Saying Goodbye to Sweet Pea

Having been part of the face book "world" for more than two years now, we find ourselves making close connections with those that consistently and constantly make comments, give words of encouragement and make sacrificial donations to help us continue in our work to help more feral and homeless cats in Western Iowa.

One such person is Kat Towey.

Today I am devoting our web page to pay tribute to and to say goodbye to her beloved Sweet Pea.  I have chosen to copy and paste Kat's words to me, along with a short poem she has written.

We all know the pain of loosing one of our furry family.  This beautiful girl deserves the love expressed here, the tears we will all shed for her parting and the knowledge that there are many of us that devote our lives to helping cats and making their lives better.  Rest in peace, sweet Sweet Pea...we will see you at the bridge.

"I was given Sweet Pea (originally known as "Tiny") by a friend who thought that since I had three other cats, knowing how much I love them, that a kitten would be the perfect birthday gift for me one year! Well...what the heck...what's one more? (That's what I said after the first one--and the second one..)

She bonded quickly with the 3rd addition to my cat family, another Calico, a Tortie, I named Pretty. Pretty was an abandoned young girl we think may have been around 3 to 5 years old when I found her..rather, she found me. She took to Sweet Pea right away and the two of them were the closest of the four, even grooming each other, which I don't think too many cats that aren't litter mates do. After having Pretty for nearly 20 years, she passed away about four years ago.

Over the other years, I lost from old age, the others, leaving Sweet Pea, "the last of the Mohicans" and me on our own. She would have been 19 this coming new year and after struggling with a few health issues that commonly inflict the older cats, I opted not to medicate or force pill her, letting her last days be peaceful and less stressful. On December 22, after I came home from work and she had not eaten and didn't run to the door to greet me as usual, I took her to the ER to see if there was anything we could do. 
It was a painful and difficult decision to make, yet I know that she is in a happier and pain-free place, with no suffering or weakness and reunited with her best friend, Pretty."

IN MEMORY OF SWEET PEA
April 1995 - December 22, 2013

Nearly half my 46 years!
Seems like forever
That is how long I've known you
That is how long you were here with me

Nearly half my life seems forever 
When counted by trials and change
Yet all those same years feel so fleeting and few 
When measured by time spent with you

You were so tiny when I brought you home
You fit in the palm of my hand
But you claimed the entirety of my heart
Filling each and every crevice and space
In every part of the human I am

Every touch was your whiskers and the brush of your tail
Every sound, your purr and sweet mew
Every sight was in the depth of your golden eyes
Every joy, coming home to you.

I miss you with every beat of my heart
And love you always--you are a part of my soul.
~~ Kathleen Towey 12-23-13~~

Purina ProPlan to the Rescue!

Several Months ago, we applied and were approved to be part of Purina's ProPlan to the Rescue.  Which means that we are eligible to receive donated food from Purina ProPlan!  Ive been waiting and waiting and yesterday was the day the big UPS truck pulled up to my garage to unload!  I'm not even kidding when I say that I almost spit out my chicken noodle soup when I saw the truck slowing driving by my house!

Christmas in November!

No, the truck wasn't full!  But the wonderful and kind driver unloaded 234 pounds of ProPlan cat food for our colonies!  That might sound like a lot of food, but in reality it will only be around for a few weeks and we will be out again.   This donation, however is a HUGE blessing to us and we send many thanks to the team at Purina's ProPlan to the Rescue!

Oh what a beautiful sight!

What this means is, our feral colonies will have a great Thanksgiving and wonderful food for weeks to come!

Zeva waiting for Breakfast!

WIFCaP's Fall/Winter Auction 2013

Kathy's Lucy or other kitties just might photo bomb our listings!

WIFCAP's Fall/Winter Auction

November 12, 2013 - November 19, 2013
Auction begins at 7pm Eastern time and ends at 6:59 pm EST on Tuesday November 19th

WIFCaP holds online auctions about 4 times a year. They are a major fundraising event for WIFCaP.  It's important for all of you to know that ALL proceeds are used to give outdoor feral and homeless cats their spa treatment, which includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, and any other medical treatment deemed necessary to give those kitties  a good chance at a happy, healthy outdoor life.  The funds also go to helping to keep them fed in a managed colony!

We hope you will participate in this Fall/Winter Auction that will begin on November 12th!  Its critical to our cause, so we also hope that you will not only join in yourselves, but that you will tell your friends and family about it so they, too can join the fun and help a kitty or two in the process. Use that SHARE button!

