Hirakata City Project Update 2: Two Litters of Kittens

Here is the first update on the Hirakata City Project. (Click here to see all articles related to this project.)

Last weekend we trapped and spayed/neutered 28 cats in the park, most of them females. We are trapping in the park this Saturday and Sunday as well as some days during Golden Week.

Last Sunday 5 kittens were found at the park, abandoned in a cardboard box in the bathroom. 2 had already died when found, but 3 survived and are now thriving. They were about 2 weeks old at the time and have had to be fed by bottle at 4 hour intervals.

Monday 4 more kittens were found abandoned, one had already died. The remaining three are doing well, also on the bottle, but older than the first at about 3-4 weeks.

Here is the first update on the Hirakata City Project. (Click here to see all articles related to this project.)

First, Tiger unfortunately passed away. Here are the last photos we took of him when we took him outside for a short walk and fresh air.

He died suddenly, of issues related to his skull injury and swelling in his brain. We feel glad that at the end of his life he had lots of good food, love, and a kind lap to call his own! More importantly, his was the alarm bell that will save many cats in the park, and elsewhere, from the same fate. We’ve started the Tiger TNR fund to raise money just for spay and neuter sugeries in projects like the one at Yamada Ike Koen. We’ll also have a rescue fund for cats that must be removed due to ill health, or kittens, and there will still be our shelter fund.

Luffy has recovered from his kaisen dani. He had shown signs of internal bleeding, which we think may have been caused by eating a poisoned rodent, but seems to have also recovered from that. He has shown signs of fear of interaction with people — he enjoys being touched, but is very fearful of noise, and we think he may spend most of his time in the shelter hiding. Because of this we believe he’d be happiest returning to the park. He is scheduled for neutering today and will be returning to the park on Sunday morning.

Our next meeting is:

April 20, 2008
1:30 to about 3:30
Park in Hirakata

Please contact us if you are planning to come.

Please see our events list for upcoming events.

At Hirakata City (between Osaka and Kyoto), we were asked to check out a park that had a great number of stray cats. On March 24th, we went to Yamada-Ike Koen to evaluate the situation. We found more than 50 cats, roaming around in various stages of health. There were no signs of an existing TNR program, like ear tipping. The males were obviously not neutered. Two cats were so ill that they needed to be taken to a vet immediately.

“Tiger” was nearly starved to death. Bony, one eye stuck shut from herpes, he had a weird protrusion on his forehead. With not one ounce of fat or muscle on his body, he still managed to rub his head against my leg. The odd shape to his head turned out to relate to a hole in his skull, connected to his sinuses. When he breathed in, his forehead puffed like a tiny balloon. By the next day a hole had formed in his skin above his nose, where air whistled out, until that too was stuck shut with mucus. (Track Tiger’s progress as we try to restore his health.)

“Luffy” was almost as starved as Tiger. His more serious problem was scabies, that tiny parasite that can infest the skin, causing intense ichiness, loss of fur, weepy eyes, dehydration and lack of sleep. The back of his neck felt like coarse, dirty rubber. The smell of decay covered him, he sat stiff, unable to relax or find any comfort. Luffy communicates all his desires through a growl, making you think he is unfriendly but then once you touch him he leans into your hand and purrs like a lawnmower. (Track Luffy’s progress as we try to restore his health.)

Once given the food that they craved, the unpleasantness of diarrhea made itself known all over their cages. It will take some time to get their frail bodies used to good nutrition. Antibiotics for both, drugs to kill Luffy’s scabies, and loving attention will help put them back together again.

After this urgent hurdle behind us, we will return to the park to make plans to start TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return).

Won’t you help us? A small donation will reduce our mounting vet bills for Luffy and Tiger, and the cost of future spay/neuter operations. If anyone living near to Hirakata City would like to join us in this effort, please contact us. More information to come.

Our next meeting is:

April 20, 2008
1:00 to about 3:00
Starbucks across from Kyoto Station

Please contact us if you are planning to come.

We are looking for a better, quieter place for our growing group to meet. Please keep that in mind as you talk to people.

Please see our events list for upcoming events.