Hard to believe that it is already the end of 2017! We neutered 870 cats this year, we revisited many locations that had new cats pop up, completed many more and helped so many people who could not have afforded full-cost spay/neuter for their outside OR inside cats. Numbers are down and it's a great thing to see! We still managed to neuter over 10,000 cats since 2007! We are on track to possibly do 300 adoptions once again this year, keeping pace with other local rescues that do adoptions. We are still discussing building plans and hope to have a basic idea of our goals to show at Frosty Claws.

Frosty Claws

Speaking of Frosty Claws - it is our TENTH yearly celebration, at the Villa Park VFW on Sunday, January 14th from 12 noon to 4 PM. Join us for food, fun & prizes. Remember, it may be crowded but you will not find another event like this one!

If you would like to donate to our Silent Auction or door prizes, the cut off for donations is 1/2/17 - we need time to assemble those great gift baskets from all the goodies you donate! What do we need? New in the package or unique or vintage or hand-crafted should be the guidelines - if your mom, sister or uncle would not want it, who would? We need volunteers for transporting stuff, set-up, tear-down, baking, tasks during the event - we can use the help! Please contact Tammy at tnr.tammy@yahoo.com or 630-881-3977 with donations or volunteer offers! We look forward to seeing you on January 14th - YOU are what makes the event so special!

Changes

Changes are happening at DuPage County Animal Care and Control - they are entering Phase II of their building improvements and taking ferals into consideration in those plans. There are more spay/neuter options coming to the area, we'll keep you informed. We hope to move forward with building plans of our own and we need more people on our board to help us with that - if you have experience with board and officer positions, have participated in a Capital Campaign, please let us know, we need people who can be part of our team!

Cats From Feral Fixers

We transfer cats to several other organizations as well as doing adoptions ourselves. Cats from Feral Fixers seem to have an extra spark somehow - and that is not just personal prejudice talking! They seem to try harder to fit in and if an adoption is not going to work, there is usually no question about it, they seem to know what they want! If you are sharing your home with an FF alumn, please share how they are doing on our Facebook page, we love to hear about it! Also, be loud and proud about where your cat came from, it will help so many others find a great home, too. Please educate yourself and others about FIV+ cats, they almost always have wonderful temperaments and are so appreciative of their home and care and usually require no more medical care than any other cat. Our year-end, as usual, finds us with too many cats on hand, all looking for that home that is right for them. Fill your home with purrs this Holiday Season, adopt a cat from Feral Fixers (or one of our partners!).

We thank our donors and supporters for making 2017 a great year for the cats!

We look forward to seeing you in 2018!

Out of the nearly 900 cats spayed/neutered in 2017 due to our efforts, there are going to be some adoptables - at least 400 in one year!  We work with three main area shelters, West Suburban Humane Society, ADOPT Pet Shelter and Naperville Area Humane Society, and a few others that take cats when they can. We've found that in order to place these cats, Feral Fixers needs to do adoptions, too. Here we'd like to take a bit of space to introduce you to a few of the cats we have on hand that have been waiting for a home for some time. We totally believe that there is the right home for every cat, even if it takes a while for that home to show up.

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.

Youssef is a 3 year old, orange tabby male. My green eyes will tell you that I am meant to be your one and only. I am very friendly with people and love to be held and petted. I also get along well with dogs. The family who welcomes me into their home will be special because I tested FIV+. I'm symptom free and will likely stay that way for many years in a loving home with good nutrition and regular vet visits. There are no guarantees in life but I'd love a family to give me a shot. I will not disappoint. Oh, and a supporter of Feral Fixers thinks I'm awesome and wants to see me in a home so much that the fee for me has been paid. . . now I just need that family.

 
Teanna is an adult female who is frequently called "Pretty Girl" by her foster Mom. A bit shy but LOVES when people come up to her while she is sitting at the top of the cat tower, AKA throne, and give her attention.  She also gets along very well with the other cats in the home. She would adjust great as an only cat or with a friend or two. There is a dog in the foster home, she's not sure what to think of him yet, but stay safe at the top of my throne when he comes around.  Please come meet Teanna!

