Ravenswood

LATEST UPDATE

SaveKitty continues to monitor the situation at Ravenswood.  If a cat gets trapped inside, we are notified by the residents or by NYCHA and are then permitted to rescue the cat.

12/1/10

On September 9th SaveKitty completed its search of the Ravenswood crawl spaces and was satisfied that there were no more cats trapped inside.  We rescued eight. Five got out on their own through openings NYCHA was unaware of and subsequently closed, thanks to our rescue efforts.  Unfortunately, two were found dead. 

Since then, we have continued to monitor the situation at Ravenswood.  Recently, we got word that a kitten was trapped inside another crawl space.  It got in from an opening NYCHA was unaware of and has since closed.

Thanks again to Mayor Bloomberg, we were permitted to go inside where, after a few days of searching, Debi Romano succeeded in rescuing not one, but five, 7-week-old-kittens! 

Presently, there is also an adult cat trapped inside, which Debi is working on rescuing.

10/12/10

THANK YOU

We'd like to thank the following people, without whose help the Ravenswood rescue would not have happened:

First and foremost, Mayor Bloomberg, for stepping in and allowing us access to the crawl spaces to rescue these trapped cats.  

Jane Hoffman and the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals for, interceding on behalf of the cats.

Elizabeth Stein, SaveKitty's pro bono lawyer, who devoted countless hours to this effort.

The SaveKitty "Crawlers", volunteers who went into the crawl spaces with Debi Romano, under very difficult conditions: Susan Wright,  Kelly Beaton, Stefanie Seiler, Paul Zhang, and Marca Leigh, Linda Romanelli and Christine Frascati.

The NYCHA "Crawlers", for going above and beyond: Carlos, Nexar, Vinny, Iggy and Chris. These men diligently searched the crawl spaces for signs of live animals while simultaneously looking for obstacles that could threaten our safety. They didn't have to accept this difficult assignment but they did.  And to Domenick, Vinny, Eddie and Tom, who did an excellent job of managing this effort.  A very special thanks to Luis who kept abreast of the situation every day, even coming in from out-of-town when he was on vacation.

Alley Cat Allies, for their very effective effort in activating their supporters around the world to advocate for the Ravenswood cats.

Susan Davis, for her expert advise on advocacy.

Deb Wantuch, for her very effective efforts in getting our base of supporters activated.

Christine VanValey, for her compelling video of the trapped cats.

Evon Handras, for the special role she played behind the scenes.

Last but not least, we want to thank all of you who made phone calls, sent or forwarded emails or letters to the media or elected officials, and sent donations for food and medical care.  Without your efforts these cats would never have been rescued.



"Crawlers", left to right: Debi Romano, Susan Wright, Nexar, Iggy




Center: "Crawler", Stefanie Seiler.
Background: Rosary Immordino & Alida Davis.

10/12/10

Mayor Bloomberg Saves the Day for the Ravenswood Cats!

History

Many of you know that cats were trapped and slowly dying in the crawl spaces at the Ravenswood Housing projects in Long Island City, Queens (NYC).

In an effort to rid the housing complex of hundreds of homeless cats and kittens, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) began closing up the crawl spaces where the cats live.  We struggled for months to convince them that the only real solution to the homeless cat problem is a Trap-Neuter-Return program.  We lost that battle and NYCHA began closing the crawl spaces.  While we didn't like their decision, NYCHA had a legal right to close the crawl spaces.

 

The problem is that they closed the crawl spaces without making sure all the cats were out.

Mayor Bloomberg to the Rescue

Thanks to the calls and letters from all our supporters to the media, this issue was brought to the attention of our mayor.  It didn't take long for Mayor Bloomberg to step in and save the cats.  He gave the go-ahead for Debi Romano and other SaveKitty rescuers to go into the crawl spaces and rescue the cats!  Thank you, Mayor Bloomberg!

Since then, we have been working night and day to do just that.  During the day Debi and other SaveKitty volunteers, wearing hazmat suits (see Debi below) and working side by side with NYCHA employees, go through the crawl spaces looking for cats. 



At night we go back after dark and try to lure the cats out of the crawl spaces with food.  You can see three of them here trapped inside two different crawl spaces:



But we've gotten all of these cats out.  Here is one of them, as he leaves the crawl space he was trapped in for over a week.

 

 

 

 

We cannot thank you enough for all your support in bringing attention to the plight of these cats.  And, Mayor Bloomberg, what can we say?  We are so very grateful for your compassion for animals.  Without your help, these cats would have surely died!

We'd also like to thank the amazing group of NYCHA employees we are working with.  They are caring and compassionate people doing a very difficult and unpleasant job. 

We'll keep you posted on our progress in getting the cats out.  You can check back here for updates. You can also sign up here to be placed on our email list.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Adopt

Over the past many months we have removed approximately 75 cats and kittens from Ravenswood.  Many are still in need of permanent, loving homes.  If you or someone you know is interested in adopting, please contact us.

Donate

We are in need of funds to feed and care for these cats.  If you are able to donate, we'd greatly appreciate it.  If not, perhaps you know someone who supports other animal rescue organizations and might want to know about us.

August 29, 2010