Animal Welfare Professionals

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

You're the MAN, Bernie!  Thank you for your compassion and your action to help all the struggling felines in your county.  We've been rescuing cats in rural West Tennessee for the past 22 years, about 500 a year.  I can tell you the biggest hurdle we face is meeting our annual budget of around $250K.  We do have some overhead with our physical facility and supporting ten foster homes with supplies etc.  Our biggest expense is veterinary care and we receive deep discounts from two vet practices.  I say all this because the cost of rescuing 500 cats a year can get away from you very quickly, if you are self-funding.  We end up with some very costly surgeries/treatments for rescued cats (we take all comers).  I don't know if you have a Vet School anywhere near you, but we use the Mississippi State University vet school for complex and costly surgeries that they do almost free to help train their students.  The majority of our funds come from modest online donors and we supplement that with a active grant-writing program.  We've received 10 grants from national foundations in the past 30 months.  I can tell you that the available grants for animal welfare are sparse and not huge.  So my best advice to you is build a donor base using your Facebook site and any other social media  you feel  comfortable with.    Leave grants until a year  or so to build up  some results andcredibility as you will need that to write successful grant.   Best of Success!

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

Thanks for the feedback Bruce.  The local TNR clinic is doing spay/neuter for us at an average of $75+/- when you include the extra costs for in heat females or aborted sedation when cats have a respiratory infection or something.  That includes Rabies and FVLP vaccinations.  Just doing TNR, which is really my main focus, we can do 500 a year for $40,000 +/-.  I'm planning to put $10,000 into it this year, which will do at least 100 cats, I've got to raise funds for the rest though.  Hopefully, our vet expenses will remain manageable with just small things like URIs, eye infections and wormings.  I'm not sure it really makes sense to take heroic efforts to save a feral cat that needs major care and recovery, unless they're already very well socialized and we can place them somewhere.  I don't need any more project cats...lol

We're looking at doing some fundraising events, things like a Sip & Paint at one of the area wineries, a rubber duck race in the river if we ever get some rain, corn hole tournament or an outdoor movie night using an inflatable screen.  Stuff like this should be well attended and help with fundraising.  I'm looking at doing some raffles as well. 

I've looked into grants and have found that, like you said, there aren't that many of them and they aren't all that much money.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have another $2,500 or $5,000 from a grant but, I'm not sure that the amount of effort involved in chasing that wouldn't be better spent on our own fundraising efforts.

You're the MAN, Bernie!  Thank you for your compassion and your action to help all the struggling felines in your county.  We've been rescuing cats in rural West Tennessee for the past 22 years, about 500 a year.  I can tell you the biggest hurdle we face is meeting our annual budget of around $250K.  We do have some overhead with our physical facility and supporting ten foster homes with supplies etc.  Our biggest expense is veterinary care and we receive deep discounts from two vet practices.  I say all this because the cost of rescuing 500 cats a year can get away from you very quickly, if you are self-funding.  We end up with some very costly surgeries/treatments for rescued cats (we take all comers).  I don't know if you have a Vet School anywhere near you, but we use the Mississippi State University vet school for complex and costly surgeries that they do almost free to help train their students.  The majority of our funds come from modest online donors and we supplement that with a active grant-writing program.  We've received 10 grants from national foundations in the past 30 months.  I can tell you that the available grants for animal welfare are sparse and not huge.  So my best advice to you is build a donor base using your Facebook site and any other social media  you feel  comfortable with.    Leave grants until a year  or so to build up  some results andcredibility as you will need that to write successful grant.   Best of Success!

