FeralFocusFeralFocus

I n d y F e r a l I n c . i s a r e s o u r c e f o r c a r e t a k e r s a n d f r i e n d s o f s t r a y & f e r a l c a t s i n c e n t r a l I n d i a n a

A Q u a r t e r l y N e w s l e t t e r P r o d u c e d b y I n d y F e r a l I n c .

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I N D I A N A P O L I S

IndyFeral Inc. secured a near-eastside warehouse, which willserve as our base of operations.Due to the expansion and de-mand for our TNR programs, acentral facility is vital.

In addition, the building can actas a transportation hub and as asmall spay/neuter clinic facility.

With the building, we hope to in-crease our monthly spay/neutersurgery capacity to nearly 300per month.

Our food bank, outdoor catshelters, trap hub and donationsfor the annual yard sale will behoused there as well.

Beyond the daily needs for Indy-Feral, the warehouse will providea facility for animal rescuegroups to meet, work and collab-orate.

These groups can store materi-als to operate programs for thebenefit of animals in the com-munity.

IndyFeral already has madewarehouse space available toMove to ACT for their fooddistribution initiative. Throughthe efforts of their board andvolunteers, over 30 tons of dogand cat food were distributed toIndiana animal shelters andrescue groups.

IndyFeral would like to thankJody Hollett for donating herwasher/dryer and fridge for thenew building.

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F o u n d a K i t t e n ?W h a t t o d o .

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C a l e n d a rS a v e t h e D a t eJennie DeVoeBenefit Concert

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R i c h m o n d S h e l te r Rev i ve sT N R P r o g r a m fo r Pa r k Fe r a l sH E L P t h e A n i m a l s g a r n e r s s u p p o r tf r o m n e w m a y o r a n d I n d y F e r a l

Recovery teamsters Monica Kinley-

Kuhn (left) and Wendy Neale (right) of

HELP the Animals helped to revive the

33 Richmond feral cats spayed and

neutered in Indianapolis March 13th.

“So what are we going to do?What we both want - to reduce thenumber of cats in the park?” Moni-ca Kinley-Kuhn, President of theBoard of Directors of HELP the Ani-mals of Richmond, said during acritical meeting with park boardmembers, park superintendent,mayor, and citizens March 1.

The meeting would decide thefate of the feral cat colony of GlenMiller Park in Richmond, managedfor seven years by HELP the Ani-mals. HELP operates a no-kill shel-ter and also serves as the primaryanimal welfare group in the Rich-mond area.

Kinley-Kuhn and Joyce Luckett,HELP’s Vice-President, convincedthe park board to allow HELP to re-sume a TNR program for the feralcat colony. This was a major victoryafter a two-year battle with theRichmond Parks Department,which advocated for the removal ofthe cats.

Kinley-Kuhn said, in a letter to Al-ley Cat Allies, “(O)ur group, thanksin part to the help, information andsupport we received especiallyfrom IndyFeral, (was) able to de-bunk any resistance to the cats be-ing in the park. Quite simply, weContinues on Page 3

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Photo ©2005 HELP the Animals

Indy Feral’s new building is located on the near east side of Indianapolis. Thefacility will serve as IndyFeral’s base of operations.

Photo ©1986-2002 IMAGIS, ©1986-2002 City of Indianapolis - Marion County

Spay/Neuter SurgeriesThere were a total of 1844

spay/neuter surgeries performed dur-ing 2004. Of those, 221 were for peo-ple on our Feral Friends financial as-sistance program. Surgeries throughthe Feral Friends program are sup-ported by individual donations and anongoing partnership with Spay NeuterServices of Indiana (SNSI).

Without this program, these 221cats would likely never bespayed/neutered or receive necessa-ry medical treatment for injury and ill-ness. We thank IF supporters andSpay Neuter Services of Indiana(SNSI) for their support of this pro-gram.

Shelter ProgramIndyFeral produced a total of 415

shelters. Think of how many cats hada warm/dry place to sleep this year.

