Feral Fixers Logo
Practicing and promoting Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) in DuPage County, Illinois

We're a 501c3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting and practicing Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) in DuPage County, Illinois. We believe that TNR is the only effective, humane and long-term solution to the problem of cat overpopulation.
The Feral Fixers e-Newsletter - Issue #19 - May  2010
In This Issue
Message from the President
Want to Help?
Dawgs for Cats!
How many cats? 1,753 !!
Gordon Food Service
Donate to Feral Fixers
Cataoke!
Wheaton considering ban on feeding all wild animals
Calendar of Upcoming Events
Shop for Feral Fixers
Visit us on the Web
What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?
About us
Dear Friend,

It's May and Spring is now in full swing - and so is Feral Fixers.  We continue to TNR cats and are ahead of the very-busy pace we set last year.

In our monthly Message from the President column, Tammy writes about ferals turning friendly (or friendlies who have, through no fault of their own, now become feral).  It's a sad thing to see, but we do what we can to help them out and place them in a loving home.

We are rapidly approaching our next event of the year; "Dawgs for Cats".  This is a new event and new venue for us, so we'll have to see how it works out.  But if the weather cooperates, it should be a lot of fun.  Please come out and have a "Hot Dawg" and say hello!

Planning is also underway for "Wet Your Whiskers II - Catakoke". While this is not our first "Wet Your Whiskers" event, it will be the first one that features 'cataoke'.  We've enlisted the help of an experienced Karaoke DJ, so he should help us through the rough-spots...☺

Details on these events, a calendar of all of our events scheduled so far (this will be our busiest event year ever) and a report on how many cats Feral Fixers has taken care of so far are in this newsletter.

Thank you for all of your continued support!
 
Sincerely,
 

Feral Fixers
Scroll graphicMessage from the President

Never Say Never!

Remember a mention of a caretaker who initially would not accept charity, their colony grew, they stopped feeding, the colony became ill and finally we were able to TNR? Well. The last two females were finally trapped this week. It's been a loooonnnnngggg process, but now all we have left is a few males. Yea!!!

Another positive, though problematic, is that a lot of the "ferals" done last year have become friendly and the caretaker is able to pick them up and pet them. We have taken two of the friendlies, one went for adoption, while the other developed a nervous habit of pulling out her fur. Our foster is working with her, besides this habit she is a loving, happy cat, so we cannot put her back outside, we just have to find the right solution for her so that she can find the right permanent home. We will take others from the colony as soon as we have space for them to transition. (Hint: that means more foster homes.)

We never give up. Even if we appear to have washed our hands of a situation, it remains on our books and if we can work with the people in the future, we will always try. We've been contacted a year or many years later when a situation has changed or there are new cats and we do our best to resolve things for the cats.

Can You Take This Cat?

I've said before, Feral Fixers often takes care of those cats that would fall thru the cracks.

A family brought us a cat that was obviously a stray, completely emaciated. She is a front paw declaw, no chip. I gave them no guarantees that she would survive, but she is currently in a foster home, gaining weight. We named her Sunny and it will take weeks for her to be completely healthy, but with the volume of cats out there, where was she going to go for this care?

Read more from our President here:
Help WantedWant to help?

Interested in helping Feral Fixers? We are looking for a 'few good volunteers'! Specifically, we're looking for someone to help us transport cats to and from PAWS (the Spay/Neuter clinic we use) in Chicago.

We need transport both in the morning and the afternoon. If you're interested in helping, call us at (630) 881-FXRS (3977) or email us at info@feralfixers.org.
Dawgs For Cats LogoDawgs for Cats!

On Saturday, May 22nd, from 11:00am to 3:00pm, Feral Fixers will hold its first annual Dawgs For Cats fundraiser.

This event will be held at the Ultra Foods Store located at 491 E. Roosevelt Rd., in Lombard, IL.

Hot dogs with fixins and soft drinks will be for sale. All proceeds will go to benefit Feral Fixers and help us in our ongoing efforts to practice and promote Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) throughout DuPage County. Depending on the weather, the event will be held outside the store, at the front, or inside the store itself.

We want to thank Ultra Foods for hosting this event - Thank you!

