City Kitties

City Kitties is currently facing a financial emergency: AT THIS POINT, CITY KITTIES IS UNABLE TO ACCEPT ANY FURTHER RESCUES UNTIL WE RAISE FUNDS FOR THEIR CARE.

In the past month, in addition to our usual rescue costs, City Kitties has taken on several cats who have ended up needing extensive vet care totaling thousands of dollars. The necessary dental surgery to remove 10 teeth to alleviate Hutch's constant tooth pain was nearly $1000. Twig, the kitten found by a local community member, has been in horrible condition with extremely painful infections in his bones, and has needed constant (expensive) vet care for weeks and is still not completely well. Bamboo, the starving young cat with the worst case of ringworm we have ever seen, currently has an ominous lump on his shoulder that is potentially cancerous and he needs very expensive treatment. It is not an understatement to say that these cats could have died horrible and painful deaths on the street without our intervention and care.

City Kitties relies solely on donations from our community. The weather is getting colder, and there are many more suffering cats who deserve loving homes and need our help. We hope that you will consider skipping your morning latte, and donate that $5 to City Kitties, or more if you can spare it. Your donation will help save the life of a real live stray cat here in your community. If you are looking for holiday gifts, donations can be made in someone's name (and you can print out our custom gift cards to give them). Very shortly we will have gorgeous 2010 calendars on sale at Studio 34 and on our website. Alternatively, please come to our Drink Beer, Save Cats fundraiser next Friday (the 13th) at Doobie's bar. ($5 suggested cover, 8-Mid, at 2201 Lombard St - List of raffle prizes at CityKitties.org)

We at City Kitties work to make our community a better place and stop the needless suffering of animals of who already suffered enough at the hands of humans- we hope that you will take this message to heart, reach into your wallet, and donate. All donations are tax-deductible, and can be made online at www.CityKitties.org/donate.html

Our sincere thanks,

The City Kitties Team

Jericas Jewelry is donating 30% of her proceeds to City Kitties during the month of July! Check out her Etsy store. Many beautiful items are just $10, and it's all handmade. Support a local business and your favorite kitty rescue!

• Buy great art from local (and not so local) artists
  
• Win fabulous raffle prizes
  
• Listen to great music
  
• Eat and drink with everybody who's anybody
  
• Support a great Philadelphia charity
  

When: Friday, May 29, 6:30 - 10:00pm
Where: Studio 34 at 4522 Baltimore Avenue
How Much: $5 at the door (which goes towards any winning bid)

Bidding starts as low as $5!  For more information, including information about the artists and performers, check out our website: www.citykitties.org/art

See you there!

Last year, we tried a slightly crazy experiment. 

If we asked talented artists to donate art, and then threw a big party to sell the art, would we be able to raise enough money to start up our monthly City Kitties vet clinic? 

The answer was a resounding YES!!  We sold over 100 pieces of art, raised a lot of money, partied with 350 people, and left with one orange and white kitten who wandered in to join the fun.

So we want to do it again and that's where you come in.  Would you be willing to do it all again?  Because without your art, we've got nothing. 

This year, we plan to arrange the show slightly differently.  We will hang the art in the weeks leading up to the show, beginning on the 9th of May.  The art auction will be on 29 May.  If you can send us a digital image of your art, we will also include it on our website.

If you are interested in donating -- or know anyone else who might donate -- please contact us (info at citykitties dot org) and we'll send you more logistical information. 

Oh please say yes!

Last Sunday, chef Livia and hostess Alex combined forces to throw a fantastic Cooking with Catladies dinner party!  We can't thank them enough for their hard work and amazing food, which raised money for City Kitties just in time for "kitten season."  Thanks to the fabulous guests, as well, who donated generously to enjoy this fine feast!

Another delicious Cooking with Catladies event is fast approaching!  For a donation of $30 or more, you can enjoy a multi-course meal and great company.  Check out photos from last year's mouthwatering events here and here. Reserve your place at the table by emailing info at  citykitties dot org.  Hope to see you there!

