boneyardpixie wrote:
I'd like to also thank the volunteers for helping the kitties. I'm glad that the cats will be neutered/spayed.

I will be making it out to the shelter Tuesday to see if my poor cat is there.

croft wrote:
I worked at LHS last night. Most of these cats seem scared, but are not feral. Some are already sweet and friendly, but need to be evaluated and tested for FIV and Feline Leukemia. All of the cats that came from the trapping have Lincoln Park written on their cage cards.

Some of these cats are quite beautiful. I feel bad for any owners who may have lost them and gave up hope.

animallover wrote:
what happens to the 14 cats sent to liberty that they may think are feral or unadoptable? Will they be returned as well?

CatsnDogs wrote:
We trapped 21 cats today in the County Park Dept. maintenance compound near the tennis courts in Lincoln Park. The colony in that location could be as much as 60 cats. Right near this compound is the pedestrian bridge across 440 that leads to the location where animal control dumped Daisy last Friday.

It appears most of the cats trapped are feral but we will assess them more closely tomorrow.

All will be spayed and neutered next week. Will try to post some photos tomorrow.

GnomeGeneral wrote:

Simple exposure to cat urine and feces will not harm a pregnant woman or her offspring. The risk of getting toxoplasmosis from cat waste is as high as from eating sushi or filet mignon.

fat-ass-bike wrote:
It is generally accepted that cats and especially cat poo should not be in the vicinity of pregnant women, children and basically humans due to the spread of disease.

If this is so, then any newly born child or humans in general that suffer from any cat / cat poo or pee exposure could sue the city because of its approach to release feral and stray cats ?
I don't see any litter boxes anywhere (parks etc) and who is not to say that these cats are not pissing and pooing in childrens' sand boxes or gardens, when a pregnant women might be planting flowers ?

With the worst case scenario being to an unborn child who's mother is exposed to cat poo / piss, can they also sue animal liberation groups and their members for their demand to let stays and feral cats free in populated inner city areas ?

fat-ass-bike wrote:
It is generally accepted that cats and especially cat poo should not be in the vicinity of pregnant women, children and basically humans due to the spread of disease.

If this is so, then any newly born child or humans in general that suffer from any cat / cat poo or pee exposure could sue the city because of its approach to release feral and stray cats ?
I don't see any litter boxes anywhere (parks etc) and who is not to say that these cats are not pissing and pooing in childrens' sand boxes or gardens, when a pregnant women might be planting flowers ?

With the worst case scenario being to an unborn child who's mother is exposed to cat poo / piss, can they also sue animal liberation groups and their members for their demand to let stays and feral cats free in populated inner city areas ?

itsaurora wrote:
I just wanted to say thank you to Robin, not only for working so hard on this, but for having the guts give Joe Frank the credit he deserves. No one is perfect but Joe has been an easy target for a long time....

GrovePath wrote:
Daisy's back in warm home with her owner

Friday, March 06, 2009
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Missing for five days after employees with Jersey City Animal Care and Control dumped her in Lincoln Park, Daisy, a 2-year-old cat, has been reunited with her owner.

Daisy was returned to Morgan Metius after Jersey City Chief Animal Care and Control Officer Joseph Frank trapped the kitty in the west end of Lincoln Park Wednesday morning using mackerel as bait, according to city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill.

Metius is overjoyed.

"When I saw her (Daisy) I was ecstatic," Metius said. "I was doubtful at first because they brought another cat before. I didn't think with the cold weather I would see her again."

Metius said Daisy had lost some weight around the ribs and seemed a little angry at her about her ordeal.

"She's been sweet but a little bit hissy," said Metius, who adopted the cat from Liberty Humane Society when she was a kitten.

Against city policy, the two animal care and control officers released the cat in a wooded area near Joseph J. Jaroschak Field on Friday, officials said.

After picking up the cat, which had strayed onto a neighbor's property, the city employees should have taken the cat to the Liberty Humane Shelter, officials said.

Daisy was found Wednesday at 6 a.m. in one of 15 traps that was set across the park, officials said. Morrill said a veterinarian examined Daisy and determined she didn't need medical attention before she was returned to her owner.

Metius credited Kensington Avenue resident Robin Pinkowitz with helping the city to carry out the search.

Both control officers have been put on desk duty, officials said.

Morrill said both employees would be suspended, but that when and for how long hasn't been decided.

"We are pleased that Daisy has been returned to her owner and that this concerning incident had a happy ending," Morrill said.

elvis wrote:
Thank god Frank M isn't running animal control. Although from the sound of it, he might fit right in.

Congrat on getting your cat back. I'm glad a story with a happy ending can shed light on the idiots who run this city.

croft wrote:
Quote:

Frank_M wrote:
Quote:

GnomeGeneral wrote:
Most of them are not euthanized at LHS. There are some cats there that have lived there for close to a year. It's an awesome shelter and that's where animals should be brought if they are lost. Join zootoo and earn them some points for a makeover instead of making assumptions Frank.

Okay, my bad perhaps. The American Humane Association paints a different picture nationwide where an estimated 70% of cats entering shelters are euthanized.

I took home two fosters from LHS who were nearing their 1 year stay at the shelter. When I felt the second one I took home (on Thanksgiving, because he never had Thanksgiving) was ready to go to a home, I sent him to an adoption event at Petsmart through LHS and he was adopted that day. The other foster is going to be adopted by me. There are a lot of happy endings at LHS. Our ZooToo affiliates are living proof.

For the most part, most of our cats are adopted before their year stay. I always wish the best for these cats and dogs that come through our doors. My heart goes out to all of them, and we do our best to give them the attention and care they deserve.

I'm extremely happy that Daisy is home. I lost my first cat for a 24 hour period and it was an absolute nightmare. He was collared with ID, but he was just out roaming through yards. He came home when he was hungry. I was about 8 years old, and I must have cried for the entire time he was missing. I can't even imagine how my parents felt at the time. Let's just hope that this never happens again.

JCbiscuit wrote:
miserable life on the street over humane euthanization?

sorry cats n dogs, I must respectfully disagree with you on that one.

I admire your trap/neuter/release plan, and if the cat population can decline naturally through attrition, then great. but it must decline.

Frank_M wrote:
Quote:

GnomeGeneral wrote:
Most of them are not euthanized at LHS. There are some cats there that have lived there for close to a year. It's an awesome shelter and that's where animals should be brought if they are lost. Join zootoo and earn them some points for a makeover instead of making assumptions Frank.

Okay, my bad perhaps. The American Humane Association paints a different picture nationwide where an estimated 70% of cats entering shelters are euthanized.

Frank_M wrote:
Quote:

JCbiscuit wrote:
Frank, just because some - okay most - shelter cats nationwide are euthanized doesn't mean that turning them out onto the street is a better option.

think about it: a short life with food, shelter and good health, versus a cold, miserable, sickly existence, that in some cases ends just as quickly - though far less humanely - than a life in a shelter.

it's a shame that those are the only two choices for most strays and unwanted pets, but until humanity gets its sh*t together -beginning with spaying and neutering - it's all we've got. (with the exception, of course, of great shelters like LHS. but they are, as I say, the exception.)

I agree with you, honest. At the same time it's worth questioning the enthusiasm for sending animals to shelters. There is a tendency to be na?ve about these things because the word "shelter" obviously has a more positive connotation than perhaps it deserves in most cases.

Supposing I caught a feral cat where his or her presence is intolerable, aside from calling Animal Control I can imagine being more inclined to [insert what happened to Daisy] than take her to a shelter where all nine lives are virtually predetermined. Unfortunately in this case, it was a poor course of action for all involved. Heads will roll that maybe should not.