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)
#CommunityCatManagement
#FosterPrograms
#FundraisingandDevelopment
#MarketingandSocialMedia
#OrganizationalManagement
#Rehoming

------------------------------
Bernie Granier
Head Cat Wrangler
Bandera Cat Rescue / TNR
TX
------------------------------

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

Hi Bernie, 

Well done!  I have family in Texas and realize that cats are often considered expendable out there.  That's awesome that you can self fund, at least for a little bit.  I was under the same plan when I started my Community Cat program last July, but was quickly approached by a donor who offered her husband's help in getting me 501c3 status.  i recommend doing that as soon as you can.  Our Board is comprised of 3 like-minded individuals who do all the dirty work for now, but I just received my first TNR grant from the Binky Foundation yesterday!  I also partnered with my local municipality to set aside some tax dollars to fund surgeries through a TNR partner.

We have a Facebook webpage, but it's local.  I have found a few high dollar donors, and am ready to start my first fundraiser on my own in March, so hopefully it goes well - if it does, I'll share results.  I'm creating my solicitation letters for all the businesses in town to ask for donations as well.  I wish I could go as big as an entire shelter, but I work full time.  Becoming the 501c3 allowed me to use the Fundraising tools on PayPal, Venmo and Facebook so here's hoping that helps as well.  

What I have found helpful is networking.  Allowing people who want to help, a way to help in the way they want to.  Some people are really good and organizing, and others can transport.  Lean heavily on them so it frees you up to run the show!  Best of luck@

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

Thanks Suzanne, I created the Tx Nonprofit Corp, got my EIN and submitted the 501(c)3 paperwork last week.  I'm just waiting for the IRS to send me a letter, which takes however long it takes.  I'm collecting things for an online raffle or silent auction right now, I think that'll do better than just asking people for donations.  I've gotten a few donations, about $275, it helps but it's not nearly enough.  We're also working on planning some fun events as fundraisers, a Sip & Paint at a local winery, outdoor movie night, rubber duck race if we ever get some rain and the river is flowing well, etc.

I did setup a FB page and have a website in progress (https://banderacatrescue.org).  I've also met with the Executive Director at the non-profit clinic that I'm using for the spay/neuter to talk about ways to collaborate.  I think my next step is going to be to visit with the County Judge (sort of like the mayor of a county in Tx, not a judge in the traditional sense) to see if there might be some funding there, or at least some way to generate more awareness. 

I can already see this is going to be a lot of work but, someone has to do it and I guess that someone is going to be me.  At least for now.

------------------------------
Bernie Granier
Head Cat Wrangler
Bandera Cat Rescue / TNR
TX

Original Message:
Sent: 02-26-2025 10:34 AM
From: Suzanne Shriner
Subject: Starting a TNR and Rescue organization in an underserved area - please give me your advice.

Hi Bernie, 

Well done!  I have family in Texas and realize that cats are often considered expendable out there.  That's awesome that you can self fund, at least for a little bit.  I was under the same plan when I started my Community Cat program last July, but was quickly approached by a donor who offered her husband's help in getting me 501c3 status.  i recommend doing that as soon as you can.  Our Board is comprised of 3 like-minded individuals who do all the dirty work for now, but I just received my first TNR grant from the Binky Foundation yesterday!  I also partnered with my local municipality to set aside some tax dollars to fund surgeries through a TNR partner.

We have a Facebook webpage, but it's local.  I have found a few high dollar donors, and am ready to start my first fundraiser on my own in March, so hopefully it goes well - if it does, I'll share results.  I'm creating my solicitation letters for all the businesses in town to ask for donations as well.  I wish I could go as big as an entire shelter, but I work full time.  Becoming the 501c3 allowed me to use the Fundraising tools on PayPal, Venmo and Facebook so here's hoping that helps as well.  

What I have found helpful is networking.  Allowing people who want to help, a way to help in the way they want to.  Some people are really good and organizing, and others can transport.  Lean heavily on them so it frees you up to run the show!  Best of luck@

------------------------------
Suzanne Shriner
Director
South Middleton Community Cats
PA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-21-2025 11:39 AM
From: Bernie Granier
Subject: Starting a TNR and Rescue organization in an underserved area - please give me your advice.

