Craig Street Cats

life jumps up and smacks you upside the head.  After the success of our rummage sale, I was feeling as though, maybe, we had moved into the black, and things could get back to what passes for normal around here.  No such luck.

9 cats and kittens have come into care over the past week.  All of them are at least partly social, which means that they cannot go through the Humane Society TNR program, and must be taken to private vets for sterilization.  Another 5 kittens and 2 queens will probably be coming in over the next few days.  These are also social.

The money we raised at our rummage sale and at the Forks last week (a total of just over $4,000 for the two events) will run out long before the last of the current crop has been adopted.  Another major fundraiser is going to be necessary in order to make it through the summer. 

I’m thinking music, summer breezes, fruity drinks with little parasols in them.  Hmmmm.  Stay tuned.

Well, our first major fundraising event is now history.  It was a great weekend, and a huge success.  Because of all the incredible donations of “rummage”, prizes, food, drink and volunteer time, we were able to raise over $3,500 to care for the cats.  I will be posting a complete account of the event once all the bills are in, and everything has been paid.

Thank you to all of the incredible volunteers who made this event possible.  Without them, I’d still be sitting in the middle of a pile of stuff, wondering how on earth I was going to get it all out of my house.

Thank you to all of the businesses and individuals who donated amazing prize items for our silent auction.  We had some of the most beautiful prize baskets I’ve ever seen at a silent auction.

Thank you to all of the wonderful people who donated really nice stuff for the rummage sale. 

Thank you to the staff at R.A. Steen CC, who took great care of us, and made the whole process much easier than it could have been.

And finally, thank you to everyone who came out and supported us at our rummage sale.  You have made a difference for the feral cats in Wolseley.

Oh my.  We’re getting to the exciting part.

Tomorrow, at 10 am, the doors open on Craig Street Cats’ first major fundraising event.  Things are looking very exciting.  We have lots of great “rummage”, beautiful silent auction baskets, yummy baking, and great coffee and lunch items.  The kids table has lots of interesting and beautiful items for the young ones to do their mother’s day shopping.  All told, it’s looking like a lot of fun.

Of course, the cats and I are looking forward to having the house back.  They have enjoyed exploring the boxes and bales currently stacked from floor to ceiling, but they really would like to have their favorite resting places back.  I’d just like to find the couch.  The good news is that by tomorrow, all the “stuff” will be out of here, and the fun will have begun.

See you at R.A. Steen!

Gulp.  Less than 1 week til our first major fundraising event.

Things are moving along quite well, but we do still need a few things to make this event a rollicking success:

• a coffee sponsor who will provide coffee, sugar, cream, cups and napkins (or people who want to donate any one of those items)
• soft drinks:  10 cases of canned soft drinks
• baked items
• gently used “stuff”

Please call 223-6652 if you can help with any of these items.

Drop off for rummage and bake sale items:

487 Craig St.  Monday to Friday, 6pm to 9pm

Special Guests:

Friends Fundraising for Animal Shelters will be joining us.  Make sure to drop by their booth while you’re there.

Culture Kids T’s has agreed to join us for the weekend.  In addition to a very nice donation to our silent auction, Susan will be offering her line of edgy kids t-shirts, in sizes newborn to 3X, at deeply discounted prices, and donating a generous percentage to Craig Street Cats.

Soooo. . .

We’ll see you May 9 and 10 at R.A. Steen CC, 980 Palmerston.   Drop by, have some coffee, eat lunch, buy some goodies, let the kids shop for mom, and help us make life a little better for the feral, lost, and abandoned cats of Wolseley.