A Noble Kind of Name

The third and lone babe was named Noble, and he was insistent on living. We were all too eager to help meet his demands. It's been a physically and emotionally exhausting few days for the both of us.

The Lessons of Loss

Everything seemed to be going well until two of the babes perished suddenly and unexpectedly. Early one morning during the daily routine we discovered one of the babes had perished with the other taking its last breathes and the third fighting for his little life. This was a deeply devastating and heartbreaking situation we were desperately trying to save. Nora, who was a very young mama cat, apparently stopped nursing for reasons unknown. In an effort to save the third kitten, he was removed from mama and monitored closely being nursed by hand day in and out.

The Desperate Save for Lives

There was a total of six kittens rescued as part of the TNR project at Bob's. One set was comprised of three newborn kittens (pictured above when first found) who were rescued with their mama named Nora. The plan was to let mama nurse the babes to term then TNR her and place the kittens up for adoption. However, nature had other plans in mind.

The Complication of Kittens

During the trapping at Bob's, we discovered two sets of kittens that complicated matters quite a bit. The first set of three were days old and were discovered with their mama underneath a bed comforter. A stressed and feral mama ran off and hid, but we eventually were able to reunite her with her babes. The second set of three kittens who were about a week old, were found alone and crying tucked behind a bed. The orphaned kittens were fortunate to be placed into foster care with PANT while the younger kittens and their mama were placed in the care of friends Christine and Rick Price. The Coalition is deeply grateful to both PANT and the Price family for their spontaneous support.

Documenting The Bob Project

The TNR project at Bob's was challenging on many levels and involved trapping cats both in and outside of the house. One might think trapping in a contained environment is easy, but it proved to be far more difficult than we could have ever imagined.

A Bob of A Big Day

The Coalition prepared for a big project to help an ill and elderly gentleman named Bob. It took us a while to finally take action due to an assortment of complications including lack of staging space and funding. The overall goal is to help 14 to 16 cats that comprise the colony. Ideally, the colony would be trapped at once, but this is not possible due to limited resources. Thus, the project will be broken out into two phases with the first one targeting 8 cats.

Taking It To The Streets

Dear friend and mad talented artist Elia Gurna designed a fun flier for the Coalition. We love the flier and we love Elia and her family. Keep an eye out for us around town as our public presence is being launched.

Action No. 2

As we were waiting in the reception area of Antalek & Moore today to price out liability insurance we can't afford, we felt inspired while thumbing through the book titled How to Make the World a Better Place. 116 Ways You Can Make a Difference by Linda Catling and Jeffrey Hollender. Action number two was particularly uplifting especially as we have been feeling overwhelmed by our recent efforts in Beacon due to lack of community support. Agent Kathleen Sanford was a further source of inspiration. And hope.

Easton and Cutout Cat the Friend

 

Easton and his family are strong supporters of the Coalition. Mama Weise has designed and hand made the coolest of cat shelters and Papa Weise has cleverly designed the identity for the Coalition. We think they are the cats meow.

Playing Playback

The Coalition was a proud guest and volunteer table sitter for AWAN at the "Animal Companions" performance by Hudson River Playback Theatre at the Woodstock Community Center. It was an inspiring experience. Thank you, AWAN and Players for the warm invitation.

Clinic Day at Kingston

 It was an early rise for the Coalition as we had a long drive to the Ulster County SPCA in Kingston for appointments at their spay and neuter clinic. Before getting in the car, we have to prep the cats in the holding space. Prepping the cats involves making sure the traps are clean and lined with fresh newspaper and fresh linens covering the traps. Coalition volunteers Willie and Fran generously offered to transport us and the cats to our destination that is about 45 minutes North of Beacon.

Willie is a dedicated volunteer who rises to any call for help. The Coalition is grateful to have him and his wonderful wife Fran as members.

The UCSPCA clinic is run by Mary Ellen who is one of the best beings in the world. The clinic is well organized and comprised of a highly skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate staff. 

 

The cats are staged in room and carefully labeled with information that includes clear identification of the rescuer and the individual cat's sex, coloring and services to be performed. The cats are dropped off for intake between 8:00 and 8:30 AM and picked up between 4:30 and 5:00 PM.

 The clinic happens twice a week and is open to both rescuers and the general public.

There is a variety of amusing artwork around the clinic that we couldn't resist photographing.

It costs the Coalition on average $50 per cat for neutering and rabies vaccination. There are additional vet expenses often incurred such as medication and treatment for sick or injured cats and testing and further vaccination for adoptable cats that will be placed into homes. Then there are expenses for a variety of supplies for trapping and care for the cats while they are with us in the holding space for about a week for each project. It all adds up to a lot and a lot is something we don't have.

