A Few Photos

 I didn't get a lot of photos of the Waddells while they were with us.  When they moved in they were filthy little things and don't like to take pictures of kittens in that state.

They had their baths and there were really just a few days before things started spiraling down, and once that started, I didn't do a lot of documentation.   I wish I could have got a formal family portrait before they left, but I didn't.  But I did get a couple of them all together in the hands of our friend, Sarah.

These aren't the greatest photos in the world, but I'm grateful to have a few images of these dear things from this period of time.













I thought I might be sharing a little more on the blog, but I've been struggling to post. I have a couple of stories to share -- like our Tea with Bean (and Wylla) and an adoption tale from our previous litter --  but I'm just not feeling very inspired to write.  Partially because losing our Waddells took the wind out of my sails a bit, but also because of all the horribleness that's been happening in our country.  I haven't wanted to be online -- I've wanted to retreat and just be with the ones I love the most.

Instagram seems like a safe space, so I've been sharing a lot more over there.  Until I get things back up to speed over here, that's a good place to see what we're up to.   Wylla and Bean have been particularily lovely lately -- they both look so beautiful in fall light.


Thanks, as always, for the love and support.

For the Community Cats

Community Cats is an umbrella definition which describes any outdoor unowned or semi-owned cat, regardless of the cat’s temperament. It's estimated that Pierce County had 84,000 Community Cats.

Within this community, you'll find strays (lost or abandoned former pets who may be suitable for a home environment) and ferals (extremely fearful of people and not welcoming of human attention, making them unsuitable for home environments), who are the offspring of other feral or stray cats.

Some community cats can be considered loosely owned, meaning that concerned residents feed them and may provide some form of shelter in their own homes or on their own property, but do not always identify the cats as their own personal pets.

The Humane Society promotes Trap/Neuter/ Return (TNR), which has proven to be the most effective, humane method of reducing Community Cat populations. Through TNR, these cats are humanely trapped, vaccinated, microchipped, neutered, ear-tipped, and returned to outdoor homes to live out their lives.

Some of the TNR cats are well-suited for the life of a "Barn Cat" or "Backyard Buddy, " and they are relocated in a barn, other rural setting or an urban backyard. Supplied with food and water, a safe place to sleep and protection from the elements, these cats live out their days on their own terms, flourishing as permanent pest controllers. Although they rarely tolerate human contact, many eventually become a distant, friendly presence.
Some of the Community Cats, like young kittens,  can be socialized through our Foster Program and eventually become adoptable.

TNR improves the lives of our Community Cats. By vaccinating them, a safer community is created. By neutering them, we're slowing down the population growth and also reducing fighting and other territorial behaviors. Ultimately, TNR makes our Community Cats happier and healthier.

Since the start of the TNR program, we've witnessed a decline in the number of kitten litters flowing into the shelter each spring. And when there are fewer coming in, there are more resources available to help all the cats: neonates, foster kittens, mama cats, adult cats, special needs cats, senior cats, and more community cats, too! 

All of today's donations will support the Community CatsProgram.  The money will be used to buy traps, trap covers, food, offset transportation costs, pay for spaying or neutering, flea and ear mite treatment, vaccines, and microchips. Often the males have bite wounds from fighting and need antibiotics, and minor treatment - our donations will help these cats get healthier before they are placed in their barn, backyard, or returned to their colony.

I'm so grateful that this program exists and the Community Cats Team is out there in the field working so hard for these cats. The fact that our HS has this program, and is able to address the needs of this population of cats, says so much about where we are as a shelter.

I do hope you decide to give today.  All of our programs are important, of course, but this one is at the root of the overpopulation problem.  Our donations today will make such a difference.

Our dear friend Cynthia loves the work that our Community Cats Team is doing and wanted to support the program by offering up a $5000 matching donation challenge for us today.  For every single dollar we donate, she will be doing the same until we meet the $5000 cap, or until 7:00 PM - -whichever comes first. I sure do hope we can max this one out!

