February 2016 Newsletter
Greetings Fellow Cat Lovers!
We have a sad announcement to share. Our beloved cougar, Boudreaux, died on 23 January 2016. Boudreaux arrived at Yogie and Friends after his former owners divorced and said they could no longer keep him. He arrived at Yogie and Friends on 27 September 2003, at approximately 7 years of age. Boudreaux was a beloved pet and well treated by his former owners. They just could no longer care for him as individuals and found us to take him in. Boudreaux lived a long and wonderful life. He was a beloved favorite by so many of our staff and fans. He will be greatly missed.
We want to thank all our fans for making our fundraiser at Bella Nonnas Olive Oil and Vinegar – Tasting Bar a fun and successful event. Many of our fans have never been to or even heard of such a place and we all had so much fun. It was an educational experience and we got to meet up with our fans both old, and new. We also appreciate that this event also supported a locally owned business. We have made some new customers for them as well. Thank you again for coming out. We definitely plan more of these. Please go and check out Bella Nonnas at 1409 E. 70th street in Shreveport. You will be glad you did.
We are currently working on modifications to our property to support domestic cats. Since our property was designed to house larger cats the fences are not designed to contain the little guys. If you know anything about cats you know they are experts at getting out of places and climbing what you would think are impossible structures. Little by little we are taking down the 16 foot fences so that eventually there will be no chain link fences and there will be a more open environment for the cats to roam the property freely and safely. We will be installing specially designed cat fences so they cannot escape. We will sell, recycle, and donate (to other animal rescues), the fence and materials we will not need for our new venture. If you can volunteer your time and skills to help move us closer to this next step, please let us know. We cannot take in more cats until we complete the modifications.
Petey, one of our FIV positive kitties had been having a difficult time with upper respiratory infections, but he is now better and has been neutered. He is a very sweet boy and hope someone adopts this love bug. We want people to know that FIV is not a death sentence and you shouldn’t be afraid to love one, or more, of these beautiful cats.
Supplies: Our biggest needs at this time are cat food and cat litter. We are currently using Purina Complete and Purina Indoor Formula for dry food, and Friskies canned (all types). As far as cat litter we use Tidy Cat Scoopable without any scents in it such as Glade. Cats don’t like scented cat litter. We use no harsh chemical products for cleaning. For pest control we use food grade diatomaceous earth that we spread on the grounds. This is available at most feed stores. Also, washable blankets and throws are greatly appreciated. Please email us if you have any questions about helping with supplies.
Volunteers: We really need dedicated volunteers who are willing to help with our new mission of rescuing these special needs, domestic cats. Litter boxes need to be scooped, floors swept, catios cleaned, and cats need to be loved and socialized. We hope you will consider helping us make our mission a successful one. Please volunteer with us and make life a little nicer for these special cats. Now that we are not housing big cats, our volunteers do not have to be 18 or older. However, we do need you to have a current, valid driver’s license and a way to get yourself to the sanctuary to work if you volunteer. Since we currently do not have a landline at the facility (this saves us a great deal of money) you can contact us via email at yogieandfriends@hotmail.com and our volunteer coordinator will call you as soon as possible.
Feral Community Cats: Several of us here at Yogie and Friends do as much trap-spay/neuter-release (TNR) of feral community cats as we can, but not as much as there is need. If you would like to help with this effort we would be more than happy to train you, or put you in touch with Sheri’s TNR. If you have experience with TNR we would love to have your help. We humanely trap the cats, and then take them to Robinson’s Rescue to be spay/neutered, they receive a rabies vaccination, and are ear tipped, which lets us know the cat has been fixed. Let’s help get this need of overpopulation under control and have a good relationship for the community cats and humans in your neighborhood. You can make that difference.
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/Feline Leukemia Positive Cats:
Petey
Gatsby
Paisley
Sunny
VooDoo
Frazier
Bubba
Non-Positive Cats:
Hope
Elsa
Callie
Kristof
Annabelle
Kitler
Sarah
Caspar
Blackie
Powdah
Duncan
Pia
Anna
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.
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.
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.
LOUISIANA AND TEXAS KROGER SHOPPERS: If you have not already done so, please don’t forget to get your Kroger Community Rewards linked to your Kroger Plus Card. Every time you shop at a Texas or Louisiana Kroger and use your Plus Card, Kroger will donate a portion of the sale to Yogie and Friends to help the FIV and other special needs cats we have at the sanctuary. Every little bit helps! 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
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 – 4 pm Yogie and Friends Spring Bake Sale
Petco, 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.
