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.
Barbara was a lovely lady, she had a monthly direct debit donation to Kays Hill even though she lived alone and wasn’t well off, she also came to all our Coffee Mornings and ‘mucked in’ and helped if we got very busy. We miss her a lot as she became a good friend.
Quite a few people here ask for money donations in lieu of flowers to go to our animal charities, I only want one wreath, cat shaped of course and donations to go to cats although I don’t intend to fall off my twig for many years yet lol there will always be unwanted cats needing food and care.
I think it’s sad flowers die within days, where as donations given instead can help needy cats.
Hey …..that might make another article…..
If you could outline it for me, it would be a great help to me, before I write a comment to the editor. All of you who comment on this page 🙂 That is so beautiful, what you and Babz and others here do!
We also have a solid community of ‘retired’ folks always looking for any way to assist those in need. You are so inspiring!
wow. Never knew this, until this posting and article (again, excellent!). We have many, many thrift stores her in Lincoln, Nebraska–actually all over the state– but I have never seen one devoted to pets. Even at the local shelters. Great idea! I hope to respond to our newspaper by Friday. Thanks!
Barbara McCusker was a good woman then. The funeral collection idea tells me she was my type of woman.
“Knickers to Africa” is brilliant. It is a little bit sexy as well. Sort of erotic charity 😉
Seriously, it is a fantastic, intelligent and very practical idea and this picture is great. It is shocking that underwear is a luxury in parts of Africa. It makes me sigh with sadness. I moan about this and that but I have no right to. We are the lucky ones.