Cat Masks Have Been Restocked

posted in: Fundraising | 0

Our first batch of 10 cat-themed masks sold out very quickly. We’ve added 13 more to the shop so if you missed out the first time around now’s your chance to grab one! If you live in Ventura (93001, 93003, or 93004) we can deliver to you for a $10 donation; otherwise, we will mail anywhere in the U.S. for a $13 donation. https://www.cassiescatsandkittens.org/product/cotton-masks/

Thank you to Jennifer’s mom for donating her time, materials, and sewing expertise to this fundraiser!

2 New Fosters: Meet Toby and Kelly

posted in: Fostering | 0

Toby and Kelly came to us on August 1st, and they were part of a litter of kittens named after characters from The Office. I’m not sure when they first came to SPARC but they have been there for a while and spent a good deal of time in the medical side of the building being treated for ringworm, and possibly other issues as well. They are almost 3 months old now and have grown up in a kennel in a shelter. They will let people handle them but they are fearful and prefer to hide. They are also not eating as well as they should be and are underweight for their age – neither one weighs two pounds yet, which you would expect from a kitten any time from about 7-10 weeks old.

They have been here for about two days now and have already made a lot of progress. When I walk in the room they don’t always run and hide, and when I try to approach them they will sometimes stay put and let me come over and pet them. They’ve each gained roughly an ounce since Saturday night, which is encouraging.

They are adorable and I have a lot of confidence in them and their ability to overcome their fear and realize that people are friendly! You can watch updates on Facebook and Instagram.

Toby (black) and Kelly (calico) on August 1st

Why Are We Fundraising?

posted in: Education, Fundraising | 0

You might wonder why we are trying to raise money when we don’t even have a physical space yet. I want to make sure that our followers and supporters know what we are doing with the money we raise and what our plans are.

We’d like to open in a relatively high-traffic part of Ventura so we are looking at midtown and possibly downtown. That said, we want as much money to go toward saving cats and kittens, so we also don’t want to spend every last penny on rent. With good visibility, we will be easier to find and have more visitors. We’d like to open near other small businesses and try to establish some synergy where possible.

When we find the right spot to get started we will need to fix it up and furnish it. We’ll do as much of that ourselves for as cheaply as possible without sacrificing quality but there will be expenses associated.

And then there will be day-to-day costs. Rent will likely be at least $1500 and could be closer to $2000+. My (very) rough estimates for food and litter come out to about $400 for 8 cats in a month. Utilities, WiFi, insurance, scheduled and unexpected vet visits, etc. will all factor in as well.

We want to be responsible about all of this. Ideally, we will have a 3-month buffer in the bank. Right now, we have almost $1800 in the bank and the promise of another $3000 or so from the board once we have leased a place. Minimally, our goal is $6000 available when we sign the lease and start prepping to open. We want to be able to weather whatever comes our way so that once we open we can remain solvent and continue fulfilling our mission.

If you would like to help you can share our Facebook and Instagram posts and encourage friends and family to support our fundraisers. Everything helps! If every Facebook follower donated $5 we’d have over $600 right there. If every follower found one friend each to buy one toy off the website that would bring in another $500. It all truly adds up. Thank you for supporting our mission!

New Foster: Mama Amiga

posted in: Education, Fostering | 0

We took in a new foster on Monday, an adorable tabby/calico named Amiga. She came into SPARC as a stray and they had a feeling she might be pregnant. They performed an ultrasound and sure enough, kittens! I got a call asking if I could take her in and after figuring out where to have her stay safely while Coriander and Saffron are still here, I said yes and drove over to SPARC to pick her up.

Coriander and Saffron go back to SPARC Saturday afternoon for their spay/neuter surgeries and then to their “furever” home after that. Once they have moved on (sniff, sniff) I will deep clean the back room and move Amiga back there. For now, she is in a playpen in our daughter’s room (she’s living out of state for college so we have a little extra space on our hands). Amiga is probably not due for a few weeks, so we will just let her relax and keep her well-fed and well-hydrated. She’s very affectionate and friendly, and I am looking forward to getting to know her personality better.

If you’ve wanted to foster but didn’t think you had the room, these playpens can be very helpful. An extra bathroom, den, or bedroom works too! I like setting up these clear panels that can be found on Amazon for my fosters, but for several years I used the playpen until I felt the kitties could roam safely in my laundry/craft room.

Welcome, mama Amiga! Can’t wait to meet your kittens. 🙂

Mama Amiga, our newest foster

July Update

posted in: Education | 0

With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increasing in Ventura County we continue to watch and wait for a safe time to open the lounge. It would not be considered an essential business and as a non-profit organization, we need to be fiscally responsible. So, we wait. We have had some success with various fundraisers, raising about $300 since our last blog update. It is normal for donations to slow down once our immediate friends and family members have made their donations and our goal now is to grow our base of followers and supporters via Facebook and Instagram. The Facebook account has almost 130 followers and the Instagram account has a little over 170 followers. We’re sharing updates on fosters, thanking donors, showing off our cat-related clothing (#fridayfelinefinery), posting about new fundraisers, and more.

In terms of fundraisers, we have all kinds of handmade items for cats in our shop: bow ties, large kickers, mini kickers, felt toys in the shape of Scottie dogs, ladybugs, squirrels, and even fortune cookies, and more. We have 7 shirt/sweatshirt offerings and a Cassie’s Cats branded mask in the Bonfire storefront. Soon we will have a set of four watercolor notecards. The artwork is courtesy of one of my students from Oak Grove, a rising senior named Anna, and her paintings are beautiful. We can’t wait to get the notecards into the shop!

Thank you as always for your support. If you have any questions or would like to get involved, please feel free to reach out. 🙂