What was so exciting about our June Spa Week is that it was all about “Stopping the Cycle” with Lottie and her 6 little boys. Can you say #boymom?
Lottie and "daddy" decided to not stop there, however. They birthed 6 more kittens to add to their brood. 6 more UNVACCINATED cats, including our loving Lottie and daddy.
THIS is where STOP THE CYCLE starts!
Lottie and dad, as well as all kittens (when they were healthy and ready) have been spayed and neutered by SCC. HOWEVER - had that not happened - each of those kittens, either male or female, would have entered into a colony, reproduced up to 4+ per litter (x2) and.....well, are you tired of the math? Because we are!
THIS is what Trap/Neuter/Vaccinate/Return (TNVR) is all about! Out of the 63 cats that were part of our June Spa Week, there was only one pregnant cat. To say the least, that is a fantastic statistic. It shows that TNVR is working in our participating communities - Steelton Borough, Swatara Township and Susquehanna Township and Lower Swatara Township
. Each TNVR surgery clinic is different. The norm for all of our spa week is an expectation of a few sick or injured cats. They may have an upper respiratory infection, a urinary tract infection, eye infections, broken legs or paws, broken or rotted teeth, or open wounds or bites that need treated. However, this month, we faced a few other challenges. Sadly, one male cat was so ill, he passed away before we could get him veterinary care. The Diagnosis was liver failure. Next, a colony caretaker who had been trying for the past two years to trap Mama Cat finally was able to bring her in. However, it was obvious that Mama wasn’t feeling well and needed medical attention. Blood was drawn and the results were not good. Her hemoglobin count was very, very low - indicating she was severely anemic and possibly had cancer. After just four days in our facility Mama was re-examined at The Vetting Zoo Animal Hospital. To add to all her woes, she was diagnosed with liver failure. SCC immediately contacted Mama’s caretaker who made the tough decision to euthanize her.
And then there was Honey, a semi-feral pet of one of our volunteers. Honey has been quite elusive, but due to a front leg injury she finally made it to one of our surgery clinics to be spayed. It is difficult to believe, but this 8-year-old, tough as nails, very petite cat doesn’t even weigh 5 pounds. While being spayed, a malignant mass was found in her abdominal area, plus upon further examination while under anesthesia, it was confirmed that her left front leg was broken. Honey will be going back home and will live her remaining days in great comfort with her caretaker.
But, there is some good news to share. Four approximately 4-month-old kittens were dropped off at a local non-profit organization. The manager called SCC asking if we could fit 3 females and a male kitten into our surgery clinic. Of course, we did! The big question, where are they going to go afterwards. Castaway Critters to the rescue! Three beautiful dilute calicoes (Willow Marie, Meryl Ashley and Layla) and one very charming gray and white male kitten (Spencer) are up for adoption. Please check the Castaway Critters website for more information about these sweeties.
Thanks to a Susan Giblin Foundation grant SCC received in February, we were able to assist several colony caretakers from outside our participating communities. Eleven cats from the City of Harrisburg were spayed and neutered. Two were too ill to be done and are in our care center. When they complete their course of antibiotics, they will be spayed/neutered and will be returned to their colony healthy and ready to live their life.