Craig Street Cats

This week Craig Street Cats moved to a new webserver, and the journey has been a tad traumatic.  I think everything is in its proper place now, but if you find any whoopsies, please be sure to let me know.

It’s a very good thing that this move was completely virtual.  The poor cats have been trying to figure out why things are topsy turvey around here — schedules all out of whack, mom up all night working on the computer, less cuddle time (oh horrors).

We have some new additions around here.  While I’ve been working away on this site, some very caring people have been finding cats and kittens that needed rescuing.  Kathy brought in the 2 kittens that needed vet care, as well as a big, black tom cat that we’re calling Kettle.  The youngest kitten has been adopted already (Kathy couldn’t resist ).  Kettle and the other kitten have appointments for neutering coming up soon.

June called just before Christmas about some kittens she had been feeding for quite awhile.  She was concerned about how they would survive the winter, so we went out and rescued them on Boxing Day.  June was obviously doing a very good job of feeding the babies, because they are incredibly sturdy — tending toward pudgy.  They have appointments with the vet, as well.

Things are starting to get back to normal around here, so I should have some photos of the new arrivals by the end of the week.  I hope.

It seems that kitten season isn’t quite over. Two new babies came in over the weekend, both from the same colony, but different litters. They are beautiful, long haired, black and white cuties, but both babies are very sick. They’ve been to see the doctor, and will be in quarantine for 2 weeks. They’re both on antibiotics and getting subcutaneous fluids several times per day.

This could have been a tragedy if it were not for Friends Fundraising for Animal Shelters, a very generous vet, and help from Darcy’s ARC. Thank you to all of you.

Which brings me to a painful realization. Up to now, Craig Street Cats has been operating on a very thin shoestring. Some very generous people have donated money, food, and supplies, but the vast majority of ongoing expenses has been coming out of my pocket. The arrival of the kittens at a time when I did not have the personal resources to cover their expenses is a wake up call. We need funds on hand at all times. We need an emergency fund. We need a room other than my bathroom to house sick kittens. It’s time to get serious about fundraising.

Craig Street Cats now has an official email newsletter. The first issue went out last night and today. A monthly recap of what’s been going on and how the cats are doing should be a good way to keep in touch with everyone that wants to know what’s up.

No sooner had I sent out the last batch than I remembered that I forgot something very important. In the thank yous I forgot to thank Thor at CompuType for all his help getting the kitten cards ready. Thank you, Thor, for making the process as painless as possible and for the truly stunning results. The cards are gorgeous.

I had a call from Terry Stapleton, at the CBC, this morning. It seems that they’ve been asked to hold all of their “unsung heroes” pieces until January. So, the piece about Craig Street Cats will not be airing today, after all. He will let me know when it will be on.