Welcome 2016

Happy New Year!
Wrapping up a year always has it's challenges.  As I'm working on year end reports, looking at numbers, receipts and statistics, many faces of the people we have helped and the felines we have made life better for come back in a vivid way.  It would be impossible and even unfair to highlight a few of them, because they were all equally important and poignant.  If you follow our Facebook page you know the stories.

Another year is over. Another year of helping to fulfill our mission: to reduce the over population of outdoor feral, homeless and community cats.

Our totals for "spa treatments" has grown.  As of December 31, 2015 we have fixed a total of 1353 cats.    In 2015 we fixed 425 cats ( 236 were female) .  Lots of hard work on the part of myself, my volunteers and those folks out there that care about the outdoor cats that have no one else.   This has made an impact in our communities in Southwest Iowa.  I will be making calls to regional rescues and shelters during this month to see if their intake numbers have gone down.   My paws are crossed that they are seeing a difference because of what we are doing.

Aside from that, I believe the other huge difference we are making is in awareness and sensitivity to the plight of the community cat.  Because of my volunteers that have the same passion I do, people are becoming more aware of the fact that not only do these cats deserve respect, they need us to care for them.   On the rural side, we have convinced many farmers and country dwellers that having cats is good, but having "Wifcap'd" cats is even better.   A healthy cat that is fixed and not breeding makes a much better employee.   We have placed many cats in home or shops. We continue to encourage all shops to have a kitty for rodent patrol and customer service.

I am amazed when I think about those out there that have taken on the responsibility of feeding feral cats.  Our volunteers that daily feed, water and watch over little broods of these sweet animals warm my heart.  Your commitment blesses me and while it may seem like your work goes unnoticed, it doesn't.  I wish you could be paid what you are worth, but for now, the look in those fed and cared for kitties must suffice.  If you are like me, that's enough.

So, on to another year.   My gut says we are about to enter the biggest year yet for WIFCaP.  We are small but mighty.  My heart says, I cant wait.  We have some very committed volunteers that are up for the challenge of big trappings and we have two committed veterinarians to help us.  All that only works with the cooperation of property owners, communities, feeders and of course our financial supporters.  Our annual budget is around $25,000.  That is a lot of fundraising, events and asking for donations, but we continue to up for the challenge and hope you are too!  Donations can be made by clicking our "donate" button at the top of this page.  We thank you from the bottom of our kitty loving hearts!

I am excited to start the new year and hope you are too. Thank you for hanging with us.  Thank you for following along and telling your friends about us too.

Happy New Year!  Watch and see what a small grassroots effort can do!

Snow Birds!

Did you say BIRDS????

Mr. Nelson and Mrs. Gray

September is almost gone.  As most of you know, I am a 65 year old retired lady.  I smile as I say the word "retired" because I work harder now than I ever have when I got paid to do a job.   Loving the work you do makes it easy.  So easy, in fact, that you end up working way harder than you probably should.

It's been four years since the start of WIFCaP and I cannot say I am burned out.  BUT I am tired and ready for the change that is about to come for the winter.

My husband will join me in the retired status as of the end of the year.  It is only fitting that we try to spend some of our golden time together and free from commitment, which is what retirement is supposed to mean.

We have purchased a winter home in South Texas and on October 30th we will "head south".   That time is quickly approaching and I'm feeling a little like panicking!    How can I leave what I love to do?  How can I leave the porch kitties?

In my head, it is all worked out.

• I have purchased a Kitty Tube with heater for each of the 3 porch kitties.  They will be warm and dry.
• I have 3 of our board members that will come to be sure they have food and water daily. They will be fed.
• Same 3 and anyone driving by is welcome to come on the porch and give them some love. They will get more comfortable with other people.
• We have a caretaker across the street watching our house (along with everyone else in town..LOL...Small towns are great!)
• We have surveillance cameras and security system to protect them and our house.  I can even watch from my smart phone!

Picture of the new homes purchased for the porch kitties

In my head, I know they will be taken care of and fine, but in my heart, I will miss seeing them every morning for a few months.  I know the time will speed by and before I know it, the spring will be here and I will be back, along with a long list of TNR's to do.  Another busy season will erupt.

So what will I be doing in South Texas?  Number one thing is NOT to over commit.   I tend to jump in with both feet and forge ahead full steam.   My plan is to rest.  I want to be available to participate in the many opportunities to make new friends and do some new things, while also being free to take off on a day trip to the beach or local parks etc.  I am also hoping to begin writing Children's Books about Mrs. Gray, Zeva and Mr. Nelson.  Children's books that adults will like too! 

I am not abandoning WIFCaP by any means.  I will continue fundraising during the winter.  I will continue talking to people about their cat issues and educating about Spay/Neuter and TNR when I can.   I will be keeping the Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter accounts active as I count on our caretakers to take pictures of the porch kitties etc to post.    ALSO, Lois and Lori and even Laura from the clinic will be doing some minor trapping jobs and will be available for emergency issues while I'm gone. 

I'm pretty sure I will be connecting with a rescue or low cost spay and neuter when I am down south...I have one picked out and will visit when I get there.  More on that later, but pray I don't over commit.

