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 #66 - April, 2018
In This Issue
Letter from the President
Kitten Shower
Have you seen our Adoptables?
Want to Help?
Feral Fixers Wish List
The Human Race
Check out our Social Media!
Fosters are needed now!
How many cats? - 10,406!!
Shop on Amazon - Help Feral Fixers!
Event Calendar
Shop on CafePress - Help Feral Fixers!
Visit us on the Web
What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?
About us
Dear Friend,

Welcome to yet another jam-packed newsletter from Feral Fixers!

There is a lot of information to share with you in this issue, but first we have to remind you of the upcoming

Kitten Shower!

This will be our third annual Kitten Shower and it's shaping up to be the best one yet! More information about this event is in our Letter from the President and in the flyer shown later on in this newsletter. Early Bird registration ends soon - so act now!

The Letter from the President also contains updates on our latest spay/neuter trips, the status on our search for our own building, The Human Race (another upcoming fundraiser) and our Adoptables.

This newsletter also has links to our current Wish List and Social Media outlets, an update on the total number of cats we have spayed/neutered so far, information about our Adoptable cats and our ongoing need for Fosters, our current Event Calendar and much, much more!

Thank you for reading and thank you for support of Feral Fixers! See you at the Kitten Shower!

Sincerely,

Feral Fixers

(PS - you can see a full-size version of most of the pictures in this Newsletter just by clicking on the picture thumbnail.)
I'm not so sure about this...
Letter from the President

April already!

It may not feel like it but April is here already and there is so much to do!

There are two more trips to PAWS to report. On 3/29 we sent 13 cats, all ferals, of which 7 were males and 6 were females. Three of the ferals were being relocated thru the TreeHouse Cats At Work program. They were from a very inhospitable trailer park and very feral - they will do well. Carl is a feral that clearly wants to be friendly, he went to a foster and here are his pictures. He doesn't look happy in the one photo but sure is lovin' the petting. He is likely going to ADOPT for adoption. He's FIV+, they do a wonderful job of finding just the right home for the FIV+ cats.


On 4/5 we sent 9 cats, of which 7 were ferals and two were friendlies, comprised of 6 females and 3 males. Again, three of the ferals are destined to participate in the TreeHouse CAW program. They couldn't go back due to negative human neighbors and there were no other colonies to our knowledge for almost 2 miles around them for them to relocate themselves to. Of the two friendlies, the female had been inside for 2years and was finally getting spayed - a broken canine tooth was discovered during her exam and she will get that taken care of now that it has been discovered. The other friendly was a male that had been coming to the caretaker sporadically for a year and a half - Rudy will also go to ADOPT for adoption.



With these two trips, our March total is 50 and the start to April is 9, bringing our year total to 89 and our total since our beginning to 10,406. Many thanks to Charli and Dedra for transporting!

Kitten Shower

Speaking of lots to do - we're getting ready for the Kitten Shower. Working on baskets and items for our Silent Auction and door prizes, as always there are unique items for your bidding pleasure! Watch our facebook as we will be posting some of our Silent Auction items as we get them ready. Planning on lots of great food - lighter fare, lots of salads and deserts will be there. Come join us and spend time with fellow cat lovers - pre-registration by mail or online is $10 and $15 at the door on the day. Limited number of gift bags will be given away (still working on them!) with lots of cat goodies. Learn about fostering and all the opportunities available to help Feral Fixers move forward. Come have a great time!

Human Race

This is the first year we are participating in the DuPage Human Race. We have 6 participants and have raised $150 of our $500 goal. Please help motivate our runner/walkers and raise funds for Feral Fixers. I just made a donation of $60 - anyone willing to match me? That's $10 for each participant - wish it could be more! The Race is in three short weeks - lets make our first year memorable!!! For more information, please click here.

Building

The search goes on. Who knew that finding a 3,000 sq ft, $300,000 building with 10+ parking spaces in Lombard or Villa Park - ish would be a lot of hard work? We've looked at a bunch of buildings and have learned a lot. We even found a ready-to-assemble building that would fit our needs if we get the right piece of land - so far land is really expensive! Please let us know if you have the right answer for us! We don't have an active fundraiser right now but you can always make a donation to "Fund Our Ferals Future" anytime you would like. Thank you to all our donors who enabled us to surpass our goals for our recent Giving Grid fundraiser!!!