Jenny and the Yogie and Friends Gang!
Posted in Monthly Newsletter
January 2016 Newsletter
Happy New Year!
2016 is here. We hope and pray that all our fans and supporters had a safe and wonderful holiday season.
We are praying for 2016 to be a more positive, and less eventful, year. A year that helps save more cats and educate the public about the viruses often found in domestic cats.
Thank You! A special thank you goes to our webmasters Paige and Damon Bass for all they do to keep our website up and running. I know I often throw things at them and that it is a lot of work, but they do a great job for us and we know we could never do this without them. Believe us when we say how much we love and appreciate all they do for us. They are even working on updates and modifications to the site now to improve an already awesome site. Know that the work they do for us has not gone unnoticed or appreciated. Thank you both again!
Thank you to ALL our volunteer staff. Everyone at Yogie and Friends is a volunteer. Myself included. None of us receives any compensation for the work we do at the sanctuary because we want 100% of the proceeds to go to taking care of the animals. What your donation pays for is: Cat food, cat litter, veterinarian care, boarding of our big cats in Oklahoma, electric, water, and insurance. Our overhead is not huge, but we make sure our bills are paid and the animals are safe. So, thanks to our volunteers:
Andrea Labor
Damon and Paige Bass
Jaret Snow – Board Member
Vicki Volk – Board Member
Doug Efferson
Vanessa Efferson
Hannah Efferson
Kathy Cherry – Board Member
Alan Golden – Board Member
Celeste Alexander – Board Member
Tim Mills – Founder and Board Member
It takes a team to make it work!
We still have our eight remaining big cats in boarding in Oklahoma and they are doing amazing as always. Boudreaux is our old man at around 20 years old, but he is hanging in there. They love seeing us when we visit them.
We usually do a “Year in Review” on our New Year update, but choose not to this year since we would like to forget the bad and move on to the good with a clean slate.
Thank you to everyone who came out and supported our Christmas Bake Sale. It was an amazing fundraiser and we had a great time meeting new people and visiting with our regulars. We are grateful to those who remain loyal to our cause. Thank you again!
Feral Community Cats: Several of us here at Yogie and Friends do as much trap-spay/neuter-release (TNR) of feral community cats as we can, but not as much as there is need. If you would like to help with this effort we would be more than happy to train you. If you have experience with TNR we would love to have your help. We humanely trap the cats, and then take them to Robinson’s Rescue to be spay/neutered, they receive a rabies vaccination, and are ear tipped, which lets us know the cat has been fixed. Sometimes we catch the same cat and the ear tip is a universal sign the animal has already been spayed or neutered. This is an important service to help reduce the feral cat population. A well-managed feral cat community is a good thing. They also serve a purpose. They are not the worst thing you can have in your neighborhood, but we certainly would love to reduce this population humanely. The way to do that is through TNR. You can also contact Sherie’s TNR through the Krewe of Barkous and Meoux or through her page on Facebook. Let’s help get this need of overpopulation under control and have a good relationship for the community cats and humans in your neighborhood. You can make that difference.
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.
Volunteers: We really need dedicated volunteers who are willing to help with our new mission of rescuing these special needs, domestic cats. Litter boxes need to be scooped, floors swept, catios cleaned, and cats need to be loved and socialized. We hope you will consider helping us make our mission a successful one. Please volunteer with us and make life a little nicer for these special cats. Now that we are not housing big cats, our volunteers do not have to be 18 or older. However, we do need you to have a current, valid driver’s license and a way to get yourself to the sanctuary to work if you volunteer.
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.
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/Feline Leukemia Positive Cats:
Petey
Gatsby
Paisley
Sunny
VooDoo
Frazier
Bubba
Non-Positive Cats:
Hope
Callie
Annabelle
Sarah
Blackie
Duncan
Anna
Elsa
Kristof
Kitler
Caspar
Powdah
Pia
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.
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.
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.
LOUISIANA AND TEXAS KROGER SHOPPERS: If you have not already done so, please don’t forget to get your Kroger Community Rewards linked to your Kroger Plus Card. Every time you shop at a Texas or Louisiana Kroger and use your Plus Card, Kroger will donate a portion of the sale to Yogie and Friends to help the FIV and other special needs cats we have at the sanctuary. Every little bit helps! 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
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:
23 January 2016 4pm – 6pm Yogie and Friends Olive Oil & Vinegar Tasting
Bella Nonna’s Olive Oil & Vinegar Tasting Bar
1409 E. 70th St., Suite 107
Shreveport, LA
31 January 2016 12pm – 3pm Yogie and Friends Vendor Booth
Barkous and Meoux Pet Parade
Former Location of Reeves Marine
Bossier Parkway, Bossier City, 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.
