Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats
Intro
This is a new scheme. All visitors to PoC need to do to make money for cat charities is visit the site and write a comment – nothing else. PoC does the rest by donating money earned from advertising.
PoC has a history of giving to cat charities. I would like to build on this. You can see the donations made so far by clicking on this link: PoC Donations.
The Scheme
For every comment made by a visitor, PoC the website will give 5 cents to charity. The visitor visits and comments. PoC gives money to charity. It is a shared process. The idea is to encourage people to visit PoC which allows PoC to make more advertising money. Some of the money earned can be given away by PoC to cat charities. Should be Win Win! If it works.
How much will the scheme raise?
The average number of comments over the past year is 34 per day. At 5 cents that makes $1.70 per day. In a month that makes $52. PoC already gives $25 per month to Texas Maine Coon Rescue together with ad hoc donations.
The 5 cents per comment policy started on 19th June 2013 at 1 pm. At this time, the total number of comments from May 2012 is: 12,809. I will count from that number and make a payment to a cat charity once per month.
Anyone can check because comments are there for all to see.
Donations will be transparent. They will be recorded and published so there is no question of this scheme being anything other than a genuine way of benefiting cat welfare.
How to choose the charities?
The selected charities who benefit should be in countries from which most visitors to PoC come. The top four are USA, UK, European countries, India. I will select a charity from these countries that accept payment through manageable methods. The best is PayPal.
If someone has a preference just tell me. I’ll listen. Promise.
How long will this scheme run?
I don’t know. That is an honest answer. As long as it runs, cat charities benefit. It is up to visitors to PoC to decide how long the scheme runs. There are many reasons why it might stop. I want it to continue permanently.
PoC Membership Scheme
I am still working on a PoC membership scheme.
Thank you for implementing this creative way of providing donations to so many organizations. It does a great service for many needy animals and those who care for them.
Lynn
Thanks Lynn. I believe that websites about companion animals should give something back for the benefit of the animals as the sites make money because of them.
What a great idea! I am so pleased to have found your site. I just watched “The Paw Project” on Netflix and am now a staunch advocate for claws! Thanks for what you do!
It gives me a purpose.
The only reason she is getting help is because of you, Michael, and PoC! This site is amazing and is giving Mollie a new life 🙂
Well, Dr. Doub of Paw Project-Utah viewed pictures a friend and I took of Mollie Ann’s paws. She said they look rough. So she suggested some medication and I picked it up yesterday. Mollie has been pain free and a little wobbly since!! She even rubbed her paws on the sisal rope, first time in a while!!!! THANK YOU! Again and again, thank you!!!
So pleased Mollie is getting help now 🙂
Thank you Michael for helping Mollie get the help she needs.
It is a pleasure for me. It makes the site more worthwhile.
This is the best thing to help cats, cat owners, and rescues! This site is allowing me to get x-rays on one of my cats who was declawed before she came to me. She is exhibiting signs of paw problems. It is taking a long time to get the appointment set because the vet has to be in agreement to provide the x-ray views needed. I am very grateful to Michael, Carla with Paws Need Claws, and Dr. Kirsten Doub in Paw Project – Utah who will review the x-rays once taken. Declawing a cat is the worst surgery to have ever been done! Because of Michael so many cats will receive help for whatever it is they need. Keep supporting this site and all anti-declawing sites everywhere!
Thanks Tina. I look forward to hearing about x-rays when they are done. Please update us when they are done and good luck.
I certainly will keep you updated, Michael!! To be given such an opportunity to help Mollie is hard to describe!
I am so thrilled for you, Tina and am so hoping things work out.
You came to the right place.
This is almost a magical place where dreams come true if you love cats. I know first hand.
So much good is being done because of Michael.
Thanks Dee! I would never have known anything was wrong had I not begun a school project on declawing. I would have never met Ruth who put me in touch with Michael and this wonderful site! I am working with some amazing folks here in the US and it all began with Michael in the UK! Magical, so far.
hi tina great to hear about the xrays hope mollie is doing ok. Be great once its all done to see how mollie is doing. Such a horrible thing for her cant imagine having a declawed cat. Will continue to support our friends in america till declawed is outlawed as its just so cruel and wrong in so many ways. Best of luck. kylee
Thanks Kylee! If you are following me on the facebook group, which I believe you are, stay tuned as I will begin to video Mollie Ann through the process.
