By Ruth aka Kattaddorra
Cat Rescue Shelters are struggling more than ever for money right now, but so are many people too.
If, like us, you are on a tight budget and find it hard to donate much in money, there are still ways to help the needy cats in your local shelter.
Apart from buying a few extra tins of cat food for them every time you shop for your own cats needs, you could save your old bedding, such as sheets, blankets, duvets, etc and towels too as these make cosy beds for cats in care.
They don’t mind if they are quite worn, so don’t throw them out when you buy new, wash and fold them and they will be much appreciated at the Shelter.
We share out anything and everything we don’t want or need to our local Cats Protection and Kays Hill cattery, what they can’t use for the cats they can sell to raise funds.
So, bric a brac, toiletries, books, CDs, toys, crockery, you name it, the fund raisers will be able to sell it and every bit of cash will add up to buy food, pay vets bills etc.
Maybe there isn’t a Rescue Shelter near you? Is there a Charity shop (UK) Thrift shop (USA) you could give unwanted goods to? Our Cats Protection have quite a few charity shops around, unfortunately none are near to us, which is a pity as some good stuff can be bought in them Giving goods to those shops or spending money in them helps needy cats too.
Do you work somewhere where you could be a collection point for cat food and bedding? My sister Barbara works in funeralcare and her bosses are very happy for her to have a poster in her window asking for donations of food and bedding to be left there for our local Rescue Shelters. People here are very generous and all that is given is much appreciated by CP and Kays Hill.
What makes this acceptable to people who don’t particularly care about cats is that she collects for needy people too, so no one can complain we only care about animals.
Over the last few years 4,000 pairs of peoples donated old spectacles have winged their way to the Third World. We toddle off to Specsavers with 100 at a time and they send them off to give better sight to people who couldn’t afford to buy any.
Her ‘Knickers for Africa’ collection was so successful that underwear was piled high and a real headache to get so much sent off. This was for women and girls there too poor to afford any underwear and who were being raped because they had none.
It’s all about helping those who need it and most definitely cats need help right now from people who care about them, so it’s good there are more ways than giving money to do this.
At one for Kays Hill a friend brought his girlfriend who came from Texas! She couldn’t get over the atmosphere and friendliness, she thoroughly enjoyed her morning and English tea and cakes and the raffle and pick a prize, she had been to nothing like it in the USA she said. Our small town must have looked like Toytown to her lol
Yes, wouldn’t it be great if we could meet up at a cat charity gathering.
Babz comes up with these ideas, I live in fear of what she will think up next lol
But it’s all good for charities and for her firm too and it takes the dread out of funeralcare when people have got to know her and been in for a coffee and see it’s not all sombre and scary.
I think she’s planning a Coffee Morning for September for our local cat shelters, it’s amazing how people are usually so generous at them. We haven’t had one for a while, been collecting stuff for raffle prizes etc ….
Hard work but great fun! It’s a pity all PoCers are so far away, she makes THE BEST chocolate cake lol