By Bill Parry
A MASH unit for cats has been set up in recent weeks in a Long Island City warehouse, located at 47-32 Austell Place near the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sent a team of first responders to set up a temporary quarantine for more than 500 felines who were exposed to the avian flu virus at three Animal Care Centers of NYC shelters across the city.
The cats will remain quarantined at the facility until ongoing lab tests, conducted by the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, show they are healthy and no longer contagious, which will probably be 45 to 90 days.
ASPCA responders continue to work with volunteers from other agencies providing ongoing daily care. Veterinary experts monitor the cats who have shown mild flu-like symptoms such as a runny nose or sneezing.
Other cats are doing well and have settled in at the temporary shelter.
“The ASPCA rapid response team has been nothing short of incredible,” Animal Care Centers of NYC President and CEO Risa Weinstock said. “Within hours they were coordinating groups from across the nation to work with our staff to ensure the best care is provided to those cats in quarantine.”
ACC has hired a professional cleaning company to service their three shelters in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island. It is unclear how the cats were exposed to the avian flu virus and its the first time they’ve seen it spread to domestic cats, officials say.
The sheltering and quarantine program has been made possible by the generous funding from the ASPCA and Maddie’s Fund, a family foundation established by Dave and Cheryl Duffield to revolutionize the status and well-being of companion animals.
“This has been an amazing collaboration. I have been impressed with the ACC’s efforts to save these cats,” Dr. Laurie Peek, a member of the Maddie’s Fund Executive Leadership Team, said. “Multiple agencies have pulled together to respond quickly and effectively to this outbreak, setting a new precedent on dealing with outbreaks in shelters. This type of collaboration — that puts animals and community welfare first — represents the best of the animal welfare movement.”
Astoria resident Jessica Drew, 29, of Astoria, has worked with large numbers of animals in crisis situations before.
“Everybody here is really excited to help these animals,” she told AMNewYork. “The setup is fantastic. We can already see them getting better and moving to the next stage. That’s a good feeling.”
No such lifeline exists for a pack of feral coyotes who have lived near LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst. Last fall, a group of 11 coyotes began frequenting an employee parking lot off Berrian Boulevard and at least seven have been euthanized by agents of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture at the behest of the Port Authority to keep airport travelers, workers and nearby residents safe after the coyotes became acclimated to humans, increasing the possibility of attack.
“Public safety comes first,” a PA spokeswoman said.
Of the three remaining pups left from the pack, two have been missing since the weekend, according to animal rights activists, who fear they have been euthanized by agents as well. However, the Port Authority says that baby coyotes have not been seen or captured.
Coyotes have been spotted throughout the borough in recent years, but normally one at a time, like the one discovered atop the LIC Bar on Vernon Boulevard in the spring of 2015.
The spokeswoman said the Port Authority continues to work with the state Dept. of Environmental Conservation.
“If there is an appropriate sanctuary, we would work with DEC officials to relocate the coyotes,” she said.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