IF works in partnership with the Indi-ana Department of Correction's Put-namville Correctional Facility (PCF) toproduce durable, all-wood construc-tion shelters from an original IndyFer-al design. The feral cat program al-lows Putnamville staff and inmates tobe involved with the community as ahelping partner. PCF produced 315 ofthese shelters (50 were shipped outof state). Twenty PCF shelters were forFeral Friends.

Another program produced 100shelters, all provided to Feral Friendscaretakers, in addition to the 50feeding stations, all of which were dis-tributed to caretakers.

Food Bank ProgramThe Food Bank Program distributed

5,280 pounds of food to low-incomecaretakers.

What a year!

I N C O R P O R A T E D

A r e s o u r c e f o r c a r e t a k e r s a n d f r i e n d so f s t r a y & f e r a l c a t s i n c e n t r a l I n d i a n a

W W W . I N D Y F E R A L . O R G

IndyFeral Inc.P.O. Box 30054

Indianapolis, IN 46230-0054(317) 596-2300

IndyFeral would like to thankRobert Sweet for generouslydonating the funds to build 15recovery cages.

These special cages weredesigned for feral cats recuperatingfrom medical procedures or illness.

As part of our belief in respect andcompassion for all living creatures,IndyFeral Inc. seeks to reduce stray andferal (wild) cat overpopulation throughthe non-lethal method of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), not trap and kill.

Copyright IndyFeral Inc.

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Annual Report2004 Kitten Season is Here

What to Do If You Find Kittens

You Can HelpGot Wheels?

Lisa TudorGreg BrushVerna BoggsDebbie Marlett

BoardAmelda ButlerMaureen OwenRebecca Seifert

Board of Directors

Corporate Officers

Email Subscriber Listferal@indyferal.org

Mission

IndyFeral is a 501(c)(3) nonprofitorganization staffed entirely byvolunteers. We are dedicated tohelping stray and feral cats in theIndianapolis area by creating resourcesto assist with the feeding, shelter,spay/neuter, and medical care forthem.

IndyFeral was established as a meansof changing the way stray and feral catshave been traditionally viewed anddealt with in our community. Acting astheir advocate or voice, IndyFeral willstrive to improve their lives andpromote ideas that are more reflectiveof a caring and humane community.

Who is IndyFeral?

If you would like more information onhow you can help feral cats in yourcommunity or know of a feral catcolony, please contact IndyFeral. Wealso encourage you to visit our web siteto learn more about TNR and feralcolony management.

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Photo by Ana Radovanovic. Copyright IndyFeral Inc.

Volunteer Michele Baker cradles two orphankittens during the Feb. 20th Spay Day at Allisonville Animal Hospital. Baker beganvolunteering with IndyFeral in 2002.

Recovery Cages Help Injured and Ill Feral CatsFerals need special handling and

recovery methods. Eye removal, tailamputations and other common in-juries require extended care andrecovery.

These custom-built cages areequipped with a “loft” level and

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Photo by Greg Brush. Copyright IndyFeral Inc.

In cold weather, shelter is actually more im-portant for stray and feral cats than food.These insulated shelters provide protectionfrom wind and water, even in harsh climates.

Get Involved

What is TNR?TNR is a process by which stray andferal (wild) cats are humanely trapped,evaluated, vaccinated and sterilized bya veterinarian.

Tame kittens and adult cats areadopted into good homes. Adult catstoo wild to be adopted are returned totheir familiar habitat.

three secure access doors for food,water and litter box.

Found kittens? It's always best for kittens to be raisedby their mama. She can do it better than anyone else,hands (or paws) down. But if the kittens have nomother, young kittens will need immediate help tosurvive.

Kittens should be alert and warm to the touch. If thekittens are cold and listless, they must be warmedimmediately. Chilling is the major cause of death of

neonatal kittens, and it can happen in just a few hours.

Do not attempt to feed chilled kittens. Place the kittens in a box or petcarrier with a towel-covered heating pad set on low inside the box. Besure the heating pad covers only half of the bottom of the box, as thekittens must be able to move off the heating pad if it becomes too warm.

