KATHLEEN HARER’S January 26, 2004 REPORT

Below is the trip report Mary McKenzie and I put together based on our visit to the 10th Life Sanctuary last Friday. We would be happy to discuss our visit with anyone who has specific questions not answered in the report.

Mary McKenzie and Kathleen Harer, members of Space Coast Feline Network, Inc. (SCFN), visited 10th Life Sanctuary on Friday, January 23, 2004. The visit lasted a couple of hours and included all areas of the sanctuary. Maury Swee, 10th Life President, was still in the hospital in West Palm Beach until around noon so he was unable to be there during the visit. His assistant, Darcy, showed the facility.

Mary and Kathleen found the cats to be well cared for in a good but basic facility. They saw several hundred cats in their enclosures (no actual count was attempted during the visit), which included both indoor and outdoor access for each as well as numerous “shelves” for perches that most of the cats were using to sun themselves the afternoon of the visit. Feline HIV positive and Feline Leukemia positive cats were kept in separate enclosures from the main enclosure where the negative cats were kept.

Cats that had not yet been spayed/neutered, or were new arrivals were in isolation until they could be sure they were healthy enough to put with the general populations. They were kept in large kennels with plenty of room in each for food, water and a litter box. These kennels were as large or larger than ones that would seen in most shelters in this country and were as large as some of the relocation cages SCFN uses to hold feral cats for up to several weeks when relocating them to new areas. The kennels are kept on benches in the indoor areas of the enclosures for protection from the elements. Each enclosure had an exhaust fan and ”windows” that are kept open during the day to help with air exchange. At night they are closed for warmth as needed.

Cats that are spayed and neutered (as some had been the day of the visit) are also kept in the kennels inside the enclosures to assure full recovery (a couple of days for males and up to a week for females) before releasing into the general populations. About 30 cats were waiting to be scheduled for spaying/neutering. About 10 are done each week with support from the local animal services. On the day of the visit, the vet tech was onsite to check on the cats that had been through surgery to assure they were recovering sufficiently before he left for the day.

A separate indoor facility is used for sick cats/those needing medications (everything from upper respiratory infections, which are common in shelters, to skin problems, to more serious illnesses) until they are recovered and can be released into the enclosures with the other cat populations. These cats are kept individually in the same type of large kennels described above that the cats in isolation were kept in. A large baggie contained the medication(s) the cats are receiving with instructions for amount and doses per day.

There was a good system of marking kennels with current information on the cats, including any tests they have been given, treatments they are receiving and procedures to be scheduled.

The pictures on the 10th Life website accurately reflect what was seen on the day of the visit and what is described above.

Because of the sanctuary’s remote location, and the number of cats living there, 10th Life uses paid staff to care for the animals. Two of the staff members live onsite so there is someone with the animals all the time.

This visit was a reciprocal one for the visit Maury and Sandy Swee made to the SCFN feral cat sanctuary in Mims, FL last summer. Both Mary and Kathleen got ideas from their visit to 10th Life Sanctuary that might be of benefit to implement at Mims, so the trip was a successful one from that standpoint as well.

SCFN relocated 18 feral cats to 10th Life from a colony in south Brevard County that was slated for trapping and euthanasia last summer because there was no room at the SCFN sanctuary at that time. SCFN would have no problem relocating other cats to the 10th Life Sanctuary if similar circumstances presented themselves in the future and if 10th Life had room to take the cats. As always, people who are considering relocating their cats, whether pets or part of a feral colony, should determine for themselves if a given facility is appropriate for them and their needs. As noted above, 10th Life Sanctuary is a good one but it is basic in what it provides.

Since paid staff come and care for the cats daily, and then leave after their tasks are completed, there are only 2 persons (Darcy and Maury) to provide tours. When visitors want to come, it takes them away from the “must do” jobs that only they can do. For example, our visit prevented Darcy from spending important time with the vet tech, particularly since we arrived just as representatives from the City of Surfside were leaving from their visit.

Having visitors to an operation such as 10th Life Sanctuary can be disruptive and time-consuming, particularly with limited staff and a large number of people wanting to see the facility. However, it is hoped that 10th Life will hold its planned open house in March, and plan future open houses regularly, to help allay some of the concerns currently being expressed about the facility and to let potential supporters see what they would providing support for. Given the facility’s remote location and the lack of a large city nearby, the base of potential volunteers is very small. However, the open houses might generate enough interest that some local residents might consider volunteering their time.

Kathleen F. Harer

138 E. Leon Lane

Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

321-799-4379

321-799-8546 (fax)