Frosty Claws
Many thanks to everyone who donated to and attended Frosty Claws! The atmosphere was especially pleasant this year, almost everyone seemed to know at least one other person there and by the time they left they knew many more. I was very glad to see people that I’ve known for years and to meet so many new people!
As our colony map illustrates, people who TNR are not alone! Seeing the 300+ colonies that we have assisted had a huge impact on people. Some colonies are next door to each other, some several blocks away, yet they share the same cats. We hope to fill in all those empty spaces, as there are most likely cats to be done there!
Our special thanks to:
- Lilac Bakery
- Miscellany by Monick
- Lynfred Winery
- Essential Healing & Massage
- Rita Cervantes and Judy Jarosik for hosting the candy bar raffle
- Laura Magrini – Recycled 2 New
- Shirley Ekblad, AVON representative
- Felines, Inc who donated a van full of canned food and towels
- Jennifer Wyrick
- Emelia Hobart was the winner of the Attendance Raffle! She donated the $25 gas card right back to us – thank you, Emelia!
The event has grown – next year we will need another location – please let us know any suggestions you might have. We need a place that: holds 100 people, we can serve food, we can ask for a donation at the door, plenty of parking, close to Lombard and we have at least a 6 hour window in which to hold the event in January.
Hope to see you next year
Jewel Shop & Share
Jewel was very kind to us last year – we received over $400 with your help. Unfortunately Jewel has discontinued the Shop & Share program, it is under review. We will be looking for other fundraising opportunities with other merchants – if you have connections, please contact us with the information. It’s always easier if you know someone!
Filling so many needs
When we first started out as a TNR organization, we thought we would simply be helping people to trap their ferals, get them neutered and return them. HA!
What we have found is that there are so many cats and caretakers that fall thru the cracks:
- We provide food for the cats of caretakers that have lost their jobs.
- We help provide medical assistance for ferals, even after they have been TNR’d.
- We are a referral service for feral cat caretakers all over Chicagoland, directing them to other organizations that are better suited to help them.
- We help with the neuter of friendlies when their owners cannot afford the fees charged by “regular” vets and when the caretakers will take in and tame the kittens and friendly ferals. This is all in hopes of reducing the overall cat population and thereby increasing adoptions. Many people have rescued an animal, only then to find out how much it costs to get them neutered and simply cannot afford it. So many desperate phone calls.
- We loan cages and give advice to people who want to tame and adopt out their ferals and kittens.
- We have helped with hoarder situations – very often the cats are semi-feral and the only way to get them s/n and their health checked is by trapping.
- We have provided traps for unique circumstances: squirrels in attics and pet cats trapped in vacant houses planned for demolition are some of my favorites!
These are all instances in which the shelters in this area simply do not have the resources to assist. It can be very entertaining, finding our niche in the rescue community, and a big challenge! Yes, we would rather be doing straight TNR, but obviously more needs to be done and we would like to thank all of you for helping us to fill so many additional needs!
Thank you for your support!
(The Photo is of Abby from Felines, Inc., a cageless, no-kill cat shelter located in Chicago and some of the cat food and towels she donated to Feral Fixers. Thanks Abby! Click on the photo to see a full-size version.)