OSC: An Inside Look

Hi all....Suzanne here.....Little Grace's mom.  Little Grace has been working on a nice post for the blog and got side-tracked.  She will explain in her new post which is coming up in just a couple of days.

Lot's of stuff happening here at Orange Street Cats!  As you may already know, we are overrun ensconced in kittens!  There is only 1 day left to our YouCaring.com fundraiser and we still need $489 to reach our goal.  Dig around the couch cushions, dump your purse on the table.....any spare change?  We will gladly take it off your hands.  If you are not comfortable with YouCaring or Paypal, you can also mail a check to: Orange Street Cats,139 Potic Creek Road, Earlton, NY 12058 

One of our supporters posted a picture of her cat Tyra in the Petfinders funniest cat contest.  She chose OSC as the beneficiary of the funds if Tyra wins (Sooooo amazing!).  As of today, Tyra is in 4th place out of 1800 entries.  You can vote once a day until June 22nd!.  If Tyra wins, OSC gets $4500.  We sure could use that money. 

We started a Kitten Shower Event on Facebook with our updated Amazon Wishlist. (In case you hadn't heard....we have kittens!).  Check it out!  

We will be at Curtis Lumber Petapalooza, Ballston Spa location in June.  Keep an eye out for information about that HUGE event.  Our weekly events can be found on our website or on our Facebook page.

Oh, what else, what else....

Some of you have asked...."What goes on behind the scenes at Orange Street Cats?"  I will tell you...

Robin! Available for Adoption

There are 4 or so full time volunteers.  These full time volunteers also have full time jobs and families.  We have a few part-time volunteers and many friends and supporters who help us.  We are a small group with lots of heart and determination.  We are not a shelter.  All the cats are in foster care.  On the website, you are really only seeing the cats that are available for adoption, soon to be available or in need of foster care.  We do have more cats than is shown.  Needless to say, we are often bursting at the seams, always is need of new foster families and often in need of supplies and money (what rescue group isn't?).  These are just some of the things that we all are doing on a daily basis...

We plan and execute at least 3 adoption days a month (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Saturday of each month).  We manage Facebook, our website, PetFinder, voice mails  emails, the finances, the vet visits, foster family coordination, cat care, cat emergencies, bottle feeding, supply management, record-keeping, cat laundry (oh the piles!), fundraising, marketing, event planning (bowl-a-thon, yard sales, craft fairs, etc), education for ourselves (webinars, networking), education for our followers ("I found a cat in my yard, what can I do?"), lots of follow-up, assisting other groups and oh, so much more!  See?....Heart and determination.

So sometimes, if you leave a voice message, it can take a couple of days (or more...) to get a call back.  Emails aren't always responded to right away.  Facebook isn't always updated in a timely fashion.  Our Twitter account....well, let's not talk about Twitter.  We are always (and I mean always) in need of help.  Our #1 need is foster families and #2 is volunteers to help with adoption days, special events, social media (anyone out there have experience in managing a not-for-profit Twitter account?).  This work is not always easy.  We have loses and heartbreaks.  There can be tears and sadness.  Things do not always go as planned (e-vet anyone?).  There are times when we have to say no.  (We do not take that lightly).  You know what makes this work worthwhile?  The joy of saving one cat (and many, many more). The joy of seeing a cat find his/her new family.  The joy of seeing a cat overcome a hurdle or illness.  The joy of seeing the mutual love of cats on the faces of all we meet.  The positive energy from our supporters, followers, and friends (you!).  The love all our volunteers have for the cats, the work, and the mission.  This is Orange Street Cats. No....WE are Orange Street Cats.

So....Thank You!  For the continued support.  We absolutely appreciate you!  

If you are interested in becoming a foster family or volunteering, please email us at cats@orangestreetcats.org.  We will get back to you.....in a day or 2  


(Little Grace is staring at me with the "How dare you take over my blog!" expression.  Whoops!  Signing off!)

Gabrielle.  Available for Adoption