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| ASM pic |
It now seems that animals can be
infected with coronavirus, although the one known case, a dog in Hong Kong, was
comparatively mild and thought to have been caused by exposure to an infected
person. (More on the Bronx Zoo tiger who
tested positive next time; that story’s just breaking.)
There’s no evidence that pet dogs and cats
can transmit the virus to humans, but they could test positive if exposed to it
by their owners. So: if you know or
think you’re infected with coronavirus, limit contact with pets and other
animals, much as you would do with other people.
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| Alley Cat Allies pic |
There’s a second, bigger reason to worry
about our animals. During this shelter-in-place
period, some functions usually offered by veterinarians and animal clinics will
not be available. These include spaying
and neutering. That’s right: no spays or
neuters during the worst possible time: kitten season!
TNR -- well on its way to becoming the
universal method for managing community cat populations -- will be impossible
for some time. Therefore, cat numbers are likely to grow into a “feline
epidemic” that will take a long time to cure, along with re-convincing the
public that TNR works.
If
you’ve invested a lot of energy and resources
into caring for community cats and getting them the vetting they need, what do
you do now, during this most difficult time?
A leading program of the Animal Protection League of NJ
(APLNJ.org) is its Project TNR, whose director, Sandra Obi, has compiled a
detailed “triage” guide to some of the primary concerns during pandemic shut
downs. Its contents include
- Feeding
Colonies - how things might be
different during this time, things to think about
- What
to do if you are sick -
restricting contact with your animals
- Your
TNR projects. We'll give you guidance
on whether to spay or delay - what options are there for spay/neuter at
this time and what you should be doing if there is no option but to delay
until this is over.
- NJ
Veterinary Medical Association -
what veterinary services are permitted
- Options
for emergency services for
cats who are ill
- Looking
ahead - Use this time to mount
your most carefully planned TNR ever!
Here’s
a link to the entire guide, which appears on APLNJ’s website: https://aplnj.org/tnr-during-pandemic/.
And that brings us to another population of domestic
animals: those in shelters. With some
facilities already closed or closing because of widespread shut downs, animals
need safe homes with people who adopt or foster them. This is an ideal time for such moves, with so
many of us home from work right now.
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| The ideal: an empty shelter |
Those who have wanted a pet might act on that wish, bring
home a companion animal and have time to get acquainted with a dog, cat, bunny,
“pocket pet” or you name it. By the time
life returns to normal, that pet could be a happy part of the family. Even those who foster could become “foster
failures” by keeping their new friends.
The animal shelters in Trenton and Hamilton are among
those looking for people who want to adopt or foster. Regardless of
the quarantine, Trenton will still take animals in on a case by case/emergency
basis. Manager Jose Munoz advises those interested in fostering to visit www.trentoncats.org.
As indicated by the flyer below, emergency fosters are needed
in Hamilton township. The application
can be completed online.
We’re all pretty concerned about ourselves
right now. It might do us good to reach
out and help a shelter animal.
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1moreonce.blogspot.com And please don't forget:
Cute pic at the end! And thanks for putting in about TNR. It's very important information.
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