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 #51 - March, 2014
In This Issue
Letter From the President
Faith Fundraiser
Shop4Strays
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook!
2014-2015 Holiday Card contest
Want to Help?
Foster are needed now!
How many cats? - 6,015!!
Donate to Feral Fixers
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 starting to warm up out there, but very grudgingly, that's for sure.  Winter is just not ready to let up its grip and it may be weeks before we start seeing days consistently in the 50's and 60's.  Nevertheless, Feral Fixers has recently begun to ramp up its TNR operations and we are doing our best to stay ahead of the onslaught of kittens...

In this newsletter's Letter From the President, Feral Fixers President Tammy let's us know that 'So much is going on!" and that's a fact!  Our Faith Fundraiser and Holiday Photo contest are nearing their end, the Shop4Strays Bazaar is coming up, and we need volunteers to help us keep our collective heads above water.

This Newsletter also gives an update of Skeezix, the outdoor cat turned indoor cat, our current Spay/Neuter statistics, a very full calendar of upcoming events and much, much more!

Thank you again for supporting Trap-Neuter-Return and Feral Fixers and we hope to see you at the upcoming Shop4Strays event!


Sincerely,


Feral Fixers
Letter From the President

So much is going on!

April 1st is the final day to make a matching donation to our With Faith, Anything is Possible Challenge Fundraiser. As of this writing, we have raised $1330.00 in matching funds - which is fabulous! Our goal is $3,000 so we have a way to go and times-a-wastin' Many people donate close to a deadline - it's here now, so please donate! These funds will give us that financial buffer so that we can neuter 160 ferals without worrying about where the money is going to come from. We are still finding colonies of 20+ cats where the caretaker has no resources to donate towards their neuter. 20 x $35 and you can see how that money goes quickly!

 

April 1st is also the last day to submit your Holiday Card photos. We've received some beautiful submissions so far, but you might have the one that really speaks to us!

 

We hope you have the April 6th, Shop 4 Strays Bazaar on your calendars! We have a wide variety of vendors coming to sell their wares, our bake sale, door prizes, a cat tree raffle, we always have fun people to talk to and share with!

 

The temperature is finally getting above 40 degrees! The deadline for our Flower Power Grow Funds for Feral Fixers is coming up! They have beautiful plants that come directly to your door at the right time for planting - which should be soooooon! Please share this fundraiser with your plant-loving friends!

 

We've Begun TNR 2014!

 

If you follow us on Facebook or get our blog updates, you know that we have begun TNR on a limited basis. Mostly cats that had garages or heated shelters or were "in & out" cats, so we could be sure that they stayed healthy after neutering. Even so, we held onto them longer than usual so that we could be sure their systems were able to cope. Last year at this time a large number of the cats that we neutered were actually kittens & friendlies, this year, many more ferals, which is GREAT!

 

We're starting off the year with fewer people able to tranport, fewer able to trap/coordinate caretakers, fewer able to foster kittens and adults. It's scary. All we can do is neuter our butts off and hope we come out ahead - no kittens born that then need fostering and adoption, which take away from our TNR time. If you know someone who has an SUV, van, etc., and has time during the week to transport into PAWS in the AM or pickup from PAWS in the PM, that would be a huge help! If you know someone who would welcome the chance to change the life of one of our friendlies and be part of saving even more cats, please ask them to contact us! If you know someone who enjoys the challenge of seeing a problem and literally FIXING it, we can expand their impact on the world by teaching them how to do TNR!

 

Lots of Events Lined Up!

 

We will be posting more information soon as we get more details, but look for us at the Elmhurst College Canine Carewalk (April 26th), the Shred4Rescues (6/21) event in Westmont, we will be having an adoption event at Kriser's in Glen Ellyn (7/19), and much more. Stop and say "hi" when you see us! And if you would like to volunteer to help at these events, please let us know! 

Feral Fixers Logo Don't forget to follow us on Facebook!

Feral Fixers has a very active Facebook page.  You can go there and get the very latest information about what we are doing - sometimes even before it shows up on the blog!

Don't forget to "Like" us and the good karma will surely flow your way...

To find our Facebook page, click on the Facebook logo.

Thank you!
 2014-2015 Holiday card contest


This is a reminder about our 2014-2015 Holiday Card contest, please consider sending in a submission for the upcoming competition.  There's lots of snow out there (and more on the way) and you should have plenty of opportunities.  There are no hard and fast rules for the submissions, but they should say "Feral Cat" and "Winter" to whoever views it.  And, please, send in the best quality image you have.  Images must be submitted by April 1st, 2014 to photocontest@feralfixers.org to qualify.  Thank you!

(Shown above is the winning submission for the 2013-2014 Contest, sent in by Ms. Debbie Dolecki.  Click on it to see a full-size version.)
Want 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.
Fosters are needed now!

The Story of Skeezix - an update...

We told you the story of Skeezix, the cat that a kind soul let into her house because he was yelling on her doorstep.  She contacted us and we were able to take him in.  Skeezix was a very vocal boy, an abscess under his left ear, an abscessed toe - he had gotten into a fight of some sort.  His right ear was shredded like someone ran it thru their teeth and he was covered in flea bite scabs.  It's good to report that Skeezix is now doing so well!  So sociable and happy!  Jeff & Cindy have done a wonderful job in fostering him and are looking forward to his finding a forever home!  We get the following report from Skeezix's fosters:

"I am absolutely in love with this guy.  He is a gentle giant - not a mean bone in his body!  Loves to play, loves his cat tree, right at home in his kitty bed, very healthy eater, a true nuzzler, and a real character! He is just adorable. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to foster him - he is a true joy.  He is a real people person and very adoptable!"