Jenny and The Yogie and Friends Gang!
Posted in Monthly Newsletter
December 2015 Newsletter
Hello Yogie Fans!
It’s December and we are all still trying to figure out where this year has gone.
Bailey
Bailey: We are sad to announce that our little Bailey has crossed the rainbow bridge on December 2nd. Bailey was one of two of our cats who were both FIV and Feline Leukemia positive. Sadly, the Feline Leukemia cats seem to die younger that those with FIV. Bailey had started to decline over the past month and would not respond to any treatment. The fluid buildup in his lungs and abdomen were just too much for his little body to take so the kind, but extremely difficult, decision was made to give him the much needed rest and peace he so deserved. He now is running free. We will miss our sweet Bailey. More than anyone will know.
We want to introduce our newest cats, Petey: Petey is a sweet, long haired domestic, white and black cat. He is extremely sweet and was one hour from being euthanized. He is FIV positive and otherwise a very plump, and happy boy. He is not, but will be soon, neutered. He has an amazing personality and would make a wonderful pet for someone who knows, and understands, FIV and that it’s not a death sentence.
Duncan: Duncan is an orange, 12 – 14 week old kitten that was found by one of our volunteers, very sick, scared, and injured. He looks pretty rough after a bout with ringworm, which has been treated, and as is often the case with young cats and kittens, was wormy and malnourished. He was a feral and needs special love and attention. After 10 days at the vet in quarantine and treatment, he is now in the Tigger habitat with the other non-FIV/FeLV cats. Duncan is available for adoption, but only to a special adopter who will be patient and understanding to his shyness. Time, love, and tenderness will be key to his personality development.
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. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that infects cats. FeLV can be transmitted from infected cats when the transfer of saliva or nasal secretions is involved. If not defeated by the animal’s immune system, the virus can cause diseases which can be lethal. One disease caused by this virus is a form of cancer of the blood cells called lymphocytes (a leukemia).We sadly do lose more cats to FeLV issues, and much faster. But, they still deserve a chance. Fortunately there are many veterinarians who don’t believe that all these cats should immediately be euthanized. We often get 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/FeLV 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.
Christmas Bake Sale: Yogie and Friends Cat Sanctuary will hold their Christmas Bake Sale at Petco, Youree Drive, Shreveport, on Saturday, December 19th from 11am – 4pm. As usual we will have our amazing gift items just in time for you to pick up something for your gift giving, while at the same time helping our animals.
Our Big Cats: Tim and Doug went up to Oklahoma last month to visit with our big cats. They are doing amazing and are happy, healthy, and still thriving. We still support our 8 remaining big cats in boarding. We still need your help with the boarding of our beloved, but guys and hope you will continue to help.
Volunteers: We really need dedicated volunteers who are willing to help with our new mission of rescuing these special needs, domestic cats. Litter boxes need to be scooped, floors swept, catios cleaned, and cats need to be loved and socialized. We hope you will consider helping us make our mission a successful one. Please volunteer with us and make life a little nicer for these special cats. Now that we are not housing big cats, our volunteers do not have to be 18 or older. However, we do need you to have a current, valid driver’s license and a way to get yourself to the sanctuary to work if you volunteer.
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.
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:
Petey
Olaf
Gatsby
Paisley
Sunny
VooDoo
Frazier
Bubba
Other Cats:
Freddie Kroger (Adopted)
Hope
Patches (Adopted)
Callie
Annabelle
Powdah
Blackie
Sarah
Kitler
Possum (Adopted)
Mini (Adopted)
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.
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. We will be working with SBAR as well regarding getting our fur babies adopted. 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.
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.
LOUISIANA AND TEXAS KROGER SHOPPERS: If you have not already done so, please don’t forget to get your Kroger Community Rewards linked to your Kroger Plus Card. Every time you shop at a Texas or Louisiana Kroger and use your Plus Card, Kroger will donate a portion of the sale to Yogie and Friends to help the FIV and other special needs cats we have at the sanctuary. Every little bit helps! 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
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:
19 December 2015 11am – 4pm Christmas Bake Sale at Petco
Petco 6596 Youree DriveShreveport, LA
PLEASE spay and neuter your pets. Adopt! Don’t Shop! Please have a safe and happy holiday season. Please consider the fur babies during your holiday gift giving. We are a 501(c)(3) organization and your donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
The Yogie and Friends Gang!
Posted in Monthly Newsletter