This was an exciting event for us as we debuted the first of our 2019 kittens as well as several very sweet adult cats.  9 kittens (Cupcake, Cinnabon, O'Hara, O'Shea, O'Keefe, Sandy, Simon, Sammie, Sawyer) and 6 adult cats (Twinkle, Bobbie, Donnie, Rosie, Corazon, Symon) were the stars of our show.  Everyone was very well behaved and held up well to all of the attention of our guests.  Bobbie and Donnie were a bit overwhelmed by it all initially and decided to hide under their blankets.  But by the end of the event, they were peeking their heads out to see what was going on.  Sandy and Salty did great initially, but later had enough and decided it was time to nap under their bed :-)

Foot traffic was good in the store and lots of folks stopped by to interact with our cats & kittens.  We handed out many cards and received a few adoption applications which are under review.  2 kittens and 1 adult cat were adopted during the event:

• O'Hara and O'Shea were adopted by a terrific lady from Chicago.  She was referred to Feral Fixers and sent in her application at the end of April for a pair of kittens.  She patiently waited until our kittens were old enough to be spayed/neutered and then decide on this pair of sisters.  Needless to say, she was very excited to take them home on Saturday.
• Rosie was adopted by a young lady and her parents in Lombard.  They have a 2 yr old female cat who was looking for another buddy after losing her 6 yr old female companion cat to cancer.

Many thanks to the volunteers and fosters who made this event a success, namely Sara P, Steve, Bernie, Candy, Bonnie, Laura B, Cheri, Sarah K, Debbie, and Lili.  Your support and promotion of our cats and kittens as well as your interaction with our guests and adoption counseling is what makes our event successful!  The set-up team of Sara P, Steve and Bernie did an excellent and efficient job, as always.  Clean-up went equally swiftly thanks to this team and everyone else pitching in.  Special thanks to Sara P for transporting O'Hara, O'Shea and O'Keefe to/from the event, handling all of the adoption paperwork and being my right hand assistant in adoption activity.

Thanks also for all of the other valuable contributions to this event - to Candy for the excellent photography & videography during the event; to Connie, Stephanie and Ted for promoting the event on our Facebook page and web site; to Steve for the professional-looking cage cards and volunteer name tags; to Debbie and Mike for the on-going updates to the Adoptable Cats & Kittens board and binder; to Marylou for creating all of our adoption paperwork; to Sara P for printing all of the adoption paperwork, helping with the laundry and coordinating our lunch run.

We have 2 adoption events planned for July:

• Saturday, 7/13, 11am-3pm, venue is still being finalized, please stay tuned
• Saturday, 7/27, at PetSmart at 63 Rice Lake Square in Wheaton, from 11am-3pm

There are lots of kittens scheduled to be spayed/neutered between now and these 2 events, so we should have some very fun and busy events ahead of us!  We have ~120 kittens currently in foster care and counting!

Thanks,

Sue

Some of the rescues brought animals to participate in the event.  Aaroooo had an awesome group of basset hounds in attendance.  St. Sophia's brought 1 adult cat and 2 kittens.  We had Twinkle as our mascot cat.  We also had our board and binder of adoptable cats as well as a preview of our kittens in foster homes.

Twinkle did an excellent job of greeting and interacting with our guests, and he got lots of petting and attention in return.  He took the event in stride and enjoyed watching all of the action.  He liked it best when someone was sitting next to his crate and would call to us if he wanted our attention.  What a sweet guy!  Thanks, Debbie, for bringing him.

There seemed to be a steady flow of folks bringing in their paper for shredding, although only a small subset of them took the time to park and walk in to see the booths.  Foot traffic was rather light but we had good interaction with those who did stop by.  Unfortunately, no one seemed ready to adopt a cat at this time.

Thanks to the volunteers who helped with the set-up and clean-up and made this event a success, namely Marge & Ray, Debbie, Candy, and Michelle.  Thanks also to the Feral Fixers volunteers who came to the event and stopped by our tent, namely Charli, Dedra, Toni and Bonnie - great to see you!

Many thanks also for all of the other valuable contributions to this event - to Candy for the excellent photography & videography during the event; to Connie and Ted for promoting the event on our Facebook page and web site; to Debbie and Mike for the on-going updates to the Adoptable Cats & Kittens board and binder.

