Memorial Day Work-and-Party Weekend

People are always telling me "Susan, you've got to tell people how they can help."

The fatal problem with any animal rescue operation is when caretakers get so bogged down in taking care of the animals (or rescuing in new ones) that they don't keep up their infrastructure, and don't get involved in creative programs that get the cats adopted.

They aren't going to adopt themselves!

So it occurred to me that a flexible work weekend might be a good way to give people an opportunity to come out whenever they chose, to help out. I'm wondering if Memorial Day (May 27, 28) is a good option.

The cat facility ceiling needs to be painted, and because of the strips that run across it, this is going to be a bear of a job. Luckily the ceiling is really low so no ladders are required. But if different people came in and took a 6' patch, that ceiling would be done in no time, with minimal neck strain to any one person.



The downstairs area (which is now basically just a work area) need to be painted. It's a pity to cover up that wood paneling, but its dark and dusty. I think a nice light butter color will help get this floor on the road to recovery. Later this summer I'll clean and stain the concrete floor.



If someone is handy, the windows above also need to be trimmed out. I'm sure we have the wood kicking around for that. If not, Mark can tell me what I need to get.

Then there is the cat garden, which we make available to feral cat caretakers and others who need a spot to bury pets, or when a special cat here passes on and is buried. This needs some serious weeding (garlic mustard, which pulls easily if you catch it early) and mulching (we have the mulch!). It would be great to get the whole slope done, with newspaper laid under the mulch in the un-used areas, so that it is available if anyone needs space.

With it looking nice, and the seats out, this is a nice place for a visitor to just spend some time outdoors sitting, as well.

If you'd like to bring a shade-loving plant, shrub, or a statue to honor a loved one, we can supply markers as well.





Then there is the short section of road up to the cat garden. It would be nice to have the ruts filled with stone (just the ruts, not the whole road). This means they need to be dug out a little bit, and stone wheeled up and shoveled out. This is a short section (not this whole hill!) and we will have the stone. Again, this is the kind of project that if different people just did two wheelbarrow loads, it would get done without killing any one person. Then if someone wanted to just drive up and look, then back down, they could. Right now anything short of a tractor or four-wheel drive truck would surely get stuck.



And then, for those with sewing skills, there are piles of cat toys and cat beds to be made. Georg has kept us supplied with these, but they've turned out to be a huge boon...we give the toys to everyone who helps us, as well as our cats, and everyone appreciates and remembers them. I've got a load of polarfleece here, and Ditzy approves of the loft and color for beds (just double-sided mats for the cages or to protect a chair). We have two sewing machines (nothing fancy; they sew a straight line) and lots of room in the house for a couple of folks to churn out a few as they wish. I have family and friends who like to sew but surely wouldn't be into hauling stone, so maybe they would be interested?


And where else could scrap-booking be considered a vital volunteer role? I have a ton of scrap-booking supplies to make three books to feature our current cats. I want to place these at local restaurants, etc. who are willing to help. But I simply don't have time to sit down and do this, as much as I would enjoy it. So we can have the dining room table set up with photos of the cats, plus the scrapbook supplies (including anything you would like to bring).

Speaking of photos, by the end of an afternoon, the cats should be pretty tuckered out from all the coming and going, and it would be great if someone with a really good digital camera could come by and try to get some nice shots of some of the cats. My camera (and portrait skills) rot, and good photos are really important on the Petfinder search engine. Even if only a few cats got better photos it would be a huge help.

Depending on the feedback, I figured we would provide lots of food and drink for all three days, so people could stop by anytime they want. Probably we'll pick one day for a real picnic. Memorial Day is one of those weekends where you usually have to do something with the family, but you also kind of want to get away for a few hours, somewhere. It's a beautiful drive here, and rain or shine, there will be things to do indoors or outdoors.

Most importantly are people who want to just come by and say "hi!" If you don't have time to pick up a paint brush or pull weeds, or you really aren't physically equipped to work, the cats love visitors, so do we, and a cheerful face will help the party atmosphere and help things go faster for everyone else.

IF it arrives in time, there will be a Peace Pole to plant (bearing the words May Peace Prevail On Earth on one side, human tracks on another, leaves on another, and animal tracks on the fourth side), and of course we have our prayers flags, made at the winter holiday gathering, to fly in the cat garden.

We also desperately need window screens made with hardware cloth, that fasten with hooks, instead of hardware cloth tacked up permanently on the outside. Not only does the current "screening" trap cat hair and look shabby, its downright dangerous. In a fire, someone inside couldn't get out, and people outside couldn't get in to let the cats out. I really want actual removeable screens, but they will need to be hand built.




If all of this gets done this spring, it means the place will be cleaned up and ready to be open every Sunday for adoptions, and Coffee-And-Kittens (where visitors come and sit around with scared kittens on their laps to socialize them) -- and lets get some cats into homes!

This would be a huge, huge help. Right now I have some money to pay for supplies (stone, paint, fabric, etc. etc.). If anyone thinks they might be interested, please leave a comment below or email me directly at info at americancat dot net. Any help we receive will set the stage for success all summer long.

Oh yes, and we have KITTENS!!! What better reason to stop out?