Come out and see us and help support TNR!
How many cats? - 1,753 !! Statistics graphic

Feral Fixers was founded in September of 2007. In that abbreviated first year, Feral Fixers had 86 cats spayed / neutered. In 2008, Feral Fixers had 525 cats spayed / neutered and in 2009, Feral Fixers had 868 cats spayed / neutered. So far in 2010, Feral Fixers has had 274 cats spayed / neutered.  This is 43 cats more than what we had TNR'd last year at this time.

This brings us to a total of 1,753 cats. Clicking on the calculator to the right will send you to the Feral Fixers 'Statistics' page where you can see our progress, month-by-month, since we've started work.
GFS Logo Gordon Food Service

If you shop at Gordon Food Service, when they ask if your purchase is for a business or charity, all you have to do is say Feral Fixers - you don't need a card or anything and a percentage of your purchase goes to FF at the end of the year.  Feral Fixers is on file, they just type it in and that is all you have to do.  Pass the info on to anyone you know who shops there, anyone can help us raise funds in this way with no added expense!
 
GFS has some great and convenient products - with graduation, Memorial Day and all the other Spring and Summer events coming up - check out what they have to offer!
 
Its like a warehouse club without the membership fee and they have similar large packaging and prices.  And if you don't see something in the store, look online and you can order it for pickup at the store, and Feral Fixers still benefits!

Thank you Gordon Food Service!
PayPal Donation Donate to Feral Fixers


Feral Fixers offers its TNR services to all colony caretakers, without charge.  While we ask for donations from colony caretakers, we recognize that for some of them, any additional cost is just too much.  Therefore we rely on donations from other individuals to make up the difference and allow us to continue our work.  These donations allow us to spay/neuter additional cats, keep a 'bank' of traps and trap dividers we loan out for free, hold workshops and provide other educational benefits.

You can help us continue our work by clicking on the Donate button, above.  This will take you to the PayPal website where you can donate to Feral Fixers via PayPal or credit card.  Feral Fixers is a registered 501c3 charitable organization and all donations are deductible to the fullest amount allowed by law.

We greatly appreciate any amount you can afford to give - Thank You!
Wet Your Whiskers II - Cataoke WYW Logo

Mark Your Calendars!

On July 17th, Feral Fixers will host its second annual "Wet Your Whiskers" get-together and fundraiser. We will be holding this event at the Elmhurst Public House, located at 683 W St. Charles Rd in Elmhurst, IL from 7:00pm to 10:00pm.

This event was a lot of fun last year and this year, it promises to be even more fun! We are having a karaoke theme this year, but since it's a cat-friendly event, we've named it 'cataoke'.

More details about this event will be coming soon, but in the meantime, save the date - July 17th!
Wheaton considering ban on feeding wild animals

As reported in the Daily Herald on May 4th, the City of Wheaton is considering a ban on the feeding of all wild animals.

Wheaton passed an ordinance many years ago that specifically bans the feeding of feral cats and dogs.  This was in response to one individual with MANY feral cats.  Since then, the availability of low-cost spay/neuter for feral cats has made a difference all over DuPage County, but the village officials may not be aware of that.
 
It is rumored that the trapper that helped with the coyotes has either offered or been recruited to trap feral cats.
 
Wheaton ordinance states that the police department is responsible for transporting animal offenders to DuPage County Animal Control.  I would only hope that any trapper would be required to do the same.
 
Please contact any friends and relatives that live in Wheaton so that they may let their councilman know their feelings on this in a respectful and educational manner.  You can visit Alley Cat Allies to learn important things to consider when talking to public officials regarding feral cats.
 
FYI, Feral Fixers has done fewer than 20 cats in Wheaton, but there are many residents who have TNR'd ferals on their own.  We don't have records of those cats and they are not microchipped for the most part.
 
Other towns have instituted guidelines that address the feeding of wildlife - no food after dusk or before dawn, etc.  And they have spelled out specific rules for feral cats as separate from wildlife, which they are.
 
Few people know who their representative in local government is.  If you haven't before, now is the time to get to know them, before those representatives assume what their constituents want to have happen.
 
