Some questions answered.
Things we have been asked over the past 24 hours.
We have had some questions by email. Here are some answers...
CATNIP stands for "Companion Animal Trust, Nippon", so yes we do dogs. And any other companion animal. (Indeed, any animal. We have even done a bear. We do humans too, at a pinch, 'though only with the appropriate protective gear...)
We may activate our Facebook and Twitter accounts after we have been down to the area and have something to report. That may be the 18th - the forecast for the 17th is 100 to 150mm of rain (4 to 6 inches) in an area notorious for landslides and weakened by 'quakes. The first rule of disaster relief is "don't become part of the problem".
We set up CATNIP for precisely this eventuality.
No - we don't run a "shelter" as such - we try to rehome from foster families. We are half way through a 3-year programme to renovate some premises that will be our base but they are not ready yet - we have been trying to do it as cheaply as possible. So over the past year we have dealt only with animals that we have "tripped over" - we haven't been advertising. That is why there are currently very few animals on the site. But now this earthquake has occurred, we have had to come out of our "quiet" mode. (Not terribly "convenient", but earthquakes rarely are...)
We are committed to keeping animals "in situ" as far as possible. As close to their homes, families and communities as we can. So we are more interested in small temporary shelters, local to the evacuation centres, than we are in running a large one at our base in Itoshima.
If you are considering making a donation, but want to check us out first, (very sensible) Nick May is more than happy to talk on Skype.
Posted in: 2016 Kyushu / Kumamoto / EarthquakesCATNIP stands for "Companion Animal Trust, Nippon", so yes we do dogs. And any other companion animal. (Indeed, any animal. We have even done a bear. We do humans too, at a pinch, 'though only with the appropriate protective gear...)
We may activate our Facebook and Twitter accounts after we have been down to the area and have something to report. That may be the 18th - the forecast for the 17th is 100 to 150mm of rain (4 to 6 inches) in an area notorious for landslides and weakened by 'quakes. The first rule of disaster relief is "don't become part of the problem".
We set up CATNIP for precisely this eventuality.
No - we don't run a "shelter" as such - we try to rehome from foster families. We are half way through a 3-year programme to renovate some premises that will be our base but they are not ready yet - we have been trying to do it as cheaply as possible. So over the past year we have dealt only with animals that we have "tripped over" - we haven't been advertising. That is why there are currently very few animals on the site. But now this earthquake has occurred, we have had to come out of our "quiet" mode. (Not terribly "convenient", but earthquakes rarely are...)
We are committed to keeping animals "in situ" as far as possible. As close to their homes, families and communities as we can. So we are more interested in small temporary shelters, local to the evacuation centres, than we are in running a large one at our base in Itoshima.
If you are considering making a donation, but want to check us out first, (very sensible) Nick May is more than happy to talk on Skype.