Save the Date – Fix Our Ferals 15th Anniversary Gala Event and Auction
By Jenny | May 23, 2013
Be sure to save Sunday October 13th on your calendar!
More details about donating for the auction, volunteering at the event and the event details to come.
Topics: Donate & Volunteer, Events, Fundraising | Comments Off
Thank you for your Memoriam Donations
By Jenny | May 18, 2013
IN MEMORIAM DONATIONS
Would you like to see a tribute to your beloved cat on this site? Call our hotline at (510) 433-9446.
A donation was made by Cindy and Vicky in honor of their precious Shiloh, a rescue kitty.
A donation was made to Fix Our Ferals by Janet Somers in memory of her beloved cat Minos.
Topics: Our Vets and Supporters, Thank You! | Comments Off
Thanks to our Volunteers
By Jenny | May 18, 2013
VOLUNTEERS
To find out about the many ways you can help Fix Our Ferals, call our hotline and leave a message for our volunteer coordinator.
We deeply appreciate the efforts of all the Fix Our Ferals volunteers.
Thank you for giving the East Bay feral cats a fighting chance for a better life.
Working together, we are making the feral TNR (trap/neuter/return) strategy work in the Bay Area.
Topics: Thank You! | Comments Off
Cat #3000!!!
By Jenny | May 14, 2013
We’re happy to report that we’ve now seen over 3000 cats at our new clinic! Check out #3000, what a cutie!
Topics: Clinic Updates | Comments Off
Want all the kitten fun, with none of the commitment?
By Jenny | May 9, 2013
Try fostering some kittens!
We’re looking for someone to foster two friendly six-week old kittens for 3 weeks, until they are ready for adoptions. Email Paula at foster@fixourferals.org to help out!
Topics: Donate & Volunteer | Comments Off
OakCatVidFest
By Jenny | May 8, 2013
Come join us at the OakCatVidFest:
Saturday May 11th, 2013
An Art & Cat Extravaganza Benefiting the East Bay SPCA
We will be there to support our fellow community group and handing out flyers about the center. We hope to see you there too!
Topics: What's new? | Comments Off
Spring Newsletter April 2013
By Jenny | April 1, 2013
Our 15th Year of Fixing Felines!
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Photo: Bronwyn Ahlbrecht
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Have you seen the amazing work at the Fix Our Ferals Spay/Neuter Center?
We are going strong and soon will fix our 3,000th cat!
We simply couldn’t be more proud of the top-quality loving care that we give every cat who comes through our doors. And, that’s all thanks to you, our treasured supporters and volunteers!
Fix Our Ferals is turning 15!
Join our special birthday campaign to raise $15,000
to help neighborhood cats!
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Photo: Bronwyn Ahlbrecht
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The world has changed a lot since we founded FOF in 1998. But one thing has not changed — our shared commitment to doing all we can to reduce suffering and improve the lives of community cats. Your support has created the successful program that each year helps thousands of cats and kittens — and the people who love and care for them.
We have come a long way from our humble beginnings 15 years ago. That’s when we started our Feral Cat Hotline and fixed 32 cats on a Sunday in July 1998 at our first all-volunteer M.A.S.H. spay/neuter clinic at Abbey Pet Hospital. In those days, Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) was a revolutionary concept in the East Bay. The prevailing notions of cat population control centered on trap and kill. With the hard work and dedication of people like you, we have successfully changed hearts and minds and mobilized a local TNR movement that is both humane and effective in addressing cat overpopulation.
Of course, we still have a lot of work to do, but our progress has been simply amazing. Now, we are getting close to completing our first full year of operations at our very own Fix Our Ferals Spay/Neuter Center! It is such a joy to be able to help more and more kitties every day and to give them the love and good lives they deserve.
I know you share our commitment. Only with support from caring people like you, can we continue offering our lifesaving, low-cost spay/neuter services.
We really need your help to keep our Center going.
That’s why we are launching this special 15th anniversary fundraising campaign.
Every dollar matters. Whether it’s $10 or $1,000, you will be helping our neighborhood cats and kittens to have happier, healthier lives. Your gifts mean so much to the cats in our community and to hardworking colony caretakers, cat lovers, and neighbors whose communities will be improved through TNR!
We are so grateful for your support.
Warm Regards,
Heather Lee
President, Board of Directors
Fix Our Ferals
“Fix Every Cat You Feed!”
Will You Help Save Many More Cats like Mr. 2000?
Three months ago, we fixed our 2000th kitty, none other than the One-and-Only “Mr. 2000!”
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Photo: Antonia Vanoni
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And believe it or not, in just a matter of weeks,
Our goal for our first full year of operation is to sterilize 5,000 cats! Your contributions are critically needed to reach that milestone.
