Magpie was abandoned by her family when she needed them most.

 

In a Circle of Neglect, Magpie Looks to You For Help DONATE NOW Imagine being left out in the cold, with no food or shelter, and suffering from a severe inner ear infection that made it difficult to stand or even breathe. This was Magpie’s life when she was found abandoned in a trailer park in upstate New York, literally walking in circles from what would later be diagnosed as severe vestibular damage from ruptured eardrums. A Good Samaritan eventually took pity on Magpie and brought her to the attention of our North Country Initiative (NCI), our program in upstate NY working to address the complex problem of feline overpopulation in the region. Unfortunately, they knew this area well as a place where pets were commonly dumped outside as residents moved in and out of the location. Now this sweet six-year-old was just another casualty of this dumping ground. But, with your help, we can change her life for the better. Magpie was transported to our Pet Health Centers for a thorough evaluation. Once sedated, Dr. Mark Verdino, Senior Vice President and Chief of Veterinary Staff, found the cause of her discomfort. “When we looked down her ears, which she wouldn’t let us do awake because she was so itchy, we found that her eardrums were ruptured on both sides. We could also see large inflammatory polyps in her inner ear chambers that will require surgical removal.” If left untreated, these polyps could continue to grow out and into the throat region, creating even more difficulty for Magpie to breathe. Your emergency gift can ensure Magpie gets the medical attention she needs.

Your support can give a second chance to animals in need of lifesaving care. DONATE NOW

In addition, Magpie was also suffering from severe dental disease, and her last remaining teeth had to be removed. A sad and painful combination for a cat left to fend for herself in an area where other discarded cats are just trying to survive. Despite her many challenges, Magpie’s spirit remains unbroken. She welcomes a friendly pet as if she knows she is finally in safe hands. And once her surgery is performed this resilient attitude will help on her road recovery. Will you be there to help her on her journey? When you donate to support our Help Me Heal Program you are giving animals like Magpie everything they need to lead a healthy and happy life. A life free from abandonment. And one day, a life as a beloved companion animal. Please donate today and help us give Magpie the life she deserves. Sincerely, J. John Stevenson President & CEO, North Shore Animal League America   DONATE WITH CONFIDENCE: 82 cents of every dollar spent goes directly to animal program services. © 2024 North Shore Animal League America. All rights reserved. 25 Davis Ave, Port Washington, NY 11050

150 kittens and cats took an airline flight from Florida to New Bedford. Here's why.

Matthew Ferreira Standard Times

Published Aug 5, 2022 

NEW BEDFORD — If you think there are a lot of stray and "outside" cats in your SouthCoast neighborhood, Mike Keiley, director of adoption centers and programs for MSPCA Angell, says you should see Florida, where tourist season doubles as peak cat breeding season. 

"The warm climate there means optimal breeding seasons for outdoor cats, so Florida's cat population is much higher than Massachusetts," Keiley said. "And one of the best things about Massachusetts is that it's one of the states with the highest cat ownership."

That's why on Wednesday, MSPCA flew in roughly 150 cats and kittens from the Sunshine State to New Bedford Regional Airport via jet funded by Greater Good Charities' Good Flights program to be adopted out through several shelters that have the space to accommodate them. The landing signified the start of the "Southern Hub" project, which MSPCA looks to spin into an ongoing effort to help relieve the strain caused by Florida's overpopulation of cats.

"We’d been working continuously to build out an entire flight, and it came down to literally last night when we finalized the roster," Keiley said on Wednesday shortly after the cats' Whaling City arrival around 11:30 a.m. "The flight was at 6 a.m. It's very hot in Florida so we wanted to make sure these animals weren't exposed to too much heat."

After landing, the cats were transported to several ASPCA shelters and affiliates — including locations in Cape Cod,Salem, Boston and Methuen — where they would undergo a 48-hour isolation period as per Massachusetts state regulation, as well as veterinary check-ups before they could be considered adoptable in time for a weekend adoption event at all said locations.

COVID inflated, then deflated, pet adoption

But while Florida's climate makes the state especially susceptible to cat overpopulation, there's yet another factor impacting animal welfare nationwide, Keiley said.

"We're doing this during a really difficult time in animal welfare, where, over the last couple of years of the COVID pandemic, we saw an incredible lift in adoption which has been hugely helpful during a really unstable time in our nation. However now we're finding the same number of animals are coming into shelter, but the adoption interest has dropped," Keiley said. "According to Shelter Animals Count, which is a trusted database that tracks data surrounding animal sheltering, there's a 6% Surplus of dogs and cats throughout the country and animals coming in at the same pace as 2019, but they're not getting adopted at the same rate as they were even last year."

Implications of cat overpopulation

According to the U.S. Humane Society, "Predation by outdoor cats on birds and other wildlife is a real and legitimate concern. While The HSUS believes that outdoor cats are entitled to protection, it also believes that wildlife populations need to be protected from cats." In addition, Keiley says there are nuisance issues to consider. "I think, in a broad statement, anytime there’s an overpopulation of outdoor cats, there’s an impact on complaints from neighbors if they’re spraying or fighting, and it’s in everybody’s best interest to deal with the overpopulation issue with cats and other animals," he said.

Lessons from Katrina

While relocation of animals as a means to mitigate those impacts is not a new concept, Keiley says Wednesday's efforts were reflective of a stepped-up approach first "mainstreamed" within the animal welfare field as result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when thousands of animals throughout Louisiana and the Gulf Coast were suddenly displaced. The benefit of this approach is multifold, Keiley said.

"It’s very common to relocate animals from one shelter to another for adoption, but I think what you’re seeing is one more step beyond that here, where the Florida shelters that the cats are coming from are refilling those cages with cats from other shelters around them that just don’t have the same level of resources or are really overburdened with the number of cats coming in," Keiley said. "They’re getting that relief more directly in a way that’s more achievable for them than it would be it they were trying to get them to Massachusetts on their own."

Keeping it going

Keiley says Wednesday's flight was hopefully only the first of many more to come. "The hope is to continue doing this on a regular basis because the need is really continuous in Florida," he said. "Maybe in the winter the need isn't as great, but by the time we get to June, July and August, the number of cats coming into shelters throughout Florida outpaces the ability to rehome them.

"We know that Massachusetts residents love cats, and we need those adopters now more than ever."

In addition to permanent adoptive homes, Keiley also noted that there is also great demand for temporary animal foster homes and donations. To get involved, visit www.mcpca.org.

If you go

WHAT: Southern Hub adoption event for newly arrived cats and kittens

WHERE: Northeast Animal Shelter, 347 Highland Ave., Salem; MSPCA Cape Cod, 1577 Falmouth Rd., Centerville; MSPCA Boston, 350 S. Huntington Ave., Boston; and MSPCA Methuen, 400 Broadway, Methuen.

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 6; Sunday, Aug 7

HOW: Interested adopters can register for the event at www.mspca.org/events/kitten-adoption-event. Advance appointments are required. To register, visit www.mspca.org/events/kitten-adoption-event.

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