Rescues for 1998

Current to 22 June A.S./A.P. has rescued 2 rabbits, 1 squirrel, 1 raccoon, 2 birds, 1 turtle, and 68 cats and kittens. Of theses animals the results were: 1 rabbit (wild) was treated and released, 1 rabbit (domestic) was returned to its owner, the squirrel was rested and then released, 1 bird was turned over to a rehabilitator and 1 bird and the raccoon were euthanized because of their injuries (per the DNR), the turtle was assisted across a dangerous road and released in the marsh it was (hopefully) trying to get to, 5 kittens or cats were returned to their owners, 6 were euthanized because they had FIV/FLEUK, 3 were euthanized because they were very nasty, 2 died of illness, and happily 30 cats and kittens were adopted to new homes.

A.S./A.P. now is maintaining approximately 31 cats and kittens in the cattery. Any disparity in the numbers is due to the fact that some (as few as possible) kittens are born in the cattery.

Membership Applications

Please fill out your membership application and mail it in this month with your annual $10.00 membership. Remember that last year at the annual meeting attending members voted to enforce the $10.00 annual dues and therefore we must maintain a due date.

Unfortunately we have had to set a July 31, 1998 deadline for membership renewals. This means that unless you have renewed you will no longer be eligible for feeless pet adoptions. Hopefully in the near future A.S./A.P. members will be eligible for reduced fees for some veterinary services (working on it, anyway).

Please, please renew your membership by the end of July and thereby help us defray some of our expenses. Remember all fees collected are used strictly for the welfare of animals! Thanks! Check your label, if there is a "98" or "LT" (lifetime) on the label you are good to go. If you paid and it's not on your label, drop us a note or call us; we'll fix our list.

Thank You

Four very important thank you's are needed here today. As most of you know, Georgette, A.S./A.P.'s President, had a stroke in April and since then has not been able to participate in A.S./A.P. work as thoroughly as she used to or would like to. Four names particularly stand out from the several members who have assisted with A.S./A.P. work.

Carol has really been a great help with applying medications, inoculations, and the general health of the cats in the cattery.

Trish has been extremely helpful during the recent fund raisers and parades. She even put out and mailed and editorialized the June 1998 Bulletin.

Vicki has devoted many a recent hour in the cattery working with the cats and cleaning the cages. Invaluable work. Vicky really needs help too; there are usually 25-30 cats and kittens residing regularly in the cattery and that is a lot of work. If you can help call 269-3525.

Last but not least, of course, is Joanne, Treasurer of A.S./A.P. and Georgette's sister. Poor Joanne has had to step in and handle almost all the adoptions of cats and kittens, worked on cleaning the cattery, feeding and medicating the animals in the morning (5 a.m.), typing and mailing out most of the bulletins, managing and working at the parades and fund raisers, etc., etc., etc.

Can anyone out there help ease her burden by devoting a little volunteer time (maybe with the yard sale)? She is starting to look a little pooped! Call 269-3525 to help.

Yard Sale

Georgette plans if possible to hold a yard sale on Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 6-8. Hopefully, this will be an absolutely huge sale making lots of money because all proceeds will be donated equally to A.S./A.P. and the Sparta St. Clare mission.

If any of you can donate any goods to the sale please feel free to call Georgette at 269-3525. Try not to call before the last week of July, though. Just wanted to give you ample opportunity to think of what you can donate. Thanks.

Annual Meeting And Workday

The annual member meeting will be on Sunday, July 19, 1998, starting at 2:00 p.m. at the home and yard of Joanne, Margaret and Georgette.

This will be a combined annual meeting, work party (we're going to put patio blocks under a donated outdoor cat run in the back yard) and picnic supper and bar-b-que.

Please plan to bring a plate to pass, your own dishes and utensils and work clothes. Beverages will be provided.

A.S./A.P. Bulletin Policy

From now on as a service for our membership any member who is planning to have a garage sale, auction, or whatever, who will donate at least twenty five percent (25%) of the proceeds for the event to ANY non-profit charity will be published in advance in the A.S./A.P. bulletin if submitted.

Remember to submit the information regarding your event (charitable) well in advance of the actual event date because the bulletin is only issued once a month and that can be any day of a month when someone has time to publish it.

Message From The President

I have not spoken (or written) directly to the A.S./A.P. membership since April 8, 1998, when I had a stroke. I have decided to take this opportunity to speak to you as a group rather than to a few individuals about two subject near and dear to my heart. The first subject, of course, is A.S./A.P. and the work it does and the people engaged in this work.

A.S./A.P. and its members have helped over 1,500 animals in Monroe County in the last five years. That is an absolutely fantastic record. Each and every one of you deserves applause and rewards for your part in this work. Of Course we have much work to do yet, advances and improvements to make, because we are just a fledgling group and very young compared with most groups doing similar work.

I look forward to many more years of continuing our important work with all of you.

The second subject I wish to discuss with A.S./A.P. members via this letter is the very important work done by an A.S./A.P. member, Dr. Patricia Raftery, with the Sparta St. Clare mission.

While St. Clare's mission is for people of low income with no insurance, it is very related to the work that A.S./A.P. does in that one of the largest problems that animal shelters in America have is the pets of low income families (and this includes the "working poor"). More and more shelters are being deluged with animals that people can no longer afford to feed and care for. A person cannot be expected to raise the funds necessary to inoculate their animals, let alone neuter/spay them, when that person cannot even manage to raise the funds to feed their children or meet their medical needs.

While not always a popular opinion, it is never the less my opinion that "poor people" most desperately need a pet. They need something to love and understand them and they most definitely will not be receiving this from other people.

Anyway, to get back to the subject at hand, people through St. Clare's mission are given free ($10.00 donation asked if the patient can afford it) medical attention and medication with very few questions asked.

If you need a personal account (witnessing?), I will relate my personal experience. When I had my stroke, I had no insurance and very little income. Through Dr. Raftery and St. Clare's I was put in contact with some people who were and are helping me with the hospital and clinic bills, over $6,000.00 for 2½ days of hospital stay. Since that time St. Clare's has borne the brunt of my medical and prescription needs (extensive).

Now I am scheduled for major surgery on July 2nd of the year (gonna clean out my arteries) during which time I am sure I will be once again depending on St. Clare's of Sparta.

By donating to St. Clare's you can help needy people and by helping people you indirectly help their animals. Any donation of monies can be sent to St. Clare Mission of Sparta, Main and K Streets, Sparta, WI 54656, or if you prefer, to A.S./A.P., P.O. Box 101, Sparta, WI 54656 designated for St. Clare's Mission and I will happily forward the donation for you.

I'm personally going to ask a favor of all those of you who would be sending flowers or get well cards to me for my upcoming surgery to instead any monies you would be spending as a donation to A.S./A.P. or St. Clare's of Sparta. Even if you would only be sending a 50¢ card that would be 82¢ (32¢ for a stamp) that either group didn't have before. And, yes, this means that even though I am often not very nice to people, I do really like them as well as other animals.

Well, this letter is getting very long and certainly reveals a lot about myself that I never intended to reveal to anyone. That ought to be worth a few bucks! Ha!

Talk to you later.         Georgette

FYI - we are currently receiving between 10-15 calls a day on the A.S./A.P. telephone line. Unfortunately most of the calls are people wanting us to take their kittens. We turn down approximately 5 people a week and still remain at full capacity.