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Writer's pictureAnimal-Kind International

Dog and Cat Rescue Stories from Kingston, Jamaica

First, a brief recap of 2023: KCAW used AKI funds to help dogs and cats who live on Kingston’s streets and who belong to families with no/very low income. AKI donors covered about 75% of KCAW’s operating costs in 2023 which helped about 1000 cats and dogs. KCAW used AKI funds to purchase cat and dog food (about 60%); for surgeries and other vet care (25%); and the remainder for purchasing meds and other vet supplies, mainly anti-parasite and wound treatment.

 

In 2023, AKI funded the spay/neuter of 52 dogs and cats (36 females and 16 males, 40 cats and 12 dogs) living on Kingston’s streets or with impoverished families.


See previous AKI Blog posts about dog and cat rescue in Jamaica --which were only possible thanks to you, KCAW, and AKI support.

 

Read below about dog and cat rescues, feeding, spay/neuter, and adoptions so far in 2024.


The first new addition to KCAW's street animal feeding list was Grady, who Deborah saw during the 1st week of January. After seeing him a 2nd time, she found out that he had no home. He was scrounging in someone's garbage at their gate and the home owner came out and chased him away.  


Deborah stopped the car, grabbed a bowl of dog food, and fed him. He ate 4 bowls, one of them laced with a Prazivet de-wormer tablet and some vitamin tablets.


Grady is quite an old dog. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together. This happens to many dogs when they get old and the owners want a younger pet. They throw the old one out.

Grady is named him after the hill where Deborah 1st saw him (Belgrade hill).


Now he gets a good, healthy KCAW meal at least a few days a week.  


An old street dog in Jamaica that Kingston Community Animal Welfare feeds.
Grady was likely dumped by his family, traded for a younger pup

Also early this year, in February, when Deborah stopped to collect an order from a restaurant, she saw a tiny kitty wandering around. It turns out that Bitsy lived behind the restaurant where she fought eight other cats for food. She was so tiny and there were so many cars going and coming. The parking attendant said she was the only one left out of a litter of four, the others hit by cars.


A tiger stripe cat rescued in Jamaica by Kingston Community Animal Welfare.
Bitsy-safe at a foster home

So off Bitsy went with Deborah to a foster friend who is keeping her until a permanent home is found, which won't be long because Bitsy is really sweet and irresistible! 


Cats at a restaurant that are fed by Kingston Community Animal Welfare in Jamaica.
These are some of the other cats who Bitsy lived with at the restaurant

Deborah has already gotten two of the other restaurant cats spayed--the tame ones. The others are feral and fearful and will have to be trapped. We all agree--no more kittens should be born in that dangerous car park.

Cat rescued in Kingston Jamaica waiting at the vet clinic for a spay appointment.
One of the restaurant kitties at the vet clinic for her spay surgery

Just in time for Valentine's day, KCAW got a call about Zulu.


Cat with mange rescued in Jamaica.
Zulu-adopted street cat with a bad case of sarcoptic mange

The caller needed help for a stray cat who he and his wife had adopted but who was suffering with a horrible skin condition. The couple didn't have money, but had grown to love Zulu, and they hoped KCAW could give advice about what to do.


It turned out the kitty had sarcoptic mange, very contagious and can be harmful to the cat if left untreated. 


Deborah took the cat to the vet clinic, where Zulu was given injections and topical treatment and then returned to the clinic for three more weekly injections. KCAW was happy to help especially when they declared how much they love him!


Zulu was also neutered (Thank you to Kim for donating to neuter Zulu and s/n four other cats and three dogs).

Cat rescued in Jamaica being held in one hand.
Zulu NOW! No more mange & neutered!

On March 6, Deborah told us that "Today I met the sweetest girl searching for food to feed her little pups. I stopped for a refreshing coconut and she just came up to me and said 'hey ! Dog lady! I know you have food in your car. How about you give me some so I can go feed my pups!'  So I told her sure just hang on a second lemme finish my coconut water. Well she wasn't the most patient dog! 'Look,' she said, 'I got a bunch of hungry pups in that yard over there so could you just hurry it up!!' So I left my coconut and dished out her food. She ate as much as she could and off she went to nurse her babies."


Mama dog in Kingston Jamaica looking at the camera and licking her lips after being fed by Kingston Community Animal Welfare.
Mama dog: walked right up to Deborah and asked for food!

This is one of KCAW's regulars, an adorable little girl who waits for her KCAW meal from on top of a wall. The garage below is filled with cat hating dogs so she dare not fall off! KCAW also feeds the dogs regularly and she is never too far at feeding time!