There have been several adoptions since our last event in May:

• Elijah was adopted by a family in Bartlett.  They had adopted a pair of brother kittens from us in 2017.  Sadly, one of the brothers passed away.  Fortunately, Elijah is becoming fast friends with the remaining brother, who was very lonely without a playmate.
• After a long deliberation between Rosie and Otto, Otto was the pick of a gal in Rolling Meadows.  He is a wonderful companion for her and getting acquainted with her dad's resident male cat.
• Robin was adopted by a couple in Chicago who had a 1 yr old male cat looking for a companion.  After a gradual introduction, the two cats are now washing each other and laying together.
• Corrigan & Coralie (aka Simon & Suzie) were adopted by their foster family in Darien.  They were shy kittens who have gradually become comfortable in their foster home.
• Chickie was adopted by a family in Oswego.  They have 2 other dogs and cats, but Chickie will be the special friend for their 15 yr old daughter.  She has already bonded with her and is regularly sleeping and cuddling with her.
• Allen was adopted by a very nice family in Lisle.  They had adopted a pair of brother kittens from us in 2014.  Sadly, one the brothers passed away from complications of surgery.  The addition of Allen has helped the family and the remaining cat heal from their loss.
• Perla & Vespa were adopted by a gal in Forest Park, who was referred to us by one of our volunteers.  She was delighted to give them a loving home after the passing of her prior elderly cats.
• Lewie was adopted by a young man in Hoffman Estates, who was referred to us by a former adopter.  He had cats growing up and was looking for a companion of his own.  Lewie is settling in nicely and they are becoming good buddies.

Our next adoption event is Saturday, 6/22.  We will be at a new Pet Supplies Plus location at 270 N Bolingbrook Dr in Bolingbrook from 11am-3pm.  The store is on Hwy 53, just south of Boughton Rd in Bolingbrook.  It is PSP National Adoption Day, so we are hoping for a good turn out.  We will feature several of our 2019 spring kittens who will be old enough to be spayed/neutered as well as a few wonderful adult cats.

There will be many more adoption events following this (likely every other week) as we work to spay/neuter and find homes for the ~90 kittens we currently have in foster care as well as more who have yet to be rescued.

Thanks,

Sue

Foot traffic pretty well aligned with the weather, with several folks stopping by in the morning and early afternoon, and not much activity in mid-afternoon.  3 adult cats (Otto, Robin & Rosie) and 2 teenagers (Corazon & Elijah) were the stars of our show.  Everyone took the event in stride and accepted petting and attention from our guests.

Several business cards were distributed and 2 potential adopters completed adoption applications.

• A gal from Rolling Meadows recently lost her 13 yr old cat to cancer and is looking for a new furry companion.  Robin caught her eye initially, but she also visited with all of our kitties.  Follow-up on her application is underway in anticipation of arranging some visits in the foster homes.  Her friend recently adopted a pair of kitties from Feral Fixers and recommended us, based on the good experience she had :-)
• A couple from Glendale Heights recently lost their Maine Coon mix male cat and is looking for another similar boy.  Currently our available Maine Coon mixes are all females, but follow-up is underway.

Thanks to PetSmart for hosting this event and for their generous donations of food and litter.

Thanks to the volunteers and fosters who made this event a success, namely Sara, Steve, Candy, Rita, Laura, Marilyn and Cheri/Skip.  Great teamwork and interaction!

Many thanks also for all of the other valuable contributions to this event - to Candy for the excellent photography & videography during the event; to Connie, Stephanie and Ted for promoting the event on our Facebook page and web site; to Steve for the professional-looking cage cards and volunteer name tags; to Debbie and Mike for the on-going updates to the Adoptable Cats & Kittens board and binder; to Sara for helping with adoption counseling, the laundry and coordinating our lunch run.

There have been several adoptions since our last event in April.

• Echo was adopted by a young man and his partner in Chicago.  They also have a very calm and friendly Yorkie.  Based on recent photos, Echo and the Yorkie have become good friends.
• Olivia is an adorable 6 mo old kitten who was fostered in our Cat Depot (aka Jeff's garage).  She was adopted by a gal in Lombard who was looking for a companion for her 8 month old kitten girl.  Based on photos received, the girls are now BFFs!
• Dante was adopted by a young man in Elgin.  He also has a 3 yr old male cat as a companion for Dante.  This adopter is friends with Pennington's former adopter, and came to Feral Fixers based on their recommendation :-)
• Wooley is a ~1 yr old boy whom Cheri was fostering.  He was a bit shy, so he was taken as a Foster to Adopt by a young gal in Elgin who previously adopted Millie.  He is acclimating well in her apartment and he and Millie are becoming buddies.
• Missy was adopted by a couple in Roselle where she has 9 yr old female dog and a 15 yr old male cat to keep her company.  Per last update, she is settling in nicely.
• Elan was adopted by a gal in Downers Grove who has an 8 yr old female cat to keep Elan company.

