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Message from the Director

Our Sanctuary has been a bee-hive of activity as we have been putting the finishing touches on our newest cottage, Chessie’s Station in Campground A.  The train theme has been a big hit with our feline residents!  Chessie’s Station is located where Pink’s Place used to be.  You’ll read about Pink’s renovations, as well as those in the Nursery and Care Center, in the pages to follow.

 

A nonprofit like CFF could not operate without the efforts of a team of dedicated volunteers.  In good weather and bad, our feeder/cleaner volunteers show up reliably and regularly to do their assigned jobs. They develop relationships with the cats who reside in the areas in which they work…and the cats count on seeing them much as owned cats count on seeing their humans.  Our afternoon volunteers make sure that the litterboxes are scooped, feed our kittens and seniors, do mounds of laundry, and provide TLC to all the kitties who cross their paths. Our foster volunteers help mold tiny infant kitties into social, trusting, fun-loving young kittens ready for adoption.  Our admin volunteers handle the mounds of record-keeping, marketing, social media, and fundraising.  You’ll be reading about one of our key admin volunteers in this issue.  Our grounds volunteers keep our outdoor areas shipshape and beautiful.  A Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon is scheduled for mid-August…a small way to say thank you to a big crew of contributors to our success.

 

And, while we applaud every kitten adoption, we are all truly grateful for the adoptions of our adult, senior or special-needs cats. Two of the cats we featured in the last issue went to wonderful homes….Jolly Roger, our one-eyed lover-boy, and Gomez, a 1-year-old tuxedo charmer.  And, Betty White, a 15+-year-old declawed arthritic lady who was found as a stray on the streets and whose fate was uncertain in her previous situation, was adopted by a long-time CFF supporter.  In spite of Betty’s age and other physical challenges, she was the sweetest girl in her area at CFF.  And, now our sweet Betty spends her days lounging in her adopter’s lap, purring and enjoying the life she always should have had. Life is good…

Until next time,

Pauline Glover

Executive Director

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Pauline Glover

Executive Director

Board of Directors

 

Kathy Kienke

President

Bruce Lokay

Treasurer

Richard Loew

Secretary

John Pavela

Judy Schulte

Featured for Adoption

Jackie

came to CFF as a young mom from a hoarding situation with her 4 kittens. Her social skills were limited then, but she was a fantastic mom.  After her kittens were all adopted, she changed her mind about humans and became the sweetest girl in her CFF area.  So sweet, in fact, that she was adopted!  Unfortunately, after a couple of years, her owner could no longer care for her and she has come back to us.  Jackie is extremely companionable and wants nothing more than to be by your side.  She is not a lap cat, but she is surely a thigh cat…pressed up against yours when you sit down!

Rupert

is a 3-month-old guy with CH…Cerebellar Hypoplasia. He has a normal life expectancy and has regular cognitive abilities.  The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls fine motor skills, balance, and coordination….his condition is neither painful or contagious.  He is in a foster home with another CH adult cat (and, yes, a CFF alum!), so he is learning to embrace his unique way of getting around.  He plays, eats, purrs, cuddles, uses the litter box, and snoozes…Rupert just has an endearing way of getting those things done!

Lola

is a 3-year-old black beauty, is blind…but she has never met a person she didn’t love.  Sometimes, blind cats are fearful, reclusive, or tentative.  But, not Lola!  Once she gives you a quick sniff, you might find her in your lap or leaning on your shoulder. Blind cats do very well once they become acquainted with their territory and pose no additional challenges for their owners.  And, as you can see from this photo, she is as playful as a sighted cat. Spend 5 minutes with Lola, and you’ll see what we mean!

Unsung Heroes...Diane Conway!

