Fundraising
Fundraising is complex. There’s the knowledge that expenses are always going to go up. The knowledge that pretty much everyone is in that same boat financially. Just like our donors, we have to have more in the bank than our foreseeable output. We’ve seen the chaos happening around us, who knows what next year or five years from now will bring? That is why we continue to fundraise, asking for funds to cover that next spay/neuter trip that can range from $65 to $2,000, depending on how many cats, how many snap tests, how many vaccinations are covered in those trips. Right now, dentals are a huge expense for us – one of our adoptables went in for a dental last week – after Rescue discount - $1,200. Ouch! Six teeth removed - he is a much happier cat now! One cat. We take care of all of them “As If They Were Our Own.” Cats are living longer – years ago this cat may not have survived to the age to need a dental! So many factors!
Fundraising can be very emotional for me – how much do we ask for? How much can our donor base really contribute? Do our donors see what a difference their donations can make? Are our donors getting enough information to make informed decisions? I hope so, try very hard to give a positive slant with our story!
This will be the last blog post before our current fundraiser As If They Were Our Own ends on September 30th. As I write this, we are at 36% of our goal. There is always a last-minute rush to donate and make the goal, hope you can be a part of the rush!
Thank you for your donations!
Headed Towards the End of The Year – Already!
Already the end of September! Reminder - Our last feral trip will be October 13th.
- On September 22nd, we sent 22 ferals to DCAS, 9 females, 13 males. Of those, all but three were black or black/white. Good thing we label everyone’s traps so clearly – confusion could result!
- On September 23rd, 11 cats went to ADOPT, 5 friendlies, 6 ferals, composed of 2 females and 9 males.
This brings us to 67 so far in September, 515 for 2022, 13,729 since our start.
In these two trips, 12 cats came from a hoarder house. They are fearful, not adoptable, surprisingly healthy compared to many hoarder situations, they will all be relocated to a barn location where they can continue to live together with the cats they know. And, after being so sure the last had been trapped, #13 was trapped yesterday. The people did not know how many cats were in the house. Please, if you know of situations like this, tell the Health Department, Code Enforcement, get these cats some help – they do not choose to live like this. We rarely do hoarder situations; they are so overwhelming, and a large percentage of the cats may need to be euthanized – too much for us to handle!
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| Cats for 9/22, cats already for 9/23, kittens awaiting foster, cats awaiting relocation, BUSY room! |
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| 5 friendlies & 6 ferals on 9/23/22 |
Cat Updates
We mentioned Fries a few blogs ago – she had her left front leg amputated. She WAS a sad picture, she would sit up in the corner of her crate, resting her non-functioning paw thru the squares. Ayyyy! Now, such a happy kitten!
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| Fries, post-surgery | ||
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| Fries, post-surgery | Fries does not miss her left front leg - didn't work anyway! |
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| Fries does not miss her left front leg - didn't work anyway! | ||
We shared video of Regina’s surgery in the last blog – she is now able to breathe normally and become a normal kitten! Her eye is inflamed because the polyp was anchored behind her left eye – steroids and time should make a big difference!
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| Regina on her way to being a normal kitten! | ||
Thank you to everyone who helps us make a difference!
National Feral Cat Day Event – Oct 16th
We’re having an Open House for National Feral Cat Day! On Sunday, October 16th from 12 to 3pm, 330 Eisenhower Ln N, Lombard, join us for a bake sale, gourd sale, door prizes and our Boutique sale (t-shirts+). Donations from our Wish List will be gratefully accepted! Socialize with other cat people! Hope to see you there!