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)
#CommunityCatManagement
#FosterPrograms
#FundraisingandDevelopment
#MarketingandSocialMedia
#OrganizationalManagement
#Rehoming

------------------------------
Bernie Granier
Head Cat Wrangler
Bandera Cat Rescue / TNR
TX
------------------------------

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

I thought I'd come back and update everyone on what's happened in the last 3 months and what I've learned.  First, what we've managed to accomplish.

• We've TNR'ed 60 cats since 2/18, 90% of which are females
• Got 501(c)3 status using the short form, side note - don't tell others that went through the long form process how easy and fast the short form is.  If looks could kill....
• Raised a little over $8,000, which includes a MuttNation Foundation grant, $3,500 of my own money and $400 from a raffle
• Scheduled a Paint and Sip fundraiser for 5/24 where we hope to raise another $2,000
• We had to euthanize one because it was in such bad shape.  We lost one to injuries caused by a racoon while it was in a trap, I still have immense guilt over her and it changed the way we do some things.

Here's what I've learned, some of it I suspected going into it, some of it has been a surprise.

• A surprise is that fundraising is a constant effort.  While I originally planned to self fund this and do 100 cats this year, it immediately became apparent that wasn't going to have much of an impact so I revised that up to 500 and had to start asking others to help.  Most of the people that will praise what you're doing will not give anything to help support it, not even $5.  I wish they'd realize how much $5 from 100 people every month would help but, they can't seem to grasp that skipping a single coffee shop trip can make a big difference.
• There's always someone that's going to criticize what you're doing, even if you have the same goals.  This could be the person that says we should just shoot the feral cats, to the person that criticizes us for not combo testing every cat.  Reality is that, even if I agreed shooting was the answer, we're going to get a lot more cooperation and have more impact with TNR than the shooter will so not supporting us is counterproductive to a shared goal of reducing the population.  And combo testing, well yeah it would be ideal but, it would also reduce the number of cats we can spay by 1/3 and since we've made a decision to focus only on females right now for maximum population impact, it wouldn't matter because we're not touching the Toms right now who are just as likely to be infected.  These critics also never do anything to help, they just want to try to tear you down so they need to be blocked and ignored or they'll suck you dry.
• URIs are a MUCH bigger issue than I expected in the colonies and where one in a colony has one, there are always many others that will as well.  Thankfully, I already had a vial of Draxxin for my livestock, that's been a huge blessing and it's been extremely effective.
• More than half of our spays have been pregnant so, the hope that I could avoid spay/aborts was a pipe dream.  I still have some guilt over this but, I've accepted that it's a necessary evil.  I wish it could be different but, I can't live in wish land unfortunately.
• The majority of the people that are caring for the colonies are good people who are in way over their heads and don't really understand what's best for the cats.  We struggle with some of them to convince them that the cats are going to be OK in a trap for 24 hours, among other things.  It's a real balancing act managing their protective feelings towards "their" cats and what needs to happen.  They're all very grateful for the help but, sometimes we have to be more direct with them than I would like.
• Having a sympathetic vet available to help is an absolute must.  The clinic that does our surgeries is also a nonprofit and doesn't do anything other than spay/neuter and vaccinations so they can't help with other issues.  My personal vet has given me her cell and offers advice for free when I need it.  I really don't know what I'd do without her, I've been in over my head on some of these and without her guidance would probably not have had a good outcome.  I'm not inexperienced, having been caring for cats, dogs and livestock for 30 years now but, some of the conditions these ferals have shown up with were so far beyond where I would have let them get that I wasn't sure where to begin (which goes back to the caretakers being in way over their heads and letting little things become big things).
• This is almost a full time job.  Thankfully my employees have been willing to help, some of it paid time and some of it as volunteers.  I couldn't do it without them and the community involvement we do have.
• The cats are always going to relieve themselves on the trip to the clinic so make sure you have tarps and something absorbent under the traps.  One of my helpers got sprayed by a Tom last week, somehow she managed to stay in a positive mood for the 3 hours before she could get to the shower.  Rock stars like that make this much easier.

