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| NEWS » SUMMER 2003 | |||||||||||||
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With the return of summer we, once again, have kittens coming out of our ears. Much as we love them there are just too many, and too few homes, for even the combined resources of all the rescue groups to adequately deal with. If you have friends or neighbours who intend to let their cat have "just one litter" with the promise of good homes from friends and family, remind them that each kitten they produce takes a home away from a needy stray. If you know anyone who has an unneutered stray or feral cat, please remind them of the C4 neutering scheme. Have a happy and relaxing summer and don't forget to call in to the Dog Show on lst June.
AGM 2003 - 22 March 2003 - Doreen RolphOur 2003 AGM was a particularly enjoyable and well-attended one. Business matters were rapidly concluded and we were pleased to report a healthy balance of income over expenditure. We are sad, though, to say goodbye to our Treasurer, Pat Brosnan, who is retiring and going back to live on the Isle of Wight where she has strong family ties. The charity has benefited enormously from her expertise and common sense and her knowledge of the workings of a charity. We shall miss her lovely cats too - though we are concerned about the ferry's floating capacity once Skip and Chip get on board! Marilyn Dyson, one of our fieldworkers, was elected to the position of Trustee falling vacant on the committee. The remaining trustees were re-elected to serve another year.There followed a most informative and entertaining talk on foxes by Trevor Williams of The Fox Project - ably assisted by Smokey Joe, our Jumble Hall cat, who thought everyone had turned up just to admire him. He was particularly interested in the part when Trevor was talking about the relationship between foxes and cats. We are very grateful to Trevor for travelling all the way from Tunbridge, Kent to talk to us. Before finishing off with tea, we had the opportunity to admire all the pictures of cats entered in our Photographic Competition and congratulate the owners. Lovely, and a very impressive standard. Also, a big thank you to Pat Tuson for devoting such a lot of time and effort to make it a success.
Cat Photographic Competition - Pat TusonOur 2003 Cat Photographic Competition was a great success with almost 170 photos entered; most of these were in the Portrait Class. We had cats and kittens of every size, breed and colour and sometimes the owners appeared in the shots as well. AA&A's rescued cats were well represented. The judges, local vet Carole Hill, photographer Jacqui Gagan and environmental activist Chris Ashby had a difficult task choosing the winners from so many lovely cats.All the photographs entered were displayed at the charity's AGM and the guest speaker Trevor Williams of The Fox Proiect presented the winners with prizes.
1st Prize: Portraits
2nd Prize: Portraits
3rd Prize (Joint): Portraits
3rd Prize (Joint): Portraits
1st Prize: Cats in Action
2nd Prize: Cats in Action
3rd Prize: Cats in Action
1st Prize: Cats and People
2nd Prize: Cats and People
3rd Prize: Cats and People Congratulations to the above and a big thank you to everybody who entered.
The Fox Project - AGM report - Karen HeathWe were delighted to welcome Trevor Williams from The Fox Project who gave a very informative and entertaining talk with many interesting facts and stories about the fox.One of The Fox Project's many successes is that they have persuaded 3/4 of councils to refer fox problem calls to them rather than pest control. In this way, sensible advice can be given on deterrence or rescue. Trevor said that the deterrence part of their work is so important that if they had to choose between rescue or deterrence, they would concentrate on the latter. There are approximately 600,000 foxes in Britain at this time of year but by December, the number will drop to 250,000. Only 1 in 5 cubs will survive its first year. Consequently, the fox population is self controlling and cannot overpopulate. The public when calling about abandoned cubs, often don't know what they are and they have variously been described as puppies, kittens, rats, water-voles and even baby otters! Sometimes cubs have to be hand-reared, which is a difficult task so it is always preferable, when possible, to find the mother. When in care, orphaned and abandoned cubs are usually kept in groups of 5, to mirror nature. Even though they could be unrelateds the cubs readily accept each other and are eventually released as a family group. When the health of a cub is in question, it is kept in isolation but will happily snuggle up to a soft toy! Trevor pointed out that, contrary to the advice of some other charities, a cub should never be left where it is as it could be ill. If in doubt, always contact The Fox Project. Vixens will sometimes abandon a poorly cub but with intervention, the problem can often be treatable. It could be something like calcium deficiency or disabled limbs and it's possible to do something that the vixen could not. Mange is treatable with a homeopathic medication, Arsenicum and Sulphur, but if left untreated can become chronic and prove fatal. The remedy is available from Helios on 01892 536393 and can be easily administered on honey sandwiches as foxes have a sweet tooth! Trevor talked about foxes being unwelcome in some gardens and with 95% of urban foxes being born under sheds, the first people know of it, is when the cubs emerge on the first warm weekend of the year. Foxes are attracted to flower beds, particularly when certain fertilizers are used and will dig, as it equates the smell with buried food. Trevor suggested Renardine as a good repellent. Foxes also bury food which is why gardeners may come across a buried lasagne or discarded egg under the pansies! To deter digging, a preparation called "Get off my Garden" can be used as well as a product called "Scoot." All these repellents are safe to use. As well as during the breeding season early in the year, foxes can be very noisy in Summer and the police are often called as they make the most incredible sounds. One woman decided that the resulting noise must be a fight between a squirrel, an owl and a seagull! These noises however, are normal fox behaviour and nothing to be alarmed about. Foxes are wimps by nature and will not risk a fight with a cat or dog. Cats have sharp claws and foxes do not. Although foxes do hunt small animals, they are lazy and prefer the constant and ample supply of food from our bin bags. Trevor related many tales of foxes living harmoniously with other animals including cats, dogs, rabbits and pheasants. Even so, the fox is an opportunist and it remains our responsibility to protect those animals in our care that could naturally be prey, by housing them securely and out of temptation's way. Don't blame the fox!