Mr. Nelson

Thank you all for sticking with us on Facebook.  My fear is now that Mr. Nelson is "tame" and the challenge of taming him is over, you may become bored with us.  We NEED you....I need you to be part of WIFCaP on Facebook and beyond.  Your support has kept me going for these past 4 years.  We have done amazing things in Western Iowa and I have YOU ALL to thank for it.  

I invite you to stick with us through this first winter's journey south.  There may be some new things,  the continuation of our same things and things we cant even dream of....

Happy Anniversary to Us!!!

Mrs. Gray Loves Her Bucket Water!

I can hardly believe that year four for WIFCaP is only weeks from complete!   I've been taking time to step back and take a look at where we have been, where we began and along with that, looking ahead to where we might be going.   It's easy to look back and see the successes (laced with some sadness, disappointments and failures) but looking to the future feels somewhat like looking at a huge mountain that needs climbing, then looking down at my feet and realizing I don't have hiking shoes.

When WIFCaP began it was pretty much me, along with a few very eager and excited friends that wanted to help.   We put together the Face book page and the web page and we hit the ground running for fund raising.  We found a vet that was willing to give us a discount and for almost 3 years, between AVC and SOS in Omaha we were fixing as many cats as our donations would allow.   A year ago we partnered with HVA for an even greater discount which afforded us to do twice as many cats on the same amount of money.   Dr. Sternberg and his crew has been wonderful to us and we value them beyond description!  I have volunteers that help when ever and however they can and their value is immeasurable too!

Along the road, we became incorporated, licensed and obtained our non profit status from the IRS.  All good news.   We have a great board of directors who I lean on for advice and emotional support when the decisions get hard.

Money has never really been an issue.  Our supporters are phenomenal!   When the need is there, they pull through like champs!  I can truly say that other than gas, time and wear and tear on my vehicle, I have not put any of my personal funds into WIFCaP.

In the four years we have been in "business", we have fixed approximately 1200 cats and in total helped around 1400.  That feels like success in any one's book.

We have been honored to be asked to do a workshop at The Iowa Federation of Humane Society's annual conference and will be speaking there again this September.  We have held educational workshops on trapping for several groups and have spoken to many city councils about the benefits of TNR. We've even taught children about the plight of feral cats. More recognition and success!

So why the daunting feeling of a mountain too big to climb?  The mountain is made up of all things TNR and for the most part the vast percentage of it is done my myself.

During year one, I think I had about 3 friends helping.  Most the help was supportive encouragement.  As the years have passed I have gained a couple wonderful volunteers that can actually help me trap and transport, at least during some of the times they have off or are available.  I have volunteers that will help during events and donate items for auctions, bake sales and other fundraising events.

Trapping:    Setting up trapping must co ordinate with Vet hours and property owners schedules and availability. Trapping is done normally very early morning or at dusk, in which case the cats get to spend the night in my garage.  Trapping doesn't just mean trapping, it means getting them to the vet, getting them back from the vet and then back to the property. Cats sometime spend another night  in my garage when it is not healthy for them to be returned the same day.   Then there is the trap cleaning and storage, until the next time.

Social media:  Face book has been one of our most important and wonderful ways to gain support and engage with our friends, fans and followers.   Every day posts are made, with pictures to keep WIFCaP in the forefront of the minds of those we hope will continue to encourage what we do.  Instagram and Pinterest are new venues that I'm now trying to use to offer even more engagement.  I'm guessing I spend at least an hour of my day on social media.  My husband would probably argue that it is even more.

Fundraising:  Constant.  Its seems we need to go from one fundraiser to the next in order to keep a balance in the bank account to stay afloat.  I try to do 4 eBay auctions a year, The Cat's Meow in September, Omaha Gives in the Spring and Tuesday Treasures occasionally.   We have other sources of mobile and internet fundraising like IGive, Paid2Save, Tagged, RESQWalk, and others and these also take constant promotion.

Bazaar and Fundraiser September 19th!

Bookkeeping:  Donations come in the mail and on Paypal...bills are paid...supplies ordered, all kept on Quick books to which I am daily keeping up to date and accurate.  Tax time comes quickly!

Daily correspondence: Phone calls, emails and face book messages come during all hours. These may deal with trappings that need to be scheduled, city community cat issues,  lost or injured cats, found orphaned kittens, or any other cat related question or concern someone might have. Newspaper press releases and other requested articles must be done too!

I want to make it clear that I am NOT complaining.  I LOVE this "job" more than anything I have ever done and my passion for it has not waned n the least bit.   BUT I am also at a point that I know I cannot continue doing it all at the same pace as I'm trying to do it now.  I was hoping that I would have a trapping team in place by this time four years later.  Also a fundraising team.    The truth is I don't.  Not everyone has the same passion for TNR as I do, or the time to do it like I do.  I need to step back and decide what year five will  hold.

The remainder of 2015 is going to be a very busy one for me on a personal level.   I will be headed to VA in September for a week to attend my grand daughter's wedding.  Immediately after that, I head to San Antonio for another week to give my stepsister a break and care for my 93 year old step mother. I get home 3 days before "The Cat's Meow".   In October I am going to Florida and South Carolina to visit my BFF of 50 years to celebrate our years of friendship.  I will be gone for 2 weeks.   In November, my oldest son and his family will be visiting from the east coast, before they make a permanent move to Belgium to head up a Christian kids Camp full time.  THEN sometime in November or early December, my husband will retire.  We have purchased a home in South Texas where we will spend the bitter cold months in winter...hopefully from at least December through March or April.