I think that covers the highlights.  I'm glad I've started this, despite the struggles and heartbreaks along the way.  I stay focused on how much good we're doing and the success stories where a cat has shown up with a URI so severe she ultimately lost vision in one of her eyes but, despite that we were able to get her healthy again and return her to her colony where she's thriving now.  The wins like that make all the effort worthwhile

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)

Congratulations on getting your 501-c3. I suffered through the long form and am so glad there is a short form. Thank you for all the work you do despite the naysayers There are always those who lift you up and push you down but as long as you have a clear path, strong conviction and hope, things will find their way to work for you. The sympathetic vet is clearly a godsend.  I wish I have a sympathetic vet. I don't have the 30 yr experience that you have but 9 years of doing this work I know how hard it is. I am forever grateful to Maddie's to give my nonprofit a good seed to start. It sounds like you have a great ability to raise money which is a valuable skill to have and yes fundraising directly or indirectly is a constant endeavor. Good Luck with everything you do!

I thought I'd come back and update everyone on what's happened in the last 3 months and what I've learned.  First, what we've managed to accomplish.

• We've TNR'ed 60 cats since 2/18, 90% of which are females
• Got 501(c)3 status using the short form, side note - don't tell others that went through the long form process how easy and fast the short form is.  If looks could kill....
• Raised a little over $8,000, which includes a MuttNation Foundation grant, $3,500 of my own money and $400 from a raffle
• Scheduled a Paint and Sip fundraiser for 5/24 where we hope to raise another $2,000
• We had to euthanize one because it was in such bad shape.  We lost one to injuries caused by a racoon while it was in a trap, I still have immense guilt over her and it changed the way we do some things.

Here's what I've learned, some of it I suspected going into it, some of it has been a surprise.

• A surprise is that fundraising is a constant effort.  While I originally planned to self fund this and do 100 cats this year, it immediately became apparent that wasn't going to have much of an impact so I revised that up to 500 and had to start asking others to help.  Most of the people that will praise what you're doing will not give anything to help support it, not even $5.  I wish they'd realize how much $5 from 100 people every month would help but, they can't seem to grasp that skipping a single coffee shop trip can make a big difference.
• There's always someone that's going to criticize what you're doing, even if you have the same goals.  This could be the person that says we should just shoot the feral cats, to the person that criticizes us for not combo testing every cat.  Reality is that, even if I agreed shooting was the answer, we're going to get a lot more cooperation and have more impact with TNR than the shooter will so not supporting us is counterproductive to a shared goal of reducing the population.  And combo testing, well yeah it would be ideal but, it would also reduce the number of cats we can spay by 1/3 and since we've made a decision to focus only on females right now for maximum population impact, it wouldn't matter because we're not touching the Toms right now who are just as likely to be infected.  These critics also never do anything to help, they just want to try to tear you down so they need to be blocked and ignored or they'll suck you dry.
• URIs are a MUCH bigger issue than I expected in the colonies and where one in a colony has one, there are always many others that will as well.  Thankfully, I already had a vial of Draxxin for my livestock, that's been a huge blessing and it's been extremely effective.
• More than half of our spays have been pregnant so, the hope that I could avoid spay/aborts was a pipe dream.  I still have some guilt over this but, I've accepted that it's a necessary evil.  I wish it could be different but, I can't live in wish land unfortunately.
• The majority of the people that are caring for the colonies are good people who are in way over their heads and don't really understand what's best for the cats.  We struggle with some of them to convince them that the cats are going to be OK in a trap for 24 hours, among other things.  It's a real balancing act managing their protective feelings towards "their" cats and what needs to happen.  They're all very grateful for the help but, sometimes we have to be more direct with them than I would like.
• Having a sympathetic vet available to help is an absolute must.  The clinic that does our surgeries is also a nonprofit and doesn't do anything other than spay/neuter and vaccinations so they can't help with other issues.  My personal vet has given me her cell and offers advice for free when I need it.  I really don't know what I'd do without her, I've been in over my head on some of these and without her guidance would probably not have had a good outcome.  I'm not inexperienced, having been caring for cats, dogs and livestock for 30 years now but, some of the conditions these ferals have shown up with were so far beyond where I would have let them get that I wasn't sure where to begin (which goes back to the caretakers being in way over their heads and letting little things become big things).
• This is almost a full time job.  Thankfully my employees have been willing to help, some of it paid time and some of it as volunteers.  I couldn't do it without them and the community involvement we do have.
• The cats are always going to relieve themselves on the trip to the clinic so make sure you have tarps and something absorbent under the traps.  One of my helpers got sprayed by a Tom last week, somehow she managed to stay in a positive mood for the 3 hours before she could get to the shower.  Rock stars like that make this much easier.

