Volunteers Wanted

The Community Cat Coalition needs YOU to help support its humane efforts to resolve the stray and feral cat overpopulation issue in Beacon. The Coalition is a non-funded, all volunteer run and inspired organization. We have a lot to accomplish, but we can't do it alone. Please email us at info@communitycatcoalition.com if you are interested in learning more about how you can get involved. We look forward to your participation in building a better Beacon (for us all).

Letting Go of Lady Jane

 

Lady Jane sits quietly while awaiting release back to her colony and Caregiver on the West end of Beacon. She is a fiery lady who eluded previous trapping attempts for the last seven years. The Coalition was delighted to have her company for a few days in preparation for and recovery from a visit to the spay and neuter clinic at the Dutchess County SPCA as part of our TNR efforts in Beacon. We will miss Jane, but know she will be happier (and now healthier) back at the colony she calls home.

The Big Day

We were up extra early this morning to get ourselves and the cats ready for the trek to the Dutchess County SPCA. Today, Lady Jane and Earnest will get spayed and neutered and vaccinated as part of our TNR program in Beacon. Earnest chatted the whole way there while Lady Jane remained quiet sans a few soft mews of comfort she offered to Earnest. She's not feeling to well due to a mild URI, an all too common infection in cats especially those with access to or living outdoors. Lady Jane will be receiving treatment for her little cold and will not be released back to her home territory until she is fully recovered.

Mr. Mushaboom

It turns out that Earnest, formerly Big Boy Buddy, is a total mush and far too friendly to be released back to the streets. The Coalition always works to place adoptable kittens and adult cats into homes whenever possible.Apparently, Earnest was dumped (out of a car) to the street by his owners about a year ago. Since then, he's been struggling for his survival. But the streets haven't hardened Earnest. All this boy wants to do is love and eat, of which he will get plenty of in his new home.

Gratitude

People have started to donate funds to the Coalition, and we are deeply touched by these gestures of kindness and generosity. Thank you, good people.

Citizenship

 

In the spirit of supporting the local community, the Coalition established a business account with Citizens Bank in Beacon.We were warmly welcomed by Mary Szeparowycz who is an absolutely wonderful human being. Thank you, Mary, for taking good care of us.

Play It Forward

Zsa Zsa, Coalition TNR Rescue                                          

Don't have the time to volunteer but want to help the cause? The Coalition is now setup to receive monetary donations for its community TNR program via PayPal. Donating funds is a simple and easy way to be a vital part of the initiative and help the organization be effective and continue to do good work in and for the community. Your participation is just a click away.

A Form of Informing

Furthering the Fostering of Friendship

The Coalition received a surprise gift of edible goodies from friend and volunteer Cheryl Harmeling. Cheryl is a foster parent to Phyllis the cat who was humanely trapped and placed into foster care as part of the Coalition's efforts last summer in Beacon. We are grateful to Cheryl and her fambly for welcoming Phyllis into their home to nurture socialization with time, love and patience.

Of Benevolence and Bagels

The Beacon Bagel responded to the Coalition's call for community help in the form of newspaper donations on a weekly basis. Thank you, Anik and Art! The Coalition hopes other community members will be inspired by your gesture and offer their own form of help to the cause.

The Morning Find

The Coalition has been looking for just the right stuffed animal assistant to help demonstrate trapping techniques. We found this pussycat in a box of delightfully cute discarded belongings on Main Street on our way back from the morning cleaning and feeding shift at the recovery space. Thank you, stranger who is now friend.

A Sweet Suite

Lady Jane and Buddy Big Boy are quiet, comfortable and warm inside the temporary staging and recovery space that will be their home for the next few days. The cats will be sterilized and vaccinated at the Dutchess County SPCA as part of their public low cost spay and neuter program. The Coalition is currently paying for such services out of their own (shallow) pockets.

Softness on The Side

The Coalition helps to manage a few feral colonies in Beacon, all of whom received a heart shaped something serving of soft food as a Valentine treat.

The Documentation of Good Doing

The Coalition worked on a TNR project today targeted to help three community cats on the West end of town. It took several months to secure a temporary space donation and a few days to coordinate logistics with hands on operations beginning at 11:00 AM and ended at 7:00PM.

