Maxi (right) Maxi was found dodging cars in the Buckner Expressway when he was noticed by one of Uptown Cats’ volunteer rescuer/caretaker. He was brought to an animal clinic in the Bronx area where he was examined. Aside from being dirty, and slightly underweight, he was found in good health condition. During the time that Maxi has been in our care our staff of vet-technicians and caretakers have all been disarmed by his charms and hilarious antics and has wormed his way into everyone’s heart. His kitten-like playful personality and sweet disposition makes him an adorable and lovable feline. He is a very active boy who loves to play and entertain himself four endless hours, at the same time proving us the degree of levity everyone needs to balance a person’s day.

(January 2008)

News

Poison Attacks on Homeless Cats and the Law

Uptown Cats routinely receives numerous daily telephone calls and emails reporting situations ranging from a cat trapped on a rooftop, air vent, under street gratings, and of some that show up to backyards in search of food. However, earlier in 2008, an anonymous caller delivered disturbing information about six cats found dead under extremely suspect circumstances along 138 street, west of Broadway. One was found bludgeoned the other five cats appeared to have been poisoned, the source reported.

Field agent Calderon, of Uptown Cats responded to the site of the reported incident to assess and verify the conditions. After interviewing many of the residents of west 138 street, he contacted Humane Law Enforcement and requested an investigation to uncover those behind these heinous acts of cruelty. However, Humane Law Enforcement officers are prevented from launching an investigation if unless a number of detailed items are brought forth as evidence when reporting a poison attack.

We were made aware of New York State Law in relation to the act of poisoning homeless cats. Uptown Cats is of the opinion that this aspect of legal protocol required in order to prosecute those responsible for indiscriminately poisoning a mass number of cats, ironically stands as an obstacle to the ideals of justice. In the majority of cases where helpless unwanted, stray, abandoned, and feral cats fall victim of random mass poisoning nothing can be done unless video recorded evidence capturing the person or persons delivering the poison to the animals is brought forth as evidence, we were informed by Supervisor Conway of Humane Enforcement. Additionally required are: the body of the cats for toxicology analysis, and collected sample of the suspected substance used to poison the animals. Supervisor Conway, assured us that these items are all necessary in order for the Humane Enforcement agency to initiate an investigation that may possibly secure the conviction of a suspected felon. Unfortunately, the only available evidence were the eye-witness statements of the numerous residents. Therefore, an investigation was deemed unwarranted.

Calderon argued that he had gathered enough consistent information from statements made by a large number of residents, however circumstantial, it is was substantial enough evidence pointing at one individual as the suspect. Therefore, an investigation was a reasonable expectation. Their presence alone and the appearance of an investigation might have been enough to discourage any further poisonings as well as creating the awareness that poisoning cats is a felony crime. However, residents are left with the grim reality that they have someone that poisons cats for a neighbor and is untouchable as well as reluctant to provide video of himself poisoning the cats, along with samples of the substance he used to poison them as self-incriminating evidence necessary under NY state law.

The amount and type of evidence conditionally required contingent to the conviction of anyone who poisons and kills cats seems short of other conditions. Perhaps the law should further impose that anyone who poisons cats should personally deliver him/herself to the authorities, handcuffed, and with a notarized signed confession of his/her actions.

"It can’t possibly be a coincidence that six natural deaths would occur at the same time in the same place and we can rule out the mass suicide theory," said Calderon, as he trapped a cat that had a large puncture wound at the lower right side of his body. The injured cat who survived the attacks was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery and treatment for his wounds. The doctors named him Grey and after a full recovery three weeks later he was discharged. Justice may not have been served for Grey but today he is alive and well.

He is a very sweet gray male -tabby slightly under a year old. Today he is well and plays with his feline friends where he currently is being fostered. Naturally, he is a little shaken up. He is very friendly, however, it takes time and patience to bring him to where he will trust and allow you to get close. He is wonderfully friendly and playful once you are at his comfort zone. He is available for adoption. We feel is very special and deserving a good home and terrific people.

who we are
Many people are not aware that large colonies of feral, abandoned and stray cats live on the streets of our city. They barely survive by raiding our trash, drinking out of puddles or gutters, which can be polluted with oil, antifreeze, household cleaners, and other chemicals. To stay warm they curl up against almost anything - including car engines. When caught in moving engine parts, cats can be seriously hurt or killed.

On a nation wide scale seventy thousand kittens are born daily, and only ten thousand humans are born daily. Obviously, not all of us want one kitten and not many of us want seven kittens. It is fair to say that there are not enough homes for all the kittens born each day. This would explain the millions of unwanted stray, abandoned and feral cats attempting to survive on our streets.

(kitten degloved after she was used as dog bait)

Most of these homeless animals end up as statistical fatalities resulting from automobile mishaps, poisoning by disgruntled community members who are tired of unsightly open cat-food cans left on the sidewalk by those who feed them, brutal killing at the hands of cruel people who use them for baiting pit bull dogs trained to fight. The lucky ones find their way into our city shelters. Our municipalities are overburdened by the overflowing numbers of homeless animals brought in on a daily basis that inevitably are killed at a rate of 600 to 700 per month. It is disturbing enough to know that these animals live and die under the most inhumane conditions without the additional knowledge that our tax dollars are used to pay for euthanasia as this makes us all unwilling accomplices.

Uptown Cats, an animal welfare orgainzation, together with the support of our local New York City Police Department Community Affairs Office and those of the ASPCA whose Pro-TNR position originally inspired us, work to manage and stabilize the population of feral cat colonies by way of a Trap-Neuter-Return program (TNR). Cats are trapped, neutered (fixed), ear tipped for identification, vaccinated for rabies and then released back in their territory where they are fed, sheltered and monitored on an ongoing basis. None of the cats are killed or harmed in any way.

We hope to lead other New York City communities towards the same efforts through example and direct hands-on assistance. To feral cat caretakers we offer consultations to assist at better managing their colonies, inexpensive all-weather insulated shelters for cats, and an email network for other supports. To concerned community members negatively affected by the overwhelming number of feral and stray cats on your streets we offer the promise of TNR as the sure-shot proven method that will relieve your neighborhood of the burden while insuring the welfare of feral cats through a non-lethal solution that is supported by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which recently published its new
pro-TNR policy statement.