Mewsletter Volume 2 – July, 2015

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Saving the world, one cat at a time!
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Saving the world!...one cat at a time.
A Quarterly Mewsletter
Now a word from...
Kristen Schmitt, board
member & co-founder
Being part of the Ferndale Cat
Shelter, I know first hand how
much work and love goes into
finding great homes for our
cats and kittens. I know how
hard our team is working to
ensure each little fur-baby
doesn’t go one more day
hungry, scared or alone. Page 3
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Summer 2015
Who wants a Catfe?
Not a week goes by when we
don’t get a message or an
email or a website request from
someone that needs to re-home
their kitty cat. The process is
heartbreaking for everyone,
but especially the cat that can’t
understand what’s happening.
This is why FCS needs a
shelter and this is why a Catfe
is the sustainable way to go!
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New FCS Swag!
Check out our new stylin’
coffee mugs! Page 2
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Newborn Kittens Rescued
from Certain Death!
Walking through the woods
one day you hear the tiniest
little peeps. Barely sounds at
all. You investigate only to
find three little teeny tiny
babies! They appear to be
kittens but they are so
incredibly small. Prematurely
born, with umbilical cords still
attached, and they weigh only
a few ounces.
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Library Adoption Event!
The Ferndale District Area Library will host the Ferndale Cat
Shelter on July 25 from Noon - 3 pm. Cats and kittens will be
available to meet in the main entrance atrium. Prospective
adopters can experience one-on-one play time in the adjacent
community room, getting to know the kitties personalities in
a calm environment. The adoption event corresponds with
the library’s summer reading theme of “Heroes.” Director,
Jessica Keyser came up with the idea to “be a hero...adopt a
rescue cat.”
In addition, local author Jennifer Charron Ward has donated
FREE copies of her young adult novels, Running Home and
Black of Night. Both stories are about young people and their
bonds with the animals they rescue. We will be giving the
books out to kids that attend the event.
Saving the world, one cat at a time!
Local graphic artist, Kelly Feger donated her time and talent
designing the adoption event poster. Kelly is a graduate of
the College for Creative Studies and currently works parttime at Howe’s Bayou. We love her whimsical style and we
are so grateful for her contribution! Be sure to check out her
website here: www.kellyfeger.com
Keep in mind that FCS will ONLY be accepting applications
and interviewing prospective adopters at this event. Home
visits and application evaluations will still need to be
completed before cats and kittens can go to their forever
homes. The adoption contract and fees can be reviewed on
our website here: www.ferndalecatshelter.org
Please contact the Ferndale Cat Shelter if you have any
questions about the event: admin@ferndalecatshelter.org
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Meet our Newest
Board Member...
David J. Adrian, founder and president
of Adrian & Associates, is a former
journalist and a senior public relations
counselor with four decades of
experience as a communicator. As a PR
counselor, he has served in a variety of
executive
positions
with
several
agencies:
AutoCom
Associates,
Durocher-Dixson-Werba, Franco Public
Relations,
Stone
August
Baker
Communications
and
R.J.
Baker
Advertising. He also co-founded and
served as chief executive officer of
Adrian & Peterson.
David’s expertise in public relations will
be a great asset to the Ferndale Cat
Shelter in furthering our mission to save
the world, one cat at a time!
During hiscontinued
career as a
Catfe?...
Get ready for Oakland County’s first cat
cafe! That’s right. Ferndale will be home
to the first area cat cafe filled with rescue
kitties from the Ferndale Cat Shelter. Our
first campaign will be to raise funds for a
lounge/shelter space, complete with selfserve coffee and treats to engage the local
community in our mission. While that is
up and running, Deanne Iovan, (“doer of
many things” for the Ferndale Cat
Shelter) is planning a crowd-funding
campaign to finance the actual FOR
profit cafe. The goal is for the Cafe to
eventually support and sustain the Catfe
into the future. Who’s with us? Check
our Facebook page for updates and how
you can contribute!
Little River taking refuge beneath a giant stuffed
orangutan. It’s a scary world out there!
Saving the world, one cat at a time!
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Swag!...continued
Once again, the generosity of our
supporters rears its massive head! The
good people at Mercury Promotions &
Fulfillment not only found a vendor to
donate coffee mugs for FCS but convinced
another to print this fun design from
Square Design & Photo. Mercury
Promotions & Fulfillment is a fab
marketing company in Sterling Heights
that provides “brand enhancement” by
covering all the bases for you. Square
Design & Photo are a husband and wife
team from Oak Park. The wife half is
Michelle Lannoo and she is the graphic
designer that came to the rescue when
called upon to design our coffee mugs. It
truly warms our hearts when people
freely give their talents and skills to help
animals in need. We are lucky to know
them! In support of FCS, consider
patronizing these business that do so
much to help further our mission. The
mugs will be available to purchase for $12
at our Ferndale Library adoption event on
July 25th or they can be purchased on our
website here: SHOP
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no idea what would happen. First, Deena
tried her momma cat - Angel. Even rubbing
in Angel’s fur had no effect. Angel was not
going to nurse them! More time was passing.
