2009

Wow! It's been months since I've been able to post an update about Catkins, but we've been working hard and have lots of wonderful news to report!

In 2009:

• we sent home 69 cats and 28 dogs
• we sterilized and returned over 3 dozen farm/feral cats
• we provided transport to over one dozen dogs
• we swapped over two dozen cats
• we provided 8 specialized eye surgeries, 2 specialized ear surgeries, 2 highly specialized diets, 2 oral surgeries and dozens of treatments for illnesses ranging from lyme and anaplasmosis to stomach ulcers and diabetes.

So what does all that mean?

When I think back to how hard we've worked this past year to bring hope to so many homeless animals, 97 animals doesn't seem like a lot. So many organizations place hundreds of animals every year and our efforts seem like a tiny drop in the bucket. BUT, then I remind myself why Catkins exists. We take in the special needs cases, the "hard to place" cases and we care for them no matter what. Being volunteer run and donation based only limits us as much as we let it, we might not be able to directly place hundreds of animals, but we still find ways to impact hundreds of lives!

Two sterilized feral cats being returned to their caretaker. They have been ear-tipped for future identification.

Every summer we are inundated with calls from people who have found kittens or been blessed with kittens from a stray cat. Unfortunately, we simply can't take kittens from every person who calls us. During the summer of 2009, we received more calls about homeless kittens than ever before. We began working with the caretakers of local strays to get as many "kitten producing" animals sterilized as possible. These measures will help us in the coming years, but we needed to help the homeless kittens created this summer.

Gypsy and her new born litter arrived to us in need of specialized care, they were swapped for a litter of six kittens and their mother.

In an effort to broaden our impact, we arranged swaps with other shelters. When an organization contacted us asking us to take an animal requiring specialized surgery or care, we said sure... but we'll trade you. We exchanged litters of healthy adoptable kittens that we didn't have room for, for an animal in need of surgery or special maintenance. In this way, we were able to work with surrounding organizations to save more lives than in any previous year. We swapped four litters of kittens and five adults this year for four eye surgery cases (one which came with her own litter of kittens). That is over two dozen animals saved simply by working together and thinking outside the box.

One of the 12 dogs transported to safety this year.

Networking with other organizations saved many feline lives this summer, and we were lucky enough to establish some wonderful connections on behalf of our local canines as well. In August, we began transporting local dogs in need to a wonderful adoption facility in Duluth. We transported one dozen dogs North this summer, where they were given the necessary medical attention and evaluated for adoption. All of those dogs went up for adoption and only one is still waiting for a home. We are looking at enhancing our transport program and have already purchased flats of vaccines necessary to make dogs ready for transport in 2010.

Cupid arrived with Comet in 12/09 from the county pound, they were adopted together

Of course, when no one else has room, we make room. This summer we expanded our dog program. In the past we have only been able to accommodate 2 or 3 dogs, but thanks to some wonderful foster homes, we now regularly accommodate 6 dogs! All of our dogs are spayed/neutered, microchipped, tested for tick and mosquito born diseases, dewormed and thoroughly checked over by our veterinarian. If during the course of a veterinary exam a medical condition is discovered, broken bones, damaged teeth or infection, we make sure our furry friends get treatment right away.

In 2009, Catkins faced a lot of new challenges and new situations. When it came to working for the animals, we didn't back down from any of those challenges. We worked with surrounding humane societies, veterinarians, holding facilities, health departments and rescue groups to save as many lives as possible. Of course, our goal is always to improve and achieve more.

In 2009 we set the bar pretty high, so 2010 should be a great year!