What does this all mean for WIFCaP?  I'm actually trying to figure that out myself.   I will have a busy August trying to get everything caught up before all the fall activities descend!  I know that Angie and Lois will be able to do some small trappings if necessary when I am gone, even over the winter.   Mrs. Gray, Zeva and Mr. Nelson will be cared for by Becky, Cheryl and Molly...on a daily basis.   I've installed surveillance cameras so I can keep an eye on them (the cats, not Molly, Becky or Cheryl)!  LOL! Much of what I do on face book and social media I can do from Texas.  Also auctions and fund raising.

So, as I write this, I realize that not that much has to change other than my mind set of always wanting to progress and do more.  I am going to need to be happy with what I CAN do  by myself, and be happy for all the extra help I can get.  I need to pace myself and not get sucked into the lie that we have to grow...we have to get bigger and better and do more and more.  Nope...  I am one person and I am 65 years young and I have limits.

So, mountain, you just turned into a molehill.   I can climb you in flip flops!

Thanks for letting me vent!

Get out your Smart Phone to Help WFCaP!

A brand new way to help Western Iowa's Feral and Homeless Cats!

This is the new way to donate and to save money (even earn money) for yourself.  

First thing I want to say is that there really are no strings attached.  It is a FREE download app that will give you tons of deals and shopping discounts.  If you use our reference number 93241 when prompted as you download, WIFCAP will begin benefiting from everything you buy and everyone that you show the app to, who downloads it too...forever!

As you know, I spend hours fundraising, and with this app I think I will be able to do less begging for money and more of what our mission is...TNR and helping those outdoor kitties that have no voice.

I have been working with Karla Horn in California for months to get this up and running for us.  It is a wonderful opportunity and I hope you will think so too.  I really appreciate Karla for thinking of us and working so hard to get us going.

Now we need YOU!  Visit our special P2S website at http://p2snonprofit.com/index.php

click the blue box that says "Watch the Video"...it's short, sweet and simple!  Then download the app using our reference # 93241 !  Then use the app to shop!  You will get discounts and deals, you will get cash back (NO annual fee) and only if you want you can get double cash back on your purchases  by purchasing a one time $29.95 option to do that....HALF of that amount is donated to WIFCaP if you use our reference #93241 when downloading!  Remember this is a one time fee , half comes to WIFCaP and you get double cash back on all your purchases....forever!  Many credit card companies are offering double cash back, with $100 annual fees...nope not us!

This can be an amazing way for us to grow our funds without asking you for any money!  Tell your friends!  Tell your Family!   Tell your co workers!  

Also.....One last bit....if you are a shop owner or retailer of any kind, you can apply to offer your own discounts and deals on this app!   There are tabs at the top of our website that explain all that with videos and lots info.   If you have questions, our rep Karla Horn would be more than happy to answer.  You can reach her here!  Just tell her WIFCaP sent you!

Karla Horn
Paid2Save fundraising specialist 
 928.853.1251
karlahorn@msn.com
www.karlahorn.mobi 

We hope you will join us in this new adventure that incorporates social media technology!  Thanks for hanging with us to see what a small grass roots effort can do!

   

Mrs. Gray Loves Her Red Swing!

Mrs. Abigail Gray

To me there is no other picture that depicts how happy Mrs. Gray is.  Her list of options was short when I first heard that there was a mother cat with five babies, ravaging the garbage bins in town to find food for herself and her little ones.  If it was going to take anything to get me to jump into developing a TNR program with both feet, this was it!  I realized that if Animal Control got them, their future was bleak.   I think back at the days, weeks, months and years that I trudged thru rain, snow and heat to make sure there was food in their little feeding station and to stick around to visit and build trust.  I watched the numbers reduce really quite quickly (isn't that the point of TNR?).  We will never know what became of Jenny, Tony, McGee and Palmer, but having Mrs. Gray and Zeva stay has been a blessing.  I will never forget the first day Mrs. Gray followed me home.  Zeva followed not long after.  They are HOME here and that warms my heart.  I doubt I will ever really hold either one of them in any place other than my heart...but having them nuzzle me and wind their way around my legs, to see the happiness and the peace they have, makes physically holding them insignificant.   They show me love in so many ways.  I am their "person" and I now count them as family.

April Calendar....FULL!

True to the part of our mission statement that says:"To educate community members on the importance of spay or neutering ", WIFCaP has 6 scheduled meeting/ workshops/ events in April that will focus on the importance of responsible pet ownership, TNR, and ways to help WIFCaP...Just in case you think WIFCaP is asleep at the wheel....LOL!

April 13th: Kathy and Lois will attend a workshop to learn how to effectively fundraise for ‪#‎OmahaGives‬

**Please note:  Omaha Gives is a 24 hour giving day sponsored by the Omaha Community Foundation and American National Bank.  This one day event can raise thousands for WIFCaP.  As YOU donate, we can receive matching funds, and bonuses to go along with your gift!  Mark you calendar for this day!

