Evening star., 1915-04-06
Had Been Left With Her Kit
tens to Starve in Wash
ington Back Yard.
AN EXAMPLE OF THE WORK
DONE BY RESCUE LEAGUE
Organization Formed to Care for
Helpless Animals-Miss Mary
E. Coursey in Charge.

4 little gray cat tried to nourish two
kittens more dead than alive. lying be-
side her The little gray cat was starv-
ing. was little more than skin and
bones She was lying in shed in the
back yard of a residence in the north
west section of Washington. week
before she had been sleek and we'll fed.
proud of her family But the occu-
pants of the house. her owners. had
suddenly been compelled to move away.
leaving the city. The little gray cat
was forgotten in the hurry. For a
week she had waited for her mistress
or the cook to bring her dinner. She
had prowled around the vacant back
yard and peered at the closed windows
and doors. No one came. and the cat
starved and with her starved her kit
tens
Finally the cat stopped licking the
Kittens. 1t seemed to be the end. But
the back gate was thrust open and
man carrying a basket hurried in He
was looking for the cats and. finding
them. quickly transferred the whole
family. dead and alive, to his basket
and set off
The man was the assistant agent of
the Washington Animal Rescue League,
with headquarters at 1855 Ohio avenue
northwest. A phone message from
householder near the shed where the
little gray cat was lying. who had
heard the pitiful .meows" growing
weaker and weaker, had told the agent
that cat was in distress and needed
aid. The little gray cat was taken to
the home of the rescue league and
brought back to life by careful feed
ing but her two kittens were chloro-
formed, since IT was impossible to save
them.
Sample of Rescue Work.
This is only a single sample of the
work which the Washington Animal
Rescue League is doing daily. Dumb
animals of all kinds in distress are
cared for or put out of their misery in
4 humane manner. The league will
take charge of dying horse, a wound
ed cat or starving dog If it is notified
by phone or by mail.
The league is only ten months DID,
but in that time 1t has cared for more
than $500 cats. for more than 200 dogs
and has aided other animals, including
horses.
When it was first started here, last
June, the league was located in the
northeast section of the city. but Its
present home is more centrally located.
and the members of the league expect
that its field on usefulness will be
greatly increased The home of the
league is kind of animal emergency
hospital, where rescued cats. dogs and
horses will be cared for temporarily.
Good homes will be found for these
animals, or they will be mercifully put
TO death.
shows how much such an institution
was needed in the National Capital
The league works in conjunction. when
st can, with the Society for the Pre-
Sention of Cruelty to Animals. But 1t
goes beyond the work of the society
and provides a temporary home for
waits and strays of the animal world.
or puts them out of the way by humane
methods. OF course. it would be i'm
possible for the league to care perma-
nently, or even for considerable time,
for the great number of animals which
1t aids. Consequently. when 1t is found
10 be impossible in short time to find
homes for the cats and dogs. or when
the cats and dogs are badly injured,
they are chloformed.
Boston in the Lead.
Boston stands out pre-eminently
among American cities in its care
for dumb animals. There the Animal
Rescue League does great work.
and its last annual report shows that
1926 animals and birds were received
and cared for during twelve months.
And the Animal Rescue League here is
patterning its work largely after that Of
the Boston organization, with the hope
that IL will some day be able to do for
the National Capital what has been
Gone by the Boston league for Boston.
The agent at the Washington leagues
home Miss Mary f. Coursey, was for
many years connected with the work
Of the Boston league.
We are doing the best we can with
the facilities at hand said Miss Cour-
sey 10 : reporter for The Star when he
called al the home. I'VE expect that as
the people of Washington learn more
ara more about the Animal Rescue
the opportunity which the league Of
fers to aid in reducing suffering among
the dumb animals here"
Miss Coursey said that all that was
Teeded was to bring home to the peo-
pie the fact that there was an institu-
tion in the city which is ready and
anxious TO look after suffering and
Abandoned animals.
If they can only be made to under
stand that postal card. or call on
our phone. Main 5243. will bring our
agent In a short time to remove poor.
dying cat, or to take away stray dog
and find home for him, there isn't
the slightest doubt that they will take
Hn interest in helping the animals.
Relates an Incident
up In Boston. willie was there, a
firm moved from Its building on a
prominent business street The next
day there was cat in the big window
OF the deserted store. II looked as
though the cat had been forgotten and
left shut up in the building Within an
hour we had nineteen calls from vari-
Gus persons, asking US to remove the
cat. Think Of that. nineteen persons
who had passed by the store and
thought Of the poor cat. That Is the
u I'D <f ntrft h, h,.I.