USA Island Cats At Risk
HIYA! SAVANNAH HERE!!
First let me make sure you aren’t confusin’ my buddies over at The Island Cats blog—this is not about Ernie, Wally and Zoey bein’ at any risk whatsoever! Well, except maybe from trying to figure out how to make space during their day for The Lady With The Yellow Hair who is rumored to be getting ready to being around to supervise them ALL DAY LONG very soon. But, that may be just a rumor.
Moving on, the mystery island cat who was a guest selfie on The Kitties Blue Sunday Selfie Blog Hop, is indeed an island cat from the great state of Hawaii, hailing from Kaui.
If I just close my eyes, I can see the palms waving and hear the ocean waves laughing
Mom L once again visited the first USA Cat Cafe—Cat Town Cafe—in Oakland, California when she hosted a little tour for the human from Dash Kitten.
Miss Marjorie is going to have a great visit
Mom L was fortunate to have a good long chat with one of the hostess to Cat Town Cafe, Ms Devon. Mom L asked Ms Devon if she had kitties and of course she did!
Hey Mom Devon!! Look at us!! We are famous!!
She introduced Mom L to the Cat Town program with Kauai Community Cat’s Organization. And that is where she first met Mr Havana Brown cat! You can see him in the lower bunk on the left!
Cat Town Cafe quiet room
There were two other cats in that Quiet Room who also hail from the Island of Kauai. Naturally Mom L had to know why these island cats were in a rescue in Oakland, California!!
The challenges of community cats, aka feral cats, across the USA is not unknown. But in the island stats of Hawaii that challenge is increased. You see, the islands are small, and the community cat population if huge. The sentiment of many residents is directed toward viewing these cats as “an invasive species” and thus falling under their legislation to eradicate them.
There were four cats residing in Cat Town Cafe on the day Mom L was there.
Please, dim the light when you are done admiring me
One of the Kauai cats was actually hanging out in the common room.
*spftt* Take your flashy box away please!
Perhaps some of my readers may not realize how much danger the community cats in the island state of Hawaii face. There has been a recent push in legislation to insure that this population of cats, on all the islands, is eradicated.
Rescues such as Kauai Community Cats are fighting to move as many adoptable adult cats and kittens as they can to partner cat rescues in the mainland USA. And with great pride we learned that Cat Town Cafe in Oakland, Ca is one of those rescues who are willing to accommodate as many of the Kauai cats as they can.
Now listen up humans!! If you are visiting the island of Kauai, you can help them save adoptable cats and kittens simple by agreeing to have a cat/kittens added to you ticket home to Oakland, and other states in the USA. You bear now cost. However Kauai Community Cats bears a great challenge to manage the cost of getting these cat off their island.
- A health certificate – health exam with official paperwork — is about $55.
- Rabies vaccination is about $45. Rabies vaccination is NOT required for California state, but some shelters require it. Rabies vaccination IS required for Washington state for kitties more than 3 months old.
- FVRCP vaccination is about $40. Some shelters require this vaccine, and some don’t.
- Other testing is SNAP testing for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV – feline AIDS)/Feline Leukemia —” is about $35. THIS TEST IS NOT ALWAYS REQUIRED — but Cat Town DOES require this test.
- The cost for ONE carrier on Alaska — either in-cabin or cargo — is $100. That at is $100 PER carrier.
- Up to FIVE cargo carriers can go on one flight, and these can be accompanied by ONE passenger. The TOTAL number of cargo carriers allowed on any one flight is FIVE. There can also be up to FIVE in-cabin carriers. So ONE passenger could theoretically accompany five cargo carriers, each with TWO kittens, and also take ONE in-cabin soft-sided carrier with two kittens. So ONE passenger could potentially accompany 12 kittens. The cost for carriers would there be $600: $100 for the on in-cabin carrier, and 5 X $100 for the five cargo carriers.
- After we find a traveler, we get their six letter confirmation code and call Alaska to make a reservation for the cats with that passenger. The earlier we can do this the better, because other people sometimes book pets either in cargo or in cabin.
Kauai Community Cats stated “This is a list of all potential costs. We have looked at our costs, and come up with the approximate cost of shipping one kitty in one container of $200, or two kittens in one container for $300. NOTE that we save $100 off the top in Alaska Air fees by putting two kittens in one container.”
COST TO MY TRAVELLING READERS: NONE
Simply contact Kauai Community Cats and let them know you are willing to have some kitties fly home with you. They have other locations in the USA, especially in the western USA who participate in this program.
If any of my readers are anticipating a little vacation to the glorious Hawaii islands, please be sure to check in with the island you are visiting to learn if they have a similar program to Kauai.
The Hawaii Island cats are under attack and even the state’s own Department of Land and Natural Resources is less than a “friend” to free roaming community cats.
