With AKI funds, Kingston Community Animal Welfare helped dogs and cats affected by Hurricane Matthew and continued to feed and provide vet care for Kingston's neglected dogs and cats during August through October 2016. Here are the details of how AKI donor funds were used.
Deborah (KCAW) covers a lot of miles on her way to and from work every day, traveling a different route with each trip, she stops to feed hundreds of street dogs and cats. She's well-known throughout the city, and she finds it hard to get to work on time! Like this day, when she was told that 2 little pups had been dumped in the gully. They were pretty wild, and she needed help to catch them (picture below-they weren't very happy but within minutes they calmed down, ate, and forgot their fears). Deborah brought them home, bathed them, tamed them, had them neutered, and found homes for these 2 young boys.
On another day, as Deborah was driving to work, stopping to feed and check on dogs and cats, someone told her about a mama cat that recently had kittens. They were in a safe location, but were hungry. Of course people eat 1st, scraps go to the dogs, and cats are the last to get food--if there's any left. So Deborah added these kitties to her feeding route, and will be getting the females (all are females!) spayed-we hope AKI can cover the surgeries.
On a recent day, this mama dog (below) ran across Deborah's path as she was driving to work, and although pretty wild, she was willing to accept a meal. She's now on Deborah's feeding route and will be spayed as soon as she's through nursing pups and Deborah can catch her.
Thanks to AKI donors, Deborah gets street dogs spayed, but there's always more dogs than money! This dog lives in downtown Kingston and she's 1 of 6 female dogs , 4 female cats, and 1 male dog that were sterilized during August through October thanks to AKI donors.
In October, Deborah got a call that a Shih Tzu had been dumped on a busy street in Kingston. Deborah rushed to the site, and found this sweet little girl with an injured, maggot-infested eye. Off they went to the vet, but emergency surgery couldn't save the eye. AKI donors covered the US$120 surgery. Now named Lou Lou, she's been adopted by Beth (a famous, Kingston-based actress)!
How much does it cost to provide food for 100s of street dogs and cats and pets that belong to poor people? About US$350 every week! That's about US$17,000 a year! And that doesn't include spay/neuter, vet care, and the medicines that Deborah needs to make sure the dogs and cats stay healthy (de-worming, flea/tick meds, wound spray, mange meds/shampoo, and maggot spray: US$554 of AKI funds spent during August-October.)
And then there are the hurricanes that loom around the island during late summer/early fall. During the 1st couple days of October, Hurricane Matthew was threatening Jamaica. While other parts of the Caribbean were hit harder, Kingston got its share of wind and rain and some of Kingston's dogs and cats were affected. As soon as it was safe to venture out, Deborah drove around the city checking on the street dogs and cats, and visited parts of Kingston that were hit hard to check on families with pets.
What did Deborah find? "Post-Hurricane Matthew, there were lots of hungry street dogs. Food scraps were short because everyone was locked up in their homes." So Deborah got back in action and drove her dog & cat feeding routes. She used AKI funds to buy extra pet food: rice, meat, and canned dog food, dry and canned cat food.
While navigating the storm-ravaged city, Deborah found this dog (below) who had been injured during the storm, and got him bandaged up.
Thanks to Deborah/KCAW hundreds of dogs and cats in Kingston get the best of care-even during hurricanes! Your donation to AKI designated for KCAW helps ensure that KCAW can continue to help Kingston's neglected street dogs and cats and can help poor people, who just need a little help, keep their pets in top shape. Thank you!