It is only noon here in Texas. I have been on FB for a very short time today. I have seen 6 requests for help to get senior declawed cats out of shelters. In the U.S. it appears the “norm” is to get a kitten declawed before (s)he has even had time to display a habit of scratching where they shouldn’t or prior to being provided a scratcher. Then when any health issues appear later, due to this hideous mutilation, they dump the “loved” pet at a shelter. This needs to stop. I cannot imagine all the pain these poor cats go through.
Keep up the good work and thank you for supporting and being a leading advocate for banning this horrible surgery.
Thanks Cindy. The anti-declaw campaign always motivates me. I always become angry about declawing which stokes the fire of passion to go on fighting it.
So true Michael!!! Cindy, so true and such sad stories!
Keep up the good work.
I think this is a great idea! The word “scheme” in North America is usually only linked to negative plots and endeavours though. Sharing this because you have an international website. Definition most often used: “a plan for achieving something, especially something illegal or dishonest.”
I don’t know exactly what word(s) would mean the equivalent. Possibly “programme”, “details”, “how it works”?
Keep up the great work to help our feline friends!
Thanks Christine. The “programme” works well. The money goes direct to cat charities that we select as a group of people who care about cats. It could be anywhere in the world and for domestic, stray, feral or wild cat charities.
Nice cat snow sculpture. Really neat.
That is an awesome snow sculpture! Absolutely amazing!
such a great cause
Thanks Kylee. We try and do our bit.
Nice post! A love all cats! 🙂
loved your site, my son asked me what are the flap holes on the side of our cat’s ears. your site was the only one that could answer this, my vet didn’t even know
Thank you Pat.
How nice of you to post this comment Pat with well deserved praise for Michael and PoC 🙂
The number of comments at end of August is 17692 (21:30).
The August 2013 donation page can be seen on this page.
Note: There is a slight difference in comments made at end of Aug between the figure above and the one used to calculate the donation. It is minor and due to convenience in managing the site.
The July 2013 donation can be seen on this page.
At 1st August the comment total is 15,209.
I volunteer at the Hermitage Cat Shelter. They need all the help they can get!
Patricia – if Michael hasn’t donated to the Hermitage Cat Shelter I’ll mention it next time he is doing the donations.
I was in Tucson once a long time ago 🙂
Yes, Marc. we can make the Hermitage Cat Shelter the next donor. I missed this comment. If someone takes the time to recommend a place in a comment I am pleased.
Great Michael – glad you saw this. I agree – if somebody goes out their way to suggest a shelter it’s a good idea to try and help.
Just for the record 13,612 comments 3rd July 2013. So I can calculate numbers at the end of the month.
This is a great idea…don’t know if you have already chosen your charities, but I volunteer at Cat’s Cradle shelter in Fargo, North Dakota and I’ve been donating to a shelter called Puffy paws in Florida that is in desperate need.
Thank you Jackie. I will be donating to a different charity each month or so and will keep Cat’s Cradle shelter in Fargo, North Dakota and Puffy paws in Florida in mind. Thanks for visiting.
Wonderful idea ,Good Luck
Thank you Mei. Marc is making a contribution too. Marc is a regular visitor who lives in Switzerland.
Way to go,wish you all the best for pets.
Thank you Elisabeth
happy to help the Kitties, good luck
Thanks Mimi
This is such a wonderful idea!!!! Good luck too you!!! <3
Thanks Christine
A few words for my favorite animals – here’s my free donation!
Thanks Franziska for your 5 cents 😉
Hi I think what you are doing is a very AWWWWesome thing. I have rescue cats 5 and just love them,if I could have more I would,lol.God Bless You for all the things you are doing for cats & Kittens.You have a very BIG HEART & I admire that.Good Luck in all you do for Cats or animals in general.Tami & all her animals.
Thanks Tami.
Micheal you are a saint and I love you and you are too Marc I love you also.
I love you too 😉 If I am saint, I am a flawed saint with earthly defects…LOL
Ah I love you both too and you Rose also, this calls for a group hug 😉
Thanks – I would feel lost sometimes without everyone on PoC. I am serious about the donation for just one day. I’ll let Michael decide what to do with it, it’s for him really and if donated to rescue it’s on behalf of all of us. It’s just one day so that’s why I made the amount so much higher.
