By Carol Fisher-Linn
Stray cats remain a problem in the village of Ellicottville.
Thank Melanie Pritchard and Betsy Peyser for the reduction in numbers.
“This is kitten season. We are trying hard to capture strays to get them neutered/spayed before they breed.” So says Melanie Pritchard. For those of you who may not be aware, there has been an endeavor for years in Ellicottville to reduce the stray cat population. Here, let me start at the beginning. Thirty-some years ago Betsy Peyser returned home from living in Colorado to her family home on Elizabeth Street in Ellicottville and noticed some cats in a barn across the street. Realizing they were stray she proceeded to feed and care for them. Before long, she discovered there were strays throughout the village and ended up with a second “job” aside from running her upscale consignment store, Betsy’s. Lacking proper equipment, she acquired a live trap to catch them to get them to a vet, after which she then brought them back into the village and released them. All of this at her own expense. Since then, more traps have been donated.
For some years, others in the village took part in the endeavor and came up with the name C.L.A.W.S., an acronym for Cats Lives are Worth Saving, thanks to Calla Lee and Teresa Mercer. It was around this time, perhaps ten years ago, that local ERA Real Estate agent and animal lover/advocate, Melanie Pritchard, joined the team. Betsy now was able to tend to her several feeding stations around the village twice daily and Melanie handled the trapping. Once trapped, they took them to the local vet, Dr. Tim O’Leary at the Almost Home Animal Sanctuary, who gave them thorough check-ups, neutered/spayed and immunized them for rabies, FIV (feline AIDS – only transmitted by blood and not so lethal, and FeLV (Feline Leukemia which is both communicable and deadly). Attempts then would be made to home them, but if that failed, they would be released knowing they could no longer multiply.
Here’s the thing. Cats are kind of like rabbits. They multiply fast! In Brittanica we find that “A breeding female (queen) can come into heat as many as five times a year. Domestic cats are induced ovulators, which means that ovulation does not occur until the queen mates. This efficient system vastly increases the chances that a cat will conceive, which is one of the reasons for cat overpopulation.”
The first temptation was to keep them, until that got out of hand. Melanie informed us that, recently, they have successfully placed eight kittens and will have several more coming up. They ask for people looking for furry companions to let them know if they are interested in adopting, or fostering until homes can be found. Although adopting is free, interested parties are carefully vetted and will be responsible for their medical care when they are of age to be spayed/neutered. Since this project is paid for out-of-pocket (theirs), they always appreciate donations to keep the food flowing through the feeding stations throughout the village and the vet fees. With the cost of medicine on the rise, even with the generosity of Dr. O’Leary, this effort is not cheap. Over the years, Betsy, Melanie and the others who became involved have rescued 50 to 60 cats. Costs for care are between $200 and $600 so they depend on donations from generous friends and community members to keep the program going. YOU CAN HELP! Monetary donations of any amount can be sent to CLAWS, PO Box 1061, Ellicottville, NY. Food donations can dropped off at the ERA Team VP Real Estate office at 12 Washington Street, care of Melanie. If you are aware of stray cats in your neighborhood, please consider making a home for them. If you are unable, you may contact Melanie Pritchard at 716-480-8409 or Betsy Peyser at 716-699-6131. Melanie also reminds pet owners that it is their responsibility to have them immunized, chipped and spayed/neutered. She also suggests that if you are a cat owner and have only one, please consider reaching out to CLAWS to adopt a companion for your pet.
It is so easy to take things in life for granted. The absence of the large number of strays we now have in the village is due to the extraordinary efforts of Betsy and Melanie and the entire CLAWS community, along with others who are taking it upon themselves to do their part.
Whether you know these ladies or not, we all owe them (and the others quietly rescuing cats) sincere gratitude for the time, effort, and funds they have, and continue to expend for the wel-fare of these animals and the benefit of our community. Please find a way to help.
CLAWS offers a sincere thank you for Laurie and Dr. Timothy O’Leary for their support and generosity and all those who have donated to help in this endeavor. Won’t you please consider CLAWS when you are writing your donation checks for the month?