle type. The elastic type should
yield only enough to allow the collar to slip over the cat’s
head if he becomes caught. 
