Thank you for donating your time, cat food, foster kitten/cat supplies, adoption fee donations, and $s with/without an employer match. Special thanks also to the San Francisco SPCA (SFSPCA) and Lenity Vet Specialists for their partnerships and the kindness they show our often aromatic and banged-up homeless felines.
We wouldn't have accomplished this volume of spay/neuters, vaccinations, microchipping, and deworming/flea treatment without our partnerships with them. This also equates to getting kittens altered sooner and into their forever homes. San Bruno Pet Hospital has also been tremendous about getting me appointments on short notice for sick kittens.
Our 2023 results reflect everything each of you contribute to support our homeless community felines on the SF Peninsula, CA and in Charlotte, NC. I’ve also included some preliminary data/info. for 2024.
Here's where we are today compared to where we've been:
- Whether you're donating via cash, check, PayPal, or through your employer, we raised $33,646.78 in 2023. (This includes a $5,000 donation from three Google snuggle events plus a $5,000 bequest.) That's an increase from 2019 at $9,983, $16,506.37 in 2020, $21,070.04 in 2021, and $32,282.09 in 2022. This includes adoption fees which don't cover all of our expenses BUT are a big help offsetting them.
- We're a 100% volunteer organization = 100% of donations are focused on homeless felines. Administrative costs are minimal since we use my (Trudi) home for 'office' space and my garage for short term shelter needs. Shout-out to Elaine, Alison, Bina, Leisha, and Smeeta for help fostering. (Foster volunteers have been providing/donating the majority of needed supplies for the kittens they feed and house.)
- For those of you who donate cat food, this is a tremendous contribution. I know several of you spend hundreds of dollars annually on cat food to feed the homeless cats.
- We spent $23,703.49 on veterinary expenses in 2023 (compared to $11,533.30 in 2020, $18,467.91 in 2021, and $24,737.58 in 2022).
- Veterinary expenses include cremation fees when we have a homeless kitty microchipped to us get hit by a car or when a cat needs to be euthanized for failing health and this is the humane course of action.
- Our foundation checking/savings account balance from 2022, helped cover veterinary and cat food expenses in 2023. Those yearend donations really help! We continue to grow and have more than enough rescue work without looking for more. Word of mouth referrals and Next Door continue our TNR and colony management organic growth.
- I started volunteering for SFSPCA trapping in SF County/City in 2023. This has helped reduce our spay/neuter expenses substantially and total veterinary expenses. They also make it easy for me to get multiple spay/neuter appointments on the same day and treat our feral rescues that have additional injuries when I bring them to the Spay/Neuter Clinic. (Abscesses are common from fighting.)
- 2023 was a record feline trapping/spay/neuter/vaccinating/microchipping year for us. And, homeless kittens are expensive to foster and socialize; they’re usually immune compromised and need a lot of vet care in the beginning. We trapped 198 cats/kittens in 2023; 74 were kittens and 124 were more than a year old.
- Why so many in 2023 compared to previous years? I partnered with two other 'Trappers Extraordinaire' (that’s you, Lisa and Su) in 2023. We were able to leverage our relationships with Nine Lives Foundation, SFSPCA, and PHS. BUT, the spay/neuter game changer were the special spay/neuter clinics SFSPCA did in 2023. On average, we had 10 ferals for each clinic.
- This is compared to 103 cats/kittens in 2020, 84 cats/kittens in 2021, and 69 cats/kittens in 2022
- So far I’ve trapped 45 cats/kittens as of June 2024.
- We spent a total of $10,514 kitten supplies including kitten food, formula, bottles, electrolytes, and cat litter in 2023. (This figure excludes veterinary expenses.) Veterinary expenses were included in the following figures: $13,332.41 in 2022, compared to $3,869.92 in 2020, and $4,828.27 in 2021.
We now feed and care for cats along the SF Peninsula at 12 managed colonies.
This is what we do - we operate like a cooperative helping our communities manage their homeless cat populations so cats are treated more humanely. The cats come 1st!
- Why do we microchip? With the exception of San Francisco County and City, a feral cat will be euthanized as unadoptable. The microchip shows that this free spirit belongs to someone. And, is loved by someone.
- We're setting up new colonies working with people in our communities to feed and manage them - we're not 'just' doing the TNR.
- Special shout-out to my foundation board - Jennifer, Musetta, and Bethany. Thank you for your time to support and serve.