We have 2 adoption events currently scheduled for June.  Please mark your calendars.  Our spring kittens are healthy and growing up quickly in their foster homes.  Some of them should be old enough to be spayed/neutered and ready for adoption starting with our events in later June and July.

• Saturday, 6/8, Shred for Rescues at Citadel Information Management, 827 Blackhawk Dr. in Westmont, 9am-1pm.
• Saturday, 6/22, Pet Supplies Plus, Naperville or Villa Park store - tbd, 11am-3pm - PSP National Adoption Day.

Thanks,

Sue

Still, we managed to take 11 feral cats and 2 friendly cats to DCAS on 5/9, composed of 6 female and 7 male.  On 5/16 we sent 10 ferals to DCAS, one male was already neutered and one female was discovered to have a mass located in such away that there was no way to save her and was euthanized, she would have suffered greatly if we had not intervened.  Of the remaining 8, 6 were female and 2 were male.

This brings us to an additional 21 in these two trips, 33 for the month, 128 for the year and 11,099 since our start in 2007.

While we are doing TNR, we are also collecting moms & babies which we keep crated together until the kittens are old enough to be separated from their moms, we need nice, cool, quiet garages for this purpose so that the moms can be stress free and raise happy kittens!  So far this year we have brought in a whopping 11 moms and 41 kittens.  There is another family in my garage, going to foster tomorrow that will bring the total to 12 moms and 43 kittens.  One of our volunteers is trying for another set tonight that are housed in a boat in a garage – owner would like to take his boat out for use J.  In addition, we have 12? kittens who came in without their moms – I think I’m missing a set, and a group of 5 is supposed to come into foster tomorrow.  Ye gods!  And we’re just getting started!  Every day brings more, but we actually are seeing fewer than previous years, SO FAR.

Please Come Out And Support Us!

Tomorrow is our Chipotle event – 33% of your purchase goes to Feral Fixers between 4pm and 8pm.  Come eat some great food and after, walk over to 5 Below and get some great stuff – t-shirts, toys, Father’s Day gifts, they have a huge variety! and 10% goes to Feral Fixers!

Help us neuter all these kittens!!!!

Update On Cat Trips

37 cats in Tammy's garage!

On 5/2 we took 12 cats to DCAS, 8 female ferals and 4 male ferals, plus a male that had been neutered in 2017, just a few blocks away.  There was also a female that had 4 wk old kittens at a grade school – a staff member scooped up 4 of the kittens and whisked them off to County before we could get there, the mom was trapped – you do not release an unneutered cat once you have them, leaving a 5th kitten still out there alone til the mom was returned on Saturday.  We’re pretty sure the kitten is still there but the mom keeps getting back in the trap – we do dish up good food.  This is 12 for the month of May, bring us to 107 for the year and 11,078 since our start in 2007.

Look for these kittens at WSHS for adoption in 4 months - 1 day old here!

Next Few Weeks

We have a lot planned over the next few weeks:

• 5/20 to 5/26, shop at Five Below in Finley Square, Downers Grove – intersection of Finley and Butterfield with one of our flyers and Feral Fixers will receive 10% of your purchase price!  A whole week in which you can benefit the cats and further our spay/neuter efforts!!!
• On 5/22, stop in at Chipotle, also in Finley Square, between 4pm & 8pm and a whopping 33% of your bill goes to Feral Fixers – everyone really enjoyed their meals there last year!  Then go next door and get those toys, crafts and beach items that will keep the kids busy this summer at Five Below!
• Beginning 5/26 you can drop off garage sale items in Warrenville for our 6/1 Fantastic Garage Sale!  No electronics but just about anything else will be welcomed!  And shoppers, we have so much coming our way – you never know what you will find at a Feral Fixers Garage Sale!  We have another fundraiser coming up – As If They Were Our Own -  funds from the garage sale will be directed towards the medical bills that we have for the ferals that no one “owns” yet still require care for wounds, dentals, so much to maintain their quality of life
• The Shred4Rescues event is on June 8th – get motivated, go thru your files, come shred your stuff at this yearly event at Citadel Information Management in Westmont.  Visit with Feral Fixers and the other organizations benefitting from this great fundraiser!

Plenty to do, plenty of ways to benefit Feral Fixers!