We continue to encounter colonies of 20+ cats.  We've been working on a colony in Lombard where most of the cats have tremendous potential to be adoptable - they only need a foster home in order to realize that potential!  Added to our goal to find homes for cats that want them, is the fact that the main caretaker for these cats is in her 90's, has vacant lots on either side of her and when she moves all three lots are sure to be developed and the cats no longer welcome there.  Better to do the work now, rather than later, if possible!

Please, help us, help them!  You can look on our Facebook page and see cats that need fostering, some are doing really well and we are able to say they can be "fostered to adopt."  The alternative to fostering is putting cats back outside (friendlies make bad decisions and are at greater risk than ferals) or keeping cats in dog crates even tho they are ready for fostering and running around a house, just because there is nowhere for them to go.

Our fosters may be overwhelmed at times but there is nothing like knowing you've made a difference!  And, of course, that first purr when a cat/kitten accepts that this is a pretty good life!

(Click on either photo thumbnail to see a full-size picture)
How many cats? - 6,117 !!

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. In 2010, Feral Fixers had 1,002 cats spayed / neutered, in 2011, Feral Fixers had 1,024 cats spayed/neutered, and in 2012, Feral Fixers has had 1,231 cats spayed/neutered.  Finally, we've spayed/neutered 1,243 cats in 2013, and so far this year, we've spayed/neutered 141 cats.

This brings us to a total of 6,117 cats. Clicking on the calculator will send you to the Feral Fixers 'Statistics' page where you can see our progress, month-by-month, since we've started work.
PayPal DonationDonate 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!
Calendar of Upcoming Events

Fundraisers

March 1 to April 1 - With Faith, Anything is Possible Fundraiser. Feral Fixers received a $3,000 grant from the Patch Fund of the Chicago Community Trust Foundation.  With this grant, they have shown tremendous Faith in us and we want to match this amount to build their donation to $6,000.  This would pay for 160 Spay/Neuter surgeries!  If you want to contribute to this very worthy cause, you can donate HERE.

February 14 to April 25  - Grow Funds for Ferals!  Once again, Feral Fixers has partnered with the good folks at Flower Power to raise money for our Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) activities.  Flower Power has a wide and increasing amount of items for sale and 50% of everything you spend with them is donated to Feral Fixers.  And, they ship directly to you, at the correct time for planting!  Visit our Flower Power webpage and make your yard more beautiful and donate to Feral Fixers at the same time.

Other important dates 

April 1, 2014 - This is the deadline for sending in entries for the 2014-2015 Holiday card contest.  Details about how to do this, along with the 2013-2014 winning picture, are elsewhere in this eNewsletter.

April 6, 2014 - Shop4Strays - Feral Fixers will host another Shop4Strays event on this date at the VFW Hall located at 29 E St. Charles Road in Villa Park. More details are posted elsewhere in this Newsletter.

April 26, 2014 - Canine Carewalk - The Elmhurst College Pre-Veterinary and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) will be hosting its 6th annual Canine Carewalk. This is an adoption event for local animal shelters, as well as a fundraiser. The walk invites all people to bring their pets and pay a nominal registration fee of $5. The walk is a mile long dog walk around Elmhurst College's beautiful campus mall. All proceeds will benefit shelters in attendance. The event will include local shelters, businesses, and activities for those that attend. More details will be posted when available.

June 21, 2014 - Shred4Rescues - Last year, Feral Fixers hosted a booth at this event, sponsored by the Citadel Information Management company. One of Citadel's services is the secure shredding of documents. For this event, Citadel donates a portion of what they receive for their shredding services on that day to various Animal Welfare groups (including Feral Fixers) as well as allow those groups to host a booth that can be visited by those people who bring their documents to Citadel to be shredded. This year, Feral Fixers has again been invited to host a booth and more details about this event will be posted when they are available (you can view their 2013 event flyer here).

July 19, 2014 - KRiSER'S All Natural and Organic Pet Food adoption event. KRiSER'S is hosting an adoption event on this date from 11am to 3pm and Feral Fixers has been invited to host a booth at their Glen Ellyn location (674 Roosevelt Road, next to Trader Joe's). More details will be posted when available.

September 20, 2014 - DuPage County Annual Fall Festival - The Friends of DuPage County Animal Care & Control produces this event each year on the grounds just outside their facility in Wheaton. It has tons of vendors and always draws a large crowd and, once again, Feral Fixers will be hosting a booth there. More details about this event will be posted when available.

September 28, 2014 - Barkapalooza! - This will be the eighth year in a row that Feral Fixers will have a booth at this really fun event. The West Suburban Humane Society hosts this event and each year it draws a very big crowd. More details about this event will be posted when available. 
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 CafePress store and Buy Something! In addition to the Teddy Bear shown to the right, we have T-shirts, sweatshirts, aprons, hoodies, mouse pads, gym bags, messenger bags, coffee mugs, tote-bags, pet food bowls, Pajamas etc. A portion of each sale goes to help us in our TNR efforts.

To visit the store, just click on the Teddy Bear or visit our website and click on the 'CafePress' button at the top - Thank you!
Visit 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!
What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?

TNR CatTNR 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