Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County

FORGOTTEN FELINES
Of
Sonoma
County
P.O. Box 6672  Santa Rosa, CA 95406
Dedicated to the care and control of the feral cat population.
Serving Sonoma County since 1990
A publication featuring Forgotten Felines News and Upcoming Events
March 2011
www.forgottenfelines.com
(707) 576-7999
By Jennifer Kirchner, Executive Director
Never before in Sonoma County have cat lovers, cats
and their owners had two unprecedented opportunities available to them until NOW!
First of all, Forgotten Felines is sponsoring a drawing
for six lucky folks to win money for getting their cat fixed
during the month of March. Anyone using one of the low to
no cost spay/neuter clinics sponsored by FFSC and Sonoma
County Shelters will have a chance to win. One person will receive $500 and five spay/
neuter clients will win $100.
A group in Oregon came up with the idea as a way to draw attention to spay/neuter
and it worked. Phones were ringing off the hook when word hit the streets. So, we decided
to try it here. If we can prevent one litter, two litters or more from being born this Spring it
is well worth our effort.
The second unprecedented opportunity for Sonoma County residents is that through
a collaboration of the shelters, FFSC and VIP Petcare Services, three FREE clinics per week
throughout the entire month of March are being held for tame, owned cats. Low income cat
owners just have to pick up the phone and make an appointment. We’ve had one day SpayA-Thons, and occasional reduced cost events, but we have NEVER offered an entire month
of FREE altering. This is a first for this County.
The goal for the $1000 drawing and free altering is to reduce the number of kittens
and cats being surrendered to the shelter in the coming year. Until we can balance the number of animals in our county with the number of available homes, killing still exists. There
should be no excuse for anyone in our county to have a breeding cat. Its time to make our
Sonoma County a shining example of what can be done when we all come together for one
common goal—stop the suffering, the killing, the pain, the shame. FIX YOUR CAT!

To register for the free spay/neuter clinics, owners just call VIP at 1-800-427-7973. Feral
cat caregivers call Forgotten Felines at 707-576-7999. FFSC clinics are still $30 per cat or
whatever the client can afford. In addition to the surgery, vaccinations are included as well.
Are you an
FFSC
Member?
New Barn Cat Brochure
Now Available
In an attempt to boost our feral cat relocations, we’ve created a Barn Cat Brochure
which can be placed in any
location where potential
caretakers may see it.
We’re looking for rural
properties with folks who
need feral cats for rodent
control or simply want to
save a life. Once we locate
a relocation site, we pull
cats from places where their
lives are in danger. After
the cat(s) is matched to the
new home, it will be delivered to the site altered, vaccinated, ear tipped and
ready to start a new life in
safety. If you know of a
place where we can advertise our program or place brochures, please let us
know.
$30/Year
Membership Includes:

