Students invited to Saturday pre-vet kitty clinic

Hui Pono Holoholona will sponsor a feline spay/neuter clinic on Saturday, April 21, with Dr. Kim Kozuma, DVM, whose Pre-vet Club students are the caregivers for a Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage (TNRM) program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

The students will be capturing their unfixed felines for this clinic, which will start at 8:30 a.m. at the Keaau Eagles facility. Kozuma is also the deputy state veterinarian for livestock disease control with the state Department of Agriculture.

Juniors and seniors from local high schools with an interest in animal science or veterinary careers also are invited to attend this clinic. Students will have the opportunity to view an actual spay/neuter on a feline, mix with the pre-vet college students, receive handouts on pet care/responsibility and be able to ask questions of Kozuma.

“Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage programs for felines is adapted and practiced worldwide,” said a spokesman for Hui Pono Holoholona. “This humane method stabilizes feral cat populations without using euthanasia. Animals that can be socialized via foster programs are adopted out to suitable families.

“The goal is to have no new litters and to decrease the population over time via natural attrition. Scientific data proves T-N-R-Manage programs are the most humane, effective and sustainable method to manage feral cat colonies across the nation.”

Students or their parents need to call the nonprofit’s office at 968-8279 to sign up. Parental permission is required. Hui Pono Holoholona will sponsor additional teaching classes with Kozuma and her pre-vet students later this year. Visit www.hphhawaii.org, or email webmistress@hphhawaii.org.