I wanted to update everyone on the situation in Canton with the feral cats that are being captured and then killed at the Stark County Humane Society. Fellow trapper and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) advocate, Tobin Franks (who first alerted me to the issue), sent me a follow up email below. Alley Cat Allies has gotten involved in this fight for the cats, but they still need you to keep signing the petition and calling and emailing the Canton Council members.

If you can also attend the next Council meeting, it will be Monday, February 6, at 7:30 pm in the Canton City Hall, 218 Cleveland Avenue SW.

The cats in the photo above are from one of our TNR clinics. They were released, not killed. TNR works!

From Tobin: Thank you everyone who came to the City Council Meeting & all who called and sent emails to Canton Officials!

ALLEY CAT ALLIES PRESS RELEASE:
http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=1123

CANTON REP ARTICLE:
http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x370660645/Canton-Council-urged-to-be-more-humane-with-cats

As you have seen in the paper, read on Facebook & heard on the radio - we are off to a good start, but the City of Canton is still considering the renewal of the city’s contract with Phil Sedlacko for ‘animal control’ services. Phil rounds up cats & kittens and takes them to the Stark County Humane Society. After years of denial, Stark HS Executive Director Louis Criswell has finally admitted that feral cats brought in by Phil are killed.

Sedlacko is to be paid $27,129.00 for this part-time “animal control” service – in addition to his regular full time job as a deputy Dog Warden.

Cats in Canton still need your help. Please come to the next meeting & bring your SAVE THIS CAT posters (click on any of them in this posting to enlarge and print). There will be a THIRD reading of the proposed contract renewal at this meeting. If you wish to speak please get their early & sign in. Remember they only give you 3 minutes. We especially need people to speak who have has personal,1st hand experience with Phil Sedlacko.

If you cannot make the meeting -  PLEASE keep calling & emailing Council. Tell them there is a better way!

The Next Meeting is: Monday Feb 6 2012 – 7:30 pm

The Humane Society of Madison County (HSMC) is finally in their new expanded building located at 2020 State Route 142 NE, just off of I-70 at the Plain City exit. The new shelter has a West Jefferson address, but is only about 5-10 minutes outside of Plain City.

An article in The Madison Press gave some good PR to the shelter. You can read that HERE.

And there was also a nice story in the Columbus Messenger. Read that HERE.

The shelter does not have a permanent phone number yet. If you need to reach them currently, call 614-359-7560.

The Canton, Ohio City Council is currently deciding whether to grant a one-year “professional-services contract not to exceed $27,129 for animal control services” with Philip Sedlacko, who has filled that position in the past. The contract would run from February 1 through January 31, 2013. Included in “animal control services” is the trapping and killing of stray and feral cats in an endless cycle that does nothing to stop the feline overpopulation problem. Tiny kittens will be separated from their moms. Colony members will be removed from their homes and families and sent to die. And, sadly, nothing will be accomplished except needless killing.

Read the article about the animal control ordinance HERE.

Canton City Council will be meeting on Monday, January 30 at 7:30 pm about this issue. The meeting will be held in the Council Chamber at City Hall at 218 Cleveland Avenue S.W. If you wish to speak at the meeting, you must go early and sign in with the clerk.

The cats need us to speak up for them, as they cannot make their voices heard without us.

Alley Cat Allies, the largest group nationwide fighting to save feral cats, has produced a public service announcement to let people know that local governments are killing cats to reduce their numbers. Watch that YouTube video HERE.

In one of many articles on their web site, Alley Cat Allies explains why Trap and Kill does not work. When you remove one set of cats, more move into the area as resources become available. This phenomenon, known as “The Vacuum Effect,” has been documented in numerous scientific studies. The population quickly rebounds leading to the necessity for more killing. And on and on and on.

The only true solution is trap-neuter-return (TNR). This method humanely traps the cats, sterilizes them so no new kittens will be born in the colony, and then releases them back into their territory where they were originally trapped.