Cat on the top of a wall in Jamaica eating from a bowl.
Kitty waits on top of a wall for her daily KCAW meal

At the end of 2023, Deborah received an urgent call from one of her animal rescue contacts, who works in a warehouse that stores lots of chemicals. A kitty has been hiding and living there for a few weeks and she had been feeding him. Then he began losing control of his little body and convulsing.


Cat rescued in Jamaica held by a woman with blue gloves.
Scotty was having convulsions and was barely moving

Deborah continued telling us the story, "Of course nobody was willing to take him to a vet so she called me. It was quite a distance from Kingston but when she sent the picture of him I knew I had to help! When I arrived he was leaning against a wall and could barely move. He was so dehydrated and weak with bouts of vomiting. I put him in my cage and off we went. He spent 2 days at the vet and he was already better when I brought him home. I named him Scotty."


Cat rescue in Jamaica in a crate in the back of a car on the way to the vet clinic.
When Deborah arrived, she put Scotty in her crate and off they went to the vet

At the end of 2023, Deborah "as usual was driving along when I spotted a lone pup searching a dump along the road side for food. Of course I stopped and took out my plate and got food from my trunk. He ran into a yard under a fence. Not to be daunted-after 35 years of doing this nothing deters me anymore-not even a locked gate! I found a way in through the fence and followed him into am empty yard with nobody in sight. I scraped the food onto a concrete area and he came running...with 2 more behind him ! They ate it all and I went back for more. They ate that too. I de-wormed all 3 and left a pan of water. I fed them every day for 3 weeks and already have homes for all of them. And Yaaaaa! Spay and neuter when they are a bit older! Thanks AKI  for all ur support! I really appreciate it and couldn't do so much by myself."


"Would you believe as I was leaving the 3 pups I ran into this starving young girl. I saw this girl who looked like she was recently nursing pups. She was searching through the SAME garbage dump as the lone pup. It never ends. Thank goodness I had some food left. She wouldn't stop eating! I still see her sometimes not everyday but often enough so that she gets a good meal a few times a week."

Very skinny brown dog in Jamaica eating rice and meat on a newspaper from Kingston Community Animal Welfare.
Starving young girl nursing pups-gets a good meal from KCAW

It's now time for her pups to get a real home and for the young mama to be spayed!


Here's a happy Christmas story about a kitty who was left in a box for Deborah to find at one of her cat feeding stations at the Liguanea club. Annemarie had fostered the kitty, but she had passed away last year (a huge loss of a friend and a loss to the animal rescue community: https://www.animal-kind.org/post/kingston-community-animal-welfare-update-april-2023).


Luckily, kitty Rudie didn't have to be homeless for long. A new family was quickly found, just in time for Christmas.


Rescued cat in Jamaica is lying down under a Christmas tree.
Rudie at her home, under the Christmas tree

Deaf Katie was just a little kitten when KCAW rescued her and her three siblings abandoned at the Liguanea country club. They were starving and were barely hanging on. The workers at the club didn't like them and one of them kicked little Katie in her head: https://www.animal-kind.org/post/kingston-community-animal-welfare-update-april-2022 --we wrote about Katie's story in April 2022.


Deborah rushed her to to the vet, where they discovered she was deaf. Almost 2 years later, here's Katie now, safe and happy with her new owner, and living the best life!! 


Rescued cat in Jamaica is held in the arms of her adopter.
Katie was kicked in the head by someone who just didn't like her! Now she's safe and loved.

And this is Sunny now (he adopted Sunny for his daughters.....)


Rescued cat in Jamaica is leaning on the shoulder of her adopter.
Who is Sunny's favorite person?! & vice versa!

Remember these kids?


A group of kids who are standing behind a gate in Kingston Jamaica are waving.
KCAW and AKI help 2 dogs who live at this house-and the kids are waving their thanks to us!

And these dogs?


Two brown dogs eating from two bowls on the sidewalk in Kingston Jamaica.
The 2 dogs who live with the kids (above) get a good meal from KCAW

The brown with white was was just a pup when we 1st met them, almost 2 years ago. Now she's a big girl. Food is scarce with so many people living in one yard, but KCAW helps with that and makes sure they eat at least 3 good healthy meals a week.



and the kids with the brown and white dog feature on the AKI website home page, at the top, on the "slide show" here, https://www.animal-kind.org/


It's always SO good to see how so many of the old KCAW cats and dogs are thriving!



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