KATHMANDU ANIMAL TREATMENT (KAT) CENTER

1/22/2011

According to Kathmandu Animal Treatment (KAT) Center,
there are over 20,500 dogs within the ring road of Kathmandu valley in Nepal.

Street Dogs in Bhaktapur, Nepal - by Betsy Seeton

When I lived in Kathmandu in 2006, I saw first hand how many dogs live on the streets and suffer from starvation. It was heart breaking. Many die of disease, maltreatment and skin disorders. The KAT Center reports that some dogs carry rabies and that 16,000 people get dog bites every year while over 200 people die of rabies throughout the country.

Strychnine poisoning campaigns were employed by the Municipal Authorities in Kathmandu that killed over 10,000 dogs yearly. These dogs died agonizing deaths; taking up to 9 hours to die from the poison.

I met the founder of the KAT Center, Jan Salter, when I was living in Nepal. Jan is a well known artist throughout Nepal and the world over and best recognized for her book the "Faces of Nepal". (See below.) Over coffee one morning, we talked about her love of animals and the program she designed to drastically reduce the number of homeless dogs on the streets of Nepal. The goal of the KAT Centerl is to create within the Kathmandu valley a healthy, non-breeding, rabies-free street dog population and eliminate rabies. She modeled her registered charitable welfare organization off of something she saw in India that worked very well.

The KAT Center is located on over one quarter of an acre of land in Kathmandu that includes an office, an operating theatre, 18 ABC kennels, Treatment unit, in-house rotunda, 2 puppy cages, a cat pen and a staff quarter. They increased their treatment unit from 3 kennels to 8 kennels so that they can treat many more injured and sick dogs.

FROM THEIR WEBSITE:

KAT Centre is working towards the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary suffering. KAT Centre recognizes that staff play an important role in the future development of the charity and that without committed and dedicated staff its mission cannot be achieved. KAT Centre currently has 11 paid employees.

Volunteers also play an essential part in achieving our goal. There are many different tasks you can get involved in here at KAT. Where possible, we will try to match your skills and expectations with the work available to make this a rewarding experience for both parties.

KAT welcomes both technical (vets and nurses) and non-technical volunteers. Please see separate guidelines for technical and non-technical volunteers. It's worth noting that the longer you stay, the more involved you will become as staff will have time to get to know your competencies and allocate responsibilities to you. We have found it particularly beneficial to both parties when the volunteer is able to spend a month or more with KAT.

Visit the KAT Center website and learn more about what they do and the volunteer opportunities that await you!