FFSC Tote Bag

Forgotten Felines Magnet

Forgotten Felines Poster



10% discount at Pick of the
Litter Thrift Shop*
Rabbit Cages Needed
FFSC Newsletters informing
you of what you’re helping to
accomplish
Since we’re doing more and more relocations we are finding that we don’t have enough
relocation ―condo’s‖ available. We use double
wide rabbit cages for the cats to be housed in
during their four week acclimation period. (See
above) The double wide condo gives them room
for litter box in one side and food, water and bed
on the other side. Cages can be purchased at
Western Farm Center for around $68. You may
even have an old one sitting in the back yard or
spot one at a garage sale. Nab it for us! We
need em! We use the singles for foster parents
so can use those as well.
Pride in knowing that you are
making a difference in the
lives of Sonoma County’s
Forgotten Felines
*To receive the 10% discount at Pick of the
Litter, members must show their membership
card at the time of
purchase. Discounts do not apply to new merchandise or at POL special events.
2
Pizza & Prizes
Saving Cats AND
Saving Trees?
Pizza and
Prizes—life
couldn’t get
any better!
Oh, and you’ll
be supporting
Forgotten
Felines too!
Plan to dine at
Mary’s Pizza
Shack (only
good at the
Marlow Road
location) on
Tuesday, April
26th and
Mary’s will
donate 20% of
your bill to
FFSC. And if
good food weren’t enough we’ve also sweetened the
pot with a few door prizes too! With donation dollars in short supply these days, we’re pursuing every
donation avenue possible where you can support us
just by doing what comes naturally. Whether it’s
shopping on line (e-scrip) or locally at Olivers,
Lucky’s, Sav-Mart and now, going out for a meal on
the town, you can help us. For us to receive the 20%
contribution from Mary’s you’ll need a special coupon
to present to your server which can either be e-mailed
to you by us or taken off of our web site. Hope to see
you there! Good for dine in or take out! And, don’t
forget to put your name and phone number on the back
of the coupon….you may win one of the door prizes!
If you shop at Community Market, you
know that if you bring your own shopping bag,
you are given a token. This token can then be
awarded to a non-profit which translates into a
donation made by Community Market to that
agency. For the past several months, Forgotten
Felines was one of the non-profits shoppers could
select to receive their token. During this time,
FFSC collected a wonderful $200 donation. The
donation letter that accompanied the check from
Community Market stated the following:
―There are 700 grocery bags in a 15 year
old tree. The average American uses 7 trees in a
year. Through our ―Bring your Own Bag, Save a
Tree‖ program, your organization collected 2,444
tokens and saved FOUR trees. Together we can
make a difference.‖
And, to further our tree saving efforts, we
now have our own Forgotten Felines Tote Bags
which you can take to Community Market, or
Oliver’s or Lucky’s . Advertise your support of
Forgotten Felines, use your Community Card
AND save a tree. Now that’s shopping at it’s
best!
Our FFSC Tote Bags can be purchased
(only $5) at Pick of the Litter, our Administrative
Offices or our Adoption Room at the Rohnert
Park Animal Shelter. Or become an FFSC Member and you’ll receive one for free!
Your 2011 FFSC Board of Directors
Barb Templin, President
Barb Lester, Secretary
Betsy McConnell, Treasurer
Pamela Gray
Jennifer Kirchner
Susan Simons
Susanne Spencer
Robin Stovall
A special thank you to our retiring Board Member,
Denise Eufusia for many years of service as a
valuable member of our Board.
Eminem Modeling the FFSC Tote Bag
3
Long Timers, Basco and
Teddy Get A Home
Dr. Leah Hertzel Honored
Dr. Leah Hertzel, our primary spay/neuter
clinic veterinarian was honored at the February
meeting of the Redwood Empire Veterinary Medical Association meeting for her seven years of service to Forgotten Felines. Dr. Hertzel was
presented with a certificate highlighting the
5100 surgeries (and
counting) that she has
performed at the FFSC
FFSC’s Sherry Pribyl, and Spay Neuter clinics.
Jennifer Kirchner presented Thank you Dr.
Dr. Hertzel (center) with her
Hertzel—the Queen of
certificate.
our Colony!
Basco was surrendered as a stray to the
Rohnert Park Shelter
in July of 2007. He
was too shy for their
Adoption Program so
we took him in.
He was adopted the very next month
along with another cat by a large family. The
other cat did well, but Basco stayed under the
bed and wanted nothing to do with any of the
children so he was returned a few weeks later.
Basco was next adopted out to a couple
with one quiet child, but Basco hid in the bathroom cabinet this time and would not come out.
He was returned again.
Next Basco was adopted by a young
gentleman with no children and a quiet home.
We thought it was a perfect match. After one
year of making every attempt to bond with
Basco he was returned again simply because the
adopter felt he was unhappy…..hid all the time.
So Basco was either waiting for his new
family to come into his life or after spending
1-1/2 years in the shelter he was simply ―ready‖
to go home. Whichever the case, it doesn’t matter. He’s living the life of luxury now pictured
above on his fluffy rug in front of the fireplace.
No hiding now! It was worth the wait!
Teddy came to us through the Rohnert
Park Shelter too and just like Basco spent 1-1/2
years with us before finding his perfect match
with Katy. She reports that Teddy has become
very affectionate and is starting to appreciate
being the only cat in a large house having one
human devoted just to him where he gets to be
the prince!
Keep in touch with us through
Facebook, Twitter, or our bi-monthly
Adoption Program e-mail.
We’d love to hear from you!
Donations can be made through
PayPal from our web site.
Go to www.forgottenfelines.com
Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County
P.O. Box 6672
Santa Rosa, CA 95406
