The KAT Centre's May 2010 Newsletter

Greetings KAT Supporters,

May is here and KAT has been spring cleaning, it’s out with the old (not dogs) and in with the new,. So may we welcome you to the new and improved version of the KAT Newsletter, we have made it more mailbox friendly with a shortened text version of each newsworthy story with a hyperlink for you to click through to the full online version of the newsletter for more information.

The last two months have been very exciting for the KAT Centre with WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) putting on a special workshop designed for coping with the problem of the street dogs of Nepal.

KAT Centre has finally out witted the power schedule by getting solar power! This and much much more has been happening at KAT during the last month, whilst continuing our main on-going Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. Many more sick and injured street dogs have passed through our gates.

For more detailed info please read on…

KAT’s gone SOLAR!

KAT would like to extend a very BIG thank you to the Calderdale Support Group for their generous donation which enabled this dream to become a reality. Our office staff can now work unrestricted and are no longer limited by the huge power cut issues that plague and affect the Kathmandu Valley, which can make work very difficult indeed. The end result of this fantastic addition is the huge amount of time and resources that can now be used for more pressing issues such as expanding our school and community based education programme and helping the animals who need us most.

WSPA Workshop

From the 16th – 18th April the KAT staff organized a three day workshop funded by World Society Protection of Animals (WSPA). A large gathering of key animal NGO’s, government health organizations, the Kathmandu Municipality as well other interested parties came to hear Natasha Lee and Sarah Vallentine of WSPA who demonstrated very effectively the method of “Project Circle Management” and how to identify problems and discussed with us all how best to manage the street dog issues.

The workshop was deemed an energetic success by everyone. We all thanked WSPA for this wonderful opportunity to interact with each other in this way. It was very clear that everybody felt that they took away valuable information that can now be applied in the future to help the issue of the community and street dogs of Kathmandu.

KAT for Cats!

Cats do not have to wait long before being adopted at KAT.

Cats are a rarity in Kathmandu. They have never been popular in Nepal, as there are many superstitions surrounding cats. One is that they are the incarnate of witches.

But with modern life and more open attitude, this belief is changing and slowly cats are gradually now being found within households. With this growing popularity, more and more cats are being brought into KAT for treatment and sterilization. Adoption is normally quick.

In 2006, an ardent cat lover, Carmen Berry of ‘Hope Partnership Nepal’ generously donated funding for a Cat Pen.

Here are some of the rescued cats that have recovered from past abuse and gone though our KAT programme and on to loving homes.

Buddy's story

Buddy was on the run when he was found outside the British Embassy - out of his territory and desperately out of his depth. The street dogs of the area were after him from every side.

Despite his hairless skin being covered in huge sores and mange, he was clearly not a street wise dog. His ears were ragged, torn and bleeding from fighting off his assailants. This is a very common sad fate of dogs when they are abandoned to the streets by bad owners that have not thought to treat a sick dog. (Mange is caused by a mite that burrows under the skin causing itching and scratching that drives the dog crazy.) Mange is so easy and cheaply treatable in the early stages. It was also clear from his wobbly bandy legs caused by malnutrition that Buddy had come from an uncaring home.

Buddy’s reaction to being scooped up and into the KAT van was one of grateful shy bewilderment. Once at KAT, it took time before he would venture out of the safety of his kennel and box and mix with the other dogs. Many weeks have now passed and Buddy is now a very different fun loving dog. We are now waiting for that right person that needs a quiet gentle older dog to give love and care.

Our kennels are full of abandoned dogs like Buddy.

Here is ‘Laxmi’ abandoned for the same reason. In our next Newsletter you read her story and see her progress and recovery.

• To learn more about how you can help us in our fight to save Nepal's animals click here
• For information on how to sponsor a dog please click here or simply reply to this email.
• If you have any friends or family visiting Nepal who would like to volunteer click here

You matter a lot to us. You can help us by providing the email addresses of your animal lover friends who may be interested in getting our KAT newsletters. Also you can tell them to visit our shelter or the website www.katcentre.org.np