December 16th, 9am
At the Ark Animal Shelter
Ark Alley Cats Training and Workshop
With all the excitement around the Ark’s innovative new program, The Ark Alley Cats, we are offering training on feral cats on December 16th here at the Ark, open to the public. As most of us know, ‘Nobody’s cat is everybody’s cat.’ This training is suited for anyone in the animal welfare industry, or even just those who are willing to help and want to lend a hand. This is our opportunity to open the minds of those folks to our approach with feral cats.
Lea Palmer, the Director of Spirit’s Place in St. Albans will be joining us to discuss her vast experience working with ferals, feral colonies, and what YOU can do to help. We will also be taking an opportunity to build make-shift cat shelters to give them out in our communities.
Spirit’s Place is a cat sanctuary that focuses on educating the public on feral and community cats. Spirit’s Place mostly serves Somerset, Pisquataquis and Penobscot counties. The Ark is pleased to collaborate and expand, providing similar services in Washington and Hancock Counties.
We are trying to reach the community and offer some education around feral cats. Spirit’s Place’s motto is: “Not everyone can have a home, but everyone can have a life.” This is exactly what we want to convey- not ALL cats are suited for indoor living. While those folks that are always trying to socialize wild and feral cats and are keeping them inside have their hearts in the right places, this method is most often ineffective and not conducive to a cat’s contentment. We appreciate the people who are concerned for cats during the winter and want them safe- we are on the right track with this caring mindset! However, cats don’t always need to come inside. They need other cats. They need feeding stations. They need to be spayed/neutered. Also, please always remember: Practicing kindness to living things does not mean bringing them home. There are plenty of other ways to help.
For those of you that aren’t aware, Ark Alley Cats Program (AACP) is offering traps, education on trapping and T-N-R (trap-neuter-return) of cats in Wasington and Hancock County. The Ark has even gone the extra step to put a building on our property to house displaced feral cats. This is designed for the cats that are absolutely unable to be returned from the property in which they were trapped, OR other cats that come into the shelter by other means, and cannot be kept in the main shelter due to an inability to be adopted as an Ark pet. This AACP building will allow these cats the ability to come and go to and from the building and roam our 80-acres of property. These cats may be able to be adopted out as barn cats in pairs, and who knows? Maybe some will even turn out to be stray rather than feral, being able to be adopted as a pet or an inside/outside kitty. What if none of these outcomes occur? Then the kitties are happy, healthy, and not reproducing.
\Why Ark Alley Cats?
Feral cats that are brought to shelters often take up room in a cage that could be utilized for a domesticated cat. Often, they occupy this space for long periods of time due to an inability to be adopted. This in turn decreases the shelter’s ability to help a larger number of cats. More important to note, is that the feral cat is often unhappy and extremely stressed in this environment. When an animal is born and has learned to survive outside, we do not bring them inside and confine them. As Lea says: “We don’t go around and gather up the porcupines, squirrels and chipmunks when it starts to get cold out, do we?”
Come to the Ark and listen to our innovative solutions on caring for and helping feral cats the right way. Feeding stations, TNR, safe trapping methods, ect. We will talk about when cats can be “returned” and when they can’t. We will have a forum on ways to overcome resistance from our communities when it comes to innovative approaches on dealing with ferals. Come join us for this conversation! Please email Shaina at administration@thearkpets.org to reserve your spot.. We are graciously accepting donations for Spirit’s Place for Lea’s time, travel, and expertise.
Ark Administrator
Shaina R. Fraser