Huge Efforts for Small Creatures

I spent this month talking in detail with the organizers of ArubaKitten.Org. They work around Aruba to save kittens that have either been orphaned or cats who are suitable for adoption. Their approach and work is simply amazing. Like Marita in New Orleans, this story continues the theme that even among the most tourist visited places on the planet, there are both people and animals who could use your help.

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.

It Takes More Than a Hurricane to Break These Spirits

The Johnny White’s Sports Bar’s Canine Calendar Project

By: Brent Huston

On a recent trip to New Orleans, I met the lady who is leading this project. Her efforts and the work she has been doing since hurricane Katrina was one of  the forces that set me to work on this site. Her name is Marita Jaeger (shown at left, with her canine kid, Turbo Dog) and she is a full time resident in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

Marita has dedicated much of her time to helping rescue pets in and around the French Quarter. After hurricane Katrina, she described a very dire situation to me. Hundreds of pets were abandoned or barely escaped the storm waters. A majority of those former pets who survived wound up in the French Quarter, which had less flooding than most of the rest of the city. Marita and her friends used the resources of their neighborhood bar, Johnny White’s, to help many of these pets by providing food, water and temporary shelter during and after the storm.

Johnny White’s is a casual neighborhood watering hole. The bar is long, wide and shows the beauty of its age. The weather, like most of Louisiana, is often quite hot and humid, but the warmth of the regulars surpasses even the famed sunshine of the American Southland. Here, at Johnny White’s, everyone is welcome, regardless of the number of feet they have. The day we visited, there were a couple of dogs around, but the locals told us of many times when the place has literally, “gone to the dogs”, with as many four-legged friends as two. It is this dog-friendly atmosphere that permeates the Quarter. Dogs are welcome almost everywhere and public water bowls abound.

Fitting, then, that Marita and her friends have chosen this as the base of their operations. From the sports bar, Marita creates a yearly photo calendar with pictures of their rescues (and sometimes a few owners). She and her friends gather sponsorships from local New Orleans businesses and place ads in the calendars. The calendars are then sold at local shops around the Quarter and beyond with all of the proceeds going into their project. The rest of the year, the proceeds from the calendars are used to rescue stray animals around the Quarter, help with the costs of spay/neuter programs and even provide food to families with pets that are having problems making ends meet.

“This year we were able to not just rescue several dogs, but were also able to help owners in the French Quarter who were struggling financially, to pay for some heart worm medication, and shots. We also got four cats spayed, two of which were feral. We rescued two dogs from start to finish. In other words, we found them, cleaned them up, had them neutered by our local vet Dr. Mike's Animal Hospital, got them checked for heart worm, got them heart worm medication, flea treatment and shots, then found them loving homes“, said Marita. “It is so rewarding finding this sweet scared dog, and then watching them transformed in their new home. They have become self confident, wonderful, loving dogs who have enriched the lives of their new owners”, she added.

 “We have also donated money to German Shepherd Rescue. Toby Burroughs, who runs the organization, is a saint. She does it pretty much all on her own, and needs all the financial help she can get. This year we donated money to her to help rescue Saint; a beautiful German Shepherd who desperately needed heart worm treatment”, Marita explained. With all of these activities going on non-stop, she and her friends are very busy indeed.

Click here for a PDF with a few clips from the calendar. The stories in the clips and the images of the dogs and their new lives are simply amazing. This story is so special to me because of the people involved, their indomitable spirits and the care they have shown for animals that many of us overlook. Marita’s example of finding a way to help locally is fantastic. It proves, that even when something as devastating as Katrina gets in the way, human spirit, open hearts and ingenuity can prevail.

How can you help? First, if you haven’t been to New Orleans since Katrina, visit. Meet the people. Witness their genuine and generous spirits. Stop by the bar for a drink. Buy a calendar online at johnnywhitesneverclosed.com or get in touch with Marita at (504) 524-4909 to see what else you can do to assist. If you use social media and can reach out to New Orleans businesses, make them aware of the project and ask them to participate. Send them Marita’s way and she will handle the rest. Lastly, if you do end up on Bourbon Street, drop in Johnny White’s, tell Marita that Tales4Change sent you and give the dogs a few scratches for me!

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Welcome to Tales For Change!

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