{Here's a little factoid to get your Monday going...}
"An intact female cat, her mate and their offspring can produce up to 11,000 cats over the course of 5 years."
Since this last April, I have become increasingly involved in an organization called Carol's Feral's. This wonderful non-profit aims to assist outdoor dwelling cat caregivers with TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) services. (Note: an "outdoor dwelling cat" = a "feral cat", aka that adorable neighborhood kitty that avoids you at all costs, yet relies on you for food.) Left to their own devices, feral cats will reproduce non-stop (hence the above factoid), overpopulating the city with homeless felines. This is where organizations like Carol's Feral's come in.
My fateful encounter with the organization happened by chance, when my continual tries to volunteer with a good friend of mine who works with the local animal shelter, continually fell through. For some reason their lack of organization always led to me missing the training dates for volunteers and what-not. I gave up.
That's when good 'ol Facebook came through. After a friend of mine randomly suggested I "Like" the Carol's Feral's page (she knows me too well, anything with cats and I am hooked), I spent a good chunk of my afternoon browsing through their website and checking out all of their nifty info.
I continued reading and learned that Carol's Feral's not only handles TNR, but they also help adopt out cats and kittens that they find along the way when on their spay & neuter mission. And that's when I saw it: the words "volunteer" and "kitten cuddler". Now honestly, who could pass up the opportunity to hang out and cuddle with kittens for hours on end? (yes, I am sure my dear friend with the horrible cat allergies can say through her sneeze that she would be able to pass it up, but only by force of nature...). I sent an email to the organizer as fast as I could type.
Ever since, I have been making weekly trips out to their facility to cuddle, clean, scoop and feed the little buggers. As my time working with the non-profit grew, I became involved in helping with their monthly "Adoption Drives" at a local mall. They set up shop in the "common" area and bring their adoptables to be "Ooeed" and "Aaahhed" by all the passerby's, in hopes that someone will adopt. This past Saturday I helped out at the event and took some photos of my cute cuddly friends.
Ever since, I have been making weekly trips out to their facility to cuddle, clean, scoop and feed the little buggers. As my time working with the non-profit grew, I became involved in helping with their monthly "Adoption Drives" at a local mall. They set up shop in the "common" area and bring their adoptables to be "Ooeed" and "Aaahhed" by all the passerby's, in hopes that someone will adopt. This past Saturday I helped out at the event and took some photos of my cute cuddly friends.
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| "Maggie" - She's one of my favorites. <3 |
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| One of my favorite parts is watching the young kids' reactions to the animals. They go crazy! :) |
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| "Lacey"; They love to lay in these crazy positions! Very entertaining! |
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| The 9 week old kittens. Yeah, they were a hit! :) |
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| "Emme" & "Dax" (L - R). These sisters got adopted together! |
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| "Diesel" - the snuggler. Also known as the "One Who Sleeps in the Litter Box" |
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| "Stella". She's part Egyptian. Reminds me of that Seinfeld episode every time I say her name though. :) |
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| "Max" - I have a thing for orange kittens.... |
We had very good luck: 3 official adoptions, and more than 5 people filled out applications. They have appointments to come to the facility to take a closer look and pick out their new pet! :)
Anyone looking for a friend? Check out their website as well as their link to PetFinder, where all their adoptable cats & kittens can be found!
Anyone looking for a friend? Check out their website as well as their link to PetFinder, where all their adoptable cats & kittens can be found!
Much love,
