Question: Do satellite city halls still sell discount certificates to get a cat spayed?
Answer: No. The city directs questions about pet sterilization to the Hawaiian Humane Society, which provides information about spay/neuter services for owned dogs and cats and for free-roaming cats, also known as feral cats or community cats. Discounts are available, which you can read about at hawaiianhumane.org Opens in a new tab; look under “services.”
You mentioned cats, so we’ll highlight an upcoming event at Aloha Stadium that will provide free spay/neuter, vaccination and microchipping for pet cats (owned) and free-roaming cats. No preregistration is required. This is only for cats.
The free clinic is being run by Good Fix, a program of Greater Good Charities, with help from the Hawaiian Humane Society, CatFriends, Kat Charities, Lucky Paws and Aloha Kitty. A similar event in April was only for feral cats, so adding free service for owned cats is a plus.
>> Public dates: Saturday, Monday and Sept. 21
>> Drop-off: 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Aloha Stadium, 99-500 Salt Lake Blvd. Registration will occur at drop-off; pickup and care instructions will be provided then, according to a news release from Good Fix.
>> Note: “All cats will receive an ear notch to indicate sterilization. All pets receiving services will also receive a microchip if they didn’t already have one, as state law requires,” according to the Hawaiian Humane Society’s website.
The clinic also will run Sunday and Sept. 20, but those dates are reserved for management of free-roaming cat colonies, whose trappers and caregivers will pre-register to bring in more than five cats per day, according to CatFriends’ website.
Q: When is the Kahului library going to reopen? It has been closed for a very long time.
A: The Kahului branch, one of six public libraries on Maui, closed more than two years ago for renovations, and officials don’t know when it will reopen. Here’s the response from Mallory Fujitani, spokesperson for the Hawaii State Public Library System:
“Our inability to provide a specific date for the reopening of Kahului Library is the result of a combination of unexpected circumstances. The construction project to replace the air conditioning, ceiling and lighting started during the pandemic in August 2020, and completion of the contract and return of the building to us didn’t occur until Fall 2021. The project to do additional improvements to the interior (for example, flooring, painting, relocation of bookshelves) had to wait until the air conditioning project was completed.
“The current delay is largely due to the loss of several key staff in the Department of Accounting and General Services’ Maui office in 2021, as all facility-related construction projects at public libraries are coordinated with DAGS. Not having key staff on Maui has made it difficult to accelerate the process. DAGS has made progress in hiring and is beginning to take on additional construction management work. We are hopeful to get this project back on track soon so that we can reopen the library once again.”
Auwe
The vital records office is closed on Tuesdays (and Thursdays). I wish I had known before I went all the way down to the Health Department for a birth certificate. I should have checked ahead of time. I hope admitting my mistake will help others. — A reader
(Editor’s note: As of Aug. 8, Oahu’s vital records office at 1250 Punchbowl St., Room 103, is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; closed Tuesdays, Thursdays and holidays. Many of this office’s services are available online, negating the need for an in-person visit. For those who do visit in person, an appointment is needed; walk-ins are served only as time permits. For more information, see health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords Opens in a new tab.)
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
