As an AKI Partner Organization, KCAW receives our continuous support, and because of this, is able to rescue, spay/neuter, feed, and care for cats and dogs living on the street in Kingston, Jamaica and those who belong to no/very low income families. Although we can't begin to tell all their stories, these will give you an idea of the depth and breadth and importance of KCAW's work-and how critical your donations are to the well-being of Kingston's at-risk cats and dogs.
From Deborah (KCAW Founder):
There is an abandoned house not far from me. Maybe a 3 minute walk. I went to visit a neighbor one morning and saw 2 little pups sitting outside on the sidewalk in front of the house. Then another appeared, then another, then the mama. I couldn't believe it. They were so hungry and she had no milk. They ran away when I got too close as the mummy dog smartly taught them. Their little legs weren't faster than me but they knew to run under the gate of the abandoned house. I couldn't get them there.
So I did the next best thing. I went back home and got food. After that first day, I began feeding them every day, twice a day. This went on for a while until they got used to me.
I found homes for the pups but kept one that had strayed from the mama and had gotten bitten very badly by a bigger dog. I didn't think he would make it.
I kept him in my yard, but when he got stronger he started looking for his mama, and as difficult as it is to escape from my yard, he ended up in my neighbor's yard 3 houses down! I only found him because I heard his screams. I followed the sound to a bushy section of my neighbor's yard.
I couldn't get in as they had guard dogs who were out so I made a frantic call to Carlene my neighbor, who told me thankfully that her son was home asleep. She called him and he was so helpful and gently disentangled the pup from the vines.
The mama dog was adopted by an older couple who had just lost their beloved shepherd of 13 years. And the puppy, after all that poor thing went through, ended up with the best of homes:
Christine got in touch with Animal-Kind International about a stray cat she had been feeding: "I just arrived in Jamaica last August. We are living in Kingston and have this young female cat passing by our residence for a few days now. After a couple of days, I started feeding her as she was so thin. So now, she stays around the residence. We will be leaving here to move into a house. I would like to know if in the meantime, the cat could be spayed."
Deborah arranged with Christine to pick the kitty up. When she arrived at Christine's apartment, they found the kitty under a drain, where Christine said she had been living. Her eyes were badly infected.
Deborah brought her to the vet that KCAW uses. Now she's spayed (thank you, Christine for donating to KCAW for the cost of her spay surgery!) and the vet prescribed meds for her eyes.
Originally, Christine thought she would leave the cat behind when they moved-she has another cat and they didn't get along. But it turned out that Christine couldn't leave the kitty and will bring her with the rest of the family to their new home; meanwhile, Deborah found a foster home until they all move together in January.
Deborah travels a different route throughout Kingston, depending on the day, visiting the cats and dogs who live on the street, some who live with very poor families, and others who live in yards where their people don't take care of them. But always along her route, new dogs show up-sometimes she sees 10 to 12 new dogs along her route in just one day. And she stops for all of them.
Here's a dog who Deborah saw on her November 30 feeding rounds. Luckily, Deborah always carries extra food:
On Deborah's November 18 feeding route, she saw these two "new" girls, one a nursing mother, the other very skinny, sitting in the rain. That extra food she carries never goes to waste!
And on October 28, Deborah ran into this group of dogs, she had never before seen along her route:
These are KCAW kitties who stay inside Deborah's house (there are just as many who stay in the outdoor pen--which was built thanks to a donation from one of AKI's very generous donors). All of them are rescues, most from Kingston's streets. They no longer look like Kingston street cats though:
And every day, as Deborah drives off to check on "her" cats and around Kingston, she still feeds these dogs after so many years. They live at the bottom of Deborah's hill, so she can't leave home without feeding them! They certainly look healthy, not like your typical Kingston street dogs:
To donate to our work and designate your donation for Kingston Community Animal Welfare, please click: https://www.animal-kind.org/jamaica
and use the donate form on that page. Thank you!
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