• Clay cat litter - Tidy cat, Special Kitty
• Pate canned cat food - poultry varieties
• Paper Towels
• Kitten Chow
• Dry Kitten kibbles - Royal Cannin, Purina One, etc.
• Gerber meat baby food - Chicken, Ham, Turkey
• Heating pads that stay on permanently without self-shutting off
• Gift Cards - Target, Sam's Club, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Walmart, Pet Supplies Plus, PetSmart

Thank you!

We average about 1,000 cats spay/neutered each year.  Among those there are many cats that become adoptable.  We transfer cats to three area shelters - West Suburban Humane Society, ADOPT Pet Shelter and Naperville Area Humane Society and a few others that take cats when they can.  Due to the volume we encounter, Feral Fixers needs to adopt cats too!  We'd like to take this space to introduce you to some of the cats we have on hand that have some special needs.  We believe there is a right home for every cat that wants one, even if it takes a while for that home to show up.

Here are a few that need your help in finding the right home for them:

• Seuss was part of a large colony in Oregon, Illinois.  We don't normally work that far from DuPage but these cats needed intervention.  They had been fed primarily Meow Mix for years and their health was not the best.  Seuss arrived to us with upper respiratory, intestinal parasites, you name it.  He now is very healthy except will always have a chronic eye condition.  Supplements and monitoring should be all he needs in addition to a home full of love.  He's a playful and happy cat and has made great strides in being all he can be!


• Bacall started out life in a dog boarding facility.  There is no telling how many litters of kittens she had before we got her.  Due to eating a lot of dog food over the years, she needs to be on a grain-free diet - she gets unbelievably gassy from those grains!  Easy fix!  She loves laps and sleeping in bed with you, other cats are okay but she is definitely people-oriented!


• Rosalee - oh Rosalee, she just does not think she is in the same species as cats.  Alien creatures to be rebuffed!  Humans, now, that's the ticket!  Loving, playful, happy if she has her human!  In 2014 she was spayed as a feral in Glendale Heights.  Somehow she made her way to Bolingbrook where she was turned into Animal Control.  We've had her for a year and a half, do you have room in your heart for a single cat?

These three may never be transferred to a shelter due to their requirements, and they need homes of their own - please share their information with friends and family and help us to fulfill their needs!

Finally, we'd like to tell you about River.  We've come to know that black cats try harder and are often the sweetest and River runs true to the norm!  He was born with an eye issue, blind in his right eye and limited vision in his left, probably only seeing light and dark.  He uses his other senses to make up the difference and is healthy in all other regards.  It may take him awhile to get used to a new environment, but his good nature and love of life will carry him thru.

In order to keep his eyelids from adhering to his eyes he needs daily over-the-counter eye drops to lubricate his eyes and keep them pain-free.  A small task for such a loving cat!

Bacall, Rosalee, Seuss and River are all on our Petfinder (click on the Adoptable Cats link on our website)/ - learn more and fill out an adoption application!"

The first step upon discovering kittens in your yard is to vacate the area unless they are in immediate danger.  Keep tabs on the situation from a distance, inside the house so the mom cat will feel comfortable returning to them.

The second, assuming you have not been feeding the mother cat, is to check with your neighbors to see if they have been feeding cats.

The third, if you are able, is to offer the mom cat a safe place to move her kittens to.  A shelter stuffed with straw, even a cardboard box (stuffed with straw) with a hole cut in the side just big enough for her to come and go might encourage her to move her kittens out of bushes, a pile of firewood, etc.

If the kittens are in danger - roaming dogs, coyotes seen daily, lawn care workers coming to re-do the back yard, your siding is being replaced, mom cat has not been seen for two days, then and only then, should the kittens be removed.  The mom cat can usually do an excellent job of caring for the kittens and there is time to contact Feral Fixers and make a plan of how to move forward.  The best food is the mom's milk, the best emotional support is mom's care - human care is a poor second choice at best.

Pregnant females will give birth in locations that they think are safe but inexperienced first-timers may have to make a hasty selection.  That's how kittens end up in bushes, flower beds, window wells.

Moms move their litters several times while caring for them, situations change, kittens grow, weather changes.  The important thing is to keep an eye on them and be aware of where the kittens are being moved to.  The rule of thumb has always been that kittens need to eat every two hours.  In truth, while the kittens are with the mom they might nurse continuously, but the mom can be gone for long stretches of time - sometimes eight hours plus.  If she is out searching for food, searching for a new location, that can take time.  While the mom is gone, kittens often go into a semi-comatose state, limiting energy expenditure until she returns.  So, unless the kittens are screaming with hunger, are cold, have been left for more than 24 hours, it is best not to intervene.

