We have been very back and forth as to whether or not we should dedicate a spot on our blog to let you know about our negative experience with North Country Animal League (NCAL). Since a few of you have sent us emails asking about what help we have received from them we have decided to go ahead and give you a brief synopsis of what went on in our dealings with NCAL.
In the beginning of this rescue it was our hope that we could partner with NCAL in our efforts to save these cats and kittens. We picked NCAL because the kittens were originally located in Cambridge which is a part of Lamoille County. NCAL covers Lamoille County just as The Chittenden County Humane Society covers Chittenden County and the Franklin County Humane Society covers Franklin County. As I mentioned before the Frankline County Humane Society has been an amazing resource for us from day one. Their knowledge and generosity is what made this rescue possible. However, we did not have as much luck with NCAL.
We began contacting NCAL the day that we decided to start rescuing these kittens. I called and left a message on Vaghn's voicemail. I am not sure, but I believe she is a manager at the shelter. I explained in my message who we were and what we were doing. I explained the devastating conditions that the cats and kittens were in and that we would really love for them to partner with us in this rescue as it was their territory the kittens were being rescued from. I explained that we completely understood that every shelter was at capacity with cats and kittens and that it was our understanding that this had been the reason that no one had ever stepped up to the plate to help these babies over the last several years that all of the local shelters and animal control had been notified of the situation. I went on to say that we were willing to keep all of these kittens in my mother's home and do all of the hands of work (giving medications, bottle feeding, and all of the other care they would need). What we were hoping they could help us with was occasional vet care, food, kitty litter, and other things like that.
I waited two days, but not return phone call was made to us.
I called again and left another message basically stating all of the things that I said in my original email. Two days later... still no answer.
I decided that calling and leaving a message wasn't going to do it so I got onto NCAL's website and emailed them through their "contact us" link. In my email I reiterated that we were not asking for space in their shelter and that we would be willing to do all of the hands on work, but because we were just a family trying to put together this rescue effort and we did not have any resources for funding or medical care we were hoping they could jump in and lend a hand with that sort of stuff. We were willing to do our adoptions through them so that they could collect their normal adoption fee to help refund any resources that we using of theirs. I also added in the email that I had called and left two messages but had not heard back from anyone yet.
The next day I received both an email and a voicemail from Deb Fennel. I believe Deb is the exectutive director of NCAL, but again I am not positive about what positions Deb or Vaughn hold at the shelter. The email and voicemail both stated that she had received my email and was looking into the report that I had originally filed with the Franklin County Humane Society regarding the situation on the property in Cambridge. Please note that the only reason the report was originally taken by Franklin County Humane Society was due to the fact that they were the only shelter out of the 3 I contacted (NCAL included) and animal control from both Fletcher and Cambridge that gave me the option of making a formal report. Deb stated that she was trying to figure out if the cats were really in Lamoille County or not because their were two addresses on the report and one of them was actually Franklin County. I called her back and explained that the address the cats were located at was indeed Cambridge and that the other address (in Fletcher) was my home address.
Deb went on to say that they could be an informational resource but other than that all they could do for us was put us on a long waiting list and take the occasional kitten into their shelter when they could. I told her that we did not wish to have the occasional kitten taken into their shelter as the issue was not that they did not have safe place to be at this point. We could provide that. I was also under the understanding that they had quite a lengthy waiting list and we knew that the kitten would most likely be ready to place long before they came up on the waiting list. So this was really no help to us.
Meanwhile some of the staff from Franklin County Humane Society that was aware of the situation because they had been helping us had also been contacting NCAL urging them to help us with what we were doing.
I was basically ready to give up on NCAL at this point because it seemed clear they were not going to be any help other than an informational resource and that wasn't much good to us because we have access to the internet and we could pretty much find any information we needed that way.