Finding Bob

The Coalition has been distressed about a colony issue involving an elderly Caregiver named Bob who was recently admitted into a managed care facility after having surgery to amputate a leg due to circulation issues. Bob cares for a colony of 14 cats. He started out with 2 about a year ago. We've been  desperately trying to reach Bob for weeks but were finally able to get in touch with a family member who we will be working with to TNR and relocate some of the cats to a barn in Ghent.

TNR and The Ticking Clock

Last week, we loaded up a loaned vehicle for our second project staged out of the Beacon Chamber of Commerce space. The Coalition owns a couple traps with the rest being borrowed from a variety of sources near and far. Sourcing loaned traps can be a stressful aspect of the work as there aren't any local trap banks to borrow from.

 The recent TNR project involved humanely trapping a high visibility colony on the West side of town. Once arriving at the project site, the traps are prepared with bait and covers then placed in a variety of areas around the home base of the colony and set. Once the traps are baited, placed and set, it' a waiting game. Sometimes it takes minutes for the cats to respond but more commonly takes hours. The Coalition is working on a long list of TNR projects scheduled to be done a bi-weekly basis as an aggressive (but humane) approach to resolving the cat overpopulation crisis in Beacon. The clock is ticking and Kitten Season is upon us.

Ernie With A Different Burt

Ernie, who was once Buddy then Earnest, was an abandoned cat forced to endure life on the streets until the Coalition recently humanely trapped, neutered and vaccinated him as part of our TNR efforts in Beacon. He was clearly far too friendly to be returned to his colony and Caregiver so was placed up for adoption. Ernie now happily lives with Ed the mechanic at his shop where he greets customers on a daily basis. Graham Goodman, one of the Coalition's youngest members, recently enjoyed afternoon snack time with Ernie. The two became fast friends.

The Wonder of Wonderful Beings

We had the pleasure of meeting Goldee Greene of Beacon Free Press and her handsome boy Bagel at the Beacon Chamber of Commerce event today. They are a dynamic duo the Coalition is proud to know.

Walking Donation

The Coalition received a generous donation from stand up citizen Michael and his faithful companion Lola as we were passing one another on Main Street. Thank you, good beings.

Cutting Ribbon

The Coalition celebrated the opening of the Beacon Chamber of Commerce space on Main Street today. It was a glorious day with a big turnout and we met some remarkable members of the Beacon community. The Chamber of Commerce and the Beacon Group in cooperation with Momir Guzijan generously loan this space to us for our TNR projects as we currently lack a dedicated space of our own. The Coalition is deeply grateful for their support as without it, we would not be able to do our work in and for the Beacon community.

Prep and The Plot

We are exhausted but happy from a long day of prep for a TNR project and filming for a PSA about the Coalition. Physical prep for a TNR project usually takes a couple of days, depending on the scope but coordination can take weeks especially as we currently lack a dedicated space and resources. The Coalition is working with Super 9 Films on the PSA.

Check Your Bread

The Coalition recently received an unexpected donation from a couple of fine Beacon citizens. We are touched by their kind gesture. It's our first donation in check form which we are quite excited about it. 

Sexy Beast

Friends of the Coalition generously loaned us their ueber trap for our upcoming TNR project. This beauty has the best back door and is a trap we hope to have as our standard trap someday. They are costly at about $65 each but worth every little penny due to their practical and safe design.

Preparation for Project

The Coalition is preparing for another project to be staged at the Beacon Chamber of Commerce space on Main Street. We picked up our preferred dry food from Blue Seal as one of our standard supplies. At $14.99 for a 32 pound bag, it's quite the deal for a good quality food. The Coalition gratefully accepts food donations of this (or any) kind. Please email us should you be interested in making a contribution.

Catman

At Your Service

During our rounds to check colony sites around town during the snow storm, we came across an amusing contrast of a sight that inspired us. The Coalition works in a volunteer capacity on behalf of the betterment of the Beacon community. We are committed to a similar creed as the postal service... "Neither rain nor snow, nor sleet nor dark of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds".

Somethings of A Storm

 

Beacon had a bully of a guest recently in the form of a Winter storm that brutalized the city over the course of a few days. Once the storm settled down, The Coalition visited various colony sites around town to check on the cats and their feeding and shelter stations. Some of the sites were difficult to access due to the magnitude of snow but we forged our way forth through it to clear access.

We waded through waist high snow to reach this feeding station on the East side of town that was buried under a tree weighed down by the dense snow accumulation.

This shelter was buried under nearly four feet of snow and was a challenge to get to.

The Present of A Post

 

The Coalition recently established a post office box at the Beacon Post Office. We are excited to have a new residence to receive mail at.