Killing Cats in Key West
Click here to see the list of “euthanasia outcomes” for KWSPCA shelters in Key West and Marathon in the past two years.
Clarification regarding the 844 cases of “euthanasia”: We thought we could equate the number of bona fide merciful euthanasia cases to the number of kills for “medical” reasons and “feline lukemia” however we realized that some of the animals put down by “owner request” could fall under the “medical” category and some of the cases categorized as “medical” may not rise to the level of merciful end-of-life euthanasia. As such we are unable to provide an exact number of true euthanasia cases for our report. The video has been updated.
FIND OUT WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE CAROLINE STREET CAT COLONY: https://thebluepaper.com/key-west-alley-cats-rescued-in-a-private-jet/
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Cat on a hot tin roof!
What will become of Key West without the blue paper?
Naja and Arnaud might wish to extend their vacation overseas a few months, or years.
Because I rent a studio apartment in their home, I saw them struggle for 3 weeks of scratching and digging to get down to the bottom of what would be in their catawampus documentary.
Sometimes they seemed so exhausted and frazzled that I worried they might become catatonic.
I heard Naja grumble for several days about being threatened with a caterwauling lawsuit filed by people not in the least happy with what the blue paper was digging into.
Last summer, the blue paper blue (blew) the lid off of a city dog park sitting on top of African slave remains.
In the past few days, I saw local establishment-controlled mullet wrappers, which had gotten wind of the blue paper’s documentary, rush to print touchy feel good Key West unwanted animal stories.
My homeless friend Kari Dangler told me that she saw an oven behind the new taj mahal ($8.5 million) homeless animal shelter, like the ovens she sees at mortuaries.
I was told in a nap dream this morning, “The initial caption was ‘Schindler’s List'”.
I told Kari a few days ago, that it won’t surprise me if some day America starts killing homeless people like it kills feral cats.
I RECOMMEND TNR FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF FKSPCA! What shabby, misleading, and bs in the kill report. It requires a complete explanation. This “no kill” shelter took my money by misleading me. I want my donations returned. This outfit is more corrupt than our city government.
Extraordinarily courageous, detailed and beautifully put together. An accurate account of the duplicity and fraudulent measures implemented to market and fund the aforementioned “Killing Chamber”…
“Animal shelter” culture and personnel have changed during my 43 years residency. Particularly for cats, these buildings have become a house of horrors, torture, shame and death. Several Reports have been published in our local newspapers identifying a “kill rate” for cats approaching 83%. Not a very humane and friendly place for these innocent sentient creatures.
At one time our shelter manager energetically worked with the Cat Colony Caregivers. Assisting in the Trap-Neuter-Release process. That has changed. Although the shelter manager is a very good person; fear, threats and demands from those in authority have frightened her, causing a radical change in her behavior.
We’ve cooperatively worked to alleviate some of her concerns and she has provided some legitimate concessions to the Caregivers. However, it’s nothing like it could be if a comprehensive and collective plan were in place that emphasised humane treatment and handling for these beautiful animals; which were abandoned and discarded like trash to suffer and die.
Any part of the ASPCA name, affiliation or modicum should never be a part of any organization or building that can Kill so easily. Particularly, when there are scientific studies conducted by Dr. Julie Levy at the University of Florida that followed a long-term Trap-Neuter-Release program, which found that the populations of felines living within a supervised cat colony declined by 66% over 10 years.
In the Upper Keys we have an additional problem of an overzealous Manager of the federally managed Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge. It appears with his new found position, he’d gone into a “cat killing frenzy”. Apparently sending out cat hunters with baited traps to snare cats. Some family pets were drawn from the private property of their owner where they resided, and scoped up during a raid. It seems cat hunters “get paid by the head” (body count).
The owner of one of the trapped cats injured during the “governments’ trapping” was arrested at his place of work, for allegedly allowing his cat on federal property. The
Cat owner took the manager, arresting officer, government attorney and the assembled on the video screen FWC bureaucrats to court in Key West. He single-handedly defeated each ans every one of them. ..
Naja & Arnaud I spoke to you about my funding proposal for “The Blue Paper”. Double It… In addition, I’ve identified a new source of funding. Animal and cat lovers who will not stand idly by while these creatures are unnecessarily butchered.
Readers, please consider channeling any donations that you want to make for the “prevention of cruelty to animals” to the Caregivers identified in the video.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at both the state and federal level are charged with “cooperatively interacting” with all “affected parties” prior to launching any cat trapping agenda. Furthermore, all decisions reached between FWS and the “affected parties”, MUST collaboratively reflect the “humane handling and treatment” of these animals.
