|
Currently volunteer who can catch cats in Vilnius are much-needed
for Lese TNR program. This is one of the easiest and the most exciting and
effective ways to help homeless animals. At the moment, unfortunately, the
volunteers, who were catching cats went away for studies, so the only Lese's manageress Vesta is remaining (who is
busy with other works at shelter), and the list of kitties to be caught is too
long. Therefore, we are looking for new volunteers. By helping to catch one
cat, you will save about 10 kittens each year from senseless death. After all,
most of the times a TNR volunteer catch more than one cat a day. You can really make a huge difference not
only for one cat, but for the entire situation regarding cat’s population in
Lithuania. It is most convenient to carry TNR program in pairs. For each two
individuals of TNR group two types of volunteers are needed.
- Volunteer driver. This volunteer's most
important work is, of course, to drive a car (to take a volunteer-catcher
from the meeting point of capture and transportation to the place, after
catching to transport back to the agreed location, as well as transporting
the equipment for capturing to the place of capture, and transporting cats
to the clinic, and finally taking cats from the clinic and letting them
free). This volunteer also helps hunters - it is easier to help each other
when cat is caught and to move animal from the cage to compression cage.
After all, it is more fun to do this work with other volunteers. Sometimes
if a driver does not have very much time, he may leave volunteer catcher
with the equipment at the place of capture, then come only when the cats
will have been caught. This should be an adult volunteer who will be
entitled to drive a car and have a car (it is advised that before going to
catch cats the car should be lined with cardboard or cellophane!).
- Volunteer catcher. This volunteer's most
important work is to catch cats. This volunteer must comply with all the
capture points that are not related to transportation - to connect with
Vesta, cat’s feeders, a volunteer driver for the construction of trapping
cages, cat catching skimmers, placing stray kitties in compression cages. Volunteers must be 16 years or older.
TNR volunteers (in groups of two - one driver and one catcher) run a TNR program as follows:
- Contact with Vesta
and request the phone and address of yards where TNR will take place.
- Contact with feeders
of the yard, where TNR will take place, and arrange the time when cats
will be caught. Call Vesta and inform her regarding date of catching and
how many cats are planned to be caught (so that Vesta could write down cats
to the vet clinic for sterilization).
- To go to shelter in
Buivydiškės and pick up equipment needed for catching (if volunteer does a
lot of catching, than he/she can keep the equipment in their basement or
etc. so that he/she would not have to go to shelter to pick it up every
time).
- To travel with the
equipment to TRN yard. Contact feeder so to show cats. Catching cats. Cat hunting may take a
very different time - there are courtyards, where it takes just half an
hour to catch all the cats, but there are courtyards, where only one cat
is needed to be caught but catching might last few hours or even fail. For
this reason, when catching cats a person must have at least a few
completely free hours.
- After cats are caught,
volunteer-catcher can go home, and volunteer-driver has to transport stray
kitties to the clinic and leave them there.
- The next day,
volunteer-driver takes cats from veterinary clinics and brings them back
to TNR court and releases them.
- Prior to catching of
before releasing cats it is A MUST to take a picture of all cats that were
or will be involved in TNR program (TNR cat database development needs a picture
of all cats involved in a program). Stray cat's photo should be sent to info@lese.lt with the information about
cat's sex, from which yard it is, what is the name of the feeder as well
as his/hers contact telephone number.
- Capture equipment is
brought back to the shelter.
Perhaps, this volunteering opportunity does not look very
attractive, but in fact most of the volunteer hunters really like this project and,
I believe, that venturesome people will feel a gale of happiness when cell will
close, after impatient and nerve-wracking waiting, and creation of different
fancy catching plans, when stubborn cat will refuse to get into the cage J To be a TNR catcher is a
really fun activity and we encourage anyone who wants to try , maybe for you it
will not only be the obligation to improve the situation regarding strays, but
kind of challenge and fun time - like hunting, when animals will not get hurt
but contrary will receive a benefit after all J
If you wish to contribute to this program and meet the
requirements of the driver-volunteers or volunteers-catcher, please contact
Vesta telephone +370 605 33452 or email us at info@lese.lt
.
|
