Yearly Totals

The year of 1998 has finally come to a close and the rescue tally is in for the year.

A.S./A.P. in 1998 rescued 2 rabbits, 1 squirrel, 1 raccoon, 3 birds, 1 turtle, 1 deer, 1 dog, 1 goat, and finally 1 horse. Also rescued were 105 cats. Yes, we include stray cats as rescues.

Of the 117 rescued animals seventy were adopted, 18 were euthanized because of disease, injuries, or temperament, 5 were treated and released, 2 were taken to licensed wildlife rehabilitators, 8 were returned to their owners, and unfortunately, 2 died of their injuries despite our best efforts.

Obviously, our number of rescued animals decreases every year, which is good! This is mainly due to the neuter/spay policies of A.S./A.P. and the Monroe County Humane Society.

Any discrepancy between rescue and result numbers means the animals are still with us along with a lot of cats taken in since January of 1999.

Neuter/Spay Clinic

Saturday, January 23rd, 1999 A.S./A.P. held its first bi-monthly low cost neuter/spay clinic. Boy, was this event ever a hit. Nineteen cats were either neutered or spayed in one day.

When you do the math in national averages, which says one cat alone can be responsible for the birth of over 7,000 kittens (because their kittens have kittens, who have kittens, etc.) there will now be 210,000 cats which will not be born in the next ten years because of our efforts in one day.

We were able to present this neuter/spay clinic to the public at a rate of $15.00 for a neuter and $25.00 for a spay. I understand that the March 6 clinic is already booked.

This very successful and effective clinic was due mainly to the efforts of a very few A.S./A.P. members. Dr. Esta Parrish of Esta's Mobile Veterinary Service from Wilton was the attending veterinarian, Marge was the attending veterinarians' technician, Joanne's organizational skills were taxed to the fullest to put this all together, and Rhea kindly made her new home available for the site of the clinic. Georgette, Rhea, and Rose Mary acted as gofers and basically hung around all day to make themselves available if needed. Mostly these three were just hanging around issuing sounds like gee, wow, and yuch! when it came to the surgery.

Wish List

We are often asked for a wish list. Actually, our day-to-day operations are well supported at this level. We are still working on getting a computer (three have been donated so far, none of which was actually functional). We need a hard drive right now, 486 or above.

Currently we need to purchase a supply of cardboard carriers to give to our adopters when they don't own a carrier. We will not release a cat unless it is in a crate of some kind, and it is hard for people to remember to return the plastic ones. A case costs $70.00 with shipping and handling.

Also, we have been considering tatooing neuter/spays. This equipment is expensive, but if we begin a feral cat program of catch, neuter and release, we will need to mark the animals some how so we don't repeat unnecessary surgeries. Also, at that time we will need professional capture equipment and cages.

There is no formal feral cat program in the state of Wisconsin as far as we can tell, so we will need to do considerable research and make some contacts with organizations with ongoing programs. This is definitely a possibility for a grant program.

Special Homes For Needy Kitties

Recently we have accepted two older cats into our program. One is a ten year old Siamese cross, male, neutered. He has beautiful blue eyes and a very distinctive color. He is friendly but confused. He was living in a home where he had a close relationship with a Yorkie and when the dog died he slipped into a depression.

He stopped eating and when his owner tried to introduce a puppy into the house after two months, he became very aggressive with the puppy and continued to grieve.He has started to eat again with us, but is having a hard time adjusting to the cattery environment. He needs a home that will understand his needs right now and is willing to nurture him through a tough time. His general health is good and he has all his shots.

The second cat is a fourteen year old male, cream tabby. He is neutered and declawed. He was surrendered because his owner has had serious medical problems including a liver transplant. He didn't want to put the cat down, but couldn't keep him. The story was in the Sparta newspaper on Monday, February 15 (thanks Diane).

He needs a home with a man. He has lived with the same young man for his entire life and is very frightened right now. We are doing the best we can for him, but he really is miserable. Eventually I hope to have him live loose in the house at the cattery, but it looks like that is going to be a long time happening. He lets men pet him and relaxes when they speak to him. He is making slow progress, but a quiet home with patient people would be a miracle for him.

We also have five (!) female shorthair cats that are either very shy or who really would prefer to live without other cats in the house. Three black cats were outdoor cats and have made a nice adjustment to living indoors, but are still a little overwhelmed by the number of cats and commotion at the cattery. Two of the cats are extremely friendly with people, but don't appreciate all the feline companionship they are getting. They all get along fine with the dog. If you know anyone who could give a quiet home to one or more of these cats, please tell them about our girls.

Upcoming Programs/Events

According to our by-laws, annual dues are to be paid by July 1st of each year. The dues for 1999 remain the same, $10.00 for yearly membership, $150.00 for lifetime membership. Check your label. If it has a 98 on it, you have a yearly membership. If it has a LT, that signifies a lifetime membership and no payment is necessary. If there is nothing, you are an interested person (we hope) and if you want to join, please use the membership form attached to this and future newsletters.

The annual meeting will be held sometime in early July. As soon as we have picked a date and place we will let you all know.

We are planning to assist at the La Crosse dog show again this year. We will need trained people for the first weekend in August, both days, for outside ring stewards and also this year for pooper picker-uppers. Ring stewards will be trained before the show, pooper picker-uppers will get on-the-job training. You can volunteer for both days, for one day or for a morning or afternoon.

Last October Joanne and Rosanne went to Ghoulies in the Coulees at Norskdalen. We were very impressed with the program and would like to do something like that as a fund raiser for A.S./A.P. We need a name for our event, so we are having a contest. Anyone with a suggestion should send it in before the annual meeting. Also, we need people to collect glass jars, candle stubs, and real pumpkins for decorations and lighting. We will hold the event at Rosanne and Steve's near Cataract. More details will follow as plans are formalized. This could be lots of fun.

Rescuers Needed

Several of the people who have been helping to transport or with actual rescues of animals are no longer able to help because of physical or schedule problems. We still need several volunteers who would be available either during day or evening hours so that we can create a telephone roster to be used during emergencies. If you can help at all, please call 269-3525 and leave your name and when you would be able to help. We don't have a lot of emergencies, but of course it's important to be able to respond quickly when the time comes. This has always been an important part of the service we provide the county. New helpers will be sent out with experienced people, so don't be afraid to volunteer. This is one of the most rewarding aspects of A.S./A.P.