I think that covers the highlights.  I'm glad I've started this, despite the struggles and heartbreaks along the way.  I stay focused on how much good we're doing and the success stories where a cat has shown up with a URI so severe she ultimately lost vision in one of her eyes but, despite that we were able to get her healthy again and return her to her colony where she's thriving now.  The wins like that make all the effort worthwhile

I live in a rural area of Texas that has a massive feral and stray cat population.  There are no organizations dedicated to this issue in the area, there is one group that does dog fostering and rehoming, they don't handle cats at all.  It's been something that has been on my heart to do something about for some time and I've decided to just start where I can and see how it grows.  I'm very fortunate to have a low cost spay/neuter clinic about 45 minutes away (HCAL for any one familiar) and they've been very good about working with me.  My initial plan was to self fund and provide the surgery and transportation for free to people that are managing feral colonies or feeding strays, I can do about 100 cats a year that way.  I did my first one this week and we had 8 cats come in, 7 of which were fixed and 1 that isn't healthy enough for sedation.  It's not a lot but, you eat the elephant one bit at a time and this was the first bite.  After soliciting cats for this date, I've come to realize the problem is much larger than I really understood so I've revised my goal up to 500 cats this year but, that means I'm going to need to get more organized, solicit donations, have a way to handle vet care for the ones that are too sick for sedation and generally add complexity.  The vet we use for our pet cats is awesome and has agreed to help me with that part.  Having farm animals, I've had to learn how to do a lot of basic vet care on my own so I can deal with the common eye infections, worming, giving shots when needed, etc with her help.  I've also been contacted by someone that has been fostering kittens for adoption on her own locally and she's offered to help however she can, I can't foster because we fail at it miserably.  If a kitten or cat stays here for 2 - 3 weeks, it lives here, we get attached and that's just how it is.

So all that said, I'm soliciting any advice anyone that has been down this road can offer on how to best do this.  What do I not know I don't know yet?  What pitfalls are in my future and how can I avoid them?  How do you go about building your volunteer network?  Where do you find donors?  I've gotten donations from a couple of the people that brought cats in for the surgery this week and one person that just wants to help, it's only $115 total and i spent $533 on the surgeries but again, one bite a time eventually eats the elephant.

I'm working on a website (https://baderacatrescue.org) and have a Facebook page setup with a way for people to donate via PayPal (Bandera County TNR | Bandera TX) with a way for people to donate via PayPal.  Longer term, I'm going to need to file for 501(c)3 status but, I don't have enough people participating right now to fill the Director positions required by Texas to create the organization.  Ultimately, I'd like to use a vacant building we own as a shelter and adoption center, that's at least a few years down the road though.

I really appreciate any advice anyone can offer, I really have no idea what I'm doing here.  Nobody else is doing it though and I can't go through another kitten season without doing something.

The little black kitten is the one that we couldn't get fixed this week.  She's got a URI, eye infection and worms.  I've wormed her, given her some antibiotics and am putting antibiotics in the eyes a couple of times a day.  She's a really good candidate for re-homing, very affectionate, so I've got to get her handed off to someone else soon before she becomes our 23rd pet cat.  We have 190 acres for them so, don't judge me too harshly.  I promise we don't have a hoarder house that smells like a litter box.  :)