As if the situation weren’t bad enough already. Under current state law, cats “may be destroyed by any means deemed necessary” by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, if they’re found “on any game management area, public hunting area, or forest reserve or other lands under the jurisdiction of [DLNR].”
I hope you can help by donating a few green papers to helping these beautiful island cats get over to our USA mainland. And if not, then perhaps you might get your humans to schedule an island get-away and purr really hard to convince them to bring back a few cats for a welcoming rescue.
I have included some links to further information about the very dangerous legislation being considered in our island state of Hawaii. Please click on at least one to learn more. The Island Cats in Hawaii are counting on all of use to help save their lives and to get their overpopulation under control.
TARGETED TNR WORKS
Further reading:
Kauai Community Cats
Trip Advisor
Hawaii News Now
Vox Felina Blog
PAW PATS, SAVANNAH
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Mee-you Savannah an Lady El mee asked LadyMum what ‘eeradikate’ meanss. Shee told mee. **THUD** Mee fainted!!!!!
Mee did not know about Hawaiian kittiess fo thee Furhood an mee iss so sad they are inn danger. How could Hu’manss say wee iss ‘inn-vasive’?? Thee nerve!!!!
Wee fink all thee katss at this speshell Café are luvley an wee are glad they are safe frum beein ‘eeradikated’….. ***shuddersss***
**nose kissesss** Dhartha Henry xxxx
Invasive species…man, this breaks my heart 😦 I think our next stop will be Hawaii. We hope that the organisation is able to help all the kitties. Soft Pawkisses for Good Luck ❤ ❤ ❤
This is terrible news, we’ve [the P.A. has] been reposting on FB trying to share as much as poss.
*Sad ears*
Basil & Co xox
I pray many cats can get moved out of there through this program.
Man, that is so terrible that Hawaii’s legislation stacks the deck so much against the community cats, and those who care for them. We will share!
What an important but heart-breaking post. I wish every one of your readers could go there and bring a few cats home. I will be sharing.
I know I lost ya on my guest Sunday Selfie BFGF, but I knew you would get the importance of the story I am breaking. No one anywhere in the cat blogosphere except Vox Felina has even noticed. So shameful. We focus so much on who got what give away and pay no attention to this kind of desperate need. I think I lost my way and I may be finding my true way now. Purrs for being my pal
Wow, that’s really sad about Hawaii and their view on cats. Thank you for bringing attention to this! I will be reading up on it! (I hope to make it to Cat Town Cafe one day, too!)
Wow that place is awesome
Lily & Edward
What a sad situation. We cannot imaging treating cats as something that must be eradicated.
Purrs Georgia and Julie,
Treasure and JJ
S & S…..this is sad…..thiz iz bee yond sad………..we haz sum choice werdz we wood like ta say but sinz thiz iz knot R blog we will ree mane silent N pray all de community catz are rescued N brought two de mainland ~~~~~~♥♥♥
We shared and will see what else we can do to help.
Thank you for writing this awesome post. We hear about the cats in New Zealand, but so little about the Hawaiian cats. This is something we bloggers should all be writing about.
I’m disgusted. Any time “cat” and “eradicate” are used in the same sentence something is SERIOUSLY wrong.
We hadn’t heard about this…we must help our fellow Island Cats! Thanks for sharing this with us, Savvy.
pee ess…yes…it’s no rumor…the mom is gonna be home with us ALL.THE.TIME now. Maybe she can go to Hawaii and bring some of those cats back to the mainland.
YAY!!! Happy dance for Mom. And Mom L will go with her to bring some cats back from Kauai! Purrs
We hadn’t heard about this until today when we read your blog Savannah. We are hoping and praying that this won’t be allowed.
Human barbarians, this attitude disgusts me. And there was I thinking these islands were supposed to be a paradise!
The head peep did know about the movement to eradicate community cats in Hawaii (and has read about the unpleasant proposals for how they want to do so). But she hasn’t heard of this initiative. What a great way for people who are traveling to help bring cats to safety!
Please share and help us spread the word. Kauai Community Cats Project needs funds desperately as they bear the full cost. Alaska air will not even reduce the price let alone fly the kitties for free. They have been flying dogs for free
I hope there is a solution for the island cats. I’ve read about this topic a couple of weeks ago ( by E. Parker of hawaiiannewsnow)… and I hope there is a solution via TNR… it would be so sad if the cats had to pay a bitter price…
This is terrifying! Truly brutal and horrifying. We will share!!!!
Wow, it is really important to spread the word about this!
Summer, the plight of community cats, even cats with proper guardians, is desperate in Hawaii. There are hefty fines for people caught feeding community cats. The state will not subsidize low cost high volume S/N clinics. And the state will not sponsor, let alone approve, TNR. Individual islands have their own legislation apparently and none of them care about collaborating with local cat rescues. It is a sort of nasty little secret in the USA. Thank you for sharing