2021 Spring Newsletter

What's in this issue?

Q and A from the President
Amazon Smile
All You Need Is Love
Four Fostering Falsities
Philanthropy Starts Young!
Visit Our SCBI Online Store

Q and A from the President

Ever wonder what it takes to run a successful 501 (c)(3) cat rescue? Julia Nardone, an intrepid reporter for her high school newspaper, and daughter of one of our most dedicated fosters, got the scoop from President and Founder Stacy Borans.

1. Could you explain how Stray Cat Blues works and what part you play?

The mission of Stray Cat Blues Inc. is to rescue stray and abandoned cats and kittens located in areas of Montgomery, Bucks and other suburban Philadelphia counties and find them safe and appropriate homes. We envision a community where our cat population is controlled through spaying or neutering, and all cats and kittens have safe places to live and thrive. A core group of volunteers remain committed to our Barn Cat Program. This provides a safe place for cats to live that are not suitable for in home adoption.

Our Strategy:

We provide volunteer foster homes to help socialize the rescues and prepare them for adoption.

We provide micro-chip and spay or neuter, and any necessary veterinary treatment to all fosters before adoption.

We ensure that all potential adopters are properly screened and prepared to care for the adopted cat(s) long term.

We actively encourage Trap Neuter Return (TNR) of feral cats.

We educate community members to ensure the feral cat(s) thrive after being returned.

Stray Cat Blues is an all-volunteer organization. I am President of the Board of Stray Cat Blues but I also go to our adoption center every Monday night to socialize the kitties and take videos of them for social media posting. I currently manage our Facebook page as well.

2. How did you become the head of Stray Cat Blues?

In addition to all the hats I wear above, I am on the Stray Cat Blues Treasury Team so had become very involved in the financial strategy of the group. In 2016, some of the previous board members were retiring and I was approached about a position on the board. It was something I was honored to do to further advance our group.

3. Why do you think so many people were adopting during the shutdown? Why is it a good thing that people were adopting?

I think there are many reasons for this but the two that we hear most often are: 1: People are working from home and simply at home more, so they have more time to devote to acclimating a new pet in the family and 2: People are looking for companionship. One of the very negative impacts of the pandemic and shutdowns has been the isolation for people who live alone or are otherwise not socially involved. A pet offers them love, companionship and purpose during a very difficult time.

4. Could you describe what the adoption process was like during the early stages of quarantine? Were there any problems you ran into?

We ran into several hurdles in the early stages of the pandemic and quarantine. Most critically, our vets were not allowed to perform routine spay and neuter surgeries. We do not adopt our cats out without making sure they are altered so that more unwanted kittens are born into the world. As we were unable to adopt cats out into homes without this, we were also unable to take in and help more stray and abandoned cats. It was a very frustrating several weeks.

Once the vets were able to perform these procedures again, we had lost the ability to have adoptions completed in our PetSmart partner stores as they were closed or severely restricted. We began doing adoptions in the parking lots!

We could not have people come to the adoption centers or our Whiskers Way Station to meet cats and kittens which was very challenging. Few, if any, adopters want to bring a cat/kitten into their home if they haven’t been able to physically see and hold the cat.

5. What did you have to change to make adoptions easier for people, especially with social distancing guidelines?

We had to get creative to help people adopt cats. We began to host Zoom meetings with potential adopters and the cats they were interested in. Our fosters would show the cats in action at their homes! The above-mentioned parking lot adoptions became almost routine and really helped people as it was outdoors with everyone easily able to maintain 6 feet spacing. Once in store adoptions were able to resume, we limited the number of volunteers in the store but those fosters were able to coordinate with other fosters to bring their cats and kittens in so they could be seen and not lose out on potential adopters.

We have always been able to handle electronic applications and adoption fees so contactless payments were pretty easy for us.

6. What do you love most about your organization and why?

Where to begin—I am sure this will be too much for your article but there are so many things!

The enthusiasm of our volunteers! You will not find a harder working, more compassionate group of volunteers. They are in the trenches--at trapping sites in all kinds of weather, watching the sun rise while bottle feeding a baby kitten, and cleaning a stinky litterbox. They organize, they plan, and they take ACTION. Their willingness to go the extra mile never ceases to amaze me and each year my love and respect for their tireless efforts grows.

The commitment to our community and helping afar when we can’t: The tips that come in every day to Stray Cat Blues are from people that simply want to help. They feed lost cats, keep a kitten warm, or call to let us know of a cat in crisis. We continue to offer our services across Montgomery and Bucks Counties and this would not be possible without their vested interest and love for animals.