And you know what,  we are getting so close to our big $100,000 goal, when we throw in Cynthia's matching money it will most likely put us over the top. TWO DAYS EARLY, folks!  We've never done that before!

To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit our fundraising page.

I've got lots of Community Cat success stories to share with you today, nd we've got a couple of more auctions to come, too!

Tea with Bean auction ends at 10:40 PST today.  And don't forget about this beauty, too, which ends this afternoon.

It's such an exciting day!!!  Stick around, please! You're not going to want to miss this!



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All the Alexanders!!

All the kittens have now been named!
From left to right:
Henry, Nikola "Nick" Tesla, Lloyd "Mitts" Chudley,  Joseph Pawtucket, and Fancy Pants Alexander!

Huge thanks to all of our awesome kitten namers! You really did a great job this round!


And a few reminders:

Mary is making and donating a cozy fleece cat bed for every $25 we bring in today, and our donations are also being matched by an anonymous donor.  It's truly one of the best times to give during this fundraiser. Kitty beds AND matched dollars! We've got $425 left to raise and 3.5 hours left to go!  To make a donation please visit our fundraising page!

We've got several auctions going on right now. Tea with Bean is live now and so is the amazing art glass piece by Gabe Feenan. Also, this cool collection of cat stuff!

Our friends at Pepper Pot Polish and Liberte Du Monde Gourmetare donating a portion of their sales to the fundraiser. Please pop by their online stores and do a little shopping to help the cats and kittens out.

And Bart Mittenfloss prints are available in the IBKC shop. All the proceeds will be donated to the Senior Cat Fund and Pet Food Pantry in his memory.



That's it for now, but I'll be back with more! THANK YOU!

Win Tea with Bean (and Wylla and kittens)!!

As part of our fundraising auctions, once again, we'll be offering "Tea with the Bean."   We always have a great time hosting this event. Last year our friend Cindy flew from California to join us, and we had a lovely day. You can read about it HERE.

Here's a little bit about what the high-bidder will receive:

The winning bidder of this auction and a guest of their choice will be joining the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee at our home in Tacoma, WA for a luncheon.

You'll get to meet Charlene Butterbean, Wylla Stout, and the foster kittens residing in our home at the time of the visit.




We will serve a lovely vegetarian (or vegan if you prefer) lunch, tea, and desserts. After we dine and mingle with the cats and kittens, we'll head to the Humane Society for a tour of the shelter. You'll meet some kittens and cats (even the dogs if you like) and see behind the scenes.

We'll send you home with some parting gifts too - and no, I don't mean kittens!

We'll take lots of pictures during your visit, and with the winner's permission, share the story of the visit on the blog.

The winner and guest will be responsible for their own travel expenses.


Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

To get in on the bidding action check out the auction HERE. It's a three-day auction and will end Monday morning.  Happy bidding!!

We're several hours in and we still have $3275 left to meet in our $3500 match. All we raise will go to the very important Spay and Neuter programs at the shelter.  It ends at 6:00 PM PST, and at the rate we're going, I'm a little worried we're not going to complete this match. We don't like to leave any match dollars on the table -- especially on an important day like this one. To learn more about the spay and neuter programs and the cats and kittens they help, please give this post a read.

I do hope you feel compelled to give! It helps "fix" the cat overpopulation problem!   Thank you! To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit HERE. Thank you!

More coming...
Please stick around, friends! Thank you for all of the support!

It's Spay and Neuter Day!

Until Midnight tonight (Pacific Time), every single penny donated to our fundraiser will help "fix" the problem of cat overpopulation by funding spay and neuter programs at the Humane Society.

These funds will be used to fix feral cats brought in through the trap/neuter/release program.

We've been devoting funds to this program since our early fundraising days, and thanks to the IBKC and community at large, Pierce County is transforming. Instead of teeming with cats, local colonies are altered (then ear-tipped), reducing overpopulation.

