PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Michelle Marwitz, Founder and President of Lincoln Terrace Park Cats
4:41:17
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152 sec
Michelle Marwitz, founder of Lincoln Terrace Park Cats, testifies about the challenges faced by cat rescuers in New York City. She emphasizes the need for city-funded high-volume spay/neuter services and basic veterinary care for both rescuers and pet owners.
- Describes the burnout and constant demands placed on volunteer rescuers
- Highlights the lack of financial support for rescuers who act as "first responders" for cats
- Stresses that the large number of street cats is a city problem that requires municipal intervention and funding
Michelle Marwitz
4:41:17
Hi.
4:41:17
I'm Michelle Morowitz founder and president of Lincoln Terrace Park Katz.
4:41:21
I first just wanna say thank you so much to the council.
4:41:25
I've really been encouraged by the support that I've heard from you guys today.
4:41:29
Our organization spades and Newders community cats primarily through organizations like the ASPCA and Flatbush vet when we can actually get appointments.
4:41:37
And rescues unowned cats in District 41 around Southeast Crown Heights in Brooklyn where I live for many years.
4:41:44
I now live in District 46 in Bergen Beach, which unfortunately also has a very high number of cats on the street.
4:41:51
And currently, we're on hiatus, mostly due to extreme burnout.
4:41:55
We unfortunately don't all have the don't all have Sassy's superhuman powers.
4:42:01
God bless her.
4:42:04
Unlike typical volunteer jobs, our rescue rescue work is always on call.
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There is very little time off for most of us.
4:42:10
On top of our full time day jobs, we're taking cats to the vet, transporting them to foster, helping neighbors who don't want so many cats in their yard.
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And when we finally get home after an exhausting day, there's often an urgent message about an emergency situation.
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Cats who have been hit by a car, cats in such poor condition that they're unable to move or for neonatal kittens.
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And though our bodies are calling out for rest, the cry for help is louder.
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We know we're usually the only ones who can help.
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Neighbors often like the skills necessary and other rescuers is just are just as overwhelmed as we are.
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So we spend the night in the ER with the sick cat.
4:42:46
We pick up the neonatal kittens feeding them every 3 hours and providing basic medical care because most vets aren't even qualified or or aren't even trained in how to handle kittens that young.
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We're the first responders to cats.
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But unlike traditional first responders, our community services aren't funded by the city.
4:43:04
There's no support for all the fires we put out.
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There's no coverage for all the medical care our patients require for the vehicles often used almost exclusively for cat transport, for all the supplies we need.
4:43:17
We have to bag over and over again on social media just to raise funds for basic care like Spay Notter and vaccines.
4:43:23
At the very least, we desperately need city funded high volume Spay Notter services and basic veterinary care for rescuers as well as pet owners.
4:43:32
The hundreds of thousands of cats on the city streets are far more than the number of rescuers can handle, and it's not fair for this community work for this community work to fall on us.
4:43:41
The animals on the city streets are a city problem.
4:43:44
We cannot reduce their numbers at a meaningful capacity without the city's help.
4:43:48
Thank you.