Our last AKI Blog post about KCAW was from the end of April. (KCAW, an AKI Partner Organization, feeds and provides vet care (including spay/neuter) for Kingston's street animals and for pets of no/low income families. Donors to AKI provide about 90% of KCAW's operating costs!)
These are some of Kingston's cats and dogs who your donations to AKI have helped since our last KCAW blog post:
This is little Red. She pushed her way through Deborah's fence - or someone might have given her a push. As you can see, she was really nervous and it took a couple of days to gain her trust. She was terribly skinny too.
Deborah de-wormed and shampooed her and 2 weeks later, had her spayed. And a few weeks later, this is Red, you can hardly recognize her as the same skinny, scared pup:
Deborah takes cat food to an 85 year old woman, Julia, who is quite weak. Since covid, she's essentially been a shut-in, so Deborah now visits her twice weekly. Sometimes she'll even bring Julia human food and clothes and pick up her medication.
Julia came to Jamaica 30 years ago from Singapore and never left. She was an editor has traveled the world, sat beside royalty, and plays classical music on a grand piano that she once owned, but had to sell to buy food.
Julia had a cat named Huang, who died at 14 years old. She mourned for weeks. So Deborah brought Bobby the cat (a girl) to Julia. Bobby died suddenly from a terrible and chronic mouth infection (KCAW had to have him euthanized to end his suffering).
On one visit to Julia's, Deborah drove by a rubbish heap near Julia's home and saw very hungry dogs searching for food. They were looking so hard, but not finding anything, so of course Deborah stopped and gave them the food she was carrying for her next visit, to some of the dogs KCAW looks after downtown. And since that day, Deborah takes extra food with her every time she visits Julia. And the dogs know when Deborah arrives and now wait for her. KCAW has already gotten mama and her daughter spayed, but the males have been a challenge and run off.
This mama dog is just one of the many on Kingston's streets. As we always say, KCAW spay/neuters everyone possible, but there are always more cats and dogs showing up on the streets, pregnant, with babies to feed. This one wore a collar but that doesn't mean anything. Many owned dogs aren't fed and just let out of their yards to find their own food.
Gennell got in touch with AKI when she found us through her online search. She said, "I have 10 cats. Three are females, 4 males, and 3 newborn kittens. My family wants to throw them away in a nearby gully and I don't want any harm to come to them. I saw on the internet that your organization rescues animals and I'd like you to help me help them." Deborah arranged to take Gennell's kitties to safety.
And on May 15, Gennell sent us this message, "Good morning Miss Karen. My cats are safe now because of you and your amazing foundation. Thank you very much Animal Kind International and I will never forget your kindness."
Deborah is still busy at the Liguanea Country Club, where she had Miltie and many of his sisters and brothers s/n'd. But this "spitfire" had been eluding her trap for months....until June 15, caught and off to be spayed. She was not happy about that!
Another one who keeps eluding capture is this mama dog. Deborah saw her for the 1st time 10 months ago, soon after she was born at this very spot under the trailer. She fed her mama (mama of the dog pictured), but when the puppy was old enough, they both starting roaming. Although Deborah placed her trap, no one ever entered. The area has a lot to do with it--its noisy, constant traffic, horns blowing, tons of people everywhere, so the dogs are very skittish.
Deborah's not giving up though. This dog is barely a year old, and we hope this will be the 1st and last litter she will ever have!
Tiny Babes was wandering on the side of the road when Deborah saw her. And when she saw Deborah, she panicked and squeezed under a gate into a yard where there were other dogs-big dogs, luckily friendly ones. Deborah met the woman who lives at the house and she agreed that Babes could stay there with her new pals. Deborah now brings dog food for Babes, has treated her for parasites, and a couple of weeks ago gave Babes a soothing bath. Now when Babes hears Deborah's horn, she knows who it is--a very smart little puppy.
Babes won't end up like many others, scrounging on the street for food. Instead she found a home and people who will love her. She got her second chance.
(This video, of Babe eating from a bowl of food much larger than she is, is TOO cute, it's short and fun....enjoy):
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Andrew is a caretaker for a construction company in Kingston and lives on the company's compound with his 2 dogs. KCAW has been helping him out with dog food--he doesn't make much money, but loves his dogs. The owners of the company don't like them, but seem willing to put up with them. Andrew was walking in his neighborhood when he saw a little kitten all by herself on the sidewalk. He decided he couldn't leave here there, so he took her home. And since he really can't afford to look after her, he called Deborah for help. She brought food (picture below) and will get the kitty spayed in September. The kitty will definitely have a happy home with him:
This is an amazing story! Scrappy showed up at the KCAW kennels 5 years ago, he was a street cat and was pretty beat up. He seemed to like being taken care of, so he stayed. He'd occasionally leave, but always returned. Until one day 3 years ago, he left and never came back. In July--2 YEARS LATER, he miraculously reappeared. What a shock-a good one, but he was in really bad shape and desperately needed vet care. Check him out as he is leaving the vet's office:
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Maybe Scrappy has now been convinced to stay!
A fellow rescuer couldn't catch this clever, elusive, soon-to- be mummy dog, so Animal House in St Ann called Deborah to ask for her help. Nobody wanted her to have her pups on the street, especially in there. When Deborah went to check out the area and make a plan to catch her, it was obvious that the people meant to do her harm if she remained.
It took 1 hour and 20 minutes, but finally Deborah was able to catch her. On her back, twisting and turning to position herself to reach the dog, where she had lodged between a truck tire and metal rim, Deborah had to crawl under the chassis of a parked semi, got gravel in knees and elbows. It was worth it to get her to safety and make sure her puppies wouldn't be born in that dangerous place.
She was given the name Blondie (not by Deborah); Deborah said, "I would have come up with another name for her." Blondie will now have her puppies in a safe place and they will all be well cared for-and hopefully Bondie and her puppies will find their forever homes soon.
Deborah has been feeding this yard full of dogs since 2019 and has spayed the 7 females. It's tricky to get into the yard because the gate is padlocked and throwing food over the top of the gate makes no sense, it ends up all over the ground and the dogs eat stones along with the food. Lucky that Tyrone is one of the residents. When he's home, he opens the gate, lets Deborah in, and the dogs get a good meal. Tyrone is the only person who stays at this compound who cares about the dogs. If not for KCAW/Deborah, they would only get fed every other day, according to Tyrone, and even that's not guaranteed.
Although it may sound strange, this is a common situation. People who own homes with yards might start out with a couple of guard dogs. The owners may not even live there, or only live there part-time. The care of the dogs is often in the hands of a caretaker. Or where an owner rents rooms out, many people may be living on the compound, along with the owner's security dogs. The dogs multiply; caretakers aren't left with money for food or care. No one is really in charge of the dogs' welfare.
That's when and where KCAW steps in!
Watch these tails wagging when Deborah comes with a full bowl of food:
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These are a few kitties in the most recent feral cat colony that KCAW is working with. They live at a school, with huge grounds where they can hide. When school's in session, they get fed, but now, during holidays, food from KCAW is the only food they get. They were very skittish at 1st, but now they run towards Deborah when she arrives. Time to get them spayed!
Without your support for Kingston Community Animal Welfare, none of this would be possible! Thank you!!!!!