In the worst case scenario, you have nabbed the kittens and are now wondering what to do:  get them warm - heating pad, hot water bottles (fill a drinking bottle with hot water, wrap in a towel, put wrapped bottle in box/carrier with them).  Do not attempt to feed them until they are completely warmed up.  Feeding before warmed up could be fatal, cannot emphasize that enough.  The best food is KMR (kitten milk replacement formula) which can be purchased at pet stores.  Never give cow's milk, it does not have the correct enzymes and nutrients that the kittens need and will do more harm than good.  Never give baby cereal (old wives' tale).  If you cannot get to a pet store, the Kitten Rescue Handbook has a huge amount of information for the correct way to care for the kittens, including recipes for formula from ingredients you may have on hand.

Pregnant females need extra food but that need doubles and triples once they start nursing kittens.  If you know a cat is taking care of kittens be sure to have plenty of fresh water available, too.  If the kittens are moved out of your yard, but you are still feeding, mom will probably still bring them to the food station when they are approximately 5 weeks old.  That is the optimum time for bringing them in for taming and ultimate adoption.  The mom cat has done all of the hard work, nursing, caring, and has brought them to the point where they can eat solid food.  Five weeks is the time when they will imprint on humans most easily.   The effort to tame increases tremendously the older they get, using up resources of rescue organizations, delaying adoptions, increasing the chance that you will not be able to trap one or more and those kittens will go on to give birth to more and the cycle will continue.

There are a limited number of adoptive homes, limited space in rescues.  The most important thing you could do is practice TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) on the cats in your neighborhood and prevent the litter of kittens in your yard!  

While Feral Fixers has been at work in DuPage County, neutering over 8,600 cats in eight and a half years, the numbers of cats euthanized at DuPage County Animal Care & Control has been steadily decreasing.  In 2013, 2014, 2015, there were zero adoptable cats euthanized each year.  The intake and euthanization of feral cats was under 100.  The practice of TNR is working and the numbers are proof.  The number of calls from residents with new, large colonies has been decreasing too!

Feral Fixers can help feral cat caretakers take care of spaying/neutering, instruct on care of kittens, facilitate the placement of kittens in shelters, assist in adoptions, but our resources are limited and can only take in a small number of kittens ourselves.  Therefore, prevention thru TNR is the key to resolving cat overpopulation in Elmhurst and DuPage County.

When you see stray and feral cats in your yard, your neighborhood, contact Feral Fixers so that the numbers of cats do not increase and you do not end up with Kittens In Your Yard!

Want to help Feral Fixers by purchasing something that we really could use?  Then check out our Wish List on Amazon.  It contains many items listed that we would greatly appreciate and they are shipped directly to us!

This is a wonderful way to help Feral Fixers.  Many people prefer to support a charitable organization by purchasing items for them rather than sending them a donation and this is a way you can do so.

To find the Feral Fixers Wish List on Amazon.com, just go to their website and click on the Wish List link near the top, right-hand corner of the page.  Then enter the words "Feral Fixers" (without the quotation marks) into the box that says "Find Someone's Wish List" and hit Enter.  You'll then be presented with all of the items currently on Amazon.com that Feral Fixers would like to have.  Add the item(s) you wish to donate to your Shopping Cart in the normal manner and, when you pay for them, they'll be ordered and shipped directly to Feral Fixers!

And, if you order from the AmazonSmile website (see instructions elsewhere in this eNewsletter for instructions on how to do so), you'll help us in an additional way - you'll have donated one or more items to us AND 1/2% of your purchase price will also be additionally donated to Feral Fixers (this only applies to items that are so eligible - shown in the description of them item).

Thank you!

Feral Fixers has a very active Facebook page. Information is updated daily - sometimes hourly!  Find out what you can do, what we need, how you can have an impact on ferals, strays, cats in general!  "Like" us there and the good karma will surely flow your way...

Visit our website at www.feralfixers.org, an enormous resource about feral cats and what we do.  There you can donate to us (via PayPal or credit card), see the ways you can help Feral Fixers, our adoptable cats, the latest news, visit our store and learn more about feral cats.  Follow the "running total" of how many cats we've spayed/neutered, see the Upcoming Events, archived articles from the past and learn about our Friends and Partners and so much more!

There are links to our Facebook and Instagram pages, ResQWalk - a smartphone app that tracks how far you've walked your pet or exercised (these miles accumulate for Feral Fixers to help us win money at the same time)!  And sign up for our mailing list so that you receive our email newsletters and stay informed!

One of the reasons why people & some shelters react so adversely to FIV+ cats is the fear that they will transmit the Virus to other cats. While this can happen through deep-bite wounds, with cats that have been spayed/neutered (and thus less aggressive) this is rare. The great folks over at Felines & Canines did a study where they tested over 100 cats that had been living together for over a year - many FIV+ and the rest FIV-. Their results were very telling; not a single cat that had come into the shelter FIV- had contracted the Virus from the FIV+ cats it had been living with - not a single one. If you want to read the story about this study, click here.

And now, a study from the University of Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine agrees.  Money quote from the article:

It is wonderful that such a prestigious organization such as this has confirmed what people who have practical experience in this already know and, hopefully, it will reduce the anxiety that many have about FIV+ cats.  And, speaking of FIV+ cats,

Feral Fixers has several FIV+ cats available for Adoption.  And, to help make them more adoptable, the fee for Adopting one of these lovable boys is on $55!  And, some of these cats have had their adoption fee pre-paid!