We have two cats in dire need of foster home placement.  The first is Holly Golightly, a beautiful light orange and white adult with the best personality you can imagine.  Holly was rescued in West Philly by a passerby and has been boarding at the vet for weeks.  She chirps when people walk by her cage, purrs constantly, and rolls over to let you rub her belly.  The problem is that Holly tested positive for feline leukemia.  Though that would usually mean euthanasia, we couldn't bring ourselves to do it.  Holly is an adult (3-5), so if she was infected as an adult, she stands a chance at living a normal life.  Holly may never be adopted because of her leukemia, and it is possible that she could get sick, so we need to find a very special foster parent who currently has no other cats (or a leukemia positive cat).  We will provide ALL veterinary care and can even pay for start-up supplies (bowls, litterbox, food, etc), if that's what it takes to find her a home.  Please help us find a home for Holly--her time is running out.  If we can't find a foster home for her by next week, we will have to euthanize her.  No one who has met Holly can stand the thought of it.  Please email/cross post this everywhere you can.

The second kitty is Walter, a friendly brown tabby with white tuxedo markings who ran up to me this morning, terrified by the strong winds whipping down our street.  He screamed to be let inside our porch and I obliged.  But we have literally NO room for Walter in our house--we need your help!  Walter will be tested, vaccinated, and neutered prior to placement in a foster home.   We don't know how he will get along with other cats, but he has been meowing at our cats through the window, so my guess is that he would be fine.  He would need to be kept in his own room for 2 weeks as a normal precaution.

So we're doing it again: we're going to do another art auction to raise money for City Kitties.  Last year, we heard great music, saw and bought/sold some great art, raised lots of money, and bolstered the party animal reputation of catladies everywhere.   This year: more, bigger, better -- and slightly more organized   If you missed our last event, you can see it immortalized here.

That's where you come in  We're really hoping you might want to get involved in putting this event together.  Below, we have a list of things you might do, but we are also open to suggestions if you have any ideas. 

First, the logistics:

• We will hang the art at Studio 34 starting on 9 May (this is the soft opening)
• The art will hang between 9 May and 29 May
• The art auction/party will be on Friday, 29 May from 7:00 to 10:00
• Rather than ask people to return to pick up the art they buy, we will ask them to take the art home that night.  They will be able to pay by cash, check, or paypal. 
• At the opening, there will be performances, food, and drink.
• It will be fun.

We need people to help us with the following things.  If you're interested, please get in touch with either of us and we'll get you organized and in contact with each other.

• solicit art
• solicit food and drink donations
• publicize event (online, through flyering, in media, etc.)
• help set up soft opening on 9 May and art auction on 29 May
• help clean up after event
• help organize performances

Thank you in advance,
Lou and Alex

colorwhirl is generously offering a one-day Black Friday sale of her vast quantity of yarn, in exchange for donations to charities including City Kitties!  If knitting is in your future, please check out her sale listings and donate.  We could definitely use the help for cats such as:


All of these kitties would just love for you to knit a scarf for Aunt Bertha, or a pair of mittens for little Sally.  Thanks to colorwhirl  for thinking of City Kitties!

Looking for the perfect gift for an animal lover? Make a donation in honor of someone you care about, and receive a City Kitties card you can print out to acknowledge your gift. Our cards are perfect for any occasion--birthdays, holidays, milestones, loss of a beloved pet, or to say thank you. Cards feature one of five City Kitties foster cats or kittens, each with a photograph and story. Donations are tax-deductible and will help City Kitties continue our mission to help homeless cats and kittens.

Greetings to choose from:

Happy Birthday	Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays	Happy Hanukkah
Happy New Year	Thank You
Congratulations	With Sympathy
Blank (no greeting)

 

To get your card, donate in any amount via Paypal using the button below. Once your donation is complete, click the "Return to City Kitties.org" button and you will be directed to a webpage to choose and print your PDF card. If donating in honor of more than one person, simply make one lump donation and print more than one card. Happy giving!