September Updates

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We’ve been busy since the last update! Toby and Kelly stayed with us for a few weeks and in that time completely came out of their shells and gained some good weight too. After their spay/neuter surgeries they were each adopted into great homes. It always feels good to have a happily ever after story to tell about our fosters.

About 3 weeks ago we took in a mama cat (Cali) and her three kittens (Sequoia, Whitney, and Poppy). We’re fostering for Greyfoot Cat Rescue and it’s been a delightful experience so far. Joan runs a great organization and I’d encourage you to check them out. Cali has had multiple worm issues but she’s finally past all of that which means she can start putting on some weight. She’s been an excellent mother to her three babies but all that nursing takes its toll. Thankfully, she’s healthy now and has a chance to live a good long life once her babies are weaned.

Since our last post, we’ve raised a little over $500 in fundraisers, donations, and in-kind donations. Mask sales have been phenomenal – we’ve sold nearly 50 so far and still have plenty on hand!

Earlier this week we took a look at a potential space downtown. It was fun to step inside and visualize it as a full-fledged cat lounge! I’ve got a list going of potential spaces. If Ventura County can continue the trend it’s on in terms of daily case counts, testing, and hospitalizations we’ll be that much closer to feeling much safe about opening to the public and being able to maintain a business.

If you have a chance to pick up a copy of The Ventura Breeze we have a nice write-up in the September 9th issue, on page 10. It’s very exciting to see our story in the paper and it will be even more exciting to finally announce a grand opening!

This Saturday is our meet-and-greet at Thille Park in Ventura. It’s an informal event from 9:30-11:00. I’ll be there in a red hat with a cat on it and either a Cassie’s Cats t-shirt or sweatshirt, depending on the weather. Masks and physical distancing will be required. I hope you’ll come out to say hello, meet me (Jennifer), and possibly go home with something for your cat or yourself! I’ll be bringing goodies from the shop and will be able to take credit and debit cards as well as cash and checks. See you there!

Mama Cali
Whitney, Poppy, and Sequoia (5 weeks old)

Mask Improvements!

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Constantly tinkering, I know, but I like where the masks have landed recently. They have adjustable elastic ear loops now and a new piece to help them fit better over the nose. Essentially, they are like the plastic-coated metal coffee bag closures! They measure about 4″ long and 1/4″ wide so they are less bulky than the pipe cleaners (which I still think work pretty well!).

So now in our masks we can offer child, medium, and large sizes, and each style is still adjustable for a good fit.

Here are a few photos to show how a medium mask fits me. You can see there is extra elastic on each side to fit me properly that could be let out if you have a slightly wider face. My glasses still fog a little now and then but generally the masks work pretty well for me. I hope they will for you, too!

And if you’ve made it this far, you’ll see that I also like birds. Especially chubby birds. 🙂

Adding New Mask Sizes and Adjustable Ear Loops

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In an effort to make masks both fun and functional I’ve been sewing up prototypes of three different sizes, and my mom has been sending masks for children in addition to the adult-sized masks she’d been making. Both masks will be adjustable at the ears as well. My mom’s use cotton string ties so all you have to do is tie them off where it feels best for you. I’ve ordered some silicon stoppers that should slide over the 1/4 ” elastic I use so that you can make the loops bigger or smaller.

To give you a sense of the size differences I made up one of each and marked them up with approximate measurements. Take a look:

Child, Medium, and Large Masks

Measuring from the edge to the center seam they measure about 4 5/8″, 5 1/8″, and 5 3/8″. Measuring from the nose to the chin they measure about 5 3/8″, 6″, and 6 3/8″.

You can see their relative sizes when stacked up here:

As soon as the silicon stoppers arrive I can get some finished masks into the shop. I’ll be offering an assortment of prints, some cats, some not. Cassie’s Cats got a donation of fabric and I have masks cut out and ready to be sewn.

I’m considering putting pictures of the new cat prints in the shop, letting people order the size they want, and then sewing to order. I can only get about four masks from each cut of fabric but hopefully this way supporters can get the sizes they think will fit best!

Welcome to 4 New Fosters!

We brought in a mama cat and her three kittens today. They had been living outside and a caring woman looked out for them and then reached out to have them taken into a rescue. No more babies for this mama, and no babies ever for her three kittens! This is what it takes to try and get a handle on the cat/kitten overpopulation problem in Ventura County.

Mama Cali is a tortie and looks to be an excellent mom to her babies. All three kittens are plump and adorable. Names and gender verification are coming. We’re guessing the kittens are around 2.5 weeks old.

Welcome to our home, sweet family.

Mama Cali with her two gray tabbies and one orange tabby

Meet and Greet Scheduled

We have a meet and greet scheduled for Saturday, September 12th. This is a chance to meet Jennifer, find out more about Cassie’s Cats, and meet other supporters. We’ll also bring items from our shop so bring your wallets! Who wants to be the first person to let us officially use our portable PayPal card reader? 😉

This will be a physically-distanced event and masks will be required. Feel free to come by at any time during the event and stay for however long you’d like. Bring your own coffee or tea (no food or drinks will be provided out of consideration for health).

The details:

Saturday, September 12th
Thille Park in Ventura (see map here)
9:30am – 11:00am
See the event listing on Facebook

Hope to see you there!