The support we receive from our donors: They are the lifeblood of Stray Cat Blues. With each passing year, we help even more cats and kittens and this is because of their support. They are personally invested in our mission and every cent of their donations helps us help them. We have no salaried employees so all the money goes to care for the cats.

And do you have some of the numbers comparing the amount of adoptions from previous years to ones from this year?

Sure. Here are the last few years and 2021 Year to date:

2021: 122 through January

2020: 1318

2019: 1016

2018: 967

2017: 880

“All You Need is Love”

Everyone is familiar with this classic Beatles tune and the sentiment is heart-warming. When it comes to cat rescue, you need much more than love. Some would say “love is not enough.”

I don’t mean to be cynical. Clearly everyone that volunteers at Stray Cat Blues, donates money, or fosters neglected cats and kittens has love. Love for cats, love for our mission, and a deep sense of love when a cat finds a forever home.

When one of our TNR volunteers is sitting in the cold counting the seconds until a cat enters a trap, or is the recipient of a hiss or a swat, or is cleaning a cage, or is researching veterinarians to get the answers to a mind boggling medical issue, love might not come to mind. It is grit, determination, and an innate sense that you are doing what you are meant to do that plays an integral part of being a Stray Cat Blues volunteer.

And its donors like you, who recognize the hard work we do, even in the midst of a global pandemic, who sustain our organization. Every donation you make, well, what can we say? We feel the love. So we are grateful that you keep our cats and kittens in your hearts during this difficult time. Thanks for everything you do for us!

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Four Fostering Falsities

We asked, and you answered! Here are our responses to the top four reasons people feel they can’t foster and why you should rethink the whole fostering thing.

1. I would keep them all

We hear this one a lot, and while we understand, we want to provide you with some facts and some advice to help you overcome this mental roadblock. First, a fact. If less than 2% of the 85 million pet owning households in America fostered one pet per year, we could eliminate unnecessary euthanasia in the United States tomorrow. (Source: Petco Foundation). That’s all it would take. Now, here at Stray Cat Blues, we all love our fosters, trust us. How could we not? That said, we love our adopters, too. If you think of adoption day more like the beginning for the animal you love (which it is) and less like an ending (which it really isn’t), it is much easier to say not goodbye, but good luck. Plus, adopting a foster out to a loving family is basically like giving a stranger their best friend. Who else gets to say that’s what they do in their spare time? Finally, please be aware that SCBI provides all new fosters with a mentor to help them along, and if you feel like that first adoption is a tough one (the first one is always the hardest), know that you’ll have someone who has been there, who understands, and who will help you get through it, so you can get back to the important business of saving lives.

2. I don’t want to be a crazy cat lady

We are so glad to hear it, because we don’t want you to be, either! Our fosters are not crazy, and not all of them are ladies. They are simply hardworking, animal advocates who want to make a difference for animals and people in their community. Our volunteers come from all walks of life and all kinds of backgrounds, yet they are united not in “crazy cat lady” status, but in fierce advocacy for the voiceless. There is nothing “crazy” about wanting to make a difference.

3. I don’t have the space

Like we mentioned, our fosters come from all walks of life and all of them foster in ways that suit their lifestyle. Some of our fosters have designated foster rooms, others use bathrooms or large dog kennels set up in a convenient, yet out of the way area. Some can foster whole litters of kittens, others only take one cat at a time. Each one is infinitely valuable because that is one more life we can save. So what we’re saying is: if you don’t have a lot of space, that’s okay! We can set you up with a suitable match for whatever lifestyle you’re living. All you need to do is reach out and be willing to work with us, and we can help with the rest!

4. I don’t have the time

We firmly believe that where there is a will there is a way and there is a foster cat for everybody. While some fosters admittedly take a lot of time (neonate kittens, medical cases, rambunctious teenagers), others don’t require much more than fresh water, good food, and a nice cushy bed to rest in. If you don’t have a lot of time, but you’d still like to make a difference, consider fostering a laid back adult cat, or even a senior who just wants to nap all day. Cats come in all varieties, and we are happy to find you the right foster match!

Have we convinced you? If so, click on the Volunteer button right below this article to fill out an application to foster. If you’re still on the fence, please feel free to contact us with any additional questions you might have, and our foster team would be more than happy to answer them!

Philanthropy Starts Young!

Grace, age 12, decided to give back for her birthday this year and managed to collect $310 in donations as well as TWO CARTS full of food, blankets, cleaning supplies, litter boxes, toys, and bowls for our cats. Pictured here with her brothers Jack and Brandon (and new pup Bailey), Grace is certainly helping us ring in the New Year in style! Thank you, Grace, not only for your efforts but for reminding us what a generous heart can accomplish!

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