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The Feral Blog
As If They Were Our Own Fundraiser - and 17,000 Cat Milestone!
Written by: Tammy McAuley
“As If They Were Our Own” Fundraiser
We’ve surpassed $18,000 in matching funds! We still have til September 4th!!! So many generous donors wait until the last minute and we look forward to that surge at the very last!
We hope our generous donor is still able to go further than the original $15,000!
You all make a difference in the care of the cats in our area!
We are still caring for Warren, our “As if…” spokescat. He has had his cast removed and we’re hoping that with physical therapy he will be able to keep that leg. Keep your fingers crossed for him!
Wish We Had Higher Numbers!
Rain and vacations have slowed us down but we’re doing our best!.
Wonderful when publicity centers around the need for change in animal welfare! Hope this is followed by increased funding for more spay/neuter resources to get to NO-KILL! This may be a start!
So Many Calls
An average of 4 calls a day regarding new locations, cats outside of DuPage County. Cats that have been fed for a year and now there are kittens, cats in houses and basements that need to be trapped because they are feral and yes, there are kittens, I’m moving and cats need to leave, brought a kitten inside – you have to take it, and on and on.
The worst first sentence is “I trapped a cat yesterday, last night, this morning - what do I do?” Well, making arrangements in advance to do trapping is the most important thing they could possibly do as we are not a clinic and have limited s/n slot access. Please share that with anyone you speak with about TNR!
It can be the hardest thing to say no to someone who has no idea of what goes into TNR and rescue of cats. They may think we are a service that must provide whatever they need, they may be so overwhelmed and beyond help in every facet of their lives and this is the thing they can solve so why don’t we help them immediately?
There are the Good Samaritans that get a cat in a carrier and expect us to adopt it out. That cat is friendly to them for a short period of time, gets to our building and turns completely feral. Getting a cat out of a carrier and into a trap that does not want to move is a major challenge. Many cats like this have already been neutered and have a microchip and the Good Samaritan might even have taken it to be scanned for a chip, and it was not found. We get it into a trap, use our pole scanner and there it is. Then time to track down the purchaser of the chip and the person who is linked to that chip. So very lucky when that person can be found and they want the cat back then we arrange the return!
“As If They Were Our Own” Fundraiser
Feral Fixers does the best they can to treat all the cats that come into our hands “As If They Were Our Own.” It may start with spay/neuter but goes on to snap tests, dewormers, vaccinations, blood tests, and health care that can range from wounds, upper respiratory, and end-of-life care. So much that caretakers cannot provide for the cats they feed and care about. If you take a look at the numbers we’ve done n the last 5 weeks, you will see notes about the extra care some cats have needed.
A very generous donor has agreed to not just match the funds raised but actually triple the match. This means if you donate $10, the donor will donate an additional $30. So, your donation of $10 actually becomes a $40 donation thanks to their generous support. Our goal is to raise an initial $15,000! If we do this, the donor will triple-match this donation and donate $45,000 on top of the amount we raised making it possible that we could receive $60,000 from the 2026 "As If They Were Our Own" fundraiser. Donors also donate online and by mail, outside of using the Giving Grid and right now, our donations amount to $14,157 on our way to $15,000!!! The generous donor did say they were willing to go above matching $15k if we went beyond the initial goal!
$60,000 can equal so many services beyond the basic spay/neuter surgery!
Please participate from 7/4 to 9/4 and help us take extra care of the cats in our area!
Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated and keep us in mind to donate by 9/4 to reach our ultimate goal!
AND, our original “As If…” spokescat has been adopted! He went home and two additional kittens were adopted with him. We will tell the story of Warren as another example of what your donations mean to all of the cats in our care!
Warren
Warren was neutered with other colony members in July. The caretaker said they were keeping everyone inside. Got an email that Warren was lethargic and not eating – could be a reaction to vaccinations, no other symptoms were given. Then a call on Monday that a wound had been found. Had the caretaker bring him to our building and there was a massive 2inch abscess on his upper leg. FF took him to vet, abscess and total of 4 punctures drained, antibiotics given, xray taken but swelling was huge and obscured break. Drained again two days later. Doing better but back to vet for re-check in a week. Swelling down enough that xray showed clean femur break. More antibiotics and a splint that was a big challenge for the little guy. Break has made big progress and maybe the splint can come off this coming week! Warren will be so happy. Amazing how quickly he can get around, shooting across the room with great speed even with that cast! We cannot wait 'til he is fully recovered and can find a safe home that will keep him safe inside!
Warren - showing a clean femur break.
Abscess was our biggest concern and before splinting. Yes, gross.First dressing/splint.
Second dressing/splint.Current dressing/splint.
Too Busy to Write a Blog!