The way it’s done if somebody want to add to the pot is they say for every nickel donated they will add a nickel of their own – thereby doubling it for a said period of time.
I know it’s just one day but on Sunday June 30th I will donate 5 dollars for every comment made. That means if there are 50 comments I’ll donate 250 dollars – and I’m not even sure to what yet but maybe just to PoC for giving me so much love and security after my cat died. Michael could do what he wants with it – donate it somehwere he thinks fit or just keep it to buy roast chicken for Charlie. For about a month after Red died I was a zombie but eventually I got back to my usual internet reading and I suddenly felt the urge to comment which I hadn’t really done before. It’s been very helpful and no money can put worth to that, plus I have met so many nice people on here. I guess I will remind everyone about it when the time comes. If there’s 100 comments that will be 500 dollars 🙂
How kind you are Marc 🙂
Is June 30th Red’s anniversary?
If so, what a wonderful tribute to his memory.
June, anything. Marc? Where is my bebe? Mein?
Sorry I didn’t reply I just missed the notification somehow that there was a reply to my comment.
Hey – sorry I didn’t get a notification that anybody replied to my comment.
No – Red died on the last day of June last year. He was born earlier so he was a little over a year old when he died.
PoC has really helped me and I’d rather donate something to PoC – that might end up being Charlie 😉 – just as a way to say thank you to Michael and all of you.
I am going to write a little bit and provide some pictures which will amount to a little remembrance article on that day, for Red. I will go and spend the last part of the day up where he is buried and I will plant some flowers and just spend some time there with him. It’s going to be a hard day. I have also started the ball rolling with making a catio which was another thing I wanted to be under way by the end of June. It means to me that I have responded somehow in a constructive way to what happened.
Well, I am blessed and stunned and thankful. Sure. I’ll factor your generosity into the calculation.
Even though it is a short month (I started the scheme mid-month), I’ll donate money at the end of June.
I’ll do a post saying how much and why and where it will go to.
Thanks a hell of a lot Marc. You are a special person and cats love you.
I think you will have to keep a small percentage for roast chicken for Charlie 🙂
I misunderstood too, Michael! You could maybe create an option wherein PoC members could give a nickel a comment– maybe through Paypal. I was thinking maybe a rant should be ten cents. Actually, I’d pay the ten cents just to read Marc ranting against lawns again. That was great.
Sorry I was not clear. I have changed the wording. I think it is clear now. If you want to reword it please do in a comment and I’ll amend it. The idea is to push up PoC visitor numbers which leads to more advertising income which leads to the ability to give some away for cat welfare. Win Win is the target! I don’t know if it will work.
I can certainly refine the scheme as you suggest. We’ll just see how it runs 😉
Now I’m quite worried because there must be more visitors like Babz and me who truly would love to donate money here but we are stretched to the limit with helping our 2 local cats sanctuaries. We live very simply and just scrape by with all our household expenses, we honestly don’t often have a penny to spare 🙁 we don’t need luxuries, just a roof over our and our cats heads.
I don’t know what a nickel is, or a cent either?
Yet we are going to feel guilty if other visitors donate here and we don’t 🙁
ps
I would gladly pay 10 cents (whatever sum that might be) for Marc’s rants, if only I had it.
Ten cents is one thin dime, ten pennies, two nickels–basically one tenth of a dollar, so it would be similar to a tenth of a pound, if you have any coin in that denomination. Except that I think the pound is stronger than the dollar, so ten cents really wouldn’t be much at all. Or do you guys use Euros now? I really don’t know. Do you have nickels in England? Sometimes it’s easy to forget we all live in different parts of the world, so that even our money is different.
I had a dream about Michael last night, that my husband and I were visiting him over in England and we were loading some stuff into his car for some unknown reason and I was saying I could never get used to the steering wheel being on the wrong side of the car. That was weird.
I think no one should feel badly if they can’t donate. There are other ways to help in this world than to give money or things– there is your time and talents as well. Ruth, your posters are so fabulous! That is a huge contribution, and one that not everyone could make. I couldn’t do it.