My mother on the other hand was not ready to give up on them so she continued to email Deb. Finally my mother mentioned to her that FOX 44 news had contacted us wanting to help out by giving us some exposure on their morning new show. After that Deb quickly set up a time to come out to my mother's house and meet with us the next evening. We had some renewed hope that maybe NCAL was going to help out after all.
So the next evening we met Deb Fennell live and in person. She came in and met the kittens and then sat in a chair and read to us some print outs from the internet on what a feral cat is. We were a little offended that she felt we wouldn't already have a pretty good idea of what a feral cat is and we were a little puzzled as to how this information was relevant to what we were trying to do. Yes, the adult cats on the property are feral in that they do not trust humans enough to come close to them, but they are used to being fed so they are not completely used to taking care of themselves as some feral colonies are.
Deb went on to say that in her opinion the people who live on the property with the cats in Cambridge should stop feeding the cats and that we should stop rescuing the kittens from the property and (her exact words here!!!) "LET NATURE TAKE ITS COURSE". My mother and I in unison looked at her in appaulled surprise and said "We disagree". The exectutive director of NCAL had basically just told us to let these kittens who had no access to water and these adult cats that had been fed their whole lives die slow painful deaths from dehydration, starvation, and the parasites that had taken over many of their bodies. My mother and I could not believe the director of a shelter that prides itself on being a "no kill" shelter would think it an ok solution to let these animals who by no fault of their own were in this situation die slow painful deaths.
We were very clear that we had no intention of letting that happen. This was a people made problem and people needed to fix it. We did not cause the problem and at this point who cares who did... it doesn't change the fact that we are fixing it because it is the cats and kittens who are suffering and they can not ask for help. We did get Deb to agree to donate a case of formula (which would feed our bottle fed babies for almost a week) and at the time she also agreed to set up a feline leukemia testing for two of our kittens as we were worried that the kittens could be infected with it. We did receive the donation of formula at the end of that week, but we declined the leukemia testing in the end because we were informed by a local vet that the test would be a waste of time with these kittens because they were way too young to get true conclusive results.
Deb did, at the end of her visit, mention that she would like to put together a press release for our appearance on the FOX 44 morning new shows as she was very concerned that the media could twist things around and "make people look bad". We informed her that it was a live taping and we could handle ourselves. We thought it was kind of funny that she was worried about the news twisting anything because their really wasn't anything to twist. NCAL had basically written us off until they heard that media was looking to do a story on the situation. She also told us that she was going to warn the animal control officer and town officials of Cambridge so that they new media was interested in this story. It was almost comical how obvious it was that she was trying to cover tracks quickly so that the public would not see what a mess this situation was and how many people had turned their backs on it for so long despite the many calls that were made over the years by concerned neighbors and area residents.
From there we tried not to contact NCAL unless we felt we didn't have any other choice. We contacted Deb once regarding Pumpkin (see his story below) because Pumpkin was not doing well at that time and we were afraid that he was going to die as he was clearly in pain and had been unable to go to the bathroom for the several days we had had him. We wanted to know if they could help us with either some pointers on how we could get his bowels moving or better yet if they could possibly arrange for him to see a vet. At this point poor Pumpkin was constantly standing in a litter box straining to try to move his bowels, but nothing would come out and he would get so weak and tired from the effort that he would just fall over on his side and lay there in pain. We were told they couldn't give us any pointers and that a vet would be the only way to go but that they could not provide us one. So we called Franklin County Humane Society because although we desperately wanted to take this kitten to a vet we did not have any funding and we were already horribly in debt ourselves just trying to keep all of the kittens fed. The Franklin County Humane Society saved Pumpkins life with the advice they gave us. They told us to give him one cc of mineral oil by mouth every 24 hours. My mother also picked up some baby fleet enemas and used those on the other end and after about a week of that Pumpkin was moving his bowels and his belly was slowing getting smaller!