We have a great following on our facebook page, now over 1300!  That makes my heart happy, as we do not go out and solicit followers, we hope that they find us on their own and through friends.  We hope that you are on our page because you love cats and you support our work with TNR.  So please, if you are unable to make bids on our items, would you please share the auction info on your page during auction week?  We are hoping this Fall/Winter auction will be our best ever and bring in more money than ever before.

Thank you in advance for playing our game and saving the lives of many feral and homeless kitties as well!

HOW OUR AUCTION WORKS:

Its easy!

Because of fine print and Facebook rules, we have opted NOT to hold our auctions directly on our pages (Western Iowa's Feral Cat Program or WIFCaP Auctions), although you will see many of the items pictured there for your viewing pleasure.

Our auctions are held on Ebay, so you will need to be registered as an Ebay buyer.  Its easy and quick and you can even keep yourself signed in if you want.

Its easy to find our auction items, just put "wifcap" in the search box and all items we have listed will appear on a list.  Browse and shop and most of all bid!

High bidders will receive an email invoice with total amount due.  PLEASE WAIT for an invoice....should you win more than one item, you will see your total amount due (with shipping if appropriate)  and you can pay from there.

We try to put a wide variety of items on our auction.  Some with low starting bids and some higher.  Some Cat related and some not....some brand new and some gently used or vintage and all delightful !

Specially made blank note/greeting cards with a vintage look!

Remember!  This auction is to raise funds, so please be generous with your bids.  All of our items are donated to our cause with the hopes of bringing much needed funds to WIFCaP.

Regarding postage.  MOST items will be listed with postage to USA included in the winning bid.  Please remember that postage has gone up and a good part of your bid will just cover the funds to mail it...again, your generosity is appreciated!

We accept your payment through Paypal, so it's quick and easy.

Have fun !!!

So Much for Black Cats being Bad Luck!

With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to look up some information about why black cats are connected so closely to witches and Halloween, bad luck and superstition.
Sprinkled in are pics of some black cats we at WIFCaP know and love!

Dating back to the ancient Egyptians , it was believed that black cats were sacred, so they worshipped them. An Egyptian goddess called Pasht was said to have had the body of a woman and the head of a cat. Since the Egyptians believed that Pasht had nine lives, they also believed that all cats did.
The Egyptians were so respectful of black cats that when one died, it was preserved as a mummy, just as Egyptians rulers were. Cemeteries have been found with mummified bodies of thousands of black cats, plus mummified mice to accompany them into the next world!

Our Beautiful Zeva - One of WIFCaP's first for "spa treatment"!

 Another tidbit found on the internet:

"If you believe that a black cat crossing your path is bad luck, you believe in witchcraft.
Legend has its that in the 1560s in England, a father and son threw stones at a cat that had startled them on a moonless night.
The wounded cat ran into the nearby home of a suspected witch.
The next day the old woman was seen in public limping and bruised, and a superstition was born which caused the burning alive of innocent women in the seventeenth century."

But there is actually more written in folk-lore about the GOOD LUCK black cats bring than bad...here are a few!

Black cat, cross my path
Good fortune bring to home and hearth
When I am away from home
Bring me luck wherever I roam

- Old English Charm 

* Freya, the Norse Goddess of Love & Fertility drives a chariot pulled by two black cats.

* To dream of a black cat is thought by many people to be a lucky omen.

* Many theater folk love cats, perhaps because they, too, were once ostracized and shunned. It is believed that a black cat in the audience on opening night portends a successful play.


* In the south of France, black cats are referred to as "matagots" or "magician cats." According to local superstition, they bring good luck to owners who feed them well and treat them with the respect they deserve.

* Fisherman's wives kept black cats while their husbands went away to sea believing that the black cats would prevent danger from occurring to their husbands. These black cats were treated like royalty and were considered so valuable that they were often stolen. At one point, they became so expense that few fisher folk could afford them.

Whenever the cat of the house is black,
The lasses of lovers will have no lack.

~ English Proverb

(the above from fullcirclenews.blogspot.com)

Also black cats and all cats are honored and held sacred in the county of Japan.  

AVCheryl with a black kitty we were able to find a home for!

It seems the bad luck superstition has overpowered the good luck and because of it, black cats are the last to be adopted and the first to euthanized in shelters.

Arya-found wandering and alone now belongs to Kathy's son!

What we know is that black cats  are lovely creatures and each that we have had a joy to know, has been more than purrfect!