The money we raise will also help cover the cost of surgeries for roaming cats or neighborhood strays -- those socialized cats, lost or abandoned by their owners, living in our community. Typically, someone is feeding the cat and allowing it to sleep in the garage or on their porch. This kind neighbor wouldn’t dream of surrendering it to the shelter, but they also do not want to be responsible for another cat. These cats give birth to many of the litters that inundate the shelter during kitten season. Fixing these strays will bring numbers down too.

The Humane Society has several low-cost spay and neuter programs designed to serve pet owners who struggle to make ends meet. Among these is the Cinderella Fund, which serves low-income residents of Pierce County.  Through the fund, pet owners apply for a voucher for local participating veterinarians to cover the cost of surgery, with minimal co-pay. Cinderella volunteer Pamela, who has been with the program for four years, joined the volunteer team "wanting to help control pet overpopulation." Like Pamela, the shelter is committed to maintaining the best outcomes for shelter pets and will continue to provide the resources so that every pet owner has access to affordable spay/neuter surgery.

 In 2016 the shelter provided 445 Cinderella vouchers to pet owners in need. With an average voucher of $57,  the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee ensured 225 of those were possible.

Most pet owners know that altering their pets is the best thing they can do. But the number one reason pet owners don’t spay or neuter their pet is because they can’t afford it. Many have simply fallen on hard times. Or, quite often, a neglected or abandoned pet comes to them for help, and they just can’t turn away a homeless animal. Whatever the reason, they love their pet, and want to do the right thing. And thanks to the Cinderella Fund, income isn’t a barrier to these surgeries.

With help from the Cinderella Fund, low-income families are able to keep their beloved pet without the risk of unwanted litters. Pets are safer, healthier, and countless unwanted litters of kittens can be prevented.

Ultimately, giving our shelter the resources to spay and neuter more cats, allows them to take huge strides in reducing pet overpopulation.  By preventing litters and reducing the number of kittens flooding into the shelter each year, it enables them to help the animals that need the most help --  like the Senior and Special Needs cats.


The good news is that the Humane Society’s spay and neuter programs are working! Fewer unwanted litters of kittens are coming to the shelter needing care and adoption. The sad news is that there is still so much more to be done. But we can help them do it!

It's an important day to give, and we hope you'll consider making a donation today.

Cynthia, our dear friend, knows how valuable these Spay and Neuter programs are and is offering up a very generous $3,500 matching donation challenge for us today.   For every dollar we donate, she will match it until we hit the $3,500 cap.

The challenge will end at 6:00 PM Pacific Time tonight, but any donation that comes in before Midnight, will go towards the Spay and Neuter programs.

If you are in a position to help, please click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation today!  Thank you!

Thanks for caring and giving so much, especially you, dear Cynthia. Your generosity is heart-warming and mind-blowing.


Lots more to come today!  Two naming rights auctions have ended we'll be announcing more kitten names.  Our "Tea with Bean" auction will be going live and we also have a very special art auction that we'll be starting today.

Also, don't forget that our little poly girl's naming rights auction ends at 11:00 AM. It's the last of the name auctions, so if you wanted to pick a name for a kitten,  get in there and bid! It's your last chance!!!

And, the Bart Mittenfloss prints are now available in the IBKC shop.

It's going to be a busy day around here! Do stay close!











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Bring on the Squillions!

 Today's the day, friends! We're officially kicking off FUNdraising season!! Team Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, for the ninth consecutive year, is participating in Dog-A-Thon, The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County's fundraising walk for homeless pets.

For those of you who are new to the blog, I think you're going to be surprised by how fun this fundraiser is. It's a really exciting time of year at the IBKC, and so many look forward to this event. During the next three weeks, we will all work very hard raising funds for our shelter, and we will have a great time doing it. We will talk about all of the positive and wonderful things our Humane Society is doing. You'll hear lots of feel-good stories about the cats we have helped.

We want to keep you entertained while we're pestering everyone for donations, so you'll see lots of extra posts and pictures during this stretch. We keep it all very light and try to make it as painless as possibles for all of you!