Adoptions

Our adoptions have been wonderful. There are cats that we have had in foster for over a year that are finding their forever homes! BUT, we still have many adults who are hoping to find a home before kittens arrive and push them out of the limelight! Many of them are deemed shy - translate that to being very selective in whom they bestow their affections upon! These are cats that would not do well in a typical shelter, much too busy, noisy for their tastes, they are letting us know up front that they know what they need, no false advertising here. Think about it, do you want an "in-your-face" type cat for the next decade or more? Do you want a companion that will share your space, give you space and be happy as can be doing so? Not all cats were meant to burrow under the covers and pop up in full purr and lick your nose at 6AM. We have those too, and we have had several cats returned for being too active and outgoing. Please give it some thought and consider our quiet adults who need a home just like yours to share with you!

Have you seen our Adoptables?
 
Feral Fixers encounters a huge number of cats that want to come inside.  Our friendlies are not limited to kittens, but some wonderful adults come our way.  We are so happy that the number of cats on our PetFinder page is at 30!  We are making huge progress thanks to our donors and the people who share our page and our cats. The kittens are coming, though, and before our adults get crowded out by the youngsters we ask that you look at our cats on hand once again.  We believe that there is the right home for every cat, even if it takes awhile for that home to show up.  Sometimes cats do not even reach our PetFinder page - we've already spoken to the perfect adopter and the cat shows up!  Here are two that have been waiting for special homes for far too long.

Here are just two cats that need your special help in finding the right home. We may have cats that are also FIV+, older or have a special home environment need. If you are interested in hearing about others we might have, please contact us.

Benny is a 2 - 3 year old male cat. He is sweet, sensitive, and very lovable. Does not like to be held but will jump into your lap when invited, especially if you're watching TV or reading. He loves playing fetch with ponytail holders, chasing laser lights and light balls. Benny would prefer to be the only cat; does not like dogs. He would do well with older children (age 8 and up) that are quiet and patient. Benny needs a quiet and calm home environment where he can feel safe and secure. Will need a couple of weeks to become comfortable in a new home, but once he does, will be a great companion! He loves being a lap cat and a sleeping buddy!!
 


Peony is a sweet and gentle ~1 yr old brown tabby girl, with gorgeous green eyes.  She enjoys petting and cuddling with her favorite people, and will talk to you when she wants attention.  She is a petite girl and likely to stay that way.  Peony also loves hanging out and playing with the other kitties in her foster room.  She will do well in a quieter home with a kitty buddy for her to hang out with.
Want to help?

Interested in helping Feral Fixers? We are looking for a 'few good volunteers'! Specifically, we need transporters, fosters, people to do laundry, scrub traps and cages, help with for s/n trips and recovery.

We need transport help both in the morning and the afternoon. If you're interested in helping, call us at (630) 881-7459 or email us at info@feralfixers.org.
Feral Fixers Wish List

SPECIAL NOTE - We have recently updated our Wish List on this site.  If you haven't visited it recently, we invite you to do so again in the near future - Thank you!

Want to help Feral Fixers by purchasing something that we really could use?  Then check out our Wish List on Amazon.  It contains many items listed that we would greatly appreciate and they are shipped directly to us!

This is a wonderful way to help Feral Fixers.  Many people prefer to support a charitable organization by purchasing items for them rather than sending them a donation and this is a way you can do so.

To find the Feral Fixers Wish List on Amazon.com, just go to their website and click on the Wish List link near the top, right-hand corner of the page.  Then enter the words "Feral Fixers" (without the quotation marks) into the box that says "Find Someone's Wish List" and hit Enter.  You'll then be presented with all of the items currently on Amazon.com that Feral Fixers would like to have.  Add the item(s) you wish to donate to your Shopping Cart in the normal manner and, when you pay for them, they'll be ordered and shipped directly to Feral Fixers!

