Jan-Feb24

CFF NEWSLETTER

JAN-FEB 2024

Featured Adoptions

Save the Date - Valentine Open House

Message from the Director

Happy 2024! We leave behind a successful year at CFF and look forward to new and exciting adventures in the upcoming year.

In this issue, you will see some of the recent happenings around the Sanctuary and beyond. Our first major offsite event, Waikiki at Willoughby, was a great success. We expected a few hiccups since it was our first, but the event committee, led by Paola Kiriakow and Kathy Kienke, saw to every detail with the help of the wonderful team at Willoughby. Whatever hiccups there might have been were not noticed by the 150 revelers that evening. We netted $120,000 for the care and feeding of our residents. We are already planning for our next offsite event later this year.

For those of you who enjoy events at the Sanctuary, we have at least 3 things planned for 2024…February, April, and September. We’ll be hosting a Valentine’s event and a Fall Festival as we did in 2023. But be on the lookout for information about our April event…an evening party at CFF featuring some tropical surprises. Our 2024 event committee met and have a wonderful line-up in store. These are great opportunities to bring your friends to see our amazing facility which encourages both adoptions and volunteer engagement.

On a more somber note, we experienced a kitten virus infection during November. We are particularly grateful that we were well prepared due to the expansion of our isolation housing as well as having immediate access to on-site veterinary expertise and advice. We lost a few kittens, but it could have been very much worse. Most of the kittens returned to full health and vigor. I want to personally thank the staff and volunteers who really stepped up to follow the enhanced protocols which added to their already full workloads.

We hope to see you at our Valentine’s Open House on February 10 from 12 noon to 4pm. We have added food options to the event that also includes entertainment, vendors (did anyone say last-minute Valentine Day shopping?), tours and more fun! See our Events section for the invitation.

Pauline Glover

Executive Director

Pauline Glover

Executive Director

Board of Directors

Kathy Kienke

President

Bruce Lokay

Treasurer

Richard Loew

Secretary

Kimberly Atwell Donna Kern

John Pavela

Judy Schulte

Featured for Adoption

Sparkle

was adopted from CFF as a kitten about 2 years ago. A new person moved into her adopter’s home and was allergic….so Sparkle came back to us. This beautiful young girl loves her people but might do better in a home without other cats as she doesn’t want to share her attention. She has found adjustment to shelter life a little difficult, so she will need some time to adjust to a new home…but what cat doesn’t?

Marble

was a CFF mom this year. Her kittens were all adopted because they were as beautiful as she is. If you give her a minute to give you a quick sniff, she will be a loving pal. She can be seen during quiet times at the Sanctuary playing alone with her toys and happily living life. Her foster mother describes her as the sweetest thing ever. Marble has a slightly wonky eye, but she has sight in it and no medical attention is necessary.

Recent Adoptions

We usually reserve this space just for kitties available for adoption.

But, we are just so excited to share that in the last 10 days, we have found homes for 10 adult cats….

Voodoo, Morticia, Glinda, Amber, Felicity, Archie, Jackie, Baron, Nutella, and Graycee.

We wish them years of love and purrs in their new homes!

And What An Evening It Was!

Willoughby Golf Club was transformed into a tropical paradise on Saturday, December 2 for our first offsite event, Waikiki at Willoughby. Over 140 guests enjoyed cocktails, passed hors d’oeuvres, a wonderful buffet, and a stunning silent auction. There was lots of lively conversation and the reuniting of long-time friends after an absence of gathering due to COVID. The room was decorated with the tropics in mind...including bird-of-paradise floral arrangements on every table. It was wonderful to see so many guests embrace the tropical theme by wearing their best and brightest floral garments.

The evening culminated in some wild Hawaiian entertainment for our guests which included some audience participation. Pauline Glover and Gloria Oliver were impressive in their dance moves, but the line dancing by the guys of CFF was the high point of the evening. We can’t wait to see what next year’s event brings! And, yes, planning has already begun. There will be a new theme with new surprises in store. We hope to see you there!

Unsung Heroes

Our Sanctuary is comprised of so much more than the wonderful cottages and cattery. There are acres of other property to be cared for, prepared, and managed. There is a very quiet trio of folks who do most of it. Sure, we have a service who cuts the grass, but when you look beyond that…..whoa!

Toni Barnes, an attorney by profession, has been a life-long lover of gardening and plants. She transformed our pond area (as you can see from the before/after photos) into an oasis of tranquility for anyone who comes to our Sanctuary. What is not apparent from the “before” photo is the amount of junk, garbage, vines, invasive plants, etc. that were here when we came to the Wedelia property. Under Toni’s guidance and VERY hard work, it has been transformed. Toni comes weekly to take care of this very special place at the Sanctuary.

Frank Filo and Nick Guile provide the brawn to our landscaping efforts here. There is no project they won’t tackle….prep the ground for sod? No problem. Haul downed palm fronds after a storm? No problem. Clear out an area for a new campground? No problem. Keep smiling through it all? No problem. We love these guys!!!!

Frank came to CFF through long-time supporter Peggy Hart who is a close friend of his and his wife’s who came to know them because of their work with a feral community of cats. Nick is married to current Sanctuary Operation Manager Kim Guile.

Nick was first introduced to CFF when he assisted Kim and her fellow Animal Control officers helping move the cats from our previous location to the current Wedelia Terrace location. Nick, by profession, is a Vet Tech and loves his work at CFF as it benefits the cats.

Best Buddies in the Cattery

Oreo has been the official greeter in our cattery for years. No visitor gets by without his inspection and perhaps a request for some pats. Rudy, one of our resident tripods, was moved from the senior kennels to the open area in the Cattery…and an immediate friendship was formed. Maybe each one helps the other navigate their worlds, but whatever it is, the bond is amazing. You can see it in these pictures!

How You Can Help

Cat Adoptions

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

from 11am to 3pm (except Sundays) and have

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!