Additionally, while the killing of feral cats may seem legal since it is being carried out by local governments, feral cats are covered under anti-cruelty laws in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

To write, email, or call the Canton City Council members and ask them to stop the killing and find a better solution, please go HERE.

A petition has also been started to put pressure on the Council members to find a more humane way to help the cats.

Sign the petition by going HERE.

Below is a copy of the report that is filled out each month by the animal control department in Canton. This report is for the month of May 2011. If you click on it, you can see that 46 cats and 20 kittens were trapped and, therefore, killed during that month.

I recently learned of a rescue group, His Hands Extended Sanctuary, in Saint Paris, Ohio, which is located in Champaign County, that is offering low cost spay and neuter surgeries for both dogs and cats to the general public, as well as rescues and shelters. The clinics, which just got started this past October, also provide vaccines at affordable prices. Additionally, they give a ten percent discount to seniors, active military, and to people getting multiple animals fixed (over three).

Cat spays are $40. Cat neuters are $20. Surgeries for dogs range in prices based on weight. For dogs over 101 pounds, the price for a spay is $105 and for a neuter is $95–and those are the most expensive prices. Dogs smaller than 101 pounds get smaller prices for their surgeries!

To see a complete price list and read how to schedule for the Wednesday clinics, go HERE.

For a long time now, I’ve not had any resources for those people B and O was helping in Champaign County. I also never had many resources for people looking for low cost services for dogs. Now I have both! And I am so happy about this. The clinics at His Hands Extended are close enough for people in surrounding counties, including here in Madison and Union counties (it was about a 30-35 minute drive from Plain City to the sanctuary which is outside of Saint Paris).

I first learned about Tanya Jordan and His Hands Extended Sanctuary when she donated food to us for our Pet Food Pantry. My mom and dad went to pick up the food and were so impressed with her set up that they couldn’t stop talking about it. Equipped with many buildings for the dogs and cats who live at the sanctuary, the organization adopts animals into loving families, while providing a lifelong home for those that are never adopted.

I hope to make a trip myself to Tanya’s facilities in the near future and find out how she runs her clinics. There can never be too many low cost surgery options for the dogs and cats (and their care givers) in our rural areas. I am glad to know about one more!

I know everyone has been waiting anxiously (I know I have), but the wait is finally over and the 2012 calendars are fresh from the printer (a big thank you to Tim Wilson and Melissa Noble from Wilson Printing and Graphics in London for putting this fabulous calendar together for us).

If one of your photos was selected to be in the calendar, you’ll be receiving a calendar in the mail to thank you for your support. If your photo wasn’t picked, don’t be upset. We had over 120 pictures to choose from and it was really, really hard to do! Everyone sent in professional looking pictures–even our printer said he couldn’t believe how super the photos were.

If you are ready to purchase calendars for the holiday gift giving season, you can do so in one of three ways. The calendars are $20 each.

1. Stop in Plain City Druggist, 480 South Jefferson Avenue (across from Der Dutchman Restaurant) any time during open hours and buy a calendar for $20 (no tax!). No shipping fees if you come in–just the cost of gas to drive to Plain City. The drugstore is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm (closed from 1:15 to 2:15 pm for Lunch) and Saturdays, 9 am to noon.

2. Order on our web site under the special PayPal button that is set up about halfway down the home page. Shipping costs will be included. Shipping is $5 for 1-5 calendars; $10 for 6-10 calendars; slightly more as you order larger quantities. Look for the photo of the calendar on the home page and follow the instructions to order. You can use a credit card or a PayPal account to order this way.

3. Download a handy order form on our web site or do it right HERE. Send that back in to us with the costs of calendars and shipping and we’ll mail the calendars back to you. This is for those people who don’t want to use a credit card, but would prefer a check or money order.

We will also have calendars with us for sale on Sunday, December 11, at our Photos with Santa at the PetSmart on Sawmill Road (next to Target). We will be there from 11 am to 4 pm, so bring your pet for a photo and pick up a calendar.

Thank you to everyone who sent photos for the calendar and to all of you who are supporting us by purchasing them!

