FixNation and Valley Vet Non Profit (VVNP) are teaming up this summer to bring you even more days when you can get your feral cats fixed for free.

Starting in August, VVNP will be open on the 2nd Monday of every month for a day dedicated to fixing feral cats. This is an extra day above and beyond when VVNP is normally open, as a way to expand how many feral cats are being fixed within our community each month. VVNP will fix up to 50 feral cats on these special Mondays, and the program will be sponsored by FixNation.

This program kicks off on Monday, August 9th. The spay/neuter services will be done at VVNP’s clinic at 1659 East Los Angeles Avenue in Simi Valley.

The same great “free feral program” that you’ve come to know from FixNation still applies for these Mondays, including:

- Spay/neuter surgery
- Physical exam
- FVRCP distemper combo vaccine
- Rabies vaccine
- Revolution (for fleas, earmites, mange, hookworms and roundworms)
- Eartip
- Antibiotic
- Fluids
- Pain medication
- Droncit as needed (for tapeworms)
- Lots of TLC!

VVNP will also offer FeLV/FIV testing and microchipping for an additional fee. FeLV/FIV combo tests are $20, FeLV only tests are $10, microchips are $25 and hernia repairs are $15. Convenia injections, if recommended by the vet, are $25.

Only feral cats will be booked on these special Mondays, and all cats will be eartipped. Any tame companion cats or friendly strays should be scheduled at either FixNation or VVNP during normal business hours.

Feral cats must come in to VVNP in humane traps and be fully covered (no carriers or other containers please). Drop off time is between 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. and pick up is between 2:00 – 2:30 pm. Appointments must be made in advance, and trappers can book appointments by calling VVNP directly at 805-584-3823.

Both FixNation and Valley Vet Non Profit are very excited to be bringing you this new outreach program. We hope it helps both the trappers and the cats out in the West Valley.

FixNation will continue to look for new and creative ways to bring more spay/neuter services to other parts Los Angeles. We firmly believe that public access to free spay/neuter services is a critical component in homeless cat management. Collectively, we can make a difference.

A young couple, James O’Neel and Justine Hong, came in to FixNation recently for trap training classes. They had an orange tabby cat who needed to be TNR’d. This orange girl constantly hung out on the top of a concrete wall in between their condo yard and the yard next door. According to James and Justine, this orange kitty would not come down onto the ground for anything! They only ever saw her up on the wall. She was very skittish and very elusive.

While this Cirque du Soleil aerial scenario would present a tricky challenge for any trapper, the situation was compounded by the fact that this poor girl had a huge open wound on her side, what looked like a giant abscess that had gone south. James and Justine knew they needed to trap her immediately so they could get her the medical care she needed.

James and Justine devised an ingenious approach. They propped a big wooden door up on top of the concrete wall and secured it, which acted as a platform. They then positioned the trap up on the door/platform. They took the rear sliding door off the trap and began to feed inside the trap, slowing moving the food bowl back a day at a time, until the cat started feeling more secure about eating inside the trap. Finally the rear door was back on and the trap was set… and lo and behold they got their girl!

When this orange tabby cat came into FixNation for spay surgery, it looked almost like the entire side of her body was one big gaping wound, completely open and exposed. This poor pumpkin probably wouldn’t have made it much longer had she been left to fend for herself.

Our awesome FixNation vets shaved half her flank and stitched her entire side up, administered Convenia (a long-acting antibiotic) for the infection, and then orange tabby girl went back home with James and Justine later that day.

Orange tabby girl has now resumed her perch on the wall, and from the pictures we can see she is healing beautifully!

We love hearing the amazing success stories. Great job, James and Justine, for some smooth trapping work!  Time, patience, and persistence literally saved this cat’s life.

Solid

All over solid color; no striping whatsoever. You can have solid greys (also called blues), blacks, whites, even browns. Generally oranges (also called reds) and creams aren’t totally solid, as they will have faint tabby markings on them.

Bi-Color

Any solid color cat plus white, with the two colors being fairly evenly distributed. For example, black and white, grey and white, etc., with the white being about half the color composition.

– Tuxedo – A tuxedo cat is a type of bi-color cat who looks just exactly like what the name says…like the kitty is wearing a little tuxedo! The coat is all over black with a white bib (shirt) and white mitts (or tuxedo cuffs).