Sherman found in a ditch outside a distribution center, has a new lease on life with Linda!

When a black kitty finds it way to AVC or WIFCaP we are thrilled.  We always know a piece of our heart will leave with them when they find their furever home!

Edwyn - found in Walnut and adopted  by our friend Autumn in Omaha!

We hope you will all have fun during this Halloween season, but please, if you own a black cat, keep it inside and safe.  And if you are looking to adopt a new cat/kitten...wont you please pick a black one??

Two Years and Counting...

Happy Friday!   I'm sitting at the computer today with a calendar that has nothing staring back at me, no cats sitting in my garage or waiting at the clinic and a peaceful Saturday and Sunday on the horizon.   Given that I have some time to actually breathe, my mind realizes that WIFCaP celebrated its 2nd anniversary last month in a whirlwind of  trappings, spays, neuters with a couple rescues sprinkled in for good measure.

Rescued Kitten

I've been sitting here thinking about how and where we started, comparing it to where we are and what we are doing today.

Two years ago, Mrs. Gray, Zeva and the rest of that little family were newly fixed and their feeding station brand spanking new.  Mrs. Gray wouldn't even think about approaching me, let alone allowing me to stroke her, scratch her ears or allow me to spend some eating time with her and her daughter.  Who knew she would become the darling of WIFCaP, a superstar in her own right and a purrfect example of a feral cat living her outdoor dream life?

Mrs. Gray

Two years ago, I was whining on face book about why small grass roots efforts like ours couldn't get 501c3 status because what grass roots effort had the money to pay a lawyer or figure out the tax forms needed to gain such status.  Today, we are enjoying this status thanks to a wonderful foundation that helps the "little guys" that are trying to enter the world of animal advocacy!

Two years ago, I made a pact with myself that unless the donations came in, we could not and would not be able to continue.  Thanks to the wonderful people that I've still never met in person, who trusted us and risked their funds to help us get a start in TNR.  Today, all of those that started with us on the ground floor, are still there along side, encouraging and supporting in every way possible.   The money always comes when we need it and so far, Ive been able to keep my pact...and the work of WIFCaP goes on!

Two years ago when our hair-brained idea gelled and formed into what has become Western Iowa's Feral and Homeless Cat Program, I was hoping we could help cats in the Walnut - Avoca area.   Little did I know that in two years, we have been able to help over 20 communities in an approximate 50 mile radius of Walnut.

It's good to reflect.  It's good to remember, both the good parts and the sad.   While we celebrate the over 500 cats we have medically assisted and over 400 "spa treatments", we mourn the loss of even one small helpless creature.  Unfortunately, it's the losses that stick in our memory and leave a sore spot on our hearts. Its the hard times that force us to stay in the reality of our plight...we cant save them all, but we can give it a dang good try!

Amy, Linda and AVCheryl

I think today also about how thankful I am that God has allowed me good health and lots of energy.   Believe me, this WIFCaP journey is not for the faint of heart or weak of body and spirit.  However,  this is the best "job" I've ever had.   I get a "fat" pay check nearly everyday.  It comes in the form of those that help me...without Cheryl and Doc Schultz at the clinic WIFCaP could not operate at all.   They are my rocks!  Kris is my "level-er", keeping my fanciful mind and heart in check with reality and also being a great helper with marketing and social networking.  ALL of our volunteers...Becky who cares for 3 feeding stations, Cheryl, who feeds and cares for many at True Haven,  Linda who is ready to help at the drop of a hat, Sandy, Adrian and Amy who are the best foster mamas ever!  And all our new volunteers that are eager and waiting in the wings to help with future trappings and events.  It comes in the mailbox whenever there is a package that holds a donated item, coupons to help with food costs or a check that will help us do yet another spa treatment.  But mostly my pay check comes in the form of a frightened furry kitty in a trap, one that I know will now get the medical treatment it needs and deserves.  I never feel badly for them when they are in that cold, metal , scary thing.   They don't know it yet, but their life will now better...and its because of YOU...all of you, who are reading this.

And so we wrap up our first two years in "business".Whether you have donated time, money, items for auction, or even if you have only posted a comment of encouragement...we need you ALL and I, personally want to thank you for sticking with us on the WIFCaP page to see what a small grass roots effort can do! Happy Anniversary EveryOne!!

Snicker Gets His New Home...

Snicker looking gorgeous - pic courtesy of Kim Adams

I am so happy to announce that Snicker, the big yellow tomcat that was brought to us in April has found a home!

