August 2015 Newsletter
Hello Yogie Fans!
We can certainly tell it is summer here in the south. We have been experiencing temps up to 109 degrees in the shade and as high as 120 degrees in the sun. These are very dangerous temperatures and we hope you will take precautions for you and your pets.
LOUISIANA AND TEXAS KROGER SHOPPERS!! Today, 1 August 2015, is the day to get your Kroger Community Rewards linked to your Kroger Plus Card to help the FIV and other special needs cats at Yogie and Friends Cat Sanctuary. If you link your Kroger card to our rescue via their Kroger Community Rewards program you need to relink it beginning today!! Once linked, every time you shop and swipe your card the Yogie cats will benefit!
Here is the link to enroll or sign in (if you are already enrolled). Choose us as your charity of choice… NPO #80724, Yogie and Friends Exotic Cat Sanctuary (we will be fixing the name later, but it’s still all good).
https://www.kroger.com/communityrewards
Website Under Construction: There are many changes taking place at Yogie and Friends Cat Sanctuary. One change is our website. Our awesome webmaster is making changes based on our update in mission and structure. We ask that you please be patient while these changes are taking place. You will love the changes and additions as they come along.
We are still a 501(c)(3) in good standing. We STILL support our big cats that are in boarding up in Oklahoma, and we are STILL doing a lot for the little cats. We are currently the only cat sanctuary in North Louisiana. We are helping with cats that others would just euthanize. These special needs cats need us and there is no reason to kill them just because they have FIV or any other virus. We will explain more about these viruses that effect domestic cats as we move along. For now we are trying to update, change, adjust, and whatever is needed as time permits. Our focus is on the animals and we appreciate our fans.
We want to introduce our newest FIV positive cat, Frazier:
Frazier is a young, Russian Blue looking, male. He was a feral found and cared for by some very nice people in the neighborhood he was roaming. They had contacted a local rescue who promised to take him and get him adopted until he tested positive for FIV. They were told they should euthanize Frazier and they disagreed and contacted us at Yogie and Friends. Frazier is now living the life with us at the sanctuary. He, like all the FIV cats, is available for adoption. He’s a little shy, but very sweet and loving.
Welcome to Yogie and Friends Frazier!
Another special cat awaiting intake. Bubba is another FIV positive cat currently being housed at Bossier Animal Hospital. Bubba is 3 years old and on hold with Dr. Snyder awaiting vetting. He is not neutered yet, but once he is he will be coming to us at Yogie and Friends Cat Sanctuary. He has a lot of swelling on his face from fighting with other cats. This is a common issue amongst unaltered feral cats. Fighting is also the way FIV is often spread. We look forward to providing Bubba a safe, permanent home with us at Yogie and Friends.
Circumstances Beyond Control: Sometimes we know there are circumstances beyond the control that cause pets to be left in dire circumstances. Things such as the death of an owner, an owner being placed in nursing homes, or financial situations causing an owner to give up a beloved pet, is not the fault of the pet. A recent death has left four cats needing a home. This is one of those circumstances beyond the control of these cats. They are sad, confused, and missing their human. We are taking the four cats in order to keep them all together. Sadly, people are mostly looking for kittens and don’t often consider that an older cat can make an excellent addition to their home. We are providing them this opportunity to stay together and hopefully make things as comfortable as possible for them.
Wish List: As always, cash is king. We still have bills to pay. We have electric, water, veterinarian, and some construction bills. Some items we need are: Revolution for cats, cat food (currently we use 4 Health Grain Free and Friskies canned), cat litter (mostly Tidy Cat without Glade scented), and toys and treats. Cash is always easier since we can buy items at a rescue discount.
Our tiniest of our furballs, Hope, has graduated on her vaccinations. She is growing and thriving and we are just waiting for her to be old enough to spay. We will also have her retested for FIV and our hope is that she tests negative and only showed FIV as a result of her mother’s antibodies. Paw and claws crossed!
These cats are all sweet and loving and we are more than happy to give them this opportunity to live out their lives in peace and comfort. We are hoping that our volunteers will give them the love and attention they so richly deserve. The building is being set up like a living room to give a natural feel of home for these cats. Volunteers can just hang out with them. It’s all good for us and the cats. We gain so much from them.
Volunteer Needs: We need your volunteer help. Volunteering can be as simple as spending quality time with our special needs cats, loving them, and socializing them. Basically just spending time with them. The FIV cat house is setup much like any living room in a house. We are doing this so that our volunteers can sit and read, watch a movie, etc., all the while allowing a cat time in your lap and just being loved on. This will allow these cats a chance to see what it’s like to have love and attention. We also need help with cleaning litter boxes, lawn maintenance, cleaning the building, fundraising, building outdoor catios, and more. If you are interested please let us know.