Sometimes all I have to throw in the donation jar at The Cat Network is spare change. But I still go and put that in, because it all adds up. If you wait until you can give a significant amount, it seems like that day almost never comes (for me anyway) so I just try to give a little here and a little there. I donated some things for the rummage sale The Cat Network is having in June. Nothing earth shattering, but if everybody did just a little and didn’t feel that their small contribution is somehow unworthy, I think it would really help the world to be a better place.
People should not feel bad. All they have to do it write a comment. Your comment earned 5 cents for a cat in need. PoC does the rest. 5 cents is 5% of a dollar (USD) and 5 pence is 5% of a pound (GBP). 5 cents is about 3.3 pence. It all adds up over time. And it all counts. I believe that you can arrive at a goal in small steps over a long time. You just have to keep going.
The more successful PoC is the more money we can make for cats under this scheme. I am keen to keep PoC successful against increasingly tough competition.
Thanks for dreaming about me 😉
I don’t know how that happened, Michael! I usually dream about Monty.
My husband dreamed about fireworks, if he slept at all. At quarter to five he woke me up, shoved his iPhone screen in my face and said, “This is a picture from space of the summer camp where we shoot that show in August! See, here’s where we had our firing line last year, but this year we will be putting it over here by the hill. We will still have line of sight to our ground displays, but we can’t shoot where we did last year because they built on to this building to put on a new kitchen…” This went on for like five whole minutes. I finally just got up and fed Monty his breakfast.
If Monty has been dreaming it has to be about chipmunks. Right as I had to leave for work yesterday, there was a chipmunk on the patio outside. Monty could see it through the screen door and instead of letting him out to chase it I had to close and lock the glass door. Monty gave me a look that clearly said if I were the size of a rabbit instead of a big old human I would be really sorry that I had done that.
Lol, Ruthie, Monty’s Mom. You should have shoved droid in his face and said, “Husband, I appreciate you very much and your fireworks, but do you appreciate Me and my Monty?” Then, give him a gentle kiss and walk out to the kitchen with Monty. Who needs that in your face, when you can have a cat in there?
Thanks Ruth, that’s made me feel better:) I enjoy making posters.
We have a money box we drop our copper (1p and 2p coins) into and it takes a while but eventually it adds up to £5 which buys 12 big tins of cat food for our local Kays Hill Cattery or Cats Protection.
As our late mother would say Every little helps said the woman as she peed in the sea 😉
Ruth, I didn’t want to comment to you while in the confines of your MH, but I just want you to know, I appreciate you immensely. Here’s the thing that’s been bugging me: where do I start? TNR? Have been involved in that for yrs. I’m asking, this ‘declawing’ cruelty, where do I start? TIA, Cal
Hi Caroline, there are some anti declaw groups on face book you could join, the one I started is ‘The International Coalition Against Declawing’ which has members from all over the world, but Babz and I also help moderate others on there, the more you join the better. We share links to places to comment and educate about the cruelty of declawing and many of the members use my anti declaw posters and bookmarks to show people the horrible truth.
I always post links to articles on PoC too, to hopefully not only educate but to get more visitors here for Michael.
Also you could write an article here on PoC, just write it from the heart Caroline, how the thought of cats suffering because of being declawed makes you feel. I’m sure Michael would present it very nicely for you.
Every little helps don’t forget and the more of us fighting declawing the better 🙂
I didn’t know a great lot about it when I first started, so don’t feel you can’t help, just learn as you go along x
I think Michael’s intention to donate according to the number of comments is really kind, I think the way he had it worked out was spot on, I’m not going to worry about contributing anything extra because we all have our own ways of helping cats and we all know that no matter how much we want to we can’t do more than our best, so I say to anyone who wants to contribute extra – good on you, especially the huge one off contribution that Marc is planning, but the main thing is that Michael has his own scheme worked out to steadily contribute, maybe coppers at a time but yes it will mount up and will make a difference to a lot of cats over time.
Thanks Babz. Also if by some chance PoC grows the 5 cents rate can be adjusted so there is some flexibility in the scheme.
