2 Jun 2020

An Update for June

by Jennifer Thompson | posted in: Education | 0

I thought it would be helpful to followers and supporters to know a little bit more about what has been happening behind the scenes at Cassie’s Cats. In January of this year, we filed for federal tax exemption, and in March we received our determination letter stating that we were an official 501 (c) 3 organization and that all donations to us would be tax-deductible. That was an exciting day! From there we filed for state tax exemption and filed other required paperwork. We also got listed with GuideStar and made sure we could be found in the Amazon Smile program and Facebook fundraising program (via Network for Good). We established a local bank account and from there were able to set up a PayPal account for nonprofits. We took advantage of Google’s offer of free Google Suite accounts for nonprofits so that we could make full use of email, shared docs and sheets, and more. We set up an Amazon account and created a wishlist. We ordered logo stickers from Sticker Mule to hand out to anyone who donated at least $5. (I have one my car and on my water bottle now, too!)

Once we had all of the legal things in place we were ready to start soliciting donations and holding fundraisers. We’ve been selling handmade cat toys (kickers and felt toys, both with catnip) as well as running a t-shirt and sweatshirt campaign on Bonfire. We have had financial donations come in as well as in-kind donations of kitten formula, cat litter, wet food for kittens, and kitten kibble. We have two more shirt designs waiting in the wings to launch later this month.

Since the beginning of April, we have raised about $1300 from fundraisers, straight financial donations, and in-kind donations.

So what’s next?

We continue to scout for places to lease for the lounge and adoption center. Ideally, we would like to find a place in midtown Ventura. There are several possible options available now, ranging from about $1500-$2400. With Ventura County slowly reopening, we are waiting to commit until it feels safe both from a health perspective and from a financial perspective. Once we are ready we will need to secure appropriate insurance as well as city permits (plus utilities and WiFi). How much work we will need to do to be ready to open will depend on the place that we finally lease. I have started a multi-store registry – think wedding or baby shower, but for cats! – and once we know we’ve got a place I will share that list so that people can send gifts for the cats we will soon be hosting. And speaking of cats: for now, I plan to work with VCAS and SPARC, but I have my eye on a couple of options in Los Angeles too where most shelters seem to be much farther from a no-kill status compared to our shelters here in Ventura County.

If you would like to get an email when we are opening you can sign up for that on our Reservations page. If you would like to volunteer (now or in the future) you can fill out the volunteer application. Word of mouth goes a long way, so if you’re excited about having a cat lounge in Ventura and know others who will be too, please tell them about us! Share our website, our Facebook page, and our Instagram account.

Thank you so much for your support!
-Jennifer

19 May 2020

Bottle-Feeding at Night

by Jennifer Thompson | posted in: Education | 0

One of the hardest things about taking care of neonatal kittens, or bottle babies, is that they need to eat frequently, and they need to eat around the clock! For the first week that will mean every 2 hours. By the end of the second week, you should be able to stretch it out to every 2.5-3 hours during the night. Will you be a little sleep-deprived? Perhaps. Part of it depends on how much sleep you need and how quickly you’re able to go back to sleep in the middle of the night.

For my two current bottle babies, I’ve set up a system that works for me and gets me back in bed within 10 minutes of the alarm going off. As long as I can fall back asleep fairly easily, I’m not all that tired the next day. Am I a little tired? Sure! But it’s manageable.

Before I go to bed, I make sure I have everything ready. I heat up water and fill a thermos. I grab a small cup and a larger tumbler. I put some blue ice in an insulated bag and put 1-2 bottles in it (already filled with formula). When it’s time to feed, I pour some hot water in the small cup and put the bottle in it to warm the formula. While it’s warming I help each kitten go to the bathroom. Next, it’s feeding time. As long as you have kittens that are latching well, this doesn’t take long at all. Then I put the bottle back in the lunch bag, pour out the used water into the large tumbler, wipe off their faces, “potty” each kitten one more time, tell them they’re good kittens and that I love them, and go back to bed.

Of course, there are going to be times when it’s not this easy. If someone has a potty accident in their bed you’ll need to do some cleaning up. If someone isn’t latching quickly you’ll have to be patient and wait for them to remember what to do (more tips here from Kitten Lady). But when the kittens are eating well and otherwise healthy, middle of the night feeds don’t have to take too long!

13 May 2020

So You Want to Foster Kittens?

by Jennifer Thompson | posted in: Education, Fostering | 0

Most shelters will do some sort of foster training and orientation before they bring on new fosters. Because of the coronavirus and sheltering in place orders, most shelters are not able to do this now. But the need for kitten fosters is always present, now more than ever as fewer spay-neuter surgeries may be happening due to clinics operating at reduced hours.

The following is a list of instructional videos from Kitten Lady that you can watch to start learning how to be a kitten foster. When I took in my first litter of kittens, they were just found outside and I did not have a shelter to help me. I did as much research online as I could and tried to learn what to do (and what NOT to do) in order to save those four tiny lives. It worked. I have learned more since then but the basics in neonatal kitten care are still the same: keep them warm, keep them fed, and keep them eliminating!

Here are my suggested videos for an essential education in kitten fostering. There are plenty more videos to watch on her site and elsewhere on the Internet but these will get you started!

Your local shelter or veterinarian can help you with vaccinations, upper respiratory infections, and other medical issues. Rule of thumb: if you have a concern, reach out for help! Most shelters have a network of fosters who are passionate about saving kittens and are happy to help new fosters.

8 May 2020

2 New Tiny Fosters

by Jennifer Thompson | posted in: Education, Fostering | 0

We took in two one-day-old ginger kittens this afternoon. They weighed in at 116 and 140 grams, and they still have their umbilical cords. They have had a rough start in life, losing their mom on their first day of life, but we’ll do all we can here to keep them safe and healthy so they can grow into big, strong cats! This is a good example of why spaying and neutering is so important, and why cats shouldn’t be left to their own devices outside.

25 Apr 2020

New to Fostering Kittens?

by Jennifer Thompson | posted in: Education, Fostering | 0

Maybe you found some kittens. Maybe you answered the call from a local shelter or rescue group. Maybe you don’t have any kittens yet but you’d like to try. Whatever it was, welcome to fostering! One great resource to answer just about any question you might have is Kitten Lady Hannah Shaw’s website.

Her site is full of articles, infographics, videos, and more to help you with every aspect of fostering “bottle babies” – neonatal kittens without mothers that need human help around the clock to help them survive. Topics include Getting Started, Assessing Kittens, Feeding Kittens, Bathroom Business, Physical Health, Behavioral Health, and Preparing for Adoption. She has recorded webinars, too!

Thank you for stepping up to help tiny kittens who need us to help them survive and thrive. =^..^=