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TNR Provides Cure for Brooklyn Hospital
Then one of the caretakers learned of TNR and contacted Neighborhood Cats. The hospital administration, wanting to do the right thing and find a long-term solution, agreed to allow a managed feral cat colony on the grounds. A Feral Cat Committee was formed and all the caretakers were able to come out into the open and start working with the hospital for the betterment of the felines. A representative attended a Neighborhood Cats workshop, a date was scheduled for the ASPCA's Care-a-Van (their mobile spay/neuter clinic) to arrive, and the project was under way. For two weeks before the trapping, the cats were fed at the same time and place. On the fateful day, they all dutifully showed up and, after 3 days of trapping, 15 of the 16 colony members were safely confined in the holding space set up in an available hospital space. Everything went smoothly until it was discovered that five of the cats were sick. What better place to be than in a hospital! The caretakers pitched in with great spirit and learned to administer medication to feral cats in traps. Carol Maggio, one of the caretakers, describing one of her patients, said, "She just sat still and let me clean her eyes and put in the ointment. She knew she would feel better when I was done. " The cats who were well enough for surgery were neutered in the Care-a-Van while the sick cats were held until they were better and then were treated at the Humane Society of New York. In the end, five of the cats were young and friendly enough to be adopted, while the 10 remaining ones have been returned to the garden (we're still after number 16). The cats will have winterized shelters to take refuge from the harsh weather and a feeding station with a regular supply of food. A job well done! |
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The Brookdale University Hospital is graced with a beautiful
garden where patients and nursing home residents can soak in the fresh
air, surrounded by greenery and open space. Like so many similar settings
in NYC, the garden was also home to a rapidly-growing colony of feral cats.
Fed mostly on the sly by caring hospital employees, the cats'
presence soon resulted in the problems typical to an unmanaged, unneutered
colony - smell, noise, sick and dying kittens. An attempt was made to trap
and remove all the cats, but the effort failed as that method almost
always does. Except for the disappearance of a couple of unfortunate cats
(who were invariably euthanized), the situation remained unchanged. 