Later that same day, Kathy will attend the Elliott, Iowa City Council meeting to give them information about TNR and offer assistance to help them get something started in their community.

April 17th: Kathy will attend a student volunteer fair with our Oakland helper, Gayle at Riverside High School in Oakland, Ia. Here, the kids will learn how they could help WIFCaP. Kathy will be helping the students download the ResQwalk App onto their smart phones, to show how easily a person can help our organization!

April 23rd: Kathy will head to Denison Iowa to give a trapping workshop. Denison is expressing interest in starting TNR in that area and they need help to get started on the right foot!

April 25th: Orschlens's Atlantic IA...adoption event and information about TNR, barn cats and responsible pet ownershiip. This is a SWIAC event (Southwest Iowa Animal Coalition). Organizations represented will be WIFCaP, Pott County Animal Shelter, Montgomery County Animal Rescue, People for Paws and Lusco Farms Rescue...

April 30th: Low cost spay and neuter Clinic, Harlan Veterinary Clinic in Harlan. One day only...Cats only...$60 includes vaccinations...call Kathy for details...712-784-2490

 Ongoing- and as ever, we continue to trap in our region.   To date this year, we have given spa treatments to 74 cats.   April is another busy trapping month!  Stay tuned to see what a small grass roots effort can do.   Donate by clicking the donate button at the top left side of this page, or click the Donate page on the right to see ALL the many ways we can use your help!

Spring is Heating Up!

As February comes to an end and Spring is on the horizon, WIFCap is "heating up" for a very busy spring.

Kathy's garage can get quite full during trapping season!

Kathy has been busy taking calls from people with cat overpopulation problems and she has been spotting local kitties that need help too.

Lost or abandoned cats need help!

She is keeping a log of incoming and upcoming problem locations and to date, she has a wait list of 81 cats in the local area that need help.

Some of these cats are running in towns creating issues with mating, howling, fighting and getting in the trash.  We work with communities to get them fixed, vaccinated and hopefully to a location where they can be fed daily.  Our goal is to keep the cats in the area in which they are found because this is HOME to them and if we remove, others will most likely take their place.

Rural cats have a job, but population control is a must!

Some cats are part of a rural colony that is being fed, perhaps by the property owner but are creating a never ending supply of babies that struggle to survive.  Did you know that a tom cat can wander ten miles a day...?  Think all the places he can "visit" during that roam!

We are happy that some communities and many more individuals are coming forward, asking for help and offering to also financially back this effort in part or in full.

You can help by clicking our DONATE button top left sidebar!

We would ask that our supporters and those interested in what we do, to remember that we are not a shelter, or a rescue.  Our focus is on TNR...Trap, Neuter and Return or Release...we have no physical building or place to house surrendered pets.

We want you to keep your kitty - how can we help?

We would, however love to work with people for find ways they can keep their pet and in some instances, we can offer assistance in finding a new home for a cat that cannot be kept.

We are so fortunate to be working with Harlan Veterinary Associates and Referral Center in Harlan Iowa to help as many cats as possible.  We thank them for partnering with us and giving us quality care and kindness!

Dr. Matthew Sternberg and his team are awesome!

Please call  or email us if you have questions !

Tribute to Buddy-Boy

I normally make a new blog post about every few months.  Who knew I would make two in the same day?.  My last post was about how we hate seeing kittens born into the feral world that end up with suffering and disease.

I struggled with whether or not to even post about the events of this afternoon, but I am because if I don't, they will stick in my head and I wont sleep. For that reason, I won't post this on our Face book page. If you've come here from there, expect to be sad.  This post is more for me to vent, than for you to be informed. I try very hard to post positive stories and successes...to keep everyone up beat and laughing.  So I will post here, where I can bear my heart and soul and cry a little. 

At around 4pm today I received a call from our City Clerk from City Hall.  I am on the city council and I am on the city committee for Animal Control and everyone within at least a 20 mile radius of Walnut knows I am the CAT LADY.  I have instructed City Hall to please call me if there is ever a hit by car  or dead cat found in town.  I want to know if it is one of the ferals from our colonies or someones pet that we can gently inform of its demise. 

Today was only the 2nd call informing me of a dead cat that Ive gotten...only this time it was "well, he's almost dead".  I flew to city hall to find "Buddy-Boy" laying at the bottom of a dirty cold plastic bucket in the back of the city pickup.  He had been found at the side of main street almost directly in front of City Hall.  Jim (city supervisor) picked him up  (thinking he would die any second),  and put him in the container, set him in the back of the truck and called me. When I looked in, Buddy encircled the bottom, but he was breathing and he was trying to raise himself.  I knew right away that he was most likely beyond medical help, but I could not stand to see him suffer.  Jim drove me and Buddy back to my house, we loaded him in my car and off to HVA I went.

Would he even live the 20 minutes it took me to get him there?  He did.  When I took him in, he was not only breathing but he'd uttered several "mews".  As we waited for help from Becky at the clinic, I had a chance to get to know him.  He was strong.  Even though his body was literally skin over bone, he was a large long haired male cat...looked like a Himalayan. His fur was matted and dirty...but as I reached into the bucket and stroked his head, he immediately raised it and said hello with a sweet meow and began to purr.  It was apparent to me that he had had no home for a long time.  His weight, the condition of his fur....and then they came to the surface.  The fleas.  There were hundreds if not thousands of fleas on this poor baby.   We were so fortunate that we could get him to a vet that could humanely end his suffering and help him go peacefully to the Rainbow Bridge.