So much is involved in the TNR process and there are not enough volunteers to get everything done – with an animal in front of you, the phone ringing, writing a blog keeps getting put off. Do NOT assume we’re not doing anything, as the numbers below will show. Wish we could do even more! But not enough trappers, volunteers at the building, fosters… Oh, and the ever-important lack of s/n slots.
July total 103, August total 28, 2026 total 450, 16,995 since 2007! #17,000 coming up soon!
As Many As Possible As Soon As Possible
Don’t Give Cow’s Milk to Cats — And Other Urgent Ways You Can Help This Summer
Written by: Tammy McAuley
Apologies To Norman Rockwell
For years I have blamed a Norman Rockwell style print of a cat drinking squirts of milk straight from the cow for influencing the public giving cow’s milk to their cats. The image started with a photographer in 1954, not with Norman Rockwell. Still, do not give cats cow’s milk. It can cause fatal damage when given long term. I bring this up because a caretaker contacted us after we TNR’d their cat, that he was not doing well. He was consistently given cow’s milk. He was recently euthanized due to kidney disease. This cat guide lists kidney damage as a long-term symptom.
Coffee Anyone?
Coffee For A Cause is a very simple fundraiser, you order coffee, Feral Fixers receives 33% of the purchase price of $24/bag. What is unique is that immediately upon your order being processed – the coffee is shipped! No waiting til the conclusion of the fundraising dates in order to receive your coffee! Gives you time to order more than once! Yeah, we’re promoting this as the temperatures are in the 90’s!
“As If They Were Our Own” Fundraiser
Feral Fixers does the best they can to treat all the cats that come into our hands “As If They Were Our Own.” It may start with spay/neuter but goes on to snap tests, dewormers, vaccinations, blood tests, and health care that can range from wounds, upper respiratory, and end-of-life care. So much that caretakers cannot provide for the cats they feed and care about.
We have a very generous donor who has agreed to not just match the funds raised but actually triple the match. This means if you donate $10, the donor will donate an additional $30. So, your donation of $10 actually becomes a $40 donation thanks to their generous support. Our goal is to raise an initial $15,000! If we do this, the donor will triple match this donation and donate $45,000 on top of the amount we raised making it possible that we could receive $60,000 from the 2026 "As If They Were Our Own" fundraiser.
$60,000 can equal so many services beyond the basic spay/neuter surgery!
Please participate from 7/4 to 9/4 and help us take extra care of the cats in our area!
Amazing How the Weather Affects Trapping!
Our next s/n is 7/16!
6/25 – DCAS – 14 friendlies, 19 ferals, 18 females, 15 males. Two males were in terrible condition with severe dental disease and abscessed wounds and were euthanized.
June total 66, 2026 total 319, 16,864 since 2007!
As Many As Possible As Soon As Possible
From The President
2026 - Can You Believe it!
Written by: Tammy McAuley
We’re almost thru 2025 as this is written. The year zoomed by!
Volunteers, caretakers, fosters, donors contributed to the spay/neuter of 811 feral and stray cats and kittens. Once again, we have done over 300 adoptions this year with the help of our trappers, fosters, adoption and animal care volunteers with just 10 days to go til the end of the year as I write this. We’ve helped so many cats and humans with the care of cats. Long-lasting effects in the future of cats in the DuPage County area.
Another year where there were limited spay/neuter services, pet owners and feral caretakers impacted by financial and housing issues. This has resulted in increased volume of cats outside and intact, creating more kittens. All shelters in the area are full, constantly.
We started trapping in February at locations with barns and outbuildings and accomplished 117 by the end of March – very early start. The whole year had its ups and downs with surgery and volunteer availability. But this contributed to a total of 16,545 spay/neuters since our start in 2007. Amazing, isn’t it?
Weather is the great unknown, but we hope to hit the ground running once again by the end of February, there are many locations that we need to get back to. Cats move around and just when we think we have resolved an area – a call with 20 more cats from a “finished” location comes in. Feral Fixers is at the top of all the search engines and perhaps someday we can expand our coverage to more than firm DuPage County response. That would take more trappers and more animal care support across the board. Please consider learning to trap and working in your own neighborhood, making a lasting difference! So many cards this year have mentioned how they are not seeing kittens as a result of our efforts.
Each week of trapping can result in kittens or cats that can become adoptable, requiring additional care at the building and then fostering and then adoption. Injured cats needing additional care are held at the building for recovery. Cats that must be relocated are usually held at the building until that can be arranged. This all requires an increased number of volunteers so that we can meet the need.
Our donors have made a huge difference, supporting us with the funds that keep the cats healthy, fed, warm in the Winter, cool in the summer. Imagine the food bill this past year! Skids of cat litter!
We always hope for fewer cats to be trapped, unlimited spay/neuter capacity and the day the phone will stop ringing with more and more cats to be cared for. Please help us make 2026 that year!