Please don’t get discouraged. These cats will not have been killed in vain. Our cause is authored by the Creator of all Things. Let’s stay the course. A “Change is gonna Come”.
Naja & Arnaud, if it’s possible, please don’t shut down “The Blue Paper”. Perhaps, during and after taking your vacation, you’ll reconsider and come to a Realization that will allow you to stay up and running. Please take into account our conversation, along with the effort that will be made to identify and develop this new found source of revenue.
With All My Love, Blessings & Respect…
John – with respect to the following, where can I get more information? [email protected] Thanks!
The owner of one of the trapped cats injured during the “governments’ trapping” was arrested at his place of work, for allegedly allowing his cat on federal property. The
Cat owner took the manager, arresting officer, government attorney and the assembled on the video screen FWC bureaucrats to court in Key West. He single-handedly defeated each ans every one of them.
Please email me. Thanks.
Ugh…this is all so outrageous. I don’t even know what to say or do right now
It sounds like the county ordinance is one major root cause.
One thing’s clear, they’re not going to kill their way out of the cat over-population problem. The Upper Keys shelter certainly proves that.
So if I understand this correctly, all would be fine except for some new business owner who wants all the cats “gone”. We are missing something here. We need to know the name of this business and its owner so we can boycott it. I certainly will not give them my business. Give us the name and I will also tell friends and visitors to walk right by there door without even looking inside.
My comments are related to the earlier Caroline street cat story, not to the operations of the KW SPCA. Would love to hear them defend their “no-kill” shelter label.
Cats sure are cute and they’re not to blame for being strictly meat eaters. But as such, keeping a bunch of cats around that nobody really owns doesn’t make sense if the big jist is “saving animals.” Their lives are cheap and they are going to stay cheap until animal control does its friggin’ job. What’s in a can of cat food? Chickens, fish? Isn’t it ironic that you can sell a chicken or a fish, but not the cat you’re feeding them to? It’s pretty clear from reading some people’s opinion pieces that when you let them talk enough in their own words, they clearly see themselves as suppliers of street cats to a world that so desperately needs more cats. But that’s not reality, is it?
Barbara Bowers wrote me the following and invited me to post it in her name:
Don’t know if you remember when I wrote articles for KWTN in early 1990s about this very thing. At the time, none of the cat spay/neuter/shelter groups worked together. They were politically trying to destroy each other and get county control. Seemed to be the belief that “only I can do a good job”. Veterinarians donated time to spay clinics, which I don’t think happens as much today. Gwen Hawtof was in charge of the county shelter then. She did battle with Linda Gottwald in Marathon. Jan Isherman took care of Whistling Ted’s 2 dozen cats. Some of the same players are still playing, but they ultimately agreed to work together on spay/neuter programs, which has held in check the feral cat population. So sad to see FKSPCA backing off its commitment to that. Best way to get them on board again is thru the big donors to the new shelter. Don’t know why we go thru these cycles, but we do ☹
From Linda Gottwald:
SUFA managed to run a shelter with a 12% euth rate and we DID NOT kill ferals- we built a compound for them at the Big Pine shelter which the county later bulldozed – it was beautiful with mosquito fencing and pastel cat boxes, a mural….SUFA was criticized by Deb Barsell , County Administrator , who told me the SPCA said it couldn’t be done…but we did it….TNR does work with faithful volunteers- which Key West has…
The Big Pine shelter could easily be used again – the building is in great shape….
great reporting- God Save the Blue Paper….
I would like to also add that we worked closely with Forgotten Felines – those folks work tirelessly – it’s hot, sweaty and dangerous work sometimes trapping cats and they have done a tremendous job as have other volunteers throughout the Keys in controlling the feral cat problem humanely without a nickel of tax payer help…you can also add in my name that when the County closed Big Pine shelter, they also closed the spay clinic we had going there…one that did feral cats from Big Pine Key and No Name Key..two of the feral hot spots in the Keys…
If you don’t nab the Pulitzer, my faith in that prize is out the window…
Keysmiata,
Please forgive the delay in my getting back to you. Miami VA and Dance Theater of Harlem performances over the weekend required my attendance.
I’ve spoken to the businessman whose cat was injured by abusive trappers the other day. We are friends. I drew his attention to the work Naja, Arnaud and Caregivers are doing on behalf of these abandoned creatures in Key west, via “The Blue Paper”. As you may know, I’ve identified this incident in prior articles.
I’m going to speak with my friend tomorrow and suggest that he contact you personally via the e-mail address provided. At this time, I believe the most appropriate course of action is to allow him to decide on how he would like to proceed with your inquiry. I hope my decision brings you some satisfaction.
If you don’t receive a response, perhaps we can work it another way.
With Love, Blessings & Respect…