11:24 AM Buddy Big Boy. This gentle giant was the first to be humanely trapped within four minutes of the trap being set.

1:00 PM Lady Jane. This street worn older woman was the most important one to trap. Jane has had endless cycles of litters for the past seven years, eluding previous trapping attempts by others. We are so happy to have her in our helpful hands.

3:12 PM Greystoke. He was too clever for the Coalition, refusing to fall for the trickery of the trap even though we offered a variety of feline delights and waited for hours. We still consider the operation to be successful despite his lack of cooperation and plan to return for Greystoke with a drop trap.

A Suprise Something Wonderful

The Coalition had company during a Valentine's Day trapping project in the form of a mural by friend Elia Gurna. This sight made us smile real big like as it was an unexpected first time experience of the piece.

A Professional Public Servant

Coalition founder and TNR director Nicole Ganas takes a brief (and rare) moment to herself before heading to the West side of town for a humane trapping project.

The Day As Done

The Coalition worked late into the night preparing for Sunday's TNR project. We're ready to do some good work for the feline and human members of the Beacon community. The Coalition has actually been doing TNR in Beacon for nearly the last year and hopes to move forward on a humane animal control program it has proposed to the City.

Preparations

The Coalition was cleaning cages and coordinating logistics today for a small TNR project in the West end of town on the designated day of love. This is an out of pocket operation that has been made possible by facilitation from AWAN, transportation from volunteers Marc Schreibman and Willie Olivencia, and a space donation from Momir Guzijan in cooperation with The Beacon Group and the Beacon Chamber of Commerce. We are grateful to know these kind folk as a part of our community partner family and look forward to developing a stronger presence of public support by and for the Beacon community.

The Not So Thug Life

Poppy's owner and funny guy Paul Yeaple came up with a clever street sign for the Coalition. We're not a gang, but we do like the concept of a softer sign language for the streets.

The Brewing of Big Plans

The Coalition signed up for the 4th annual Beacon Barks today. We're thrilled to be a part of the festival and parade. Thank you, Beacon Barkery, for creating this community event.

The Us and You of We

The Community Cat Coalition is a grassroots initiative. We look forward to the participation of Beacon community members towards improving the quality of life for all us beings, both the human and the feline kind.

Checking In

One aspect of TNR is colony management which involves a designated Caregiver who provides food, shelter and monitoring on a regular basis. The Coalition assists Caregivers in Beacon with the making and maintenance of winter shelters. Shelters range in materials and design and can be handmade or pre-made, but the fundamental elements remain the same : stable, insulated and weatherproof. It is important to check the shelters regularly, especially when extreme weather conditions are present. The Coalition made its rounds yesterday after the big snow storm, checking and clearing off snow. All the structures were in good shape, with this shelter offering a surprise inside (a cat).

Help for Helping Hands

We just discovered The Citizen's Handbook and feel inspired by its presence and its vast offering of resources.

Super Punch Power

The Coalition loves this t-shirt design Ray Freden created for his wife's TNR charity.

The Arrival of Isolator

Today marks the arrival of the much anticipated pair of Isolators. Isolators are used as standard TNR practice with humane traps as a means of gaining access to occupied traps safely for feeding, cleaning or medical attention.

Doing Business As

The Coalition was officially entered into one of the lovely big books of records at the Dutchess County Clerk's Office today. We are excited to be a part of history.

Giving the Gimme of Shelter

Photo by Lee Friedlander

The Coalition is in desperate need of donated space for its TNR projects. A dedicated space loan is ideal so we don't have to constantly hustle for space, but we will gladly accept any suitable temporary space that is offered. Our goal is to sterilize and vaccinate the stray and feral cat population as swiftly as possible considering the rapid reproduction rate of felines.

Lack of staging space has been an ongoing issue in moving forward on beginning TNR efforts. Please consider donating extra or unused space on a temporary or long term basis if you have or have access to or knowledge of any that can be spared. The longer the project work is postponed, the more risk there is for the population to grow, especially considering Kitten Season is right around the corner.