During this season, you'll see the whole IBKC community rise to support our shelter. You'll witness lots of very kind, generous, and caring kitty-loving people in action. You'll see some pretty magical moments. You'll cheer (and breath a huge sigh of relief) when we meet our many matching donation challenges. It will make you feel warm and fuzzy, and you might just even cry a few happy tears. I know I always do.

You'll see some tense moments -- it can be a nail-biter at times -- but I promise you that in the end, you will always feel uplifted. Seeing so much good can't be anything but positive. And gosh, with all that's going on in our World right now, don't we need a little more positive?

Even though this event is called "DOG"-A-Thon, because we're all about the cats and kittens around here, all of the money we raise goes directly towards helping our feline friends. EVERY single cent of it!

This money will help life-saving projects and programs -- like our foster program. It will help make shelter improvements for the cats. It will buy cuddly beds, toys, scratchers, litter boxes, and cubbies to help make a cat's stay at the shelter more comfortable. It will help reduce the cost of spay and neuter surgeries for pets of lower income families. It will help fill the shelves of the Emergency Pet Food Bank with cat food. It will help fix and vaccinate the feral and free-roaming cats in our community. It will help lost kitties get reunited with their owners. It will fill bellies with nutritious food. It will provide medical care for tiny kittens, adult, senior, and special need cats. It will help make cats healthier and happier while they wait to meet their forever families. It will help save lives. Many lives.

This year, I've set our goal at $100,000. It's a huge amount, but we've set this goal before and have exceeded it every time. It's going to take some hard work to get there, but I have a lot of faith in our community, and I know we can do it.

I just know we can!

In all of these years of fundraising, this little community of ours has donated over $750,000 to help homeless cats and kittens. Can you believe we did that? The Humane Society has put our donations to good use, and I've seen so many positive changes happen for the cats at the shelter because of our community. WE came together and provided them with the resources to make wonderful things happen. We've helped them help more cats. I am so proud of us!

So, what can we expect this season?

There's lots of great stuff on the calendar, and I'll be adding more as we go.We'll have lots of auctions this year. Once our current crew graduates, we'll bring in the next batch of babies and auction off the rights to name those kittens. I also have a very lovely cat-themed quilt that a couple of special people made just for this occasion -- I am so excited to reveal it! We'll be auctioning off some art and other cat-related items, too.

We will be auctioning off the always popular "Tea with the Bean" --- your opportunity to have lunch with us at IBKC headquarters and meet Charlene, Wylla, and kittens. The tea has been a huge success over the years, so of course, we'll do it again. Even if you don't toss your hat in the ring, it's exciting to watch the bidding frenzy!

We will be checking in on some of our IBKC grads, and I'll be posting lots of alumni updates, too!

Thanks to some very generous folks, we will have MANY awesome matching donation challenges to help us read our goal. There's still room on the schedule for more, so if you would like to offer up a match, please send me an email, and we can discuss the details.

We'll have days dedicated to some of your favorite programs and causes: The Senior Cat Medical Fund, Community Cats, Special Need Cats, The Emergency Pet Food Bank, the Foster Program and our Low-Cost Spay and Neuter program. It's a great way to give and have your money go  directly towards something you really care about.

The HS is using trying a new online fundraising platform for Dog-A-Thon, so things look a little bit different this year. The new platform is pretty straightforward and easy to navigate, so I don't think anyone will have issues. But if you do, please let me know. It doesn't have a few features the old system had, but I'm working hard with my techy husband to find ways to provide some of the things that are missing. The big thing is getting a "progress bar" up on the blog.  Hopefully, we'll get that resolved today! In the meantime, you can track our progress on the fundraising page --- maybe even "bookmark" it for your convenience, so it's easy to follow along.

Another thing that's a little different this year is that sadly, I won't be able to walk the Dog-A-Thon walk.  I've got a family wedding in Colorado happening that very same day, so I have to miss it the event.  I can't tell you how heartbroken I am over this -- it makes me so sad that I can't be there to celebrate our victory and the Humane Society, too.   I haven't broken the news to Wylla yet, who always joins us for the walk. I know she'll be disappointed and sad to let down her adoring fans. I am SO SORRY we can't be there.