For more information, please read the Frequently Asked Questions link(#18 & 19) on the IndyFeral home page at www.indyferal.org.

As we enter kitten season, lots ofcats and kittens will need a ride toour Spay Day to get spayed or neu-tered. If you would like to becomemore involved with helping the catsin our city, here is a great way toget started.

We have increased our surgical ca-pacity to nearly 300 appointmentsa month! If you want to make a di-rect impact in helping to stop theoverpopulation of stray and feralcats, this is it.

Just do it. We can’t do it alone andneither can the cats. These catsare part of our community, and they need our help. They need YOU!

If you want to give a feral a ride, please contact Lisa Tudor by phone at(317) 596-2300 or email her at lisa@indyferal.org. All transport volun-teers will be instructed by and work with experienced volunteers.

Thank you for your support!IndyFeral Inc.

PresidentVice President

SecretaryTreasurer

Newsletter designed by Ana Radovanovic.©2005 IndyFeral Inc.

Richmond’s HELP the Animals Teams with IndyFeral

IndyFeral volunteer Kegan instructs Richmond volunteers in the finer points of recoverytreatments at the Allisonville Animal Hospital in Indianapolis March 13th. Richmond-basedHELP the Animals partnered with IndyFeral to spay/neuter 33 feral cats.

IndyFeral volunteer Joyce Luckett hands over a Richmond cat to Marty Gallagher for post-op shots.

offered HELP the use of 40 traps andarranged for an unscheduled Spay Dayin Indianapolis, with the help of volun-teer vets and caretakers.

Thursday, March 10th, HELP volun-teers came to Indianapolis to pick uptraps for the mass trapping. The nextevening, Brush and Tudor drove to Rich-mond to help get the trapping started.

HELP volunteers monitored multipletrapping areas around the park untildark. Then the cats were transported toa holding area.

The effort continued the next after-noon and evening. With 28 cats andone mother, along with four new nurs-ing kittens, nearly all of the unalteredcats from the park colony were trapped.

The next morning, Sunday, March 13,HELP headed for Indianapolis in twovans with seven volunteers in tow. Atthe Allisonville Animal Hospital, about20 IndyFeral volunteers worked side-by-side with HELP members.

By 1 p.m., all of the cats were out ofrecovery, and the HELP crew headedback to Richmond. All cats were re-leased to their home park the followingtwo days.

Kinley-Kuhn said, “In two short weeks,thanks to a monumental partnershipwith IndyFeral, we took a situation thatseemed overwhelming and a logistical

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Photo ©2005 HELP the Animals

Photo ©2005 HELP the Animals

Fera lPhotoThey look like all other cats, with

one exception. Cats in managedcolonies bear the distinct croppedleft ear. It is the symbol to animalcontrol and humane agencies thatthis cat is part of a managed colo-ny. In 2004 alone, the tipped earshave allowed IndyFeral to savemore than 20 cats from local shel-ters.

To help spread the word aboutTNR and help people understandthe life of a cat in a managed feralcolony, IndyFeral is promoting aFeral Photo Contest, calling forphotographs showing ear-tippedcats in any setting.

Each month, we will select twogrand prize photos. The judging willtake place at the IndyFeral monthlyboard meeting.

The grand prize winners will re-ceive an IndyFeral t-shirt (choice ofavailable colors and sizes).

Submitted photos will be used in

Continued from Page 1wore them down with information!”

The decision also came from the sup-port of the newly-elected mayor SallyHutton. Hutton encouraged an openforum among the Richmond parksboard and superintendent, citizens andHELP. Prior to Mayor Hutton's adminis-tration, HELP’s pleas were dismissed orignored.

With the parks board approval, Kinley-Kuhn moved quickly and approachedIndyFeral again for assistance in amass trapping.

In response, IndyFeral President LisaTudor and Vice President Greg Brush

nightmare and made it happen, all tothe benefit of those 33 cats we wereable to trap, (and neuter and return, ex-cept for the mom cat and kittens!)

“Our success is a testament to whatcan happen when two groups partnertogether to make things happen for fer-al cats.”