As any of you who work with animals know that  after helping hundreds of them, they kind of start to blend together and without a picture or some strong assistance, the names and faces are hard to distinguish in your memory.  Not so with Snicker.   He became my favorite at "hello" and I will never forget him.

A big, burly guy who needed some good meals, the hand of a good doctor lots of love.

Snicker had apparently been involved with some kind of confrontation that left him with a wound on his neck.  Untreated, it became a massive infection site that opened his neck nearly ear to ear.   Thankfully Nata G. found him and got him to us so that we could get him the help he needed.

Everyone, and I do mean everyone fell instantly for this gentle giant.


Our wonderful Dr. Schultz repaired his wound as best he could...stitching part of it together and allowing the remaining area to heal on its own.  This meant daily cleanings and treatment with medicine.  Snicker was a trooper and endured it all like the hero he is.

Snicker at the clinic - you can see his wound.

After many weeks, I (Kathy) brought him home so that he could have a rest from the kennel at the clinic and to see how he would do with other cats.   He was a purrfect gentleman as far as interacting with humans and using his litter box etc.   BUT with my two girl cats, he was aggressive.   After two fur-flying incidents, I decided he needed to be an only pet and back to the clinic he went.

One of of friends on our fb page came to see him at the clinic and decided to attempt to foster him herself.  She has other cats and at least one dog...Like a miracle, Snicker has settled in with  their family like a charm.  He sleeps with the humans and the other pets.

I have to admit that I secretly (OK, not so secret) wanted Snicker to meld into my family.   I love him so much and I am so very happy he has found a new home....one where he is taken care of and loved like he deserves!

Thank you Nata, for calling us about him.  Thank you AVCheryl, Doc S and Mallory for caring so for him while he was at the clinic and thank you Amy for giving him a try.  There was no doubt in my mind. the day you picked him up, that he was "home".

AVCheryl provided LOTS of love at the clinic!

Some think working with animals like we do, that we will either be an emotional wreck all the time, faced with decisions and the choices we have to make in the best interest of the animal, or we will be come calloused and hardened by these same issues and our hearts will become stone.  I think we are a balance...we make the hard choices with a tear in our eye and a pain shooting through our hearts,  and each pain that shoots through, keeps it soft and pliable so that when we see the GOOD that comes along, like the success of Snicker, we notice and we celebrate.

I will always Love my Snicker-Boy! Pic courtesy of Kim Adams

It is only because of the kind and generous donations of our wonderful supporters that we have the funds to care for sweet kitties like Snick.  Thank YOU to all who help us buy donating or participating in our sales and auctions!  We are a great team!

WIFCaP in the NEWS!

Our March 23, 2013 Adoption Event was a real success!  We made some new friends and as  result of the time at Orscheln's we were able to find homes for all four available kitties!

Walnut Iowa's Feral and Homeless Cat Program would like to thank the Walnut Bureau for putting us on the front page!

February is World Spay and Neuter Month!!

Western Iowa's Feral and Homeless Cat Program will be holding special events during the month of February 2013 to promote World Spay Day which is officially on February 26th!  Watch for details!!
Check out the website here:  http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/spay_day/

WIFCaP's 2013 Spring Spa Event!!

Thank you for chipping in! Every donation, large or small will help us to spay/ neuter and medically treat a cat in Western Iowa! Just click on this ChipIn widget to add your donation!

Dr. Jim Hoffman Receives Service Award!

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season this almost got past me!!!   I was filing all my paperwork this past week and came across this article about our own Dr. Jim Hoffman (fondly known as Doc)..All of us at WIFCaP are so very proud of him and proud to be part of this veterinary clinic!  Congratulations, Doc!

THEY NEED A HOME!!

Yes, yes, I know we are not a shelter and our primary purpose is NOT sheltering or finding homes for cats.  We are so fortunate though to have Avoca Veterinary Clinic on our side in so many way and helping us with our TNR program...As you all know we very often come up with friendly stray, those that have been lost or discarded and the clinic as well has people that walk in and surrender found animals or animals they can no longer keep.

Tomorrow, (Saturday January 5th)  WIFCaP will host an adoption event at Orscheln Famr and Home Store in Atlantic Iowa.  Hopefully the 3 little guys we currently have at AVC will find furrever homes...

As we start a new year, its my hope and prayer that we can help many more cats.  Thank you for following us, supporting us and encouraging us!