Normally, we wrap up the fundraising the day before the Dog-A-Thon walk, but because of my traveling, we'll be ending it a couple of days earlier on Wednesday, July 19th.

We wanted to have a really awesome first day, so we're starting this show with a huge $5000 matching donation challenge. Our Awesome Anonymous Donor is back this year, and she will be matching every single dollar we donate today until we reach the $5000 cap.

I know it's a big challenge to meet on our very first day, but to hit our big goal, we're going to have to keep things going a pretty good clip. It's going to take big matches like this along the way to get us there!

Just in case you forgot how the matches work, here goes:

For every dollar we give, our Awesome Anonymous Donor will do the same until we hit the $5000 max. SO, if we're able to meet the match, our $5000 will turn into $10,000! Of course, even if we don't complete the match, our dollars will still be doubled, but when someone offers up a challenge, we hate to leave a single dollar on the table, so we work hard to max it out.

To jump in on this match, get your dollars doubled by our donor, and make a tax-deductible donation to our campaign, please visit our FUNdraising page. This matching donation challenge ends at 7:00 PM (Pacific Time) tonight.

Thank you Awesome Anonymous Donor for this very generous match to kick things off!

Our shelter has provided us with so many wonderful kittens over the years. These kittens have made us smile, they've brightened many days, they've warmed our hearts -- especially during these troubling times. Here's our chance to give something back - we can honor all those itty-bitty kitties and say "thanks" by supporting the organization that gave them their start in life - The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County.

Thank you for listening, friends. It will be an exciting and emotional stretch, and I can hardly wait to see how much we can raise to improve the lives of our precious shelter cats and kittens. We appreciate every dollar you give! No matter what the size of the donation, it helps because when we put it all together, we make BIG things happen for our little friends.

100 Squillion! HERE WE COME!!

OK, I'll be back with lots more today! As I mentioned before, I post a lot during the FUNdriaser, so do stay close! We've got LOTS of cuteness coming your way!!!

THANK YOU for being here. Thank you for caring. We love you!!  Wheeeeeee!  Here we go!!!!!

OK, Robin! You've got the fist shift on the phones, are you ready?  Yoohooo, Robin, are you ready?



Don't worry, blog land. I've got this. 




Please click HERE to learn a little bit more about Dog-A-Thon and make your donation!

PS I know that not everyone is in a position to make a donation - you can always help by spreading the word! Sharing on Facebook, Twitter or via email doesn't cost a cent, and it helps tremendously! Thanks!!!

Tea with Bean (and Wylla) and Cindy!

Cindy, who came all the way from the Los Angeles area, joined us for Tea with Bean (and Wylla) on Tuesday afternoon.  The day was warm and bright, and it really was the perfect Northwest fall day.

Cindy arrived at noon, we all said hello, she met Wylla and Bean, and we spent a little time chatting in the living room. Wylla let Cindy give her a hug, but Bean always needs to really get to know someone before she'll accept that kind of affection. Instead, Craig held Bean.





We headed into the kitten room next, and Cindy got to meet the Framboise Family. They were all friendly and sweet and were happy to meet their new friend.  I was a little worried Enzo might dash into the shadows, but he didn't!  He was comfortable and relaxed and enjoyed playing with Cindy, Cleo, and Posey.







While they played, I slipped out of the room to tend to some lunch details, and once everything was complete, we sat down at the table.

The "centerpiece" on the table was a collections of items from our 2016 FUNdraising set.  Tegan and Dinah manned the phones.



Each place setting had one of the tiny ferns along with a place card featuring one of the images that had hung on the set walls.





At Cindy's place setting, we had a little gift for her: a couple of sets of kitty cards, an IBKC pin, and a Bean print.



We started out with salad and soup. The salad was baby spinach and arugula with roasted yellow beets,  a stone ground mustard and maple dressing, and yes, garlic kitty croutons! I loved how the beets looked like striped kitty balls!