I traveled the 17 miles to the clinic in a panic.  Worried that he wouldn't live long enough to get him there, Worried that he would live til I got him there.   My mind was spinning, wishing there would be a miracle that maybe he would not be as bad as I thought he was, but inside knowing that was a pipe dream.  

I traveled the 17 miles back home in a stupor. A mixture of anger, sadness and confusion.  Wishing I knew his story. Why hadn't I seen him in town EVER before?   How did he get where he was?  Who hit him?  Who left him?  It was apparent that he had known the love of a human before.  He responded to my touch with a purr...he relaxed at the sound of our voices.  He was not feral.  He was old...he was tired and he was gone.

I cant shake the sorrow tonight.  He touched me so.  He made me realize that what we do in TNR and educating people about spay/neuter is so important.  It matters and it works. What happens to lost and abandoned cats is horrific.  They do NOT fend well for themselves. You cannot put a cat out and expect anything other than starvation, infestation, infection and battle scars, let alone the loneliness and the fear.   Buddy is a testament of strength.  If not for that, he would have been gone a long time ago.  His suffering encourages me to keep doing what we do.  I will eventually sleep tonight, knowing that the last thing he felt was the warmth of a clean and caring clinic, the touch of a hand that wanted so much to hold him and love him and the last words he heard...."It's ok Buddy...you will be fine...we love you, beautiful boy...." 

Buddy-Boy -Rest in Peace Sweetheart!

WIFCaP Success Story

People wonder why we push TNR...and why we are so happy there are less litters being born.  Had it not been for WIFCaP and your donations to Figaro's Fund, this sweet little girl may not have lived to adulthood and if she did, she would have most certainly lost 100% of her eyesight.  This is WIFCaP kitty, Arwyn.   She was found during a trapping on a rainy cold spring morning.

The day we found Arwyn

I remember that day like it was yesterday.  Cold, rainy and about as nasty as a morning can be.  The yard where the feral cat colony was located was alive with adult cats and several kittens.  I went into this project with the vow..."Im not taking any kittens!  We cannot deal with kittens right now."  I repeated that mantra to myself until I stooped to look into the shelter housing made of a wooden box set on it's side. The box was filled with a cold damp layer of straw...and inside, sitting just like this was Arwyn.  It was apparent that she could'd see anything.  Had she sight, she would have scattered like popcorn like the rest of the kittens did.  It was immediate that my mantra stalled, replaced by a new one "we have to help this one..." I scooped her up and off we went.   AVC was wonderful to work with as we accessed her eyes and it was determined that she had a severe case of herpes.  It was doubtful that she would ever have 100% sight, but hopeful that some would be regained. Thanks to Figaro's Fund we were able to begin treatment (did I mention the flea infestation??).

We fostered her and it wasn't long before Becky and Don came along and fell in love.  They have taken her to many Vet appointments and have given lots of medicine.  The very best has been done for her.  She is now a sweet adult kitty with enough sight be a typical Tortie....tons of fun, spunk and mischief!  She is loved beyond belief!  And by the way, two of her siblings were also rescued that day and homes were found for them as well.

Arwyn - Christmas 2013

This is why the unwanted litters are so important to prevent.  No only because of the numbers of unwanted cats and the nuisances they create in the community, but because those unwanted cats suffer.  Things like eye infections or upper respiratory infections that we easily treat our pets for, go untreated and the resulting pain and suffering for the animal is sickening.

We thank our supporters for giving funds to our Figaro's Fund to help other kitties like Arwyn get a chance to live healthy and happy lives.

 Figaro was a sweet baby kitty that was brought to us very ill and unable to make it.  We were so sad to see him go, but happy that he was in the warm arms of people that loved and cared for him during his final days.  The wonderful couple that found him donated funds in his memory.  Thus, Figaro's fund was born.  We have helped many kitties make it through medically tough times with funds that are designated there.

Figaro -the sweetest baby ever!

If you would like to donate just hit the donate button at the top left side of this page and be sure to add Figaro's Fund to the memo line.  If you watched the story unfold on our page about little Jasper who passed away of FIP and incurred a vet bill of $1000 and you would like to help, you can also add "Jasper" to the memo .  Find out more about Jasper here...Justice for Jasper

Arwyn's is a happy story of recovery and health.  Sady, not all turn out that way.  But we can sleep at night knowing we do our best from the time we take that first peek into lives of a colony until they are released or rehomed.

Ending the year in a big way!

Its only 3 days until the end of 2014 and I have to admit, this has been a crazy year!   I've actually had to take out my old calendar pages to review what all has been happening around Western Iowa Feral Cat Land to remember.  It's gone so fast and furious that it all seems a blur!


What I do know is that we TNR'd as many cats in 2014 as we did in the two years before combined.

How did that happen?
 LOTs of time, gas and hard work!

Our volunteer staff has not increased that much.  For one that we gained, we have lost another.  The team that actually does the trapping has remained me and one faithful other.

