Adoption & No-Kill

Animal Shelters
Sadie Wadsworth

Writing 2100

Elisa Stone
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Introduction

Imagine a world where there are no homeless pets and no pets killed in shelters.

A world where all living things are treated with the golden rule: Treat others as you wish

to be treated. Being able to demonstrate compassion and respect for all living things. This

is the world I hope to help to create. The beginning of something of this scale must start

small, and there I believe is no-kill shelters. It is here that we can teach people that there

are animals that need love and respect just as much as we do. At an even smaller level, it

would be to make Utah a no-kill state. I know that this is achievable because there are

numerous cities throughout the United States that are no kill. There are also

organizations in Utah that are already trying to push for Utah to be a no-kill state. Like

Best Friends that launched an initiative to achieve no-kill Utah by 2019. It is their

footsteps that I hope to follow in, but to create this same concept in Hawaii.

To judge our effectiveness by the extent to which animal lives are saved and

improved, and by the positive experience of the people we touch.

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Background

It was when I was living in Hawaii on the island of Oahu that I noticed there

was an issue with the homeless pets on the island. It wasnt until I came across a one-

week-old kitten that had been abandoned by her mother (either forgotten or killed in

between transferring her kittens) that I noticed the bigger issue. When I found her, I

contacted the local vet asking what I should do. He told me I had one of two options. One

was to leave her, with hopes that she would survive on her own. Second, I could take her

to the vet with the exception that they would have to put her down due to the over

population of cats on the island. I decided against both, knowing that I couldnt do either.

So against my boyfriends and landlords wishes, I took her in. It was at this point that I

knew I had to follow my childhood dreams of becoming a veterinarian (even though the

pay is low) because I knew that there was a difference to be made and I was the one who

could help make that dream a reality.

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Proposed Work

So what can be done? First, I think that you take what has been working with

other organizations with the same efforts in decreasing the number of homeless pets and

apply that. This includes, a non-profit organization that relies mostly on donations and

volunteer work. Second, make spay and neuter affordable. Like Best Friends, if you catch

a stray cat they will do the spay or neuter surgery for free and if it is a companion pet they

still do it for a lower cost than a local clinic. This will help with efforts in decreasing the

strays. There also needs to be a shelter you can take stray animals to without there being

any consequences of death. You can also set up a program to teach other citizens how to

start their own shelter and how to incorporate the no-kill stigma. Within a couple years

you can expect all the islands to achieve a dramatically lower stay population that will

also help the local environment.

The feral cats living in Hawaii pose a huge threat to the Hawaiian wildlife. At

least 30 species or subspecies of endemic forest birds were either greatly reduced in

number or became extinct between 1870 and 1930 due to the feral cat population. Their

feces are also posing a health threat to the sea life like the endangered monk seal and the

recently non-endangered sea turtle. This is because the feral cat population has gotten so
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out of hand due to having no other larger predator on the island to help keep the

population in check.

Now, I am a firm believer that these cats do not have to die in order to achieve a

safe a healthy environment for the other native animals. As of right now, the only

initiative is to catch and kill. I would like to change that to catch-and-release with them

being sterile and to push adoption for these feral cats. Within a few years or less, you

would see a dramatic change in the feral population and an increase in native wildlife.
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Benefits

I am a firm believer that these cats do not have to die in order to achieve a safe and

healthy environment for the other native animals. As of right now the only initiative is to

catch and kill. I would like to change that to catch-and-release with cats being sterilized,

and a push for adoption of these feral cats. Within a few years or less you would see a

dramatic change in the feral population of cats which would in turn increase the

population in native wildlife and not pose a greater health risk to the sea life.
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Cost & Resources

I would have to start with a non-profit organization with the work being completely

reliant on volunteers: Everything from vet-technicians, civilians, and veterinarians. I

know that this works because of what Ive seen in Best Friends Utah and being a regular

volunteer for them. The volunteers would help cut cost significantly due to the fact that

you dont have a payroll. Next would be donations. You would push for donations among

people that come in and benefit from the low cost procedures.

The resources would have to come from within. I can gain access due to being a vet

(when the time comes) and have friends or even schools come and volunteer.
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References

No-Kill Timeline. (2017, April 26). Retrieved June 18, 2017, from http://bestfriends.org/about/our-

story/no-kill-timeline

Hess, S. C., & Banko,, P. C. (n.d.). Feral Cats: Too Long a Threat to Hawaiian Wildlife . Retrieved

June 18, 2017, from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1111&context=usgspubs

USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center