Again, approach this situation in a reasonable manner.  For some reason, I don't think there are hundreds and hundreds of cats in Wheaton, but any change in ordinance can affect those that are there in a vital way.  This is an opportunity for Wheaton as a whole to learn more about feral cats.
 
Thanks for any effort you can make to improve the lives of feral cats in Wheaton and everywhere.

Tammy McAuley
Calendar graphicCalendar of Upcoming Events

May 22nd, 2010 - Feral Fixers hosts its first Dawgs for Cats fundraiser on Saturday, May 22nd.  This event will be held from 11:00am to 3:00pm at the Ultra Foods Store located at 491 E. Roosevelt Rd. in Lombard.  Details of this event are shown, above, in this e-Newsletter.
 
May 31st, 2010 - Super volunteer Mary will represent Feral Fixers in the Wood Dale Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 31st starting at 11am sharp.  The parade starts at the Wood Dale Junior High School, travels south on Wood Dale road before turning west on Irving Park road and it ends at Veterans Memorial park.  Mary will be driving her jeep, all decked out in a 'patriotic cat' theme!  If you can make it, head on out to the parade to cheer Mary on - thanks Mary!

June 11th, 2010 - The Molex Corporation will hold its annual Pet Fair on Friday, June 11th.  Last year it was rained out, so we certainly hope for better weather this year!  Details of this event will be published soon on our website.

June 12th, 2010
- DuPage Animal Care & Control (DCACC) hosts its first annual "Friends Fur-ever Festival" to benefit DCACC's homeless pets on Saturday, June 12th.  This is a combination of two events they've held in previous years: the Multi-Shelter Pet Expo and the Dog Wash & Walk.  The event will be held from 11:00am to 3:00pm at the DCACC Shelter located at 120 N County Farm Road in Wheaton.  Of course Feral Fixers will be hosting a booth at this event.  Come out and see us!

July 17th, 2010 - Wet Your Whiskers II - Cataoke.  Feral Fixers will host its second annual Wet Your Whiskers get together and fundraiser on Saturday, July 17th.  This event will be held from 7:00pm to 10:00pm at the Elmhurst Public House located at 683 W St. Charles Rd. in Elmhurst.  Details of this event are shown, above, in this e-Newsletter.

September 11th, 2010 - Pet Lovers Showcase in Wood Dale.  This event will be held on Saturday, September 11th, from 10:00am to 2:00pm.  Feral Fixers will again be hosting a booth at this event.  Our relationship with the city of Wood Dale continues to grow and we anticipate spaying/neutering many, many cats in this community this year.  Come out to this event and say hello!

September 26th, 2010 - The West Suburban Humane Society hosts its annual Barkapalooza celebration in Downers Grove, IL on Sunday, September 26th.  This will be the fourth year in a row that Feral Fixers has hosted a booth at this function.  Though it is billed as 'dog-friendly' event, attendees are always very interested in what we're doing with Feral Cats.  We hope to see you there!
Shop for Feral Fixers

Want to purchase something purr-fect for your cat-lover friends and help out Feral Fixers at the same time?  Just visit our Caf� Press store and Buy Something! In addition to the Flip Mino camcorder shown to the right, we have T-shirts, sweatshirts, aprons, hoodies, gym bags, messenger bags, coffee mugs, tote-bags, pet food bowls, etc. A portion of each sale goes to help us in our TNR efforts.

To visit the store, just click on the Flip Mino camcorder or visit our website and click on the 'Buy Something' button at the top - Thank you!
WWW GraphicVisit us on the Web

Visit our website at www.feralfixers.org.  There you can donate to us (via PayPal or credit card), visit our store, read the latest news, and learn more about feral cats.

If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you can also sign up to be on our mailing list so you don't miss a thing!
TNR CatWhat is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?

TNR is a full management plan in which stray and feral cats already living outdoors in cities, towns, and rural areas are humanely trapped, evaluated, vaccinated, and sterilized by veterinarians.

When space is available, adoptable cats and kittens are transferred to sheltering organizations to be adopted into good homes. Healthy adult cats unsocialized to humans are returned to their familiar habitat under the lifelong care of their original caretakers.
Feral Fixers, NFP, is a certified 501c3 corporation - EIN Number 13-4364615
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