After that we contacted Deb one last time in an effort to ask for some help. I sent her the following email:
Hello Deb, This is Jasmine. I have a couple of new kitties from the property that are sick. They just got here last night and we are keeping them separate from the others. However in the last couple of days quite a few of our kittens have come down with diarrhea and some have rattling chests (only a couple, but every day another seems to be rattling). I would really like to get them all back on antibiotics as I fear they were not kept on them long enough when they first came because we didn't have enough. Can you possibly see if you can get me a good supply of doxicyclin (no idea how to spell it) or amoxicillin? We are also desperate for worming meds. These items would be a huge help as we do not have access to things like that. Thanks so much!Jasmine
Deb's response was:
Hi Jasmine,
Our medications are ordered for us through one of the vets we use, using his license. We can not dispense medications on our own without risk of jeopardizing our vet's license.
Before we can get medications from our vet for our animals he has to see an animal and test them as different illnesses call for different medications. Just like in humans, antibiotics for animals are not a one size fits all approach. Different diseases call for different medications. And the only way to know for sure what they have is to have a vet examine them.
If they have coccidia, they would be given Albon which is a mild antibiotic. It has to be given for two weeks, then another fecal done to make sure the Albon worked. Coccidia is highly contagious and can live on surfaces without a host (regardless of temperature) for up to a year!
If they have giardia, they'd be given Panacur which is also a dewormer.
Strongid/pyrontal is a fairly mild dewormer but it only kills pinworms. To kill tapeworms (which they probably have if they have fleas), they would need Drontal. Deworming meds are dispensed based on weight, so they would have to be weighed now, then they have to have the dewormer, then they need to be weighed again in three weeks to get the new dosage.
Doxycycline is a mild antibiotic and not as strong as Clavamox. It very well may not have been strong enough to knock anything out of their system. However, you will also need to be careful about giving them too many antibiotics as it will weaken their natural immune system.
One of our biggest expenses as a shelter is vetting, neutering and spaying all of our animals when they arrive. They are usually sick for many reasons, not the least of which is the stress from the change in their environment and the exposure to so many other animals. For the same reason that flu spreads so easily in humans in group settings, diseases in animals do the same and as a shelter it is one of our biggest challenges, next to trying to raise the money to pay for all the care the animals need, in particular vet care.
I don't know if you noticed when I was there Friday night but I was avoiding contact with the kittens as much as possible. I love animals and would have loved to pick a few of them up. However, I was coming from work. Much as I would have loved to pick up those kitties I tried to avoid touching any of them as I did not want to introduce anything from our cats and vice versa. If at all possible, our sick kitties are usually treated by only one person who gowns up to try and minimize the spread of infection, just as you do in a hospital. And even with all those precautions, we still have illnesses break out more often than we like.
We would love to be able to help, however we are not a vet and when you get into medications you are dealing with state licensing and prescription drugs. Not a good area for us to run afoul of the law.
Deb Fennell, Executive Director
North Country Animal League
3524 Laporte Road
Morrisville, VT 05661
Phone: (802) 888-5065 x.117
Fax: (802) 888-4408
Email:
ed@ncal.comWebsite:
http://www.ncal.com/"Promoting compassionate and responsible relationships
between humans and animals through adoptions,
education and outreach, spay/neuter programs,
support of cruelty prevention
and sheltering of homeless animals."
So my mother said:
-----Original Message-----From: catsofcambridge@aol.com [mailto:catsofcambridge@aol.com?]Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 2:34 PMTo: ed@ncal.comSubject: Re: Urgent Help Needed
Hello Deb,
We did end taking a group stool sample to our vet and they did indeed test positive for coccidia. So we are going to start treatment tonight from the vet. Now we are going to have to treat the whole population..... Since it was a legal issue for the vet to provide us meds thru you without seeing cats....is it possible that you help defray the cost involved in treatment for this thru our vet? That way there are no legal issues! Don't need that!
Let me know your thoughts....
Michele
And this was Deb's response:
Hi Jasmine and Michele,
I received both Jasmine's email and Michele's email today as I was attending the Vermont Humane Federation meeting yesterday.
