Practicing and promoting Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) in DuPage County, Illinois

We're a 501c3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting and practicing Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) in DuPage County, Illinois. We believe that TNR is the only effective, humane and long-term solution to the problem of cat overpopulation.

The Feral Fixers e-Newsletter - Issue #10 - August, 2009

1000 cats!

This past month, Feral Fixers took in it's 1,000th cat to be spayed / neutered.  1,000 cats - that's a very big number. It represents thousands of kittens that won't be born; kittens that would either live a short and unhappy life or else would go into shelters and then displace (i.e. cause to be euthanized) other cats.

And that's what this is all about; attacking the problem of cat over-population. There are millions of cats and dogs that are euthanized each year. We cannot adopt our way out of the problem; we have to go to the root. For dogs, it's going after puppy mills. And for cats, it's adopting Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). TNR is what we're about, that's what our focus is.

Thanks again to our President, Tammy McAuley, for leading this effort. And thanks to our Board Members (Kurt, Regina and yours truly) and thanks to our Secretary (Chris). And special thanks to our volunteers who help us trap and transport and do all the other things that they do. And finally, thanks to the PAWS-Chicago Spay/Neuter Clinic for offering their incredibly inexpensive services for Feral Cats. We couldn't have done any of this without everyone pitching in.

On to 2,000 cats!

The picture on the cake (click on it to see a larger version) is of Raspberry, the 1,000th cat spayed/neutered thanks to the efforts of Feral Fixers. Thanks to super-volunteer Laura for arranging for the cake!

Message from the President

1,000 cats!

When you start doing TNR, the emergency is right before you. There is this one cat, there is this one colony, there is this whole town overrun with cats! You don’t really see down the road to where this will lead you. Prior to our forming Feral Fixers, I helped about 200 cats. I thought that was a huge accomplishment over the course of 4 years and it was, huge. Now, in 22 months we have helped over 1,000 cats. I don’t have the vocabulary to describe that accomplishment...

(Read more about what Tammy has to say about '1,000 cats!' here)

The Gift of Gordy

I wanted to talk about Gordy – remember Gordy with the munched on paws? He is about 10 months old now, totally healed, loves to play and able to jump up and down. His front paws look like a bad case of bunions, he has been to a specialist who says he will have a fine life as a couch potato – indicating that his activity level should not be expected to be that of other cats. The big ligaments that connect paws to leg were severed, but smaller tendons are doing the job...  (more)

The summer of the BOT

No, Bot is not an acronym for some underground, nefarious organization. It is the name given to the larva of a fly that lays eggs, animals inhale the eggs, the eggs hatch in the lungs and then burrow to the surface of the skin, taking up residence there to form a grub that constantly munches on its host, producing a nasty liquid that oozes out as the grub spins in its hole. Livestock, wildlife and most importantly for us, feral cats can be affected. When it becomes noticeable, it at first appears to be an abscess. Then you see the center move...(more)

Want to help?

Interested in helping Feral Fixers?  We are looking for a 'few good volunteers'!  Specifically, we're looking for someone to help us transport cats to and from PAWS (the Spay/Neuter clinic we use) in Chicago.  We need transport both in the morning and the afternoon.  If you're interested in helping, call us at (630) 881-FXRS (3977) or
email us at info@feralfixers.org.

Feral Fixers makes the Chicago Tribune

In the July 29th, 2009 issue of the Chicago Tribune, reporter Ted Gregory has a story about TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) and Feral Fixers. Feral Fixers' processing it's 1,000th cat was the lead item in the story, but there is a lot of additional information in this write-up. You can find the online article here, but if you can still find the print version, you'll see a few more pictures that didn't make it to the online version.

(Click on the picture thumbnail to see a larger version of the picture)

How many cats?  1,048 !!

Feral Fixers was founded and incorporated in late September, 2007.  In our first year, Feral Fixers had 86 cats spayed/neutered.  In our second year, Feral Fixers has had 525 more cats spayed/neutered.  And so far in our third year, Feral Fixers has had an additional 437 cats spayed/neutered - 1,048 in all.

Thank you to all of our volunteers and donors who have helped make this all possible!

Shop & Share is back!

Yes, the Shop & Share program is back!  This is a program set up by Jewel-Osco which gives the designated organization 5% of whatever you spend in their stores on the designated dates.  Last year, Feral Fixers received over $230.00 from this program and this year we'd like to do better.  If you click on the Shop&Share button, to the left, you'll be able to download coupons good for August 31st, September 1st and September 2nd of this year.  Just bring one of these coupons to any Jewel-Osco on one of those three dates.  Sign it and give it to the cashier when you pay for your groceries and he/she will fill in the amount of your purchase that day.  Jewel-Osco will then donate 5% of your total purchase amount to Feral Fixers - it's that simple!  And don't forget to make copies of these coupons and send them to your friends so they can support us to - thank you!

Donate to Feral Fixers

Feral Fixers offers its TNR services to all colony caretakers, without charge.  While we ask for donations from colony caretakers, we recognize that for some of them, any additional cost is just too much.  Therefore we rely on donations from other individuals to make up the difference and allow us to continue our work.  These donations allow us to spay/neuter additional cats, keep a 'bank' of traps and trap dividers we loan out for free, hold workshops and provide other educational benefits.  You can help us continue our work by clicking on the Donate button, below.  This will take you to the PayPal website where you can donate to Feral Fixers via PayPal or Credit card.  Feral Fixers is a registered 501c3 charitable organization and any donation is deductible to the fullest amount allowed by law.  Any amount you care to donate is gratefully received.

Website updates

Our website has had one major update in the past few weeks, the addition of a counter which, when clicked on, will show you the total number of cats that Feral Fixers has had spayed / neutered.  You can see this counter on the left side of the website, inside the last menu category (labeled "How many cats?").  The single item inside that menu category will show you the current counter and clicking on that counter will send you to our Statistics page, an up-to-date list of all the cats that Feral Fixers has processed, by month.

Shop for Feral Fixers!

Visit us on the Web!

Visit our website at www.feralfixers.org.  There you can donate to us (via PayPal or Credit card), visit our store, read the latest news, and learn more about Feral cats.  If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you can also sign up to be on our mailing list so you don't miss a thing!

What is TNR (Trap / Neuter / Return)? TNR is a full management plan in which stray and feral cats already living outdoors in cities, towns, and rural areas are humanely trapped, evaluated, vaccinated, and sterilized by veterinarians. When space is available, adoptable cats and kittens are transferred to sheltering organizations to be adopted into good homes. Healthy adult cats unsocialized to humans are returned to their familiar habitat under the lifelong care of their original caretakers.

Feral Fixers, NFP, is a certified 501c3 corporation - EIN Number 13-4364615