And, if you order from the AmazonSmile website (see instructions elsewhere in this eNewsletter for instructions on how to do so), you'll help us in an additional way - you'll have donated one or more items to us AND 1/2% of your purchase price will also be additionally donated to Feral Fixers (this only applies to items that are so eligible - shown in the description of them item).

Thank you!

Check out our Social Media!

Please visit our website at www.feralfixers.org.  There you can donate to us (via PayPal or credit card), find out about all the ways you can help Feral Fixers, visit our store, read the latest news, and learn more about feral cats. You can see our list of Adoptable cats, follow the 'running total' of how many cats we've had spayed/neutered, see the current list of Upcoming Events, check out past years Archived articles, read about our Friends and Partners, sign up for our mailing list and much, much more!

We also have very active Facebook and Twitter pages. From these pages, you can get the latest information about what we are doing - often before it shows up on the blog!  Links for both of these pages (as well as our Instagram account) are on our website home page.

And don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook and the good karma will surely flow your way...
 
Thank you!
Fosters are needed now!
 
In addition to the continuous need for kitten fosters, we also have a number of adult cats who could greatly benefit from a foster home.  These are cats who are currently residing in a heated garage or other temporary holding location.  Several of these cats have personalities that do not blend well with other cats, so they are stressed in this environment and do not show well to potential adopters.  These wonderful adult cats also oftentimes have to wait much longer to be adopted than our younger kittens.

These cats would relish the opportunity to be in a single room in a foster home where they could enjoy some space of their own and watch the world go by from a sunny window ledge.  They won't demand much time or energy - just a few visits a day by a loving caregiver, who will attend to their food, water and litter box needs and give them some attention.  For this they will reward you with lots of love and affection.  No worries if you have other pets.  These cats will be fine staying in their own room and minding their own business.

Ruby is an example of one such cat.  She has been in a heated garage for many months.  She is a sweet girl who loves attention from humans, but does not get along well with other cats.  As a result, she often spends her days tucked into a corner in the garage to avoid the other cats.  She would benefit SO MUCH from the opportunity to be in a foster room in a home.  There are many more cats just like Ruby.

Do you have a spare room in your home to take in one of these cats as a foster and help prepare them for their forever home?  In return, fosters receive so much love and affection from these cats and the knowledge that they are part of the pipeline of Rescue - getting them ready for their forever homes!

Please, help us help them!

FYI - In our last newsletter, we featured Bethany in this section.  Responding to our plea, a wonderful Feral Fixers volunteer offered to foster her.  Bethany flourished in her foster home and was adopted within a few months.  Could you give Ruby this same opportunity?
How many cats? - 10,406!!


Year
# of cats fixed
2007
86
2008
529
2009
869
2010
1,003
2011
1,025
2012
1,232
2013
1,243
2014
1,291
2015
1,157
2016
1,010
2017
872
2018
89
Total
10,406

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.
Shop on Amazon - Help Feral Fixers!

Feral Fixers is now a designated charity on Amazon.com, the website which offers a gazillion items for sale.  A great many of these items have been designated eligible for "amazonsmile", a program that automatically donates 1/2% of the purchase price of the item to the charity of your choice.

Instead of signing on to http://amazon.com, sign on to http://smile.amazon.com instead.  You'll then be able to designate a "Favorite charity".  Enter "Feral Fixers" where asked to and then Feral Fixers will be eligible for these donations.

In order for you to then purchase amazonsmile items, you will always need to sign in to http://smile.amazon.com.  This is the same Amazon.com website you've always enjoyed - all of the products are still listed, but note that not every item on Amazon is "amazonsmile" eligible.  Items that are eligible are clearly designated as such in the description.

So, register Feral Fixers as your favorite charity and help us help the cats!

Thank you!
Event Calendar  
  
April 22, 2018 - Kitten Shower! - Mark your calendars now for our THIRD annual Kitten Shower! This event and fundraiser, focusing on the joys (and hassles) of kittens is scheduled for April 22nd. We'll have food, a Silent Auction and, of course, a cat-friendly crowd! Tickets are $15 at the door, but you can purchase them online for only $10 by clicking here or by sending a check, with the number and names of attendees, to Feral Fixers, PO Box 1416, Lombard, IL 60148. Mail-in registrations must be received by April 20th - see you there!