We've added support volunteers that can do things like print and laminate and go on the road to pick up food at pantries.  I know that it isn't that friends don't want to help, it s that they cant.  Work, family...life gets in the way and not everyone is available to come all the way out here at the crack of dawn and at dusk when trapping is the best.

Adding traps to our inventory has helped a TON...Thanks to Best Friends Animal Society, we added two more traps and that has meant more kitties in for spa treatments!

Adding a wonderful vet to our partnership!   Harlan Veterinary Associates and Referral Center has been wonderful to us.  A great supporter of TNR and offering us a price that affords us the opportunity to fix more kitties locally!

Dr. Sternberg and Anne at work!

More and more people and towns are taking responsibility to their own cat issues.  This means they are open to TNR and open to helping pay for it.

This was kind of a year of discoveries for me.  I discovered that kitten care is hard.  Even with wonderful volunteers to help, it is a difficult and demanding job.  We had lots of kittens this past summer and we are still trying to find homes for the last two.   We found out that they get sick, they carry disease and sometimes they even die.   We know we have made their little lives better and that they have felt loved, but its a strain on volunteers and it's expensive.

We discovered that our focus HAS to remain on TNR and not rescue.  We have no where to hold the strays,  while trying to find homes. Again, the strain of that has been heavy, to the point of even loosing some of the help we had.  It is so hard to say "no" when the call of a friendly stray or a litter of kittens comes in.

We discovered that there are lots of people that want to help us financially!    I can honestly say that we have never had to be late on a bill.  Our friends on Facebook are amazing and without them, we could not TNR ONE cat!  Thanks to everyone that bids on our auctions, purchases from our many fundraisers and/or sends a check or makes a donation to paypal!  We can happily say that ALL your funds go to helping the kitties.  We have very little overhead (I need to buy a ream of copy paper) and we attempt to spend all your dollars on fixing cats!

I've discovered that while this is my passion and none of it feels like work to me (other than maybe the bookkeeping), I have to limit myself.  I have traveled over 80 miles one way to trap cats, then more miles to transport them to the vet and then all the way back home.   I get phone calls at all hours about problems, I spend many hours every day working on TNR, Facebook, accounting etc.

And so, decisions have had to be made.   We held our final meeting of the Board of Directors earlier in December and so far here is what we are considering:

Kittens and Stray Friendly Cats :   We are trying to find a rescue that we can work with to refer these to.

Financial giving:  We will continue our methods of fundraising while adding grant writing.  We have a volunteer that will begin helping us with that in January!

Limiting Scope of Assistance:  While the need is great, we can only do so much.  The communities around us have great need and we will begin focusing on those communities.  The communities are Walnut, Harlan, Avoca,  Hancock, Minden, Oakland, Atlantic, and Shelby.   We will continue to assist other communities with issues by offering education and training in TNR).  Watch for targeted TNR projects over the summer in some of these communities!




So!  Goodbye 2014 and hello 2015!  It's going to be a fun ride!

2015 WIFCaP Calendar Sale!

For the 2nd year now, we have published our own calendar!  This is just a preview of the 12 different calendar pages that will come with your 2015 edition!

Everyone loves Bart and here he is gracing our May calendar month!

Simple to own....donate a minimum of $15 to our paypal account (donate button is on the upper left of this page) and we will ship it out.  Your $15 includes postage!

Be SURE your address is correct and be sure you note "calendar" in the memo space....

Want to mail us a check??? that is fine too!  Just mail to WIFCaP  PO Box 244 Walnut IA  51577

We hope you enjoy our choices of pictures and that you will have a happy and prosperous New Year!!

National Feral Day 2014

It's coming!  October 16th is National Feral Cat Day!

WIFCaP has held events each year since we started to focus on this event and this year is no exception!

Only this year we are going big....er.

Kathy has been working hard to put together an event that will show what it truly means to help where help is needed, even when it isn't convenient!   Along with the help of several other community (and beyond) minded people, you will see what it means to be willing to do what needs to be done in what was thought a hopeless situation.

Get ready to join us as we go on a bit of a journey to make a big difference!  We need your encouragement and support to make this happen, so stay tuned !!

Summer Auction Begins on Ebay!

Lenox - Laundry Day Figurine

Three times a year, Western Iowa's Feral and Homeless Cat Program holds an online Fundraising auction on Ebay!  Auctions are generally held March, July and November.

This summer auction will start Saturday July 12, at noon CST and will end the same time the following Saturday July 19th, 2014.  We are super excited to offer you some fun and interesting items!  Some new, some vintage, and some hand made.

All items offered at our auction are donated by kind supporters and for that we thank you all very much! Many items we get are handmade which to us, make them very special.  We hope you will be generous in your bidding, as we know that much time and love have been put in to each item.

It's easy to participate.   Just be sure you are registered on Ebay, and then once the auction goes live (noon CST on July 12th), you can type WIFCaP in the search box on the ebay site and all our offerings will list out.

Our auctions are a major source of income for WIFCaP and with the funds raised we are able to help more kitties in Western Iowa live a happy healthy outdoor life!

Kids Join US!!!

As you know part of the mission of Western Iowa's Feral and Homeless Cat Program is to educate those around us about the benefits of TNR.   Who better to start with than the kids?