- It really does take a village! No way could I do all this if I had to feed all of our colonies and foster all these kittens! Thank you, thank you, volunteer feeders and fosters. This rescue and TNR work wouldn't happen without you. There wouldn't be time. Collectively, you feed about 75 cats daily! Numbers have stabilized or declined at many of our established colonies. This is thanks to proactive TNR - and as cats have become socialized and adopted or died (many of old age including renal/kidney failure).
- Swatty was adopted by our volunteer, Charlene, in 2023 after more than 10 years living under the 101 freeway and by Charles River in SSF. I had tried to get him off the street a couple of times. He’d always go on a hunger strike at my house after three days. The turning point came when he made a love connection with Charlene. He’s now living his happily-ever-after in her home in Pacifica. He has two feline brothers who also adopted him.
- Thanks to Renate for her help organizing our weekly Sunday adoption fair at Pet Club in San Mateo (1850 S. Norfolk St., San Mateo). It’s every Sunday from noon - 3 p.m. except national major holidays.
- Follow us on Instagram @thepurrfectcatchfoundation for ongoing rescue stories and updates.
- And, I’m going to shamelessly plug my newest children's book, Whiskers, Wings, and Whipping Cream. It’s a fantastical read about homeless cats and highlights TNR.
Stories that wouldn’t be told without your collective help!
- Flora was tossed on the street in Carmichael after her person died and came to us weighing less than 4 pounds, with a urinary tract infection, in renal failure, and a thyroid condition needing medication. SFSPCA gave her a 12 on a scale of 1-10! Fur, bones, and terrified, particularly of other cats. I think she was attacked on the street by felines.
She was very brave and acclimated to the chaos at my house with so many cats/kittens in foster care here. I'm saddened to report that she took a turn for the worse late in 2023 and I needed to have her euthanized. I know it was best for her - she had stopped eating even with an appetite stimulant and organs appeared to be shutting down/failing her. Your donations help me not only keep cats alive and well, but help me cover the cost for a humane passing when it's their time.
- Mackerel was trapped on December 20, 2023. SFSPCA found both female and male genitals inside when they went to do the spay/neuter surgery. He was thriving in foster care, but having urinary problems because his urethra opening was too small for him to expel all of his urine. He needed a second, reconstructive surgery.
Hermaphrodite felines are very rare. Your donations make it possible for me to help homeless kitties with needed unusual veterinary services and prevent my having them euthanized due to their health issues.
Dr. Carlson, at Lenity, is the only vet who had the expertise to do Mackerel’s surgery. Lenity has been going above and beyond treating our homeless felines with the utmost respect and care including giving them flea baths. (Flea baths happen when I trap a rescue and they're on death's doormat. Immune systems are so compromised they're being eaten alive by fleas. I whisk them to Lenity to see if and how we can save them with needed veterinary services.)
Mackerel is doing well after his surgery. He does hate wearing 'the cone of shame.' He needs it on for three weeks. Probably the biggest hardship for him after this surgery.
- Uno, the numero uno wonder kitten. Uno had to have her leg amputated after getting stuck in a fence - now Charlie after a very resilient desert-adapted lioness in Namibia - is thriving in her forever home. SFSPCA wrote a special grant for a portion of the needed expenses plus thanks to our donations, we were able to do the surgery at SFSPCA for $2,000. SFSPCA used the surgery as a 'how to do an amputation' surgery opportunity.
A SFSPCA vet tech who viewed her surgery adopted Uno/Charlie. Her new canine and feline siblings have also all adapted and adopted her.
- Shout-out to help from Lisa, another rescue hero, and five of our volunteers, who supported me to provide three kitten palooza Google employee snuggle/cuddle events. We chauffeured 12-18 cats and kittens to each event in the South Bay. We had one attempted kitten escape which was rather exciting since these events were held outside. Volunteers acted as kitten wranglers. Thank you, Hillary and Joanna for including us in these extraordinary employee events!
I’m receiving more requests to help homeless feline lives from surrounding areas here in the Bay Area – East Bay/Fremont/Hayward, San Jose, Santa Rosa – than we have resources for. It can be heartbreaking for me to say ‘No’ and it is an ongoing challenge. (Thanks goes to Su for stepping in to help in Hayward when she can.) Thank you again for all your support! I couldn’t get as much done as I do without you! We are small but mighty.
Cheers!
Trudi Geiszler
Founder
925.639.3090
You too can help homeless kitties here on the SF Peninsula and Charlotte, North Carolina area! Learn more and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for rescue stories and photo updates.
The Purrfect Catch is a registered organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.
Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law.