The Fox Project: 01732 367397
A Shaggy Fox Story - Doreen RolphWe have heard that foxes are inquisitive, acquisitive creatures and I have had experience of this. I feed foxes in my garden and use a yellow enamel plate for this purpose. One morning last summer when I went to collect the empty plate, it had disappeared completely. No chance of a human taking it, the garden gate is locked. A few weeks later the plate, empty, but dirty, reappeared in the feeding area. I resumed using it. A couple of weeks later it vanished again - and was returned some weeks later and has been in use ever since!
My Experience of Foxes - Benita Dyal"They kill birds and small animals you know" she said. "Well of course they do" I replied, "they can't go to Sainsburys." (She was eating chicken!!!)I've also heard it said that foxes kill cats. I'll give you an instance of fox behaviour as observed by myself. In the evening I provide food for the foxes who live in the field covering what was Gondar Gardens Reservoir. One evening I threw food over the fence as usual and the first animal to appear was one of the local feral cats. It started to eat when one of the foxes arrived. The cat turned and looked at the fox who stopped short then turned and went away. Definitely not a cat killer. A dog owning acquaintance one day noticed a fox in his garden. It saw him but it didn't run away, just watched. Eventually it decided to leave but when it got as far as the fence it returned, cheekily picked up one of the dog's toys and trotted off. I know a few people who live on upper floors overlooking the field have the pleasure of watching the fox families and cubs at play. Regretfully, I am not one of them but it puts a smile on my face to see them waiting for me in the evening. I don't hang around to watch. They are very shy and only a few are bold enough to come and take the food whilst they can see or smell me. I suppose the down side of living in close proximity to them is the noise they make at night. They certainly quarrel amongst themselves and when they are feeling amorous - oh dear!
FundraisingSummer is a busy time for fundraising, with all the summer fairs and fetes taking place, but the hard work continues at our charity shops, which provide our funding throughout the year.The East Finchley shop stocks a full range of high class clothes, bric a brac, books, children's toys and household items and has recently been refurbished to a high standard (thanks to Reg Wagland for all his hard work). It is open until 4.15 during the week but would attract a large number of customers in the early evening if we could find the volunteer staff to cover this period. Similarly, it is closed on Sundays, not due to lack of demand but lack of staff - could you help? Our team of friendly volunteers would always be willing to tell you more - why not call in and have a chat? The bookshop in Blackstock Road is rapidly earning a reputation for being one of the best stocked bookshops in London, charity or otherwise, and the friendly staff are always keen to help track down a particular book. More volunteers here would also enable us to extend our opening hours, particularly in the evenings and at weekends.