Its taken two years, but I finally got permission to give a presentation to the 2nd Grade at our elementary school.   What a success!  The kids were interested and eager to learn and join in the discussion of how to care for cats with no owners and who are to afraid and shy to become pets.

We even made a craft of a feral cat with an ear tip!

The word must have gotten out, because the next week I was asked to return to make the presentation to the 3-5th graders.   They too, we very interested and ready to add to the conversation.  I enhanced the presentation a bit because of a longer attention span and instead of a craft, I gave them a poster to color and take home to remind them what it meant if they see a cat with an ear tip.

Having some kittens to cuddle made the class extra fun!

I guess sometimes its hard to know if you have any effect on the kids and if any of it sunk in.  But we got proof positive this last weekend.   We had lots of baked goods donated to our "Eat  a Dog - Save a Cat" food booth for True Junk's May Daze.  I put the offer out to five kids to come out and help us sell cookies at at a table downtown to raise enough money to help the kitties.  Their goal was to raise $80 which is enough to give a kitty the "spa treatment", which is spay/neuter, vaccinations, complete medical checkup with ear cleaning and food.   Four of the five came down and did an fabulous job! And yes, they raised $80!

Cookies - fruit and WIFCaP information!

Not only did they sell cookies and fruit, they told people about our program and distributed flyers and posted hand made posters asking for food donations!   I've already received one donation towards food.

I am so blessed today, after such a great weekend for WIFCaP.  We made $500 as a result of the food booth and the kids table.  Thanks to Linda Schumacher who made a great team leader for the food booth, we will be doing it again in October!

Zeva Comes "Home"?

To say the morning started out like every other morning wouldn't be the truth.   I was up a 5:45 to be ready to meet up with Deb B. to travel nearly 40 miles to trap a colony of 10 outdoor kitties for "spa treatment"...we went  - we trapped and we conquered...4!   We will be going back on Friday to try to get the remaining cats.   After depositing them at AVC, filling out the paperwork and loving up on the clinic kitties ( all 11 of them if you count Peanut and Simon), it was back home to finish out my day.

Little trapped kitten ready for Spa treatment!

  As usual, Mrs. Gray was waiting for me when I arrived and ushered me to the back door.  I went in and got her breakfast and fresh water and visited a while before I went in for my own lunch.

Mrs. Gray escorts me to the back door...

Next it was on to the post office to mail our precious grant application.  I was shocked that Mrs. Gray followed me for a full block...just like a puppy she trotted behind me until I got to the bank.  She's never done that before...always realizing I'm NOT going to Zeva's, she stays put in the yard and watches for me to return.  She waited, but this time more than a block away from her home.

I had brought Zeva's lunch with me and so the two of us continued on to Zeva's house.  We filled her dishes with food and water.  Zeva is always happy to see me. She is more interested in me than the food...I get lots of head butts and whisker kisses... She and Mrs. G however, don't seem to want to be together anymore.  Strange because they are mother and daughter and lived together since Zeva's birth over 2 years ago now.  Since Mrs. G has migrated to my front porch, she and Zeva avoid and physical contact. Who knows what kind of mother-daughter tiff they might have had....

After a few minutes of fellowship, Mrs. Gray and I hurried across the highway to our big white house on the corner....  As I was coming up the steps I hears "Meow...." behind me and yes....

Zeva followed me home!

Zeva had followed us home!   I was totally shocked and happy (I think)...  She checked out everything on the porch.  Found out where the food and water was.   Sniffed the igloo and the straw bale... and even head butted Mrs. Gray.   They actually seemed happy to be together..It could be that Mrs. Gray's jutting away from her before was actually trying to get her to follow her?

Mother and daughter reunion?

So there you are...Mrs. Gray and Zeva both on my porch.   My fear and concern is that Zeva will go back and forth for a time at least...or who knows, maybe this will be her only visit.  So, I will just pray they stay put and avoid the highway.  They are my beauties and I know you all love them too. Thank you for helping us take care of them!

February Fundraiser Origami OWL!!!

Example of a fun locket!

This year, we are trying to focus on a fundraising event each month.   In January, we held an online Pampered Chef Party and were able to raise $75 from that.   Thats a spa treatment people!

This month we are doing another online "party". This time it is with Origami Owl.   Beautiful lockets that can be worn on bracelets or neck chains.   Personalize with your own charms that express your personality and interests!

Simply CLICK HERE to go get to our own fundraising page!

These events are very important to WIFCaP!   We hope that you will not only participate yourself, but that you will share this event with others as well.   Our budget for "spa treatments" will be close to $20,000 this year.  Without these fundraisers and your donations, we could not continue to help the feral and homeless kitties in Western Iowa!  Thank you!

Emily Shinn is our rep so if you have any questions you can email her here!  emily@huskers.unl.edu 

Have fun, enjoy your new piece of jewelry!

Wifcap will realize 90% of the profits!!

2013 in Review

As I sit at the computer with a small gray kitten snoozing in my lap, trying to decide where to begin reviewing our year,  I am reminded of the change within my own family of furry friends.

