On The 7 O’Clock Mews

This past Thursday, there was excitement aplenty at North Portland Veterinary Hospital.

Just after 7 am, some kittens found themselves in the road just down the street from our office.  Initially thought to have been thrown from a moving vehicle, the latest developments indicate that the kittens may have been stowaways.  Oregon Humane Society is investigating.

One of these kittens found her way to us for treatment and fostering, we call her “Penny On The Block.” News crews from Channels 2, 8, and 12 came by to get the scoop, interviewing Kim F. our camera-ready CVT and getting footage of Penny.  Kitten abandonment and abuse rarely make headlines, but we suddenly found ourselves at the epicenter of a public interest piece.

Immediately after the story aired, the phone started ringing off the hook.  People wanted to know more information about the vehicle, some desperately wanted to adopt the grey and white survivor, and others just wanted understand how this could happen.

Regardless of how the litter of kittens came to be in the middle of Peninsular, they bring home the message that there is a huge surplus pet population in Portland.  The sad reality is that animals are abandoned everyday, in fields and parks, at empty houses, schools, and veterinary hospitals.  If you’d like to help:

• Have your pets spayed and neutered.  Encourage friends and family members to do the same for their pets.
• Call Oregon Humane Society, or other rescue organizations, and ask to volunteer with their group and become a foster parent to other abandoned or injured pets.  They need lots of help.
• Support groups like Feral Cat Coalition, who provide spay and neuter services for feral or stray cats.
• When you witness a case of abuse or neglect, call the Oregon Humane Society and file a report with their officer.