(707) 576-7999
Administrative Offices
1814 Empire Industrial Court, Santa Rosa
FFSC Adoption Center
Rohnert Park Animal Shelter
301 J. Rogers Lane, Rohnert Park
Sometimes it takes a
while, but eventually the
right home comes along
for everyone! Just ask
Basco and Teddy.
Pick of the Litter Thrift Shop
1701 Piner Road, Santa Rosa,
Tax ID #68-0228734
4
Special Volunteer Needs
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Relocation Scouts & Set Up—Volunteers are
needed to scout out potential relocation sites for
ferals that need to be moved from their current
home. IF the Relocation Scout deems the site safe,
then volunteers are needed to pick up and deliver
cages and supplies so the relocation can take place.
Commitment: On an ―as needed‖ basis, sometimes
once a week, sometimes once a month!
Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinics for FERAL CATS
 March 2, 9, 14, 23, 30
 April 6, 11, 20, 27
 May 4, 11, 16, 25
FREE Spay/Neuter Clinics for TAME CATS
 Call 1-800-427-7973
Appointments Necessary, Clinics fill up rapidly.
Don’t delay. ONLY available through 3/31/11
Public Outreach Coordinator—Looking for a
coordinator to set up outreach locations and manage
a core group of volunteers to staff these events.
Commitment: As much as you are able to give. Set
up an event once a week or once a month—all
exposure is helpful!
Dine and Donate at Mary’s Pizza Shack
 Tuesday, April 26, 2011
 Marlow Road Mary’s ONLY
Ask us for a flyer to take with you!
New Volunteer Orientations—10am to 11am
 April 9, 2011
 May 14, 2011
 June 11, 2011
Reservations Necessary—Call 576-7999 for a spot.
Held at our Administration Offices in Santa Rosa
Feral Cat Foster Parents—Occasionally we’ll
come across a situation where a feral cat or cats
cannot be returned to the colony and we need a
temporary fostering situation where they can be
held until a relocation site can be secured. These
will be feral cats. No socializing will be required.
Commitment: Can accommodate outdoor or indoor
housing, provide daily food, water and litter box
cleaning. Length of fostering could be from one
week to two months. FFSC will provide cage,
equipment, supplies and food.
Equipment Cleaners—After every spay/neuter
clinic we have a pile of equipment (traps, squeezes,
carriers) that need to be disinfected, hosed off and
returned to inventory. It isn’t the fanciest of jobs,
but it does need doing and although we have a couple of reliable ―cleaners‖, we need one more to
make our crew complete.
Commitment: Available any weekday, any time—
usually once a week. OK to work outside and lift
traps. We provide all other necessary tools.
Donation Attendant—Lots of smiling and plenty
of thank-you’s would be required of the customer
service oriented person who can help with receiving
bags and boxes of donation at Pick of the Litter.
Commitment: Available 2-4 hrs./wk. Mon-Sat.
Our Mission
Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County is
dedicated to protecting and improving
the lives of feral cats through local
spay/neuter programs, placement services, community outreach and nationwide education.
Our Vision
Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County is
committed to a world where all animals
are treated with compassion and respect. We are dedicated to elevating
the quality of life of feral cats and
ending the pain and suffering of all
cats living among us.
Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County
P.O. Box 6672 – Santa Rosa, CA 95406
(707) 576-7999
www.forgottenfelines.com
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Ways in which you can help the Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County
Become a Member! For $30 you can become an FFSC Member, receive a spay/neuter magnet for
your car, 10% discount at our Thrift Shop, Pick of the Litter and receive regular updates about the
work we’re doing to improve the lives of Sonoma County’s felines. Join today, become part of the
solution!
Put up a flyer. We can use advertising everywhere – for our adoption program, our spay/neuter program, our relocation program and our thrift shop – and we have flyers for all of them. Keep them in
your car and put them up anywhere you’re allowed. Your hairdresser, the grocery store, dry cleaners, gym or nearby apartment complex.
Pick of the Litter – Whether you shop or drop, you’re supporting Forgotten Felines. Organize a donation drive in your neighborhood or at your office. Your co-workers would be thrilled to have YOU
take a load of items they no longer need to support a worthy cause. You collect and deliver and bring
them back a donation receipt. Everybody wins.
Grocery Shopping – Not all, but many grocery stores have Community Cards that siphon off a percentage of your purchases to your favorite charity. All you have to do is present the card and voila’
you’re helping! We have cards for Olivers, Lucky, Food Maxx, SaveMart and Jamba Juice. Either
stop by our offices or send us an e-mail and will mail you out a card.
Social Networking – Are you on Facebook? Do you Twitter? And, doesn’t everybody
e-mail? Simply by sitting at your computer and networking with friends and family, the work that
Forgotten Felines does, specific needs that we have, special cats we have available for adoption can
be broadcast all over the county (and beyond) with just a click! When you receive a newsletter,
adoption flyer, or special request, please pass it on to everyone you know. You’d be surprised how
many gifts we receive from people who found out about us through an e-mail from a friend. It really
works and doesn’t cost a dime! (Find our Facebook and Twitter sites on our web site at
www.forgottenfelines.com)
Wish List Items
Rabbit Cages
Alcohol (71% or higher)
Masking Tape
Distilled Water
Purina Kitten Chow
Garbage Bags (13 & 45 Gallon)
Hydrogen Peroxide
Paper Towels
Office Supplies
Humane Traps
Clumping Litter
1‖ Blue Painters Tape
Puppy Pads
Purina Cat Chow
Trader Joe’s Tuna