Courtesy AAPN: Emergency call for vets on cats

Courtesy AAPN: Emergency call for vets on cats

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STRAY ANIMALS REALLY NEED YOUR HELP … and it’s urgent.

This tiny kitten - ‘Trashy’ – struggled to survive on a rubbish dump in
Shenzhen, China. Emaciated, terrified and covered with fleas, she searched
for scraps of food. Our local partner group found the poor creature and took
her to a clinic to be treated and neutered. After recovery, a loving foster
home was found for her.

Sadly, there are hundreds of thousands of stray cats in China who are less
fortunate. In Beijing alone there are 20,000 living in truly awful
conditions on the streets. Usually these cats are abandoned pets. They are
often sick, get injured in traffic accidents and are even killed by the
government in the most inhumane way.

More spays, less strays

Luckily the number of cat rescue groups in China is growing. Their aim is
for a structural and animal friendly solution to the stray problem by
setting up neutering programmes. For this to be effective, the cooperation
of veterinarians is essential. Vets set an important example in the way
animals are treated and promote the acceptance of neutering amongst the
public. They need to learn advanced surgical skills and medical and ethical
principles to apply to their daily practice – for the benefit of animal
welfare.

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So, in 2009, we started a training programme for animal-friendly vets.
Together with experienced members of Australia’s ‘Vets Beyond Borders’ we
trained 28 vets and their assistants in Beijing and Shenzhen. The results
were fantastic - the number of neutering operations in participating vet
clinics has increased by over 60% and the number of clinics that provide
free neutering has increased by 40%. Vets reported fewer complications and
quicker recovery of animals thanks to the use of painkillers and reduced
peri-operative stress. Vet associations and the Ministry of Agriculture in
Beijing have asked us to expand our training this year. A new, unique
feature is to ‘train the trainers’ for greater impact across China. We don’t
want to let the strays down now we’ve come so far, so we’re asking for your
help.

Time for the “inconvenient truth” …we just can’t do it without you.

It’s simple – we need 1000 people to donate €5 each.

Then – we can make it happen.

Click here to be one of the 1000:
http://www.actasia.org/index/index.php?page=get-involved

Please forward this message to as many people as you can – the more people we can reach, the more animals we can help.

Thank you,

Pei F. Su
Executive Director
ACTAsia for Animals