Donors, volunteers, caretakers have been doing so much for the past 18 years, and we’ve done so much – 16,545 cats! Just remember –
As Many As Possible As Soon As Possible
It's 2025!
Written by: Tammy McAuley
2025 – Already Here!
2024 has been a very long year, hasn’t it? Yet it seems to have been over in the blink of an eye!
The volunteers, donors, caretakers, fosters, all playing a part in Feral Fixers accomplishing 854 spay/neuters of feral and stray cats and kittens. We have adopted approximately 342 cats and kittens to wonderful homes with the help of our adoption, foster and animal care volunteers and there are two days left in the year as I write this. We have assisted many sick and injured cats. We’ve done so much that is positive and will have long-lasting effects for both cats and humans.
We have to mention the challenges of the year – spay/neuter clinics shut down for reconstruction or permanently, veterinarians leaving the work force, all reducing the number of available surgery slots we could obtain. Pet owners faced housing and financial issues, resulting in more cats being outside and intact. Every shelter is full – we keep saying that and it does not improve.
Judging by the number of phone calls we have received and the locations we just could not get to, 2025 may be an even busier year. We resume trapping when the overnight temperatures are above 30 degrees consistently – that date is anyone’s guess in Chicagoland these days. We have to take the situations on a case- by-case basis. More people are bringing cats into their homes and arranging s/n themselves and we applaud them!
Through it all, our donors have helped so much. While fundraising takes time and there has not been near enough of that this year, we have been able to keep the lights on, the cats fed, the litter boxes scooped and spay/neuter to the capacity of the surgeries available to us.
We are hoping that increased capacity for surgery will increase our yearly s/n numbers in 2025 – the only way we are going to get ahead. We are hoping that more people will be able to volunteer, foster and adopt!
Even though this is hard work, we have to remember the impact we have had, how many cats would be roaming the streets, producing more and more, the suffering that has been alleviated, feline and human alike! We have much more work to do but what a difference has been made so far!
You - donors, volunteers, caretakers, are all responsible for the huge difference Feral Fixers has achieved in the last 17 years! Remember –
As Many As Possible
As Soon As Possible
It's 2024, finally...
Written by: Tammy McAuley
2023 – What A Year
Together, volunteers, donors, caretakers, everyone involved with Feral Fixers, we have accomplished 926 spay/neuters of feral and stray cats and kittens. With the help of our dedicated adoption and foster and animal care volunteers, we have found homes for 360 cats and kittens. In just this year, you can see the impact as we reduced the volume of cats outdoors, we reduced the overpopulation crisis from every direction, helping felines and humans alike.
The challenges have been immense.
Kitten numbers have increased dramatically –societal changes may be the biggest impact: lack of vet access, money, movement of our population – combining households, isolation and hoarding, etc. People are actually paying more attention to the cats outside and are discovering the pregnant cat, the litter of kittens much more readily than in the past which results in overall increased volume that we are contacted about. Every shelter is full. Everyone is doing their best to save every cat they can. Adults and kittens are becoming friendly at an increased pace. Years ago, a feral was a feral was a feral. Not anymore. Kittens sometimes are friendly from the time they are trapped, adults will have a complete turnaround to being friendly. National organizations are seeing this and the only advice they can offer is that even if a cat is friendly, put it back outside – there just aren’t enough homes.
Volunteers. The data can be looked at in many different ways, but finding information that DuPage County ranked 2nd in 102 Illinois Counties of charities per square mile illustrates why it is so difficult finding and maintaining volunteers. No one seems to have as much time as we used to. There are so many choices of where to spend that valuable volunteer time. Our lives can change in an instant and our personal responsibilities must take priority. Feral Fixers has wonderful volunteers, and we treasure them every day. We need more, the volunteer staff is not a constant and can change quickly. From trapping to transport, fostering and shifts of cat care at the building, cleaning – oh my, the cleaning! We do need volunteers who can snuggle kittens just as much as we need those who can sweep floors and do laundry. Social people who can interact with adopters on adoption days, help with events, host events! Everyone has their own strengths and abilities, please share them with us!
Need everywhere. We can average five calls a day for help.
*Discovered kittens under the shed, come help. *My mother let a pregnant cat into her house, come trap and take the kittens. *My cat has lost its mind and is attacking me, help. *I have 15 cats in and around my house (usually results in 60+ cats). *I live outside your area, but I can bring the cats to you. *Been feeding a cat for 2 years, not neutered, now he’s injured from fighting, come help. On social media, you may often see “call Feral Fixers, they will help you” and we do help so many!
With all these challenges we must remember the impact we have had, can you imagine how many cats would be roaming the streets, producing more and more, the suffering we have alleviated, feline and human alike! We have much more work to do but what a difference has been accomplished!
You - donors, volunteers, caretakers, are all responsible for the huge difference Feral Fixers has achieved in the last 16+ years!