Our 10K1K10Yr Celebration was great!  So many people came who we hadn't seen in years and it was wonderful to see the people who had just TNR'd their cats talking to those who were veterans of TNR!  As always, so many cat people feeling comfortable at a Feral Fixers event, enjoying the food and fellowship.  Sue Lee, our Adoption Manager, spoke about our adoption program and the over 1,000 cats that have been adopted in the last four years.  I spoke about our history, the way we all came together in the past 10 years, and about our needs for the future - a building.

We cannot continue to support the cats of DuPage County without a building that can house our adoptables in one location, be a focal point for volunteers to come to and to get the cats of Feral Fixers out of our garages and basements, where they are held before and after surgery, recovery from illness and assessment for adoptability. We've looked at some locations and hope to have more information about our needs to pass on to our donors very soon!  We will need your help with money, donations of supplies and volunteering to put it all together!

Our speeches were very well received, what a great audience!  Many thanks to everyone who came and to everyone who has supported us to bring us to this milestone!

During the Event, a video celebrating our Milestone was shown. You can view the video by clicking below.

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!

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!

Saving Community Cats

This fall, DCACC was awarded one-time financial assistance from Best Friends Animal Society to provide spay/neuter, microchip, and vaccinations for 40 community (i.e. feral) cats so that they can be released back outdoors rather than face euthanasia.  In late 2016, DCACC began actively seeking placement for community cats via our informal "working cats" program which aims to release community cats received by DCACC back to responsible colony caretakers.  These initiatives are the result of our goal to end the blanket policy of euthanizing every feral cat received by DCACC and help as many as possible to find a positive outcome.

Specialty Veterinary Vehicle

DuPage County's animals will soon benefit from a very generous $300,000 grant from the Brooks J. McCormick Institute for Animal Rights Law and Policy!  The grant was made possible by DCACC volunteer, foster and DAF board member Amanda Yancey, who worked with staff to develop the funding concept and present it to managers of the trust.  This specialty vehicle will be used for veterinary outreach within DuPage County, veterinary disaster response wherever needed, humane education, off-site adoption events, and even to provide diagnostic services not currently available at the shelter (i.e. x-ray).  Look for our vehicle to make the rounds around town beginning in May 2018!

 

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 often have to spend most of their time in a cage.  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 stretch out their legs, roam around a bit 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.

Bethany is an example of one such cat.  She has been in a cage in a heated garage for many months.  She is a very sweet girl who loves attention from humans, but does not get along well with other cats.  This has necessitated that she stay in her cage, and as a result, she has put on some weight and gotten a little grumpy.  She would benefit SO MUCH from the opportunity to be in a foster room in a home.  There are many more cats just like Bethany.

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!

Feral Fixers has been practicing TNR for over ten years now.  Areas that had huge numbers of cats when we started neutering have dwindled down to very manageable numbers.  One such area was in Addison.  In December of 2012, there were three basic colonies along Fullerton between Rt. 53 and LaLonde.  The cats had initially moved back and forth a bit between the three locations but once neutered seemed to settle down into their own groups.  Caring for these colonies required the efforts of many different caretakers.  The businesses allowed the cats to stay but it was up to the volunteer caretakers to show up every day, no matter the weather to monitor, trap and feed the colonies.  These cats did not lead an easy life, it's an industrial area, chemicals, heavy equipment, fast traffic on Fullerton.
 
There have been a total of 55 documented cats and kittens in the Fullerton colonies.  Kittens removed and adopted out numbered 12.  A few went home with employees of the businesses.  One moved to Michigan with his caretaker.  

In the past year or so a lot of the cats have disappeared, we're hoping that many of them moved into the surrounding residential area and are being cared for there or have been taken inside and are living the good life.  Five years is a long time for a feral and some of the cats have been showing their age.

The volunteer who had overseen the Fullerton Colonies used her own resources to build a cat room into her garage.  Cat trees, a couch, windows, heat and air conditioning - and a camera so that she could monitor them!  In 2017 she began to gradually trap the remaining cats, starting with the friendliest first, and with donations from former colony feeders and friends, got them updated on their medical, got dentals and moved them into their room.  We are so grateful for the donations that supported this endeavor!  As the cats have relaxed, she has been able to find homes for them thru her circle and Feral Fixers.  In November, the last of the cats from the Fullerton Colonies were trapped and brought in.  The businesses will alert us if they see any new cats.
 