If you are interested, please email [email protected] or call (630) 881-7459 for more details.

Thank you!

Feral Fixers will be again participating in the Shred4Rescues event to be held on June 25th from 9am-1pm at the Citadel Information Management location - 827 Blackhawk Drive in Westmont. We will be hosting a tent with information on Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and photos of all of our Adoptable cats and kittens.

People will be bringing documents to be securely shredded and the proceeds from the payments for those services are donated to the groups, such as ours, which are hosting a booth at that event. So, if you have some documents piling up that you want shredded, bring them along to this event and help support Feral Fixers - thank you! You can download the event flyer here.

Fosters are needed now!

Kittens are coming!  We refer to it as a "Kitten Avalanche!"  We've only seen the very first rumblings so far but by the time we get to the Kitten Shower, we should be immersed!  In addition, we have so many lovely adults that need some time in a home before they can go on to their permanent families - former ferals are so grateful at the chance to come inside.  

With the large number of shelters in this area, we are all competing for a very small pool of possible foster families.  Our fosters enable us to adopt out our cats but also enable us to transfer our cats to shelters that, due to their size, may have a larger network and more adoption applicants than we have - gaining more exposure for the cats that we have fostered and transferred to them, ready for adoption.  

Fostering requirements:

We do our best to work with fosters but they need to:  

• Be in easy driving distance of Lombard - emergencies happen and being 45 minutes away, one way, is just not a good idea.
• Have only one or few animals of their own - asking someone to take on 4 additional cats when they already have 4+ animals on hand could be a problem.
• Spend a reasonable amount of time at home - someone who travels or has long work days cannot sufficiently support the behavior modification that is sometimes necessary with young kittens.

Be clear about expectations of us and ask plenty of questions!

In return, fosters receive so much love and affection from these cats and the knowledge that they are part of the pipeline of Rescue - getting them ready for their forever homes!

Did you know that some of your purchases on ebay can directly help Feral Fixers?  When a seller posts an item, they can designate a charity to donate a portion of the proceeds to.  Several people have done so for Feral Fixers.  When you purchase one or more of these items, a portion of the sale is donated directly to Feral Fixers!

You don't have to register anything, submit any coupons, fill out any forms, etc.  All you have to do is to purchase an item whose seller has designated Feral Fixers as their Charity of Choice.

If you follow this link, you can see all the items on ebay that have Feral Fixers as a designated charity.

Our thanks to those sellers who have so-designated Feral Fixers - your contributions are greatly appreciated!  And, if you are a seller and would like to start designating Feral Fixers as a Charity, instructions on how to do so are shown on the same page.

Thank you!

How many cats? - 8,683!!

Year	# of cats fixed
2007	86
2008	529
2009	869
2010	1,003
2011	1,025
2012	1,232
2013	1,243
2014	1,291
2015	1,157
2016	248
Total	8,683

Clicking on the Computer monitor will send you to the Feral Fixers 'Statistics' page where you can see our progress, month-by-month, since we've started work.

The P.A.W.S. Club of Wheaton North High School does it again!

The P.A.W.S. Club of Wheaton North High School spent their afternoon and early evening on Friday, May 6th, collecting donations for animal welfare at the Wheaton Jewel.  They prepare a wish list and hand them out to shoppers on their way into the store and collect the donations from the shoppers as they exit.  So simple and so generous of the P.A.W.S. Club to spend their time helping us - thank you!

Feral Fixers is now a designated charity on Amazon.com, the website which offers a gazillion items for sale.  A great many of these items have been designated eligible for "amazonsmile", a program that automatically donates 1/2% of the purchase price of the item to the charity of your choice.

Instead of signing on to http://amazon.com, sign on to http://smile.amazon.com instead.  You'll then be able to designate a "Favorite charity".  Enter "Feral Fixers" where asked to and then Feral Fixers will be eligible for these donations.

In order for you to then purchase amazonsmile items, you will always need to sign in to http://smile.amazon.com.  This is the same Amazon.com website you've always enjoyed - all of the products are still listed, but note that not every item on Amazon is "amazonsmile" eligible.  Items that are eligible are clearly designated as such in the description.

So, register Feral Fixers as your favorite charity and help us help the cats!

Thank you!

Want to purchase something purr-fect for your cat-lover friends and help out Feral Fixers at the same time?  Just visit our CafePress store and Buy Something! In addition to the Can Insulator shown to the right (perfect for keeping your drinks cold), we have T-shirts, sweatshirts, aprons, mouse pads, gym bags, messenger bags, coffee mugs, tote-bags, pet food bowls, Pajamas and much, much more! A portion of each sale goes to help us in our TNR efforts.

Visit our website at www.feralfixers.org.  There you can donate to us (via PayPal or credit card), visit our store, read the latest news, and learn more about feral cats.