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8/18/2017

Annabell Washburn, Pioneer of TNR in the U.S. has passed away

3 Comments

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Picture
In Boston, Mass, in 1984, Annabell, who was working on Martha’s Vineyard with PAWS, an organization she had founded a decade earlier, had attended a conference of the World Society for the Protection of Animals and heard Peter Neville from the U.K. who studied feral cats for many years, speak about the success of TNR in Britain. Later in 1985, while vacationing at her house on the Virgin Gorda islands, she discovered several colonies of cats. For the next decade she took Tufts veterinary students to conduct TNR on the island.
​

In the July 1990 issue of Cat Fancy, another great friend and TNR advocate, author Ellen Perry Berkeley wrote the article Feral Cats, highlighting a few ground-breaking programs tackling the feral cat issue including Annabell’s dedicated work. I immediately reached out to both women, as I had been working on a feral cat colony in Adams Morgan, Washington D.C. and had discovered the bias and animosity towards feral cats by the animal movement at that time.

Annabell called me right away after receiving my letter, and her and her husband, Stanley drove down to Maryland to meet me. Annabell was ecstatic that I was thinking of starting the first national organization to promote and advocate TNR, Alley Cat Allies.

In 1997 I founded Alley Cat Rescue, having left Alley Cat Allies, and Annabell and I continued our friendship and she helped financially to start ACR. Over the years we often spoke together on panel discussions on TNR and developed an amazing friendship and bond.

She called me at least twice a month over the years, and we had a lot of laughs about our work and the initial reaction to TNR by major groups. One CEO of a national animal group, when he heard Annabell was doing TNR said to her: “oh so you have become a cat hoarder”. I shared with her how I had been called many things on my rounds to debate TNR with folks from major animal organizations saying I was “dumping” cats, and my TNR was illegal, and calling me all kinds of names as well. We both held on to our firm belief that what we were doing was ethically right and moral, and that they would all learn this in the future. Which in fact become true as one by one over the years, they changed their minds and started advocating for TNR.

She shared funny stories of her and Stanley leaving to vacation on Martha’s Vineyard and the battle they had rounding up her dozen cats, many feral, in their apartment in New York City to go with them to the Island.

I recently visited her in New York City after she had suffered a stroke, and she had had a bad day and did not really remember me. But we chatted and I had breakfast with her. Then in 2015 a miracle happened. My phone rang and I saw it was A’Bell’s phone number. At first I was afraid to answer the phone expecting the worst. But I picked up and it was the old Annabell calling me! She had just received a copy of my Handbook I had written, and she was calling to congratulate me on the book and saying how much she enjoyed it! We chatted a long time. But a week later when I called her again, she was back to struggling with her memory and said: “Well if you say you are a friend, you must be a cat person!”
​

Rest in peace Dear Friend. One person told her once when they talked about growing old: “Annabell God is probably a big black cat!”
​

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3 Comments
Gloria Aims link
10/25/2017 12:40:06 pm

Your article about Annabell Washburn is a touching tribute to an obviously tender hearted and dedicated lady. You mentioned a Handbook you have written. If you have copies available, I would like to buy a copy. Please, advise me of the cost. My mailing address is, P. O. Box 306, Kentland, IN 47951

Reply
Brianna
10/26/2017 07:51:37 am

Hello, thanks for the kind words and your interest in our handbook. You can buy it directly through our store at: http://www.saveacat.org/store/p5/Cat_Rescue%27s_Guide_to_Managing_Community_Cats_Paperback.html

Or you can contact Liz at: development@saveacat.org

Reply
Robert Hendry
11/19/2017 05:10:04 pm

Great article. Need much info on feral s , assoc wants to remove and take to humane society. Trying to fix and return. Need info..

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  • Home
    • About >
      • Mission
      • Our Team
      • Board of Directors
      • Financial Information
      • Email Sign-up
    • ACR in the Press
    • ACR Publications >
      • Newsletters
      • Blog
      • Press Releases
      • National Surveys
    • Adoptions >
      • Cats available for adoption
      • New Cat Checklist
      • Introducing A New Cat
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact Us
    • Partners
  • Action Alerts
    • Spay Neuter Pledge
    • No Declaw Pledge
    • Campaigns >
      • The Feral Fix
      • Working Cats Program >
        • Shelters with Working Cat Programs
      • End Deadly Eradication Methods
      • "Fix the Family"
  • Spay/Neuter
    • Early Age Spay/Neuter
    • Misconceptions About Spay/Neuter
    • State Low Cost Spay/Neuter
  • How to Help Community Cats
    • Find a Stray Cat?
    • What is a Feral Cat? >
      • Feral vs. Stray Cats
      • Benefits of Feral Cats
    • TNR-- What does this mean? >
      • TNR Statistics
      • TNR Step-by-Step
      • Targeted Trapping
      • TNR Tips
      • Hard to Catch Cats
      • TNR Equipment Loan Resources
      • Where to Buy TNR Equipment
      • TNR/Community Cat Care Financial Resources
      • Helping Shelters Implement TNR Programs
      • Common Complaints
    • Providing Shelter
    • CAT Action Teams: TNR Groups by State
    • Health Care
    • Cat Overpopulation
    • Relocation
    • Feral Kittens >
      • What to do if you find kittens
      • Stages of Kitten Development
      • Orphaned Kittens
      • Socializing Feral Kittens
      • Fostering Kittens
    • How Rescuers Can Effectively Adopt Out Cats >
      • Adopting Adult Feral Cats
    • Winter Tips for Protecting Cats
    • Summer Tips for Cats
    • Feral Cats and the Law
    • Cats and Wildlife >
      • Cats and Predation
      • Where have all the birds gone?
      • Debunking the Myths and Misinformation: Cat Predation
      • Why Eradication Methods Fail
    • Handbook Download
  • Cat Health
    • Health Care for Your Cat >
      • Vaccines
      • Wellness Vet Checkups
      • Microchiping
      • Nail Trimmings
      • Effects of aging
      • Hospice Care and Euthanasia Decisions
      • Financial Assistance
      • Cat Supplies
      • How to Prepare for an Emergency
      • Pet Food Banks
    • FIP, FeLV, FIV >
      • Testing for FeLV/FIV
    • Common Cat Health Issues >
      • Feline Panleukopenia
      • Fleas
      • Zoonotic Diseases
      • Rabies
      • Toxoplasmosis
      • Ringworm - Symptoms and Treatment
      • Ringworm Myths Debunked
      • Obesity in Cats
      • Diabetes
      • Indoor/Outdoor Cats
    • Cats & Claws
    • Animal Cruelty Against Cats
    • Hazardous Poisons
    • Poisonous Plants
    • Pet Disaster Preparedness
    • COVID-19 Pet Food Banks
    • Cats and COVID-19
  • Cat Behavior
    • Solutions to Prevent Surrendering your cat
    • Common Cat Behavior Issues >
      • Scratching and Destructive Behavior
      • Aggressive Cats >
        • Cat on Cat Aggression
      • Litter Box Problems
      • Meowing and Yowling
      • Urine Marking
      • Behavior Issues in Elderly Cats
    • Introducing Cats
    • Cat Enrichment
    • Tips for Entertaining an Indoor Cat
    • Cat Supply Resources
    • Lost Cat
  • African Wildcats
    • AWC Conservation Projects
    • Press Release on African Wildcat Campaign
    • Differences between AWCs and domestic cats
  • Donate
  • Store