First, the state perspective on cats:
Without my prompting, cats was an hour long agenda item. All the shelters at the meeting have enormous waiting lists for incoming cats. Due to lack of adoptions some shelters and rescue groups, who euthanize for space, are having to euthanize large numbers.
These are not cats from feral cat populations; these are domestic cats who have come in as strays and owner surrenders. If they get feral cat calls they refer them to TNR programs and do not work with any feral cat populations as they are already overrun with domestic cats.
One organized rescue operation, with 501 (c) (3) status, expects they will go out of business within a month to two months as their donations have dried up and the costs of rescuing are outpacing their funds and they are the only rescue in two counties and they have no shelter. They were trying to raise funds for a shelter and weren't successful so they have just been focusing on kitten adoptions out of a feed supply store.
Second, the local perspective on cats:
We still have over 50 cats on our incoming wait list. NCAL has not had one application for a cat adoption in the last two weeks. We took our first one today.
Third, the reality of NCAL's financial situation:
We have some donors and run some fundraisers. Right now they are only keeping the doors open. When I started June 8, we had already used up $55,000 of a $75,000 line of credit since January. A spring mailing had been done before I arrived which brought in some money through May and June but not the amount it usually does. We held Mutt Strutt which brought in $5000. That paid a little more than 1/2 of our bi-weekly payroll when you include benefits and taxes.(DID ANYONE ELSE CATCH HOW MUCH PAYROLL IS GOING ON AT NCAL!!! I WANT TO BE ON THEIR PAYROLL... CLEARLY THEY ARE PAYING THEMSELVES WELL!!! -JASMINE) Our next fundraiser is Pedal for Paws August 22nd.
My first two months were spent learning our financials and our donors so I can go out and ask for donations. I did a lot of analysis so that when I go speak to donors I can speak clearly and concisely on our needs. We hosted an event and invited donors to meet me a week ago and now I am starting the asks to the attendees. All the while, we still have bills coming in that have to be paid.
Over the past two weeks we have had to use the rest of our credit line to meet cash flow as we have not had another event since Mutt Strutt. We do not have an endowment or other funds to draw on. Thank goodness for a line of credit or we would already be out of operation. We are crossing our fingers our next fundraiser on August 22 brings in enough money to pay another two weeks of payroll. And I have someone who has offered a challenge grant that would meet the next two weeks of payroll after that if I can find donors to match. And then I will hopefully find a few more donors who can help us pay for the rest of September and October. I wish I could say it is no problem, however each payroll we are wondering if we will come up with the funds for that payroll. If we don't manage that, our already overworked and underpaid staff will not keep working even though they love what they do. If they don't keep working, we, too, like some of the organizations yesterday asking for any ideas on how to keep operating, will be forced to close our doors as we can't operate without our staff to care for animals. And that is only payroll, that does not include all our other expenses like vets, medicine, cleaning supplies, food and so on. We get some donations for product but we also have to buy a lot.
So the decision you are asking me to make is this. Do we help you pay the vet bill for the kittens or do we pay our staff so we can keep our doors open and provide shelter for the homeless animals already here and on our waiting lists? As a person, of course I want to help and wish I could. However, as an employee and leader of an organization, based on our current financial situation, it would not be responsible of me to suggest that we give money to another group when we are struggling to pay our bills ourselves. Is this unique to us? No, talk to any nonprofit leader right now and they are all facing the same issues. (YES, DEB, WE KNOW EVERY NON PROFIT IS FACING THIS AND YET THE FRANKLIN COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY HAS BENT OVER BACKWARDS TO HELP US GET THE THINGS WE NEED! -JASMINE) The economy is improving but not to the point where people are giving like they have in the past.
