Programs
Purrfect Public Health!Five Saves Lives
Leadership Development
Marian's Dream continues to innovate with programs that develop solutions and help build sustainability. For past programs see History.
Purrfect Public Health!
Across the country, thousands of cat caregivers work to improve the lives of feral and stray cats by feeding them, humanely trapping and then vaccinating and sterilizing them, and bringing them back to their outdoor “home.” Because there has never been a concerted effort to coordinate these efforts with local public health departments, there are too often unnecessary conflicts with these officials.
Public Health department goals include protecting the general public against zoonotic diseases. Also, complaints about feral and stray cats are usually brought to the attention of local public health officials. Thus, the problem of too many, and unvaccinated, cats has registered on their radar – but not the solution.
Amazingly, as of 2008, there has been no formal, wide-scale effort to meet with public health officials, to explain the health and safety benefits of Trap/Neuter/ Return, and to recruit them to support feral colony caregivers in a public-private partnership.
Public Health departments can help local veterinarians working with rescue groups obtain the rabies vaccine in large lots, and in some regions might even help with the costs of holding large-scale spay clinics for these cats in order to reduce the population.
In 2008, Marian's Dream organized a panel of seven experts on Trap/Neuter/Return to speak at the American Public Health Association's 136th annual meeting in San Diego, and also had a large booth with information on humane trapping of cats, the benefits of Trap Neuter/ Return and examples of successful programs. This was very well received. The experts will be at the 2009 APHA conference in Philadelphia, this time with a policy statement on feral cats for discussion amongst public health officials.
FIVE SAVES LIVES
For decades, veterinary students have been taught that six months is the minimum safe age to spay or neuter companion animals. Over the past twenty years, some veterinarians have begun to spay earlier, as early as two months/two pounds.
The Five Saves Lives Campaign advocates that the age for spaying/neutering cats be moved back by just four to six weeks. This small change would remove the risk of unwanted litters by ensuring that these “tween” kittens will not have that accidental first “woops” litter. A study by Andrew Rowan projected that close to 90% of unwanted kittens and pups are born to mothers who would be spayed after the litter was born.
A survey by the National Council on Pet Population Study & Policy showed that nationwide about 70% of cats entering shelters are euthanized. There are areas that are much higher – cats' chances of finding a permanent home once they enter a shelter are slim. There are far more cats than there are good homes.
To address this problem we can move the age of sterilization back one month, eliminating the possibility of litters during that delicate period between kittenhood and maturity. This simple change in timing could prevent an enormous number of litters. It has been estimated that if even 20% of cat guardians would spay/neuter before maturity, about 1.5 million fewer kittens would be born in the U.S. annually. That is about half the number of cats killed in shelters each year.
Marian's Dream is working on a three-part campaign: First, to convince veterinarians to spay/alter young cats between 18 and 20 weeks instead of waiting till 24 weeks. Second, to convince the guardians of companion animals, especially cats, to schedule the spay/neuter for no later than 20 weeks. The third part will be a large-scale publicity campaign through pet supply stores to inform the general public of the wisdom of moving the age back. The startup program must be for the veterinarians, since without their support and consent, this adjustment cannot take place.
Marian's Dream hopes you will join us in helping with funds for promotional materials, the development of Continuing Education DVDs for veterinarians and more.
Donate specifically to the Five Saves Lives campaign.
Leadership Development
There have been ongoing programs, workshops and promotions to professionalize shelter workers, shelter management, and animal control officers. However, the number of non-veterinary specialists in the arena of spay/neuter has been small, and these leaders have been on their own as they learned about how to best “work smarter, not harder” in their efforts to promote spay/neuter, grow services, and connect the public to low cost services.
In its pledge to promote leadership development in this area, Marian's Dream organizes retreats for statewide spay coordinators. These retreats focus on the professionalization of spay/neuter advocacy, including fundraising for spay/neuter programs and subsidies, strategic planning, quality control, outreach and recruitment/management to build a strong team.