Do not fear nor worry, Ruth, Monty’s Mom, for there are a few of us avid meow and purr lovers who have a bit of “spare change” who do not know where to donate money and feel secure in that it is going directly to the cats, whether feral communities or domestics that need a helping hand. We, I feel, might be should be able to donate monies to PoC directly, so that we are assured that it is going to the cats.
Michael, again Obi wan Kenobi, I ask for your help.
THIS IS A GOOD IDEA. A NICKLE IS A NICKLE.I HAVE 19 RESCUES HERE.CATS AND DOGS.I LOVE THEM ALL.THEY ARE SPAYED AND NUTERED AND WELL TAKEN CARED OF.THEY ARE MY FAMILY.
Just a thought, can I mention again to everyone that even if we are not able to give as much in money as we would like to give cat charities, they are always in need of cat food, even one tin or a box of cat biscuits helps.
Old bedding, towels, anything to keep the cats and kittens comfortable and warm is gratefully received by our local cat Rescue Shelters and they also accept anything they can sell to raise funds too, although I don’t know if all Rescue Shelters do that.
I think it should be optional or we may lose valuable input due to financial concerns.
Hi Dan, I can’t have made myself clear. Visitors make comments and PoC the website gives money to the charity.
All the visitor does is make a comment. There is no financial burden for the visitor.
I’ll reword the page slightly.
Oh, I misunderstood. My bad. I think it’s a wonderful idea. Very kind of you to do so.
It’s alright. I sort of presumed people would understand. It was my fault. Please confirm that I have made myself clear now. If you have any suggestions to improve the presentation or wording please tell me.
With what you added it is perfectly clear now. I love the avatar/icon you worked up for PoC Giving. You’re a good man. Cats of the world can rest easier knowing PoC Giving is doing what it can to help. I think your scheme for picking the organizations to contribute to is a winner. The Smithsonian National Zoo (FONZ Friends of the National Zoo) is my first choice and I see you have already donated several times. Next would be the Big Cat Rescue. They seem to take ANY cat that needs help no matter what. If they don’t have room they find a home. Because of this their enclosures are small, but they make up for it with constant contact and enrichment activities. PoC may have already donated to them before and I missed it on the above reference list (sorry if I did). I look forward to hear how this turns out.
Dan
I LOVE cats and have rescued 8. I am all for giving something in return for all the joy my cats bring me. BRAVO for a wonderful idea.
Hi Sharon…well, thank you very much. They do give me joy too and many millions of people. You just earned 5 cents to help a cat somewhere. If a lot of people did what you did it would make a difference.
I think it’s a wonderful idea, anything that helps cat charities gets my vote, POC is priceless because not only does the site educate it also helps people to share knowledge and just enjoy being in contact with other like minded people (or mostly like minded)and here’s the thing, even trolls by making comments will be helping cat charities haha! just one thing I’d like to ask and that is what is 5 cents in English money?
LOL, I hadn’t considered that, Babz. When Woody rants about killing cats, he’ll be saving cats. How neat is that. That is going to stop him!
lol – I already thought of that. Perhaps this will encourage Wooden not to comment 🙂
It’s a neat unforeseen spin-off.
What poetic justice, cat haters coming here to vent their spite and in doing so helping to give donations to the very creatures they hate and not a thing they can do to stop it!
Oh I do LOVE that!!!!!
Great idea and generous gesture!
I, personally, wouldn’t have minded the nickel was charged to me for each of my comments.
Too bad there’s not a way to charge woody for comments!
I think it’s a wonderful and generous idea and a great way to help cat charities, all of who are struggling in these hard times.
I think a lot of people must come to read PoC but don’t comment much, so maybe this plan will get more comments.
GOOD LUCK Michael, I am filled with admiration that you care so much about all cats worldwide.
I would be honoured to be a member when your scheme begins.
Thanks Ruth. We’ll try. We keep trying. At the end of the day it makes life more meaningful. I run PoC to keep myself sane 😉
I could say it hasn’t worked then lol lol lol
Well,here we go then! A nickel is a nickel! Good idea Michael. Good luck.
Thank you dw. Nickels add up. It is the way to change things. You know the old Gandhi saying. I forgotten the words but the meaning was: do what you can to improve things even if the contribution is very small indeed. That philosophy makes a lot of sense in all areas of life including the financial markets and the US economy. Things gradually change.