I realize you did not create the cat population problem. I know you felt you were facing an animal cruelty case initially and acted under those assumptions. Then you found out the situation was different and should probably be addressed by a TNR group. I also understand how hard that would have been to not be able to help those kittens and just turn the issue over to a TNR group. However, that is what we have been working on with the other large populations in Lamoille County who came to us months ago. We have found resources for T-N-R for the adults if possible and, as we have some space, we take in some of the kittens. That is what we, and every other shelter, face every day. Who do we help and who do we not help. It is a terrible decision to make. That is what makes this field of work so hard. We are not choosing one group over the other, just like all the animals on our waiting list, we have to take animals, or groups of animals, in the order they come. As Pamela from VT CANS, who was at the meeting yesterday said, "I go after the low hanging fruit. I have to constantly say no to people and I attack the ones that are willing to allow me to Trap-Neuter-Release. If they aren't willing to let me release, I don't work with them as I can only do so much. If I eventually run out of work with the low-hanging fruit I will go after the high hanging." Feral cat populations are not part of our mission. Is there a need there? Definitely. However, in order to survive as an organization we have to decide who we can help. When our organization was created the founders decided to work with companion dogs and cats through adoptions, sheltering, spay/neuter and support of cruelty prevention. Unfortunately, the need in those areas is so great, it strains all of our resources. Is one animal more deserving than the other? No, they are all deserving, however we are limited to doing what we can with the resources we have. That is how other organizations arise, when a need is not being met. Would we love to be able to help with every animal issue out there? Of course. Can we? Not if we want to keep meeting our own mission as we will spread ourselves way too thin.
And, unfortunately, the other thing that makes this field so hard, is it costs money to do what we do and there is not a lot of it out there. That was why, when we met last Friday, I suggested I could ask our board if we could serve as a fiscal sponsor for any funds you raised. I knew we didn't have funds to help, so that was a way to help as it would not require any of our own funds that are so direly needed to keep the doors open. However, yesterday I found out, from the other members of the Vermont Humane Federation, (IS THIS A THREAT??)that when you took in more than five animals, you technically became a shelter and that now makes you subject to needing a license to operate, state shelter and care regulations, and subject to inspection. If we were to help you we would be helping an unlicensed facility under current state law. ( WE ARE A PRIVATE HOME ..NOT A FACILITY) (THERE IS NO LAW STATING THAT A PRIVATE HOME CAN NOT HAVE 5 OR MORE CATS) The other cat populations we are working with are housed outdoors so we are not faced with this same situation. Now, even if we had funds to help, we have the added challenge of your status as an unlicensed facility.
I think the only other way we can help at this time would be to add your kittens to our waiting list and take them in as we are able to help them find homes, as we are doing for the other feral cat populations we are helping.
Maybe Alley Cats can help as feral cats is their mission. That was some of the information I passed along to you. I would really try contacting them. I understand how frustrating this must feel to you and I am happy to talk about it to try and brainstorm other ideas. I can also put you in touch with Joanne Bourbeau from HSUS to see if she has any other resources I may not have as I am so new to this field.
If you are still interested in starting a non-profit rescue group, here is an easy to read how to list.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2117271_start-nonprofit-animal-rescue.html
I leave on Friday to take my daughter to college and will be gone until Monday, August 24. I will have some access to email, but it will probably not be on a very regular basis. I just wanted to let you know in case you contact me and I do not get back to you right away.
I hope you will understand that for the rest of this week I really have to focus on trying to get some funds, before I leave, to keep NCAL operating. I wish we could do more. I hope you understand the challenges NCAL is facing.
Deb
Deb Fennell, Executive Director
North Country Animal League
3524 Laporte Road
Morrisville, VT 05661
Phone: (802) 888-5065 x.117
Fax: (802) 888-4408
Email: ed@ncal.com
Website:www.ncal.com
"Promoting compassionate and responsible relationships
between humans and animals through adoptions,
education and outreach, spay/neuter programs,
support of cruelty prevention
and sheltering of homeless animals."
