Medical care & food for 125+ ferals in Richmond CA
Donation protected
We are caretakers of 15 fixed cat colonies in Richmond, California, totaling 125+ feral cats. While some colonies receive donations of food, others do not, and we do not receive any funding for medical care, which we cover out of our own pockets.
We are in significant need of funding to help cover the cost of medical issues that come up with our existing population of adult cats, for vet care for kittens, for spay/neuter, and for food for those colonies that do not receive donated food and when the feeders of those colonies do not have the funds to purchase food.
For example, one colony of 12 cats near the shipyards goes through 28 large cans of food per week, and one large bag of dry food.
We are constantly in a position of having to determine what kind of medical care we are able to afford for adult cats that become ill and must be trapped and treated.
Kittens must be given routine and sometimes specialized medical care before they can be adopted. These kittens are born to female cats we have not had success in trapping; to new females who are often discarded in the vicinity of a colony and who just "show up;" and, occasionally, a litter of kittens is discovered near a colony. Kittens also require a special kitten diet.
Newly-discovered feral cats must be spayed or neutered.
Cats must also be treated for worms, fleas and upper respiratory infections in the field on an as-needed basis, and these medications are costly.
Finally, "dumped" cats must be taken to a veterinarian for evaluation and possible treatment, if deemed to have medical issues.
While we utilize spay-neuter clinics and negotiate rescue rates with local veterinarians, this is a significant expense. As cats in our colonies age, their medical expenses increase. One surgery can cost hundreds of dollars. Labwork, like a senior panel, is very expensive, and we cover every dollar out of our own funds.
This funding will allow us to have money to draw on when needed for ill cats, for TNR, for kitten care, and to provide some food for feeders who cannot afford to purchase it.
Every penny donated will go to the care and feeding of our community cats.
We are in significant need of funding to help cover the cost of medical issues that come up with our existing population of adult cats, for vet care for kittens, for spay/neuter, and for food for those colonies that do not receive donated food and when the feeders of those colonies do not have the funds to purchase food.
For example, one colony of 12 cats near the shipyards goes through 28 large cans of food per week, and one large bag of dry food.
We are constantly in a position of having to determine what kind of medical care we are able to afford for adult cats that become ill and must be trapped and treated.
Kittens must be given routine and sometimes specialized medical care before they can be adopted. These kittens are born to female cats we have not had success in trapping; to new females who are often discarded in the vicinity of a colony and who just "show up;" and, occasionally, a litter of kittens is discovered near a colony. Kittens also require a special kitten diet.
Newly-discovered feral cats must be spayed or neutered.
Cats must also be treated for worms, fleas and upper respiratory infections in the field on an as-needed basis, and these medications are costly.
Finally, "dumped" cats must be taken to a veterinarian for evaluation and possible treatment, if deemed to have medical issues.
While we utilize spay-neuter clinics and negotiate rescue rates with local veterinarians, this is a significant expense. As cats in our colonies age, their medical expenses increase. One surgery can cost hundreds of dollars. Labwork, like a senior panel, is very expensive, and we cover every dollar out of our own funds.
This funding will allow us to have money to draw on when needed for ill cats, for TNR, for kitten care, and to provide some food for feeders who cannot afford to purchase it.
Every penny donated will go to the care and feeding of our community cats.
Organizer
Renate Valencia
Organizer
El Cerrito, CA