We just received the proof for the 2012 calendar and it is gorgeous. After a few little tweaks, it should be ready next week for purchase. We will have a place on the home page of our web site where you can go to purchase the calendars, which will sell for $20. We also have to figure in shipping costs. As soon as the calendar is ready and can be purchased online, we’ll let everyone know. Of course, if you don’t want to pay shipping, you can always stop at the drugstore or at PetSmart (when we are there) to pick up your copy.

We also plan to send a free calendar to everyone whose kitties made it into the 2012 edition. So watch the mail next week!

For now, I thought I’d feature a few more of the super photos that people submitted that did not make it into the calendar.

This first photo is from Bridget and Chad Simpson of their cat, Esther. The Simpsons did have a winning photo that will be featured for July, but I’ll wait until they get their calendar to surprise them about which photo was chosen.

Bridget also sent over photos of their kitty, Ruthie, who was adopted from Black and Orange. The photos below are of Ruthie. They are so beautiful–we had a hard time picking just one from Bridget’s pictures.

Ruthie

We also loved the photo of Ranger that Kim Swider sent. The orange and white kitten looks so cute sitting in a tree trunk. Kim could not have taken a better photo if she had posed the little guy.

And we also loved the photo of Lucky Toes and Buffy that Janet Niles sent. Why are those two staring so hard at the door. Do they believe that their magic feline powers will open the door if they stare at it long enough?

As you can see from looking at these pictures, it was very, very hard to choose only twelve for the calendar when we had so many super ones!

Colony Cats is opening their new Kit ‘N Kaboodle Boutique next to their Adoption Center at 2736 Festival Lane in Dublin (off of Sawmill Road by the Joann’s Fabrics store). The Boutique will have a grand opening on Sunday, November 13, from 1-4 pm. There will be raffles, refreshments, and tons of shopping deals just in time for the holiday season.

The Boutique will feature gently used products including bedroom furniture, kitchen items, living room furniture, home decor, and brand new pet accessories. So if you don’t want to stage your own garage sale, but you want your “treasures” to benefit a good cause, donate those unwanted items to the Boutique. They are NOT accepting clothing and shoes, electronics, exercise equipment, appliances, mattresses, water beds, or children’s items.

To see a full list of what they will and will not accept, download their Wish List HERE.

To enlarge the flyer to the left, simply click on it.

The Boutique will be open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 am-5 pm. Colony Cats will need volunteers to man the Boutique, sort and price items, and also pick up larger items. If you can help or have items to donate, please contact them at kitnkaboodleboutique@yahoo.com

Additionally, besides the grand opening of the Boutique, the group is also celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of their Adoption Center. Of course, all proceeds from the Boutique will go to help Colony Cats provide vet care and spay and neuter services for the cats in their Adoption Center, as well as the dogs they also care for in foster homes.

As you are looking for deals this holiday gift giving season, consider shopping at Colony Cat’s Kit ‘N Kaboodle Boutique! You’ll not only get great bargains, but you’ll help animals in need.

A new group based out of Sunbury, Ohio has an unforgettable acronym: SNACK. The letters come from the name “Spay/Neuter Abandoned Cats and Kittens.” 

SNACK, Inc. was started by a wonderful set of people who B and O has worked with over the years. In fact, I met with SNACK founders, Greg, Rita, and Debi last December when they were making final plans to set up their non-profit. They wanted to know how Black and Orange did things so they wouldn’t have to re-invent the wheel.

SNACK’s mission is very similar to what we do: “Humanely reduce the overpopulation of homeless cats and kittens by promoting and supporting trap/neuter/return and spay/neuter programs in Central Ohio.”

I am very happy to say that SNACK is now officially a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization within the state of Ohio. They are currently fundraising so they will have the finances to begin helping Central Ohio kitties in need.

They also have a very cool web site: www.snackohio.org

We are overjoyed to have another group in our area working to help kitties in need. Please consider volunteering with SNACK if you are in the Delaware/Sunbury area and are looking for a way to make a difference for stray and feral cats.

Congratulations to a compassionate group of people who are true friends of felines! We have your back if you need us in any way.