April 28, 2018 - The Human Race - Feral Fixers is participating in the 7th Annual DuPage Human Race, a community event and fundraiser organized by Giving DuPage. A 5k Run/Fitness Walk - family friendly 'feel good' fundraiser event that benefits over 70 non-profit organizations serving DuPage County. Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. at The Esplanade at Locust Point, 1901 W. Butterfield Road in Downers Grove. In addition to information posted here, you can learn more about this event by visiting their website. Registration fees are: Run - 5k for $30, Walk - 2k for $25 - price increase after January 31st! Registration fee goes up per month to race day fees of $45 & $40. Register early to get your t-shirt - for first 1,700 entrants! Want to help Feral Fixers raise even more money? Runners & walkers can become individual fundraisers for their favorite charity and 100% of all donations go directly to your charity of choice! Create your own fundraising page by clicking here. Top Fundraising & Race Participant Organizations are awarded additional monetary prizes.
  • $500 to the top fundraising organization (total $ amount: race registration and donations)
  • $300 to the organization with the most race participants
  • $250 to the organization whose board members raise the most dollars fundraising (we will use an average $ to keep fair among orgs)
  • $150 to a first-year race charity organization as a top fundraiser (total $ amount: race registration and donations)
May 12, 2018 - El Famous Burrito Fundraiser! - On Saturday, May 12th, from 10:30am to 11pm, Feral Fixers will host a fundraiser at the El Famous Burrito restaurant located at 256 W Roosevelt Rd in Lombard. 20% of your bill supports Feral Fixers! Please register to attend - need 20 attendees to pre-register to guarantee event (you can pre-register here. First time event at El Famous Burrito - First time restaurant event on a Saturday - First time for an 'all-day' opportunity to participate! Also, the following day is MOTHERS Day - so you can take your favorite Mom :) out to eat on Saturday and get an early start on celebrating her! You can download the event flyer here. And, if you miss the event and would still like to donate, the registration link will allow you to do so for up to 7 days following the event AND Feral Fixers will get 100% of your donation. Let's make this a successful event!

May 19/20, 2018 - PetSmartCharities Adoption Event!! - Feral Fixers will be hosting an adoption event at the PetSmart located at 63 Rice Lake Square in Wheaton from 11am to 3pm on either May 19th or 20th (exact date to be determined later). All of our cats/kittens are in Foster homes, are spayed/neutered, current on their vaccinations, microchipped, dewormed and FeLV/FIV tested. If you would like to get pre-approved for same-day adoption, please email us (by Thursday, May 17th) at gotfriendlies@feralfixers.org. You can see all of our adoptable cats by clicking on the Adoptable Cats link at the top of our website.

May 19, 2018 - Feral Fixers is having a Fantastic Garage Sale! If you have items to donate, please drop them off on the porch at 29 W 560 Butterfield Rd., Warrenville 5/12 to 5/18. Then come back and shop on 5/19 from 8AM to 3PM. You never know what we will have for sale! Click here for an online viewable map and here for a downloadable version.

October 16, 2018 - Wine & Whiskers! - Feral Fixers will be hosting its second annual Wine & Whiskers event at the Lynfred Winery located at 15 S Roselle Rd in Roselle on Tuesday, October 16th, from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. The first event was a great success and this one should be even better! The admission price of $50 will get you three different wines for sampling, a cheese tray and breads and access to a Silent Auction! The event will be held in their Barrel Room - the room with the high-top tables. You can make your reservation via PayPal or else by mailing a check (along with the names of the attendees) to Feral Fixers, PO Box 1416, Lombard, IL 60148. Reservations must be made by October 1st. If you're a wine lover and/or a cat lover, you'll have a great time - make your reservations now!
Shop on CafePress - Help 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 Tote Bag (shown at right), we have T-shirts, sweatshirts, aprons, mouse pads, gym bags, messenger bags, coffee mugs, tote-bags, pet food bowls, Pajamas and much, much more! A portion of each sale goes to help us in our TNR efforts.

To visit the store, just click on the picture of the Tote Bag 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