… and White

Any solid color or color pattern plus white markings. Generally when we say “and white”, there are distinct larger patches of white on the cat. If there aren’t larger patches of white and just small bits of white, here are some other terms you can use to more accurately describe your kitty:

- White “mitts” - White feet or paws

- White “bib” - White chest

- White “locket” - Small patch of white hair on the chest

Harlequin

A mostly white cat with a few larger spots of color. White is the most noticeable color.

Van or Van Bi-Color

All white with just small spots or splashes of color between the ears and on the tail.

Dilute

A paler or lighter version of the original color pattern. So you have pale orange, cream or buff instead of brighter orange, and grey or blue instead of black. Dilute is often used to describe calicos, torties and tabbies.

Smoke

Solid black or grey hair with white roots, so that the cat’s coat appears to be smokey (i.e., smokey black with white roots, or smokey grey with white roots).

Tabbies

We love tabbies! Tabbies are probably the most common type of homeless cats we see. Tabbies come in lots of colors. The most common is the brown or brown/grey tabby, which generally has brown, black and grey blended together. You can also have grey tabbies, orange tabbies, and cream or buff tabbies. Silver tabbies generally have black and grey markings on white roots, which gives the cat a more silver appearance (more silver than just grey). Tabbies come in a variety of patterns too, which also help accurately describe the cat:

- Tiger tabby or “mackerel” tabby – Long, narrow stripes across the cat’s body like a tiger.

- Classic tabby - Round bulls-eye swirls on the cat’s sides or flanks.

- Spotted tabby - Spots on the cat’s flanks and underbelly. Mainly you’ll see spotted tabby markings in cats like Ocicats or Egyptian Maus.

- Ticked or agouti – Ticked cats have different bands of color along the hair shaft, with the hair being the lightest or palest by the root and the ends “ticked” darker. This term is most often used to describe Abyssinians.

Tri-Color

This term is most commonly used to describe calicos and tortoiseshell cats, which are nearly always female because of the gene composition.

– Calico – Calicos have three distinct colors: orange, black and white. Dilute calicos are the same, except they are the paler version, so you have grey, peach and white. Many calicos have a patchwork design to their coat.

– Calico Tabby or “Tabico” for short – A calico mixed with a brown tabby, so you get brown and orange tabby markings plus larger patches of white.

– Tortoiseshell  or “Torties” for short - Torties aren’t true tri-colored cats, as they are mainly black and orange (also called red) swirled in a “brindle” pattern. But they are similar to calicos in that they are nearly always female. Sometimes you will see a tortie patterned cat with small splashes of white. In the UK, these are often called “torties with white”, while in the US we mainly call these calicos. Both terms are technically correct. Dilute torties are grey (or blue) and peach (or cream), instead of black and orange.

– Torbie - A tabby mixed with a tortie, so you have a tabby pattern with more noticeable orange marbling in it. Torbies look like autumn leaves.

Points

Solid pale cream or darker tan body color with a different color on the ears, muzzle, tail and feet, otherwise known as “points.” Points are often used in describing Siamese, Himalayans, Birmans, Exotics and other similar breeds.

- Flame point - Orange coloring on the face, ears, tail and feet, anywhere from bright orange to very pale.

- Seal point - Dark brown points like the color of seal skin, and the nose leather and paw pads will be dark brown.

- Chocolate point – Points are generally slightly lighter brown than seal points, and the nose leather and paw pads will be pinkish.

- Lilac or blue point - Grey or blue points, anywhere from darker grey to very pale.

- Lynx point - A Siamese-type mixed with a tabby, so you’ll see a cream or tan body with a tabby looking face, ears, tail and feet. You can have different colors of lynx points too, i.e., grey lynx point, brown lynx point, orange lynx point, etc.

- Tortie point - A Siamese-type mixed with a tortie, so you notice tortie brindle markings on the face, ears, tail and feet.

So, now that you’re an expert, what color is the cat in the top picture?

We gave you an easy one… it’s a dilute calico, or a grey dilute calico to be even more precise!

Disneyland may be the “happiest place on earth” during the day, but did you also know that it’s home to hundreds of feral cats that roam the park at night? The cats have been around since the park opened. For almost ten years now, Disneyland has worked together with Best Friends Catnippers and FixNation to successfully Trap-Neuter-Return these feline friends. In return, the cats do their part by keeping the rodent population in the park down. Watch out Mickey Mouse!

Click here to read the full story by Best Friends Animal Society

Some cats just don’t seem to want to go into the trap, no matter how hard you try. You’ve used smelly bait, you’ve withheld food to get them hungry, and yet you still sit out night after night and come up with an empty trap!