Support a Special Needs Cat: FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) is a feline only, slow-acting virus. It is so slow to progress that most FIV+ cats die of old age. Once thought to be deadly and highly contagious, it has since been found to be neither. Just as HIV was once believed to be a death sentence for those afflicted, so it is still with FIV. Only in the case of cats, the mere diagnosis produces that death sentence. Fortunately there are many veterinarians who don’t believe that this is the case and this is why we got four FIV cats. We got them from veterinarians who did not want to kill them. We do NOT want these cats to die just because of this diagnosis either. They deserve the chance to live. And live they will with us. Now that we have our first FIV positive cats living comfortably in their new home at Yogie and Friends, they will need your support. By sponsoring one of the FIV cats you will be providing food, medical care, and their basic care and support. 100% of the sponsorship goes to the care of these animals. None of the Yogie volunteer staff receives ANY compensation for the work we do.
Donate Cash:
Donations of cash are what we need most. You can donate online via PayPal. You do not need a PayPal account to use a credit card to make a one-time donation via PayPal.
Sponsors Needed:
Please note that some cats may be sponsored by more than one person, but rest assured that all sponsor funds are used for the ongoing care of our cats.
You can sponsor a cat for just $15 a month, $45 a quarter, or $180 a year.
Cats in need of Sponsoring:
FIV Cats:
Olaf
Gatsby
Paisley
Sunny
VooDoo
Hope
Bubba
Other Cats (Photos and Bios coming soon)
Powdah
Kitler
Possum
Mini
Biscuits
Caspar
Pia
Layla
Miss Kitty
Cash
Cookie
You can also mail your donations to us at:
Yogie and Friends
128 Fob Lane
Frierson, LA 71027
If you wish to make a donation on a regular basis and do not wish to use PayPal, your bank can set up automatic payments for you.
Our Big Cats: Putty Tat and Gomez, two of our beloved tigers, now have a much larger habitat and they are thrilled. It looks almost like Putty Tat was smiling when he was moved. At a cost of $8500 we think it was well worth it. We are raising the funds to reimburse for this new habitat and appreciate any and all help our fans can provide. You will see in the pics just how nice the new digs are. We will post a gofundme link to help with this.
Adoptable Cats/Kittens: We still have several kittens in foster care that we can use your help with. Many have already been spayed/neutered and are current on vaccinations. Some of these adoptable cats/kittens will be available at Unleashed Premium Pets and Supplies on Benton Road in Bossier City, Louisiana. This way we can ensure they are going to good homes. We have an Amazon Wish List with a list of much needed supplies for these kittens.
Amazon: If you shop via Amazon.com you select Yogie and Friends as your charity of choice. They will donate a percentage of the sales to us. It’s a very easy way to help.
https://smile.amazon.com/
We also have an Amazon wish list to help with the feeding and caring of our feral cat colonies as well as the adoptable cats and kittens we are fostering. Please help if you can.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/?ie=UTF8&cid=A2LGJPU9KN7C2N
We still need your financial help with the nine big cats we are boarding and any and all donations are appreciated as we continue to care for them. They are safe and well.
Money we raise during any of our fundraisers goes to the boarding of our big cats and for TNR. We have always been, and will continue to be, a 100% volunteer driven organization.
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC): CFC is in full swing right now, so if you are a Military member or Federal Employee we hope you will donate to Yogie and Friends via CFC. This program is easy and another good way to give financial assistance to the big cats. We hope you will please consider Yogie and Friends when making your CFC contribution. Our CFC number is 42427.
Recycle Ink Cartridges and Cell Phones: Please consider helping us with our recycling program. Please don’t throw those old ink jet/laser jet cartridges in the trash. Give them to us. We recycle them and get cash for the cats. You can box up the cartridges; put a prepaid label on it that we will provide you, and then drop it off at any UPS shipping facility or they can pick it up at your business. If you need labels, then just contact us and we will get some to you.
Upcoming Events:
TBD 11am – 4pm Eat a (hot) Dog, Save a Cat
Parking Lot of Discount Tobacco
1201 Shady Grove, Bossier City
TBD 11am – 4pm Fall Bake Sale and Fundraiser
Petco
6595 Youree Drive, Shreveport, LA
PLEASE spay and neuter your pets. Adopt! Don’t Shop! Also, please continue heartworm prevention all year round and not just in the summer months. Heartworm disease can be transmitted all year.
The Yogie and Friends Gang!
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