The Eternal DilemmaEvery animal welfare charity faces a dreadful choice: should resources be targeted at the bigger problem and choices be made on the basis of numbers or should we be allocating resources to the individual case, the suffering animal with a face and, sometimes, a name.As charities become increasingly sophisticated and knowledgeable, this decision becomes even more difficult. On a cost/benefit analysis we should be funding only neutering and re-homing of those animals for whom we can find a place easily. Since there are always more animals than homes, how can we justify trying to rehabilitate and re-home the old, shy, aggressive, suspicious, disabled or just plain difficult. They will always cost more than they are "worth" and it can never make economic sense to waste our scarce and precious resources, human and financial, on such labour- and cost-intensive cases. And yet we do. Often these animals are the product of cruelty, neglect or ignorance. Rarely have they sought the position they have found themselves in and always we can make a difference to their lives. They are rarely grateful and not always co-operative but it is usually a matter of patience and perseverance to arrive at a solution. We find it hard to accept that euthanasia could be all we have to offer them and have, in the past, provided a short period of happiness after a lifetime of misery and considered it time and money well spent. We hope that our continued efforts with the more difficult cats are a demonstration of our acceptance of responsibility for their situations, and not of misplaced or misguided sentimentality. As a charity we respect and understand the actions of our fellow charities and welfare workers, working so hard to attempt to solve the larger problem, and we want to be a part of this too, but we also would like to continue to divert part of our funds to these more expensive cases who do little to dent the flood of unwanted animals and can only be judged "successful" on an individual basis. It is our hope that we can continue to do both but we would like to know your views. It is our membership, volunteers and customers who fund our work and we need to know that we are acting in accordance with your wishes. Let us have your views, informally or for future publication, as you wish, to 16 Ingram Road London NW6 1DE or by fax to 020 7419 9642 or email to AAandA@ic24.net
Hot Cross Buns - again!During the long, hot days of summer (we hope!) it should be easy to spot when our feline friends are flagging in the heat. It isn't always so easy to spot an overheated rabbit, particularly if he lives in a hutch at the bottom of the garden.Prevention is always the best answer and making sure that the hutch is large enough for your bunny to move freely in, is not sited in the full glare of the midday sun and providing plenty of fresh drinking water goes a long way to avoiding heat stroke. If you do find your bunny collapsed in the heat it is possible to bring down his temperature prior to a visit to the vet's by gently immersing the lower part of his body in luke-warm water (NEVER cold water since the shock could kill). We make no apologies for reminding rabbit owners of the dangers of fly strike, particularly in the months from April to October. This distressing condition happens when flies lay their eggs on the rabbit's body and the hatching maggots eat their way into the bunny's flesh with frightening rapidity. Fly strike happens when conditions are cramped (and the bunny cannot move away from its toilet area) or dirty (flies are attracted to anything dirty and smelly) or the rabbit has a wound or sore patch. Again prevention is better than cure and a rabbit in a large, clean hutch has a much lower risk. Older or fatter rabbits who cannot easily keep themselves clean are also more at risk. For obvious reasons bunnies' bottoms are most likely to be the original source of the problem and twice-daily bum-inspection should be part of the daily routine. If you find maggots on your rabbit he must go to a vet IMMEDIATELY for treatment because visible maggots may not be the whole story and there may be more under the skin. Fly strike also poisons a bunny's system and the bunny could die from shock alone. If there is an unavoidable delay in getting to the vet's, remove as many maggots as possible from the affected area - gentle running water can help as long as it is not too hot or too cold or too fierce. There is a new product on the market called "Rearguard", obtainable from your vet, which claims to prevent fly strike for periods of up to 10 weeks. It is not cheap but may be the answer if you own a vulnerable rabbit and want the extra peace of mind. We will be testing it over the summer ourselves. Finally, don't let the long, hot days lull you into a false sense of security. Foxes don't take summer holidays and those near you are probably just waiting for the chance to "picnic" on your vulnerable friend. Never leave your bunny unattended in the garden unless they are in a fox-proof run (as Trevor William's pointed out chicken wire is not fox proof, being designed to keep chickens in rather than foxes out) and check that hutches and shed are securely closed at all times. Despite all the problems that can arise, summer is the best time for rabbit owners who reap the rewards of spending a cold winter visiting their friends in the garden and shivering whilst bunny gets his exercise!
Animal Aid and Advice/Good Boy Dog School
The time of this big new venture is approaching and we are hoping our members and supporters will come along on the day, whether with a dog or not, to help ensure its success. Not only will there be the 20+ classes of the actual Dog Show to enjoy (both pedigree and fun classes), but there will also be stalls taken by other large and small animal welfare charities, offering goods for sale and information on the work they do. Animal Aid and Advice will also have goods and books for sale. In addition, you can support the event by publicising it as much as possible and encouraging people to sponsor it to help defray the considerable costs. Registration starts at 10.00 am, judging at 12.00 am. Hope to see you there. |
"Zuki and Zola" by Miss Cheryl Ali
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