Removing cats from a colony is not the first answer.  But if done gradually, as the cats show their interest, there should not be a sudden vacuum that then will be filled.  We are crossing our fingers that this will have a lasting effect and that the Fullerton Colonies will not return.  
 
Success stories like this are possible through your support of Feral Fixers - Thank YOU!

Winter Cat Care

 

As the recent weather has reminded us, winter is here! And feral cats need extra care to help protect them in these conditions. There are several websites that contain excellent information about how to help the feral cats make it through the weather. Some of our favorites are:

Alley Cat Allies

Neighborhood Cats

ASPCA

Yes, everything can freeze quickly. In addition to the websites mentioned above, TorontoStreetCats has an excellent article about how you can make a Do-It-Yourself Water Bowl Warmer for your outdoor furry friends. If you are unable to run electricity out to your feeding station for an electric bowl warmer, these DIY projects might be just the ticket. You can find them here.

Number 10,000!

 

On Thursday, August 31st, 2017 Feral Fixers had its 10,000th cat spayed/neutered, an orange & white tabby, Smirnoff. Picture on the right is Smirnoff recovering from surgery and posing with some of the awesome staff at P.A.W.S. and below, hanging out with the chickens! According to Smirnoff's caretaker, he and his five siblings are doing great hanging out with the chickens that she raises for eggs.  She loves them all!  No drama here, just 6 cats living the life they choose!"

Thank you all for your support!  We couldn't do it without you!

There are so many people to say "Thank You" to. To all the volunteers, feral cat caretakers and fosters, we say "THANK YOU - We couldn't have done it without you!"  To the awesomely wonderful people at PAWS, the fabulous organization that has spayed/neutered the great majority of our cats, we say "THANK YOU - We couldn't have done it without you!" To the people at Glen Ellyn Animal Hospital, who take care of our "special needs" cats at a very favorable rate, we say "THANK YOU - We couldn't do it without you! To the officers and directors of Feral Fixers, we say "THANK YOU - We couldn't have done it without you!"

And to all of our donors and supporters, we say "THANK YOU - We couldn't have done it without you!"

How many cats? - 10,315!!

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	870
Total	10,315

Clicking on the Computer will send you to the Feral Fixers 'Statistics' page where you can see our progress, month-by-month, since we've started work.

Proposed Illinois Senate Bill 2280, was announced today at Naperville Area Humane Society.  A crowd of animal lovers, representing animal rescue, government and activism gathered to hear the announcement of the proposed legislation that would ban the sale of commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores in DuPage and Will Counties.  The fine for doing so would be $500 per instance.  Instead, adoption from a 501(c)3 organization would be required.  This is ban would closely follow the current one in Chicago.  Hopes are for other counties to follow suite once this legislation is in place.  It will lead to more awareness of the need for spay/neuter and animal adoption! You can read more about this and see a Video of the Press Conference at goo.gl/xhwun9.

(Pictured are Left to right: Carolyn Mossberger, Executive Director West Suburban Humane Society, State Representative David Olsen, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin, Chris Stirn, Executive Director ADOPT Pet Shelter, Tom Van Winkle, Executive Director Hinsdale Humane Society, Senator Michael Connelly, DuPage State's Attorney Robert Berlin, Anna Payton, Executive Director Naperville Area Humane Society, Brian Krajewski, DuPage County Animal Care and Control Committee Chairman. Photo courtesy Lorae Mundt Furry Expressions Photography).

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!

As many of you know, each year Feral Fixers sends out a Holiday Greeting card to everyone on our mailing list.

Beginning with the 2012 card, the picture on the card was chosen from entries made by you, our friends and supporters. While there is no monetary prize awarded for the winning entry, the winning photographer will be credited on the Holiday Card.

The picture should definitely say "winter" and "outdoor cat". A shelter would be nice, but is certainly not required. We can accept pictures in nearly any format as long as the resolution is acceptable.

And so we would like to recognize the winning picture for this year's holiday card submitted by Ms. Mary Rosa.

Thank you Mary - this picture of "Pumpkin" truly says "winter" and "outdoor cat"!

Please send your submissions to photocontest@feralfixers.org.

The deadline for entering is April 15, 2018.

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 Throw Pillow (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.

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.