Pulse - September 2024 - 12

" How we behave toward cats here below
determines our status in heaven. "
- Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction
writer and aeronautical engineer
ect of Dr. Hurley's UC Davis Koret Shelter
Medicine Program and the Maddie's Shelter
Medicine Program at the University of Florida,
led by Dr. Julie Levy. It is supported by
Maddie's Fund.
Dr. Hurley said there are 30 to 80 million
outside cats in the U.S., and she encourages
cat lovers to get involved both in shelters and
their own neighborhoods.
" It's a great time for everyone to step up and
play a role, " she said. " Cats are an enchanting
combination of vulnerability and ego. Until
shelters got
three-quarters of them were being euthanized.
" They are such pretty little animals. At the
Achieving Goals
The key initiatives of the
Million Cat Challenge are:
Alternatives to intake
Provide positive alternatives to keep
cats in the home or community
when admission to a shelter is not
the best choice.
Managed admission
Schedule intake of cats to match the
shelter's ability to assure humane
care and safe movement through
the shelter system to an appropriate
outcome for every cat.
Capacity for care
Match the number of cats cared for
at any one time with the capacity
required to support the Five Freedoms
of Animal Welfare for all cats
in the shelter.
Removing barriers to adoption
Expand the pool of adopters by
removing barriers to adoption such
as cost, process or location.
Return to field
Sterilize,
vaccinate and return
healthy unowned shelter cats to the
location of origin as an alternative to
euthanasia.
From millioncatchallenge.org
12
same time, they have such huge egos. They
have as much self-esteem as we do. This tiny
creature with claws then demands to sleep on
our heads. "
Dr. Hurley visited Maui in August 2023
after the devastating fires that destroyed
Lahaina and killed more than 100 people. She
worked with the Maui Humane Society and
other volunteers to help animals injured and
otherwise affected by the fire.
" I learned just how cats can be such great
survivors, " she said. " Cats, community chickens
and the banyan tree survived. Our efforts
saved 600 cats. Many were community cats,
not owned by one particular person. They
were all so loved, even if the cats never
allowed people to touch them.
" In some ways those community cats were
extra vulnerable. You can't catch them like
you can pet cats [in a home]. In that area, the
nature of the community was that many residents
couldn't have pets, so people co-owned
the outside cats.
" When I started in sheltering 35 years ago,
we just neutered feral cats, adoptables and
kittens, too. There never would have been
a question then that you could save 600 cats
that survived a fire. Most probably would
have been euthanized. And yet the humane
society, volunteers and cat advocates came
together and were able to save virtually all
those cats.
" In the face of such a tragedy, for an animal
that used to be such a throw-away creature, it
was really moving. "
involved with community cats,
State of the Cat
Cats are not small dogs.
" That saying has been used widely for
decades, " said Jane Brunt, DVM, executive
director of the CATalyst Council, a nonprofit
organization committed to enhancing
the lifelong health and welfare of companion
cats. She also is owner of the Cat Hospital at
Towson in Baltimore.
" Fortunately, we've evolved to an era where
we now should be saying 'Each cat is unique,'
which means that cats are individuals and it's
up to us to understand and care for each one. "
For example, the way one cat expresses its
emotions can be quite different from another,
" and we have to recognize that to properly care
for them, " she said. " Currently we classify their
emotions as 'engaging' or 'protective,' based on
their body language and behaviors. "
Practitioners see four times as many dogs
as cats. Why?
" There are several reasons fewer cats see a
veterinarian, including transport, " Dr. Brunt
said. " Cats like what's familiar to them, and
changes in routines and/or the cat's environment
cause stress.
" Carriers are frequently presented only
when a change is going to happen. Cats
remember that, and hide the next time the
carrier comes out. These stresses are compounded
and the anxiety and fear escalate to
the point of no go--so they don't. "
Dr. Brunt said that the CATalyst Council
Owner Survey 2024 found that 61% of cat
owners who don't routinely take their cat to
the vet say, " Just thinking about taking their
cat to the vet is stressful. " And 47% of cat
owners who do take their cat to the vet consistently
also say, " Just thinking about taking
their cat to the vet is stressful. "
Other reasons for not taking their cats to
the vet included:
* My cat stays indoors.
Dr. Brunt said studies in Italy and at North
Carolina State University have reported
prevalence of feline heartworm infection
in cats that never go outside ranges from
19-28%.
* My cat looks fine.
SEPTEMBER 2024
PULSE
http://www.millioncatchallenge.org
Pulse - September 2024

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