Our backup was Karen and her momma Little
Cat – a seasoned mom that was starting to
wean her last litter. So the babies were
delivered, kept warm with heating pads and
blankets. While Little was kind to them,
licking and not pushing them away, she also
had no interest in nursing! Time was almost
out when Diana at 4 Paws suggested longtime expert Denise might be willing to try as a
last resort. Denise takes special-needs kitties
so we reached out to her.
That same weekend FCS was holding an
adoption event at the Rust Belt Market so
most of the FCS folks were engaged there.
Karen transported them to us and Deena –
who was there with the wonderful Miss Kitty
(also looking for a home) – agreed to deliver
them to Denise. Penny, another rescuer that
also fosters for us got them warmed up,
feeding, and kept them going until that could
happen.
Deena took the three little ones to Denise –
none of us had ever witnessed such small
creatures.
Newborn
Kittens...continued
Denise became their savior. I am in awe of her
skill. Naming them River, Willow, and Fern,
she stepped right up and knew exactly what
Where is mom? Surely she would not desert had to be done. At first, she was feeding them
such little ones. The sad reality hits you that every hour and a half.
in the woods, mom most likely won’t be But little River (see photo) was lagging behind
coming back. We will never know what his sisters. So Denise began feeding them
happened to her, but signs point to a coyote. every hour. Around the clock. Seven days a
The woods are no place for a cat or kitten. You week! This went on for several weeks until
know these babies need help now if they are they finally began weaning.
going to have any chance to survive.
Rushing them to your home, you start to look Today they are all very happy, healthy, and
for help. These little ones were cold to the loving thanks to Denise and her foster helpers
(Bridgette the cat and Oliver the dog along
touch and didn’t have long.
with Denise’s sister Michelle!) Underweight
This is what happened to the mother of one of for their age, they are about 11 weeks but
our foster families. We were contacted by our really the size of very healthy 7 week olds.
foster and started to look for a lactating mom They just went for their first vet visit and are
– stat. Our fabulous foster network – and now looking for their forever home!
organizations beyond - responded! Within
our group of wonderful fosters, we had two - Angela Fisher, supporter of tiny things
with moms that were willing to try. These
babies had most likely never nursed so we had
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Our Sponsors
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Puuurrrfect Sponsors
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Boopable Sponsors
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Award Winning Licensed Manicurists and
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Little Bug
Contact Little Bug for all of your fur chicken
needs! From expert feline care to dog walking,
ferret love to bird squawking, Little Bug is here
to be your pet’s human slave when you are
unavailable. Little Bug is Ferndale’s favorite pet
care provider!
A word from
Kristen...continued
Without the kindness of people like you, this
would not be possible. Like every other nonprofit organizations, we rely on the support from
donors and volunteers to ensure our operations
run smoothly. We have been operating for only
one year and our work in the community has
superseded all of my expectations, largely in part
to people like you.
We appreciate all of the food and litter donations
at M-BREW, we thank you for attending our fundraising events, your monthly
sustaining donations, the volunteer hours, the fostering, the adopting, everything
you do to make us a viable and successful rescue!
I hope you will continue supporting the Ferndale Cat Shelter and our mission by
telling your friends and family about how they can get involved. Even just sharing
our Facebook page or directing others to our website where they can sign up for
the newsletter will enlighten people to our cause…and that means more adopted
cats and kittens, more funds to vet the sick animals we rescue, and more awareness
in our community.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart –
Kristen Schmitt, co-founder
Would you like to contribute to our next Mewsletter?
Please contact the editor with ideas, comments, photos or
anything you’d like to share: deanne@ferndalecatshelter.org
Saving the world, one cat at a time!
Jim Kissling Mastering
Working with musicians from Ferndale to Los
Angeles, Greece to Australia, from independent
artists to internationally known major-label
types, Jim puts the final touch on their music
readying it for release on CD, vinyl, and iTunes.
Board
Benjamin D. Long — FOUNDER
Angela Fisher — CO-FOUNDER
Kristen Schmitt — CO-FOUNDER
David Adrian
To our community of Volunteers, fosters, and
generous people...Thank you!
Diane & 4 Paws 1 Heart, Maggie Foreman,
Sharon Crane, Nancy DeCoursey, Ryan Poulliot,
Denise Najera, Deena & Tom Terzo, Michelle Dickson,
Sarah Clark, Karen Kahn-Szulc, Allison Martin,
Jessica Clark, Hartrick Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Bonnie
Burke & Little Friends of Ferndale, Rescue Vet of
Sterling Heights, All About Animals, Penny Bradley,
Jim Kissling, Dean Michael Bach.
Provide vital support
and become a
monthly sustainer!
Just visit our website at:
www.ferndalecatshelter.org
Click on the DONATE button!
Snail Mail:
Ferndale Cat Shelter
22720 Woodward Avenue, Suite 203
Ferndale MI 48220
Donation Drop-off:
M-Brew, 177 Vester, Ferndale MI 48220
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