Fix Kauai: 2019 Plans For Are Now Underway...
Updated: Nov 28, 2018
We've got big plans for Kauai's Community Cats, read on for details!
Mama and kittens...
Mega-MASH
Animal Balance has been working on the island of Kauai since 2017, providing free and affordable spay/neuter for cats and dogs. During our time there, we have observed a great need for free services for community cats in particular, and have working to meet that need through providing MASH style sterilization clinics. Our team recently returned from a two week campaign with clinics held in Kapa’a and Kilauea. These two clinics provided services for over 800 community and pet cats on the island. We plan on returning in 2019 for what we are calling the Mega-MASH clinic…
The All Saints Episcopal Church hosted our clinic in Sept.
What is a Mega-MASH clinic?
The Kauai Mega-MASH clinic will include 3-4 separate MASH style clinics operating at the same time over the course of a week at various locations around the island of Kauai.
Each clinic will be sponsored by local animal welfare groups and/or volunteers who will work together to raise money in order for the Animal Balance team and local volunteers to provide free sterilization and vaccinations for up to 500 cats per clinic.
What Will We Need To Make Mega-MASH Happen on Kauai?
Locations for clinics: We will need donated space to host our clinics. We don’t need much, simply an open space with access to a hose for cleaning traps and a restroom for our volunteers will do fine. We have done MASH clinics in all kinds of locations such as churches, garages, park pavilions and more!
Volunteer accommodation: The Animal Balance team of volunteers will fly in from around the world for the Mega-MASH clinic and we will need a place for the teams to stay while they are on Kauai. We are flexible when it comes to accommodation, and are open to options including home stays, hotels or condos.
Funding: Each clinic location will need to raise at least $5,000 in order to fund the supplies needed to provide free sterilization for up to 500 cats. The actual cost to put on these clinics is closer to $10K.
Local Volunteers: We can’t do it without our boots on the ground volunteers! Each clinic location will need a team of volunteers dedicated to helping work out logistics such as sourcing vegetarian lunches for the team, acquiring general clinic supplies, assisting with laundry and helping to get the word out!
If you are interested in helping make Mega-MASH happen on Kauai, please email us at info@animalbalance.org. The Spay Pod Logo The Spay Pod…. Many of you also heard about our plans to provide an ongoing, affordable sterilization service for community and pet cats on the island while we were there in September. The Spay Pod is a partnership between Animal Balance and local non-profit, Kauai Community Cat Project or KCCP. The Spay Pod is a shipping container that has been converted into a surgery unit. It is ideal as it provides a sterile, comfortable, yet efficient size of space for high volume cat surgeries. The Spay Pod will be located in a convenient, central location which is yet to be determined. The Spay Pod Needs a Makeover! The Spay Pod will operate 2 days a week, sterilizing up to 70 cats per week, or 3,640 per year. We will have local, specially trained veterinarians and technicians who will staff the Pod, plus a team of trained volunteers to handle registration and release, instruments, cleaning and all other non-medical tasks. All cats will be spayed or neutered, microchipped, ear tipped, vaccinated and given internal and external parasite treatment. Community cats will be free, owned cats will be charged $25 per cat and we will not tip the ear. The Spay Pod, combined with Animal Balance’s planned MEGA-MASH and targeted TNR clinics, means that by the end of 2019, a relatively short time span, we will have the capacity to sterilize over 70% of Kauai’s community cats. At this point, the island’s cat population will naturally level off and then, over time, decline. A program driven and supported by the community will inevitably garner political support. Kauai will be a shining example to all islands around the world of what can be achieved when we work together and share resources to save all species. The Spay Pod will be the first permanent spay/neuter clinic operated by Animal Balance and we couldn’t be more excited! We look forward to working with all of our friends and partners on the island of Kauai to make the Spay Pod possible!