She continued, “What (IndyFeral) did

to reach out beyond their community tohelp us help the cats has been unbe-lievable.

“We had a board member who hadnever worked with ferals before say thisweekend that this was, and I quote,‘one of the most rewarding things Ihave ever done in my life.’ I think all ofus agreed.”

internet, electronic and print publi-cations to promote TNR, IndyFeraland the welfare of free-roamingcats. All photos will be credited.

You must be at least 18 years oldto enter. You may submit entries asoften as you wish, and there is nolimit to the number of times youcan win. However, due to limitedstock, winners may receive onlyone t-shirt every six months.

All submissions must include yourname, address, phone number,email address and the exact text ofthe photo credit.

Please visit our website at:www.indyferal.org for completerules and instructions for submis-sion, or write to IndyFeral.

You may send photos throughthe website or mail to:

IndyFeral Inc.Feral Photo ContestP.O. Box 30054Indianapolis, IN 46230-0054

Cal l for Entr ies

Photos ©Amelda ButlerC o n t e s t

Photo ©Amelda Butler

Into the wild. Gus is on the move. Free-roaming cats live and“work” in a variety of settings from business districts and urbanallies, to rural fields.Here’s a chance to help spread the word about TNR and helppeople understand the life of a cat in a managed feral colony.IndyFeral is calling for photographs showing ear-tipped cats inany setting.

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A r e s o u r c e f o r c a r e t a k e r s a n d f r i e n d so f s t r a y & f e r a l c a t s i n c e n t r a l I n d i a n a

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IndyFeral provides low-cost spay-neuterand vaccination services to caretakersof stray, feral (wild) and barn cats. Weprovide these services through a net-work of participating veterinarians.This service is part of our comprehen-

sive strategy of free roaming cat man-agement. The goal is to stop uncontrol-led population growth and improve thelives of free-roaming cats.Spay Days are efficient, low-cost, high

volume clinics in which up to 80 catsare evaluated, vaccinated and sterilizedin a few hours. These MASH-style clin-ics are carried out by a trained staff ofvolunteers, which includes veterinari-ans, vet techs, and trained IndyFeralvolunteers.

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Spay Day Clinics Help Homeless Cats

ListWISH

Make a tax-deductable donation. Just$20 can fund a spay/neuter surgery andprovide all necessary shots for one free-roaming cat. Every contribution helps.

Mail to:IndyFeral Inc.P.O. Box 30054Indianapolis, IN 46230-0054

Food Bank: dry and wet cat food

Cat carriers, any size, for recoveryof mother cats and kittens

Towels & sheets, laundry detergent

Shingles for the shelter program

Photo by Ana Radovanovic. Copyright IndyFeral Inc.

IndyFeral volunteer Ken Rohl stimulates a patient during a recovery session at the Feb.20 Spay Day. Post-op cats are groomed andrubbed after surgery to help revive them. Six-ty-two feral cats were spayed/neutered thefirst Spay Day of the year.

“It’s All About the Cats!”

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Photo by Ana Radovanovic. Copyright IndyFeral Inc.

IndyFeral volunteer Mary Lee Pappas helps to wakea feral patient at the Feb. 20th Spay Day.

262 Ferals “fixed” January 1 through March 31, 2005

You can help IndyFeral makean impact in the community by

reducing the number of cats euthanizedin shelters.

Food Donations may be dropped off at

any Indianapolis

Pet Supplies “Plus”

location or call

(317) 596-2300.

Thank youfor your support!

IndyFeral Inc.

Earth Day

PetFest,Indiana State Fairgrounds

Spay Day

Board Meeting

Volunteer Orientation,Glendale Library, 6-8 p.m.

Memorial Day weekendAnnual Yard Sale

Spay Day

Board Meeting

Pet Supplies PlusEvent Road Show

Jennie DeVoebenefit concert for IndyFeral1-4 p.m. @ the Rathskeller401 East Michigan Street

Join the party!

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JUNE“Adopt a Shelter Cat Month”(AHA/ASPCA Sponsor)

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OCTOBER

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Save the DateOctober 9th