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Most of you know that we keep an updated “white board” in the cattery showing our adoption numbers by month for the current year and a listing of total adoptions for the prior years.  In general, we adopt between 450 and 500 cats and kittens each year.  Each adoption requires processing, registering the microchip to the adopter, updating files, etc.  But, each adoption is also an opportunity to bring in another cat or kitten…which also requires processing!  Diane is the keeper of all of those thousands of records.  And, when the need arises to put our hands on paperwork for a cat who was adopted several years before, Diane gets it done without breaking a sweat.  She is also Pauline’s “go to” person for any problem troubleshooting, recordkeeping, archiving, and just about anything else that requires discretion, attention to detail, and thoroughness. 

 

Diane inherited her mom’s cat in 1992, and she and her husband have never looked back!  Growing up along the Delaware River in Bucks County, PA, she developed a love for water which she shared with this first kitty. Since then, they have shared their home with many kitties and, in fact, are currently providing CFF senior cat, Tommy, with a wonderful foster home filled with all the things an old guy should have.

Her volunteerism began in Valley Forge, PA, where she fed and cleaned at a shelter near her home.  After retiring and moving to FL in 2015, she landed at CFF in a role similar to the one she had in PA.  But, don’t think that Diane only sits behind her desk….she spends time with all of the Cattery residents every time she comes.  You can even see our snooziest seniors perk up when they hear Diane’s voice. 

Thank you, Diane!

Sanctuary Improvements

Chessie’s Station, in Campground A, is complete and housing many happy cats!

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Pink’s Place has been moved behind the Nursery and will serve as another Isolation space

once renovations have been completed.

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The Surgical Suite now has an enclosed breezeway to provide extra safety while we house our TNVR cats awaiting surgery.  They are kept safe in their traps and placed on this shelving that was specially designed by Paul Wardley and Rory Toussaint to allow for both safety and sanitizing. We have also acquired an important piece of laser equipment funded by a generous donor for use in various surgical procedures increasing efficiency and reducing recovery time.

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A Treatment Room has been created on the other side of the Care Center.  Once again, a generous donor underwrote the cost of processing equipment that allows us to run various tests in house rather than having to send them to the lab.  We get the results immediately allowing for more rapid treatment responses.

We now have an Isolation Room, located in part of our Nursery, for cats and kittens who suffer from contagious illness or who just need a confined space to recover.

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How You Can Help

Cat Adoptions

Are you looking for the perfect kitty companion to brighten your life?  We have open adoption hours on

Friday, Saturday and Monday from 11am to 3pm

with adoption counselors on hand to introduce you to

our kittens and cats. 

Other times are available by appointment (772-463-7386). 

The adoption fee is $100 for one and $150 for two.

Any adopted cat/kitten must be in a carrier to leave the property

for the animal’s safety.

Donate

As you might imagine, we need lots of supplies to care for 150+ adult residents and anywhere from 20 to 80 kittens in foster homes.  Our list is also available on Amazon.com.

  • Friskees canned food

  • Fancy Feast kitten canned food

  • Purina One Healthy Kitten dry food

  • Purina One adult dry food

  • Scoopable cat litter

  • Paper towels

  • Dawn dish soap (blue)

  • Temptation treats

Volunteer

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our Sanctuary. 

Without them, we could not care for our residents, provide foster homes for our kittens, hold fundraising events, maintain our social media presence and our website, etc. 

Volunteer and Foster applications are available on our website.  Please complete and submit the application, and we will be in touch!

Mark Your Calendar and Support CFF!

Save The Date

Merry Meows featuring Waikiki at Willoughby

Saturday, December 2, 2023. 

Willoughby Country Club

5:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Heart Melt Moment

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Pictured here is momma kitty, Polly. She and her 3 nursing kittens are in a loving foster home.  Her astute foster mom called with concern that perhaps Polly had developed mastitis, a painful infection that could impede her kittens from nursing successfully.  After consultation with our vet, Polly was put on antibiotics.  The vet also suggested a holistic palliative treatment…applying cold cabbage compresses to Polly’s belly.  As you can see by her biscuit-making front paws, Polly approves!

Check out other issues of the CFF Newsletter: 

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