Buffalo Humane's 'Cats Alive' Initiative Is Success

This was an active year at Buffalo Humane as it launched its new Community Cats Alive initiative, headed by feral cat advocate Kelley Casale of Niagara Falls.

Since its launching in March, the Community Cats Alive program has made it a goal to stop the cycle of reproduction that fuels the population of feral and free roaming cats in Niagara County. The group has trapped more than 300 feral and free roaming, un-owned adult cats, had them fixed and vaccinated, then returned to their habitats. In the process of trapping adult cats, the group took in more than 300 kittens, the offspring of adult feral cats, some of whom were found orphaned, some born to pregnant feral cats while they were trapped and some who were trapped along with their colony who were trapped.

The kittens were not returned to roam but placed for adoption.

Buffalo Humane depends on volunteers and needs more people in the community to foster kittens in their homes, and to help socialize the kittens to humans and find adoptive homes.

Casale and other Buffalo Humane "cat wranglers," rounded up nearly 100 cats from a hoarding situation in Somerset. The group rescued abandoned cats at the Sabre Park mobile home park in the Town of Niagara after the property was sold for development and residents were ordered to vacate by March.

And, in another case, an Adult Protective Services caseworker sought Buffalo Humane’ s help for an ailing woman with a dozen cats in her home.

According to Buffalo Humane President Carol Tutzauer. "The situation was urgent, since the woman’s continuing hospitalizations and deteriorating health left the cats in dire circumstances. We were able to talk to the owner and assure her that her pets would be well cared for and find great homes. She signed all but one (spayed) cat over to us, and I can truthfully say that we delivered on our promise. The cats have found wonderful new homes, with the exception of a couple kitties that are still with us and still awaiting forever homes."

The organization says its neonatal kitten live save rate is over 95%; and the overall cat live save rate exceeds 98%.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the all-volunteer group and/or volunteer can learn more by going online at www.BuffaloHumane.org or www.CommunityCatsAlive.org