Here are our top 10 tips and tricks we’ve collected over the years that may help you nab your wily kitty, courtesy of master trapper Liz Cava.

1. Pray.  Even if you don’t pray…pray.
2. Drink.  Even if you don’t drink…drink.
3. Communicate telepathically with the cat. Even if you don’t believe in communicating telepathically with a cat…send them mental mindwaves to let them know their life will get better if they just—GO—INTO—THE—TRAP.
4. Disguise the trap with foliage, tree branches, etc. so it looks nothing like a trap. (And boy have we seen some interesting trap camouflage come into the clinic).
5. Disguise the trap with cardboard, covering it completely with cardboard on all sides so it looks like a mysterious box. Very important to make sure the cat still has plenty of ventilation.
6. Sprinkle catnip all over the inside of the trap. In fact, we’ve even seen someone hang a catnip toy from the top of the inside back of the trap. You laugh? She got the cat.
7. If the cat is an indoor/outdoor cat, try opening the back door just a little bit and set the trap inside the house—rather than in the back yard.
8. Two of our favorite words – Laundry basket. This strategy is particularly good for those cats who are “kinda sorta friendly who you can sometimes pet or touch but only briefly and while not making direct eye contact”. You know the ones. Take a plastic laundry basket and plop it down over the cat when he/she is least suspecting.  “Spider” the basket (with the cat under it) onto a sturdy piece of plywood or a plastic sterilite container lid.  Duct tape the whole thing together and bring kitty into the clinic just like that.  Be sure to bring a empty trap with you so the cat can recover in the trap after surgery.
9. Kentucky Fried Chicken. Evidently the “original recipe” is paw-lickin good. Get a drumstick (yes it must be original recipe) and tie it to the top of the inside back of the trap.  This is a great lure for even the hardest to catch ferals. (Don’t worry about getting it out of the trap, either; technically with this method there will be food in the trap after midnight, but they never eat the drumstick while trapped).
10. Valerian Root Extract Oil.  Buy it at a health food store, break open the capsule and sprinkle it over your bait.  We have no idea why it works, but it does. Expect to be swarmed by bugs though—as it seems to attract insects, too.

If you’ve tried at least five of the tips listed, or maybe even just three in combination with #2, we consider you a seasoned master trapper. Good luck getting your kitty!

Ericka has been working in news for over ten years. Born in Peru, Ericka moved to the United States at a young age. She graduated from Rider University with a communications degree. She then set off working for big industry names like Univision, Fox 5’s “Good Day New York” and WSVN in Miami and Telemundo 47 in New York. Today,  Ericka is the evening weather anchor for Telemundo 52 in LA, one of the largest Spanish television networks in the world. In 2009 Ericka earned her meteorology degree and earned the prestigious American Meteorology Society seal of approval. Her personality, versatility and knowledge have gained her respect and a huge following. Ericka’s Photo galleries and Internet segments such as “Ericka Te lo Cuenta” are amongst the most trafficked in the Telemundo website.

Ericka joined forces with FixNation because of her love of cats and strong desire to help the community at large. Sharing a common vision of “No More Homeless Cats in LA”, Ericka is using her vivacious personality and tapping in to her wide fan base to help drive home the importance of spay/neuter and to explain what Trap-Neuter-Return is all about.

“Many people in the Spanish-speaking community have a great love of animals and want to help the cats within their community, but simply don’t know about TNR or what resources are available to help them locally” says Ericka. “By letting people know about FixNation and the free spay/neuter services they offer, I can help show people how easy it is to make a positive difference in the world around them.”

Ericka visited FixNation with her camera crew and showcased the coverage and story on her heavily trafficked Telemundo website. She also invited FixNation’s Spanish-speaking team members to join her on air, with tame kitten in tow, to talk to her audience about free-roaming cats and the benefits of TNR.

“We couldn’t be more pleased that Ericka is helping us reach the Spanish-speaking community,” says Kim Senn, VP of Operations at FixNation. “Ericka is an extremely popular, influential woman with fans who follow her everywhere she goes. We are thrilled to have her help in reaching out to the Hispanic community on the importance of Trap-Neuter-Return for our community cats.”

More exciting plans are in store in throughout 2010 for Ericka and FixNation to team up on educational outreach projects for the Spanish-speaking community. Together, through education and increased awareness, they plan to turn the tide on the plight of homeless cats and to reduce the pet overpopulation in Los Angeles, helping both people and animals alike lead better lives.