The soup was pesto with navy beans and kale. Sprinkled on top, a little parmesan and toasted pine nuts.  I didn't notice until I imported the photos, but the parmesan kind of makes it look like the kitty is shedding in the soup!  And those pine nuts are shaped like mice!



For the main course we served cannelloni filled with butternut squash, ricotta cheese, and kale, with a fontina cheese sauce. On the side, roasted rainbow carrots tossed in olive oil, saffron, salt and pepper.

And, of course, there was tea.



We had a great talk over lunch and enjoyed getting to know our guest.  

After we were finished, we headed over to the shelter for out tour. Shelby, who does events and marketing at the shelter,  was our guide.

We first visited the adoptable cats. This handsome guy, Albert, was one giant love and was happy to receive attention from all of us.  It's hard to see, but his tongue is sticking out here, and we laughed that this guy could very well be Mr. Framboise!



We also laughed when we noticed that in his photo, he looked more like a squirrel than a cat!



In the grooming room, where the Bath Brigade works their magic, we got to say hello to this cutie!



In the foster room we got to see six teeny tiny babies, three orange and three brown tabby,  who were just six days old. Mama Cat was cuddling up with them in the corner of their cage, so I couldn't get a good photo, but gosh, they were itty bitty!

Patty, who works in the foster room and also fosters kittens, had her set available for snuggling. There were three kittens in this batch -- two orange tabbies and a flame point.  All were adorable!










We visited a few more areas, met some staff, the wrapped up the tour by taking some photos with Bean!  As most know, she graces the side of the Humane Society's "Tail Wagon".



Next, we headed back home and had a little more kitten time.



And then we had a little dessert.  Cindy said she would be happy with just some simple fruit for dessert, so that's what we did. We were so full from lunch, I don't think we could have handled anything much heavier.

Of course, their were raspberries, because Framboise means raspberry in French. (In case you didn't know that already!)  Also red grapes, figs, black berries, and a little cheese, too.




Cindy brought presents for us!  She gave me a lovely scarf she had knitted, and the girls got a bag of really awesome toys.  They were excited to receive a pair of catnip bananas (there's nothing better than a fresh banana), a Cat Dancer, a replacement bird for their Da Bird toy, and lots of other fun stuff.

We spent some time trying out the new toys and the girls had a blast!







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We played with the toys and chatted some more, then ended our day.  It was a really lovely afternoon and the humans, cats, and kittens enjoyed it immensely!

Thank you, Cindy, for joining us!  We appreciate you coming so far to spend an afternoon in our home!  We also appreciate you bidding so generously to win this luncheon with us, and I know the Humane Society does too! They can do many good things with your generous donation!

And thank you for all of the wonderful gifts, too. That was so very thoughtful of you!


We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did! Safe travels, and should you find yourself in Tacoma again, do let us know!




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Little Guy, Big Yawn.

Good morning! We're all moving a little slow around here this morning.  Yesterday was a very full day -- we had our new friend Cindy over for Tea with Bean (and Wylla).  It was a whole lot of fun  and I'll tell you the whole story of our lunch and shelter tour in tomorrow's post.

Enzo was a little exhausted too -- look at this little guy and his giant yawn!

New Sparkle Ball Colors! Free Shipping Offer!

 OK, the shop is all updated now and we've added several new Sparkle Ball packs.

We've got our usual mixes that we always carry, plus we've added Halloween packs, Holiday packs,  Jumbo packs, and a few all-orange packs because that is Charlene's favorite color!  

To check them out, please visit the Sparkle Ball section of the IBKC shop. 

I decided to do a special offer this weekend, and if you spend $25 in the IBKC shop, shipping is free. Sorry International friends, this is only for shipping with in the USA.   To take advantage of the discount, enter the code FRAMBOISE when prompted during checkout.  The offer ends Sunday night at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. 

Oh, and just to give you a heads-up, our Kitty Magazine cards are getting close to selling out again!  Don't delay! Get 'em before they're gone! 

Thanks!  

We've got a busy weekend around here! There's so much to do to prepare for Tea with Bean (and Wylla) which is happening TUESDAY! We're so excited!!