Please make a generous donation today!
There are many ways to give:
or
Using PayPal
as a Section 501(c)3 non-profit organization,
ID# 94-3297241.
If you prefer to make a monthly donation through electronic funds transfer (EFT) or a credit card, please click on the Donate Now button and select the “make a recurring donation” option.
You can also make a donation by check by sending to:
Fix Our Ferals
PO Box 13083
Berkeley CA 94712-4083
Top Tips: Talking TNR with Businesses and Institutions
Over the past years, FOF advocacy volunteers have worked diligently to educate and negotiate with public entities, private institutions and businesses about neighborhood cats… and have met with some outstanding successes! Meeting with a community college president, the management of a large condominium complex, a city department or local transportation authority can certainly be daunting, complicated and challenging.
Here are some of our advocacy volunteers’ best tips:
Be calm and professional. Always remember, you are representing the cats. Keep emotions in check, be diplomatic and respectful. Dress and act in a professional manner that shows you are organized and capable.
Give managers the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes it turns out that Higher-Ups are truly unaware of a problem and know nothing about Trap-Neuter-Return. For example, the “cat problem” may instead exist between feeders and custodial or landscaping staff.
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Photo: Jackie Anderson
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Be a good listener. Find out what their real concerns are. Many times, it turns out that a colony has not been maintained in an ideal way: overfeeding or food left out at night may be attracting rats and raccoons, creating a nuisance (and putting the cats at risk). Subsequently, cats may be getting blamed for raccoon “poop latrines.” Your goal is to help the cats be good citizens.
Keep listening. Especially in cases where people do not appreciate the cats, it’s important to identify their exact complaints, so you can determine ways to resolve them.
Offer only what you can actually follow through with. ”Bargaining chips” may include:
- Setting up litter boxes for outdoor cats and “poop patrol” of the landscaping mulch
- Trapping and Spay/Neuter services
- Removal of any kittens and tame cats
- Provision of the name and number to call if other problems come up.
Be prepared to explain all about TNR and the vacuum effect. And anticipate their questions. Once folks understand the basic concepts and that the TNR approach is backed by scientific research, they can more easily see why a “managed” colony is preferable to an “unmanaged” colony. It’s a good idea to practice your talking points so you are comfortable with what you will say and how you will say it.
Check out Alley Cat Allies’ website for detailed information about “talking TNR,” negotiation advice, and educational tools!
How You Can Help the Center!
Here are some easy ways you can help the FOF Spay/Neuter Center and keep current with our exciting progress and news:
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| Photo: Mark Decker |
- Sign up for our e-newsletters to learn more about the What, When and How of the Center!
- Register for our new blog to get the latest Center updates and photos!
- Volunteer: whatever they may be, we can use your skills!
- Donate to our Capital Campaign!
Help us get the word out about our Center by clicking the Forward link at the end of this newsletter. Please send our e-communications to everyone you know!
Our Wish List
- Paper towels, powdered laundry soap, copy paper
- Volunteers to Share Feeding of Community Colonies
- A volunteer with graphic design skills
- A volunteer with special events experience
- A volunteer with grantwriting experience
- Gently used hand towels
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| Photo: Caitlin Costello |
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” - Mahatma Gandhi
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| Photo: Anne Marie Ross |
Want to help? But no time to trap or volunteer?
No worries! It’s easy to make a donation! Your generosity can help the many thousands of East Bay cats and kittens have good, outdoor lives through Fix Our Ferals’ free and low-cost spay/neuter services.
Photo: Caitlin Costello
How to Reach Us
PO Box 13083
hotline 510 433-9446
volunteers@fixourferals.org
www.FixOurFerals.org
“Fix Every Cat You Feed!”
Topics: Newsletter | Comments Off
Kitty Corner for Timid Cats
By Jenny | March 28, 2013
This clever fellow came up with an idea that may help more timid cats get adopted at shelters! http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-kitty-corner
Topics: In the News | Comments Off
Interview on KOIT
By admin | February 20, 2013
Board president Heather Lee and board member Dairne Ryan were interviewed on KOIT’s radio program, Today’s World. An mp3 file of the 28 minute interview is available here.
Topics: In the News | Comments Off
February is National Spay and Neuter Month!
By Jenny | February 18, 2013
The Found Animals Foundation has a post on the cost of spaying or neutering:
“If you are interested in providing a good home for a pet, but still feel you cannot afford the procedure, consider the cost of raising an unwanted litter of kittens or puppies. Having a litter will cost you immense time and money, considerably more than the one-time cost of having a spay or neuter surgery.”
We may be called “Fix Our Ferals” – but we also provide low cost spay/neuter services for pet cats too. See our rates page for more info.
Topics: What's new? | Comments Off
