You can get the full PDF of the article from here, including some amazing pictures of the rescued kitties. Here are some highlights:
What got you focused on rescuing kittens on Aruba.
We moved here in June of 2005 and 3 months later we received a call from a person we had met asking us for advice. She had found 3 kittens that morning, new born, and waited all day for the mother to return to the nest. She had known not to touch them but they had been laying out in the heat all day and feared that they would die. We took them home with us and gave them some water with an eyedropper and managed to keep them alive through the night.
The next day we went to the vets and luckily they had cans of powdered formula and a nursing bottle; little did we know we were on our way to becoming Aruba Kitten Rescue. We found out that no one on the island including the vet had the time or knowledge of how to bottle feed kittens. They were just left to die. We knew that we couldn’t let this happen if we could help it.
How large is the kitten problem on Aruba?
The problem is huge for cats and kittens. In reality it's a human/cultural problem. There are small groups on the island that do rescue but the emphasis is on dogs. And because of the cultural differences there are virtually no laws preventing abuse and mistreatment. Rescue groups on the island have tried to establish a larger presence but there is very little support. Most operate on meager resources.
There are very little statistics available on the feral cat population but viewing the conditions of the animals it is of epidemic proportions.
What is the most significant problems that a kitten faces prior to rescue and how does the rescue help them?
Since we deal primarily with newborns, we usually get them after the mother has been killed or abandoned them, the first issue is dehydration and low body temperatures as this can occur in a few hours; our first priority is to stabilize them so we can begin feeding.
The other problems we face in lack of education and indifference. We've had people bring us babies that they stumbled upon not realizing that the mother may be in the area and they are not really abandoned. We also have had people bring us babies that have been put in boxes and left on their doorstep. One person actually found a sealed box of kittens left out in the countryside.
We started our web site (http://www.arubakitten.org) with the dual purpose of finding homes for our rescues and providing education. Since our first rescue back in 2005 we have saved over 70 kittens. A tiny fraction of the population, but nevertheless, it's 70 kittens that were facing a certain and unnecessary death.
What can people do to help? How can they send money, supplies or the like?
Because all supplies are brought into Aruba via container ship and there is an import duty, everything costs at least 20% to 30% more than the same item in the US. We get around this by posting on Aruba tourist bulletin boards asking people to pack supplies when they come for vacation. The response for that aspect of our operation is phenomenal. People will email us before they arrive and check to see what we are low on. We get travel carriers, leashes, harnesses, formula and toys. The tough part, as it is for all charities, is raising cash.
Paying the veterinarian for vaccinations, exams, tests and sterilization can drain our treasury fairly quickly. Donations can be made through the PayPal link on our web site.
One other way people can help is to adopt one of our little charges. Most people visiting the island are from the east coast and usually we can find someone to be our little kitten 'transporter’. So if someone lives on the eastern shore and would like an Aruban kitten, we will try our hardest to fulfill your wish.
What are a few of the lessons that you would tell folks considering starting a program in their own area?
Foremost we learned that you can't save them all. We started out rescuing bottle babies and soon anyone that had an unwanted cat was pressuring us to take them. Although we felt bad, we knew we didn't have the resources and if we did take every cat as requested we would soon be overwhelmed. It breaks our hearts to have to say no to someone, but it is the reality of the situation.
Find as many resources to help as you can. We maintain a low profile as far as publicity on the island as this would be an open invitation for people to “dump” their unwanted animal in our front yard. We work closely with the veterinarians and other shelters so when they get a call from someone seeking assistance with bottle babies, they act as screeners and our contacts. As stated before, we maintain a strong presence on the Internet, making sure people can find our site via the search engines and remaining in high visibility on the bulletin boards. We are working on creating a foster system for the kittens once they have been weaned - so we can have more room at our place. Many people do not want a cat but are willing to house them temporarily until we can place them.
This kind of work can be completely heartbreaking. We have seen things here that would have been ‘crimes against animals’ here in Aruba and can’t do anything about it. The key for us is focusing on what you can do and know that you are doing what you are meant to be doing. The rewards we have been given in terms of friends and knowing that our little babies and cats now have a chance of a good loving home where no one can hurt them is worth more than anything in the world.