Jasper

In March of 2013 my Ricky was laid to rest after being hit by a car in front of my home.  That loss resulted in my decision to keep Lucy and Possum inside.   Tending to kittens over the summer showed me that Lucy was NOT going to welcome any other addition to our family.  I was all but resigned to the fact that we would remain a 2 kitty family, until Jasper came along. For some reason this sweet ball of gray fur has not only won over my heart, but the hearts of Possum, my husband and even Lucy.  Oh, she has her moments, but when on the first day he was with us, Lucy jumped on my lap and slept next to the sleeping baby, I knew he was a keeper.   No more outside for these 3...

Ricky

Ricky was not the only loss for WIFCaP last year.  True Haven lost 3 of their kitties, Daphne, Toby and Henry all went to the Rainbow Bridge.   Rhett Butler, the gentleman from the streets of Walnut passed on.  AVCheryl lost her dog Molly, our friend and supporter Jean S. lost her Tux,  Amber H. lost Dogger I just got word today that our friend and supporter in Shelby lost one of her outdoor kitties.There are more. Please if I missed noting your furbaby, forgive me....listing the sad losses is difficult, but those of you who know me, know that reality is high priority for me.  Among the losses, there were many gains and those are what we focus on.

Thanks to our wonderful friend Kim A. our logo was born in 2013!   I can't say enough how much I love it!

2013 resulted in 289 spa treatments!   A total of 465 since the start of WIFCaP.  We have helped a total of 627 cats since the fall of 2011.  I am so very proud of those numbers.   We remain a small organization, but this year we have grown in volunteers too.   I now have trappers in Atlantic and in Oakland to help me out.  We are learning all the time how to help people learn to trap and transport, which means one or two people (me and/or Cheryl) are not having to do all the physical "boots on the ground" work.   We have found fabulous people that are willing to help where help is needed.  Sue A is helping with grant writing, Becky H is helping with newsletters and Stacey M is working on volunteer coordination.  We are on the road to finding more volunteers to help with fundraisers.   As this all comes together, I can work more intensely on marketing and promotion (and bookkeeping and accounting).

TNR kitties

We could not do any of our work without the cooperation and work from Avoca Veterinary Clinic in Avoca, IA.  We are pleased to add Dr. Victora of the Cass County Animal Clinic in Atlantic IA to our team as well.  Dr. Schultz and Dr. Victora are our WIFCaP heros in so many ways!

Our budget has grown to over twice what it was in 2012, but we have had the best supporters ever!  Along with auctions and other fundraisers, we have people that just send money.   Without them, we would be lost and would have to stop doing what we know is so important.  Thank you!

Kathy and AVCheryl were asked to speak at the Iowa Federation of Humane Society's Annual Conference in September 2013.   What a pleasure it was to stand before our peers and share what we do, how we do it and why.

In 2013 WIFCaP  became the recipient of donated food from Purina Pro Plan to the Rescue, Iowa Animal Resource Pantry and became members of the Best Friend's Animal Society Network Partnership. There is nothing like the feeling when this huge truck backs up to my garage!  Having this "store" of food helps us keep our outdoor colonies fed.  At this time, I am distributing approx 200 pounds of food per month (if I have it).  Many thanks to all of you that feed these colonies out of your own pocket when we don't have the food to give you.

Southwest Iowa Animal Coalition was begun and WIFCaP was honored to be a charter member of this group of animal organizations, all wanting to work together for the benefit of homeless animals in Southwest Iowa.

Exciting grant funding was awarded to WIFCaP and the city of Oakland Iowa to focus on the spay and neuter of their community cats.  We are extremely grateful to Gayle Strickland, who wrote the grant, the city of Oakland and especially the Pottawatomie County Community Foundation for the funds granted for this project.  Having the city council and the county foundation recognize and reward us for our work, by funding us about makes my heart explode!!!

Mrs. Gray

Last but never least, Mrs. Gray and Zeva remain the "pin-up" girls for WIFCaP.  All of our supporters watch them on a near daily basis through the eyes of me, Kathy.   I feed them daily and report with pictures and short videos how they are doing.  Zeva was born during the summer of 2011 and Mrs. Gray is probably a year older (she is Zeva's mother).  Zeva still lives in the foundation of an unoccupied house in Walnut and with the blessings of the owners, WIFCaP has set up a nice feeding station where she gets food and water daily.   Mrs. Gray has moved from the "house" to Kathy's front porch.  There, she has her own feeding station and shelter if she needs it.  It does appear however, that she prefers hiding out under the porch.  These two cats are the perfect picture of what TNR is all about.   They were a family of six when WIFCaP first started and the first group to go in for spa treatment.  Now there are two, only one residing in the original location.   TNR is about reducing the overpopulation of outdoor cats.  We don't know what has happened to the other four cats...either they have moved on, or they met their end.  What we do know is, that while they were around, they didn't add to the increase of outdoor kitties, that they lived happy healthier lives and that they were fed well while they were here. This is our mission lived out.

Zeva

 So a good year it was and a new one has begun.  We already have our first 20 spa treatments for the year under our belt and of these only 6 I had to go out and help with.  We have a volunteer meeting set up for next week in hopes to find more passionate people so we can help more kitties...

2014 will be even  better and we hope you will hang with us and watch what we can do in Western Iowa.
Click on our HOW TO DONATE button on the right sidebar to see all the ways you can get involved with us!