What is involved with using a space?
Cats humanely trapped as part of TNR efforts will need approximately 5 days contained indoors per project to prepare for and recover from spay and neuter surgeries before release. Cats remain in covered cages lined for comfort on a folding table for the entire duration of time held in the space and handled only by specially trained volunteers. The cats remain remarkably calm and quiet. A specially trained volunteer who is required to sign a liability release will need to access the space 2x per day for feeding and cleaning (AM and PM).

Safety of the cats and the people handling them is the utmost priority of the Coalition. Precautions are taken to ensure the space does not get damaged (odor, stains, etc.) in any way. Our operations are minimal, meticulous orchestrated, contained, safe, clean and considerate. The Coalition supplies all materials for the projects (staging equipment, food, cleaning supplies, etc.).

What kind of space is needed for a TNR project?
The size of the space depends on the scope of the project. Trapping entire colonies at once is the ideal approach to TNR. However, that is not always possible due to resource constraints. Currently, the average size of Coalition TNR projects is based on 3 to 6 cats per project. Considering this, the donated space could be the size of a small bedroom, garage or basement. And it doesn't have to be pretty. However, the space does need to be contained, have electricity and access to a sink. If heat is not possible during the cold months, the space is potentially still viable with free standing heaters. There is an ideal space scenario and then there is the reality of what is available to us. We're flexible.

We beg you to help if you can. Please contact the Coalition for more details.

Of Muse and Mascot

Have a clever mind or any experience with sewing or costume design? Well, then, the Coalition needs your help to design a mascot costume. Unusual or unexpected scrap materials are preferred. Kindly contact the Coalition if you are interested in putting your creative powers towards this fun and forward project.

The Short of A Long Hold

Time with one of the many wonderful cats available for adoption at the Dutchess County SPCA during a drop off for a feral spay appointment as part of Coalition TNR efforts. Rescuers have to rise early and sometimes travel far for these precious appointments. Assistance is limited as there is an overwhelming demand for low cost spay and neuter assistance for stray and feral cats. Big thanks to Jack of All Visual Trades and Coalition volunteer Marc Schreibman for providing transport and documentation.

Dirty Hands

A still moment captured during a long day of winter shelter construction. Coalition founder Nicole Ganas got the chance to use a jig saw for the first time. She now looks for any opportunity to use the tool.

What The Heck is TNR?

Trap Neuter Return (TNR) is a method of controlling community cat populations. Using this technique, all the feral cats in a colony (family) are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies, ear tipped for identification and then returned to their home territory where they are fed, sheltered and monitored by a designated Caregiver. Whenever possible, kittens and friendly, adoptable adults are removed from the colony and offered for adoption.

Why TNR? Twenty years of evidence shows that trap and kill programs are not effective population control methods for community cats. The remaining cats will breed, the euthanized cats will quickly be replaced, and then those cats will breed. TNR has proven to be the most effective method of reducing the number of community cats in a specific area. It stops the problem because it stops the breeding. The caregivers provide day to day monitoring of the colonies so that any newcomers can be quickly trapped and sterilized.

TNR also saves taxpayers money. Without TNR, there is an endless stream of cats being brought to municipal shelters, where most of them are euthanized. TNR eliminates the cost to the public of maintaining and euthanizing the cats.

TNR is also good for neighborhoods. Neutering reduces nuisance behavior like late night howling, roaming and marking of territory (by spraying urine). Any negative impact of the cats is further reduced as the number of cats decreases. Caregivers can help resolve any cat-related conflicts by educating their neighbors about the effectiveness of TNR and providing humane cat deterrents, which keep cats away from areas where they are not wanted.

The Idea of Identity

Deep gratitude to Thundercut for a brilliant logo design that beautifully communicates the harmony and positive change the Coalition is looking to promote within the Beacon community.

A Beginning for Beacon

The Coalition has created a TNR program for Beacon in an effort to help the free roaming stray and feral cat overpopulation crisis. There are currently about 25 colony sites and almost 150 cats (and counting) in Beacon that need assistance. A tremendous amount of community support is needed to successfully resolve the issue. Please contact the Coalition if you are interested in volunteering time, service or donations towards a proactive and compassion based sustainable animal control program. Your community needs you.