To get to know Ericka Pino, go to:

http://www.Telemundo52.com/erickapino

To view her gallery of FixNation, go to:

http://www.telemundo52.com/noticias/5868721/detail.html

To view the on-air coverage with FixNation team members, view the 3-part series:

1) http://www.telemundo52.com/video/19049779/index.html

Mange is caused by a parasite, or a very small bug. These parasites actually live and feed on the cat, who acts as a “host”. The mites either live topically on the cat or they burrow under the skin.

Mange generally strikes the old and the young the hardest, although cats of all ages can get it. Mange is contagious to other animals and opportunistically to humans. Animals in poor health and with poor diet are more susceptible to it and symptoms can be more exacerbated.

Most common types of mange:

The two most common types of mange found in cats, especially stray and homeless cats, are:

Otodectic mange – This is otherwise known as ear mites. These are tiny, crab-like bugs that live and feed on top of the cat’s skin, mainly in the ear canals. When cats have ear mites, you’ll notice red, inflamed ears, the inner ears will look very dirty and you may notice an abnormal odor. You’ll notice the cat shaking his head and rubbing at his ears a lot. Sometimes the ears will even get a crusty, black discharge or may be a bit weepy from secondary infections due to the mites.

Ear mites are highly contagious between cats and also to other kinds of pets. They can quickly spread between cats, dogs, rabbits and ferrets.

Notoedric mange – This type of mite burrows into the cat’s skin to live and lay eggs there. When those eggs hatch, the cycle repeats itself and the new mites continue to tunnel under the cat’s skin. The cat loses hair and the skin becomes crusty and sore. Most often you will see flaky, scabby skin starting on the head and ears, and then spreading to the armpits, legs and body. If the mange gets bad enough, the cat’s forehead and eyes can become swollen so that the cat looks like “cro-magnon” kitty. The cat will have severe itching (technically called pruritis), patchy hair loss and possibly some inflamed bumps similar to chicken pox.

Notoedric mange is highly contagious between cats. In dogs, it will normally show up as sarcoptic mange instead. It can actually spread to humans, although it cannot live for long on a human as we are not their natural “host”. If it does get on you, it will cause redness and some bumps like a rash, with minor itching, and then it should go away on its own in a couple of days.

Other more rare types of mange in cats:

Sarcoptic mange – This type of mange is mostly found in dogs, and only rarely in cats.

Demodectic mange – This type of mange can cause small, inflamed red patches of skin.

Cheyletiella mange – This is also known as “walking dandruff” in cats because you can actually see the large red mites moving quickly on the surface of the cat’s skin. It’s very rare in cats.

Diagnosing mange:

To fully diagnose mange, a veterinarian will scrape the skin and then examine the skin sample under the microscope, to determine what type of mange the cat has.

Treating mange:

Notoedric and otodectic mange are generally treated with an Ivermectin based drug. At FixNation, we use Revolution, applied topically to the back of the cat’s neck. You may be familiar that Revolution treats fleas, but it will also treat mange, ear mites, it will treat hookworms and roundworms in the stomach, plus it’s a heartworm protection, for up to 30 days.

If the notoedric mange is severe enough, the cat may need follow up treatments of Ivermectin injections or Revolution at weekly or bi-weekly intervals for 4-6 weeks. In serious cases, a vet may choose to use cortisone to help the itching, or possibly prescribe antibiotics to treat any secondary infections.

In the case of ear mites, in addition to the Revolution, the ears will also be cleaned out with a solution and the cat may be prescribed an antibiotic to treat any secondary infections.

Preventing the spread of mange:

When you are trapping feral cats, make sure to wash traps between use and spray with a bleach/water solution. Also, launder the trap covers between use. Make sure to line traps with fresh newspaper, and keep fresh newspaper on the floor under the trap when you hold the cats overnight. Clean the bottom of any hard flat surfaces that you set the traps on, or if you’re using newspaper then change the newspaper, before placing another trap on that surface.

For indoor pets, mange is most concentrated in bedding and in areas where the cats often hang out, so make sure to launder their bedding daily while they are being treated. If one cat in your household has mange, all of them should be treated with a preventative like Revolution, as it can spread quickly between them.

Sources and additional info:

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/72005.htm

http://www.mangeincats.com

http://www.earmitesincats.com

Here is an FAQ on what this means on a practical level:

1. Is TNR now illegal?

Answer: No. TNR is legal for private citizens and rescue organizations to carry out. The only difference is that the city is currently prohibited from supporting our TNR efforts.

2. Can I still get city vouchers to offset the cost of spaying or neutering feral cats?

Answer: Currently, a private resident can get up to three vouchers for spaying or neutering cats that live on their own property. These vouchers must be obtained directly from a city shelter.

3. If I have a question or problem related to feral cats in Los Angeles or if I need to borrow a feral cat trap, whom should I contact?

Answer: Contact FixNation, Stray Cat Alliance, Kitten Rescue, Actors & Others for Animals, Best Friends Catnippers, or one of the many local cat rescue organizations that you may already be familiar with.

4.  How did this lawsuit happen?

Answer: A group of conservancy organizations that are concerned about declining song-bird populations and  the potential impact of feral cats on the environment sued the city for non-compliance with CEQA, and the court found in their favor.

5.  What is being done to correct the situation?

Answer: A coalition of animal organizations has formed to work with the city of Los Angeles to re-establish TNR as an important strategy in any effective and humane program aimed at managing and controlling feral cat populations while complying with CEQA. The coalition includes:  Actors & Others for Animals, Best Friends Animal Society, Feral Cat Caretakers’ Coalition, FixNation, Found Animals Foundation, Kitten Rescue, and Stray Cat Alliance.

6.  Will Judge McKnew’s ruling be appealed by the City of LA?

Answer: No. The City Attorney has concluded that because the law precludes any new evidence or arguments being introduced on appeal, that re-trying the same case on the existing court record would likely have the same result with the added consequence of establishing the ruling state-wide, while now it only affects the city of Los Angeles. The coalition has hired an attorney who specializes in CEQA, and they agree with the City Attorney’s decision not to appeal.  Rather, the coalition will work with the city to develop a TNR policy while observing CEQA requirements.

7.  What can I do to help?

Answer: Please forward this FAQ to concerned family and friends, and if you can, please donate to your favorite feral cat program and sign the coalition’s declaration of support for TNR in Los Angeles. (Click here to view and sign the Coalition Declaration)

If you care about the lives of homeless cats in Los Angeles, please read, and in any way you can, show your support for this important declaration.

Declaration of Support For The Humane Management of Feral Cats in Los Angeles

When Superior Court Judge Thomas McKnew ruled last December that the City of Los Angeles Animal Services can no longer provide information about Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) or funding for spay/neuter of feral cats without first satisfying a California Environmental Quality (CEQA) review, he turned the clock back two decades.

Before the ruling, Los Angeles was a model of humane feral cat care for cities nationwide. The city recognized Trap-Neuter-Return as an effective tool in its commitment to becoming “no-kill,” and the community embraced it: last year more than 16,000 feral cats were neutered with the help of volunteers and nonprofit groups.

There is no humane alternative to TNR and the consequence of the Judge McKnew’s ruling is that more cats are entering and dying in our city shelters everyday.

This isn’t a question of “cats versus birds”.  The organizations and individuals who advocate for TNR are concerned about all animals. It is our belief that we need to control the community cat population for the sake of the cats, the birds and the environment as a whole. Catching and killing stray and free roaming cats is not only inhumane, it simply doesn’t work.

What works—and has been working for 20 years—is the city joining with caregivers and local nonprofits to help protect and improve cats’ lives, minimize their impact on the environment and to help stabilize the feral cat population—an animal population that has thrived outdoors for thousands of years – through a robust TNR program that complies with CEQA.

The cats of Los Angeles are in dire need of our voice and our advocacy.

FixNation declares its support for the establishment of TNR as official policy for the City of Los Angeles. We applaud the city for their prior efforts in this regard and we want the city to move forward as expeditiously as possible to create a comprehensive TNR program in collaboration with private partners that satisfies CEQA requirements while supporting the humane, non-lethal, management of stray and feral cat populations in Los Angeles.

The Community Cat Coalition of Los Angeles is comprised of representatives from respected animal welfare organizations such as Actors & Others for Animals, Best Friends Animal Society, Feral Cat Caretakers’ Coalition, FixNation, Found Animals Foundation, Kitten Rescue and Stray Cat Alliance.

Sign the Coalition Petition and Show Your Support

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View FixNation’s original petition, launched in December 2009, to show support for TNR in Los Angeles. Read the many comments from caregivers across the city, the state, the country… and even the world!

View and Sign FixNation Original Petition

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Community Cat Coalition of Los Angeles