feralaffairsnetwork@gmail.comVolunteering with FAN means you're part of a community, an amazing group of people who are compassionate and pro-active! We are all fond of saying, "I love our little group!" Our dedicated Foster parents provide temporary homes, love and care to the many kittens/cats who come our way. We consistently need volunteers to simply transport cats to and from clinics for spay/neuter or other veterinary care. Many of our members do the important work of trapping community/feral cats, the "T" in TNR. This work is incredibly rewarding as we know that we are helping to improve the lives of community cats and alleviate the cycle of suffering so may kitties endure. Volunteering can take as little or as much of your time as you can give. The rewards are innumerable! Please e-mail us at feralaffairsnetwork@gmail.com, to inquire about volunteering.
Volunteer Spotlight - November, 2020
by Missy Schmidt - "Mother of Cats"
THE BEGINNING
I’ve been involved in cat rescue (and fostering) since I was a child. My first cat was rescued before I entered preschool, a tiny tiger kitten I called “Seeheart” —since I had no front teeth. Cat rescuing continued through to my adult years, especially since we had only a dingy, inadequate dog pound in my Shenandoah Valley hometown (no cats allowed -they were immediately euthanized!). And, finding cat adopters in rural, small-town America —pre-internet days— was quite a challenge!
IN HAMPTON ROADS, VA
When we moved here for my husband’s work as CEO of WHRO Public Media for Southeastern Virginia (https://whro.org/), we’d been cat-less for way too many years. To address my pent-up cat urges, I began fostering for Norfolk Animal Care Center (NACC) (https://www.norfolk.gov/260/Norfolk-Animal-Care-Center) ...then came the unplanned adoptions of now permanent residents Marcus & Annie, then chocolate siblings Rocher & Godiva. Norfolk has a limit of 4 owned cats per household, so we’re still fostering! Sometimes upwards of 10 fosters at a time, when counting kittens just delivered by a feral queen in our master bathroom aka “the birthing suite.”
I’ve been involved in cat rescue (and fostering) since I was a child. My first cat was rescued before I entered preschool, a tiny tiger kitten I called “Seeheart” —since I had no front teeth. Cat rescuing continued through to my adult years, especially since we had only a dingy, inadequate dog pound in my Shenandoah Valley hometown (no cats allowed -they were immediately euthanized!). And, finding cat adopters in rural, small-town America —pre-internet days— was quite a challenge!
IN HAMPTON ROADS, VA
When we moved here for my husband’s work as CEO of WHRO Public Media for Southeastern Virginia (https://whro.org/), we’d been cat-less for way too many years. To address my pent-up cat urges, I began fostering for Norfolk Animal Care Center (NACC) (https://www.norfolk.gov/260/Norfolk-Animal-Care-Center) ...then came the unplanned adoptions of now permanent residents Marcus & Annie, then chocolate siblings Rocher & Godiva. Norfolk has a limit of 4 owned cats per household, so we’re still fostering! Sometimes upwards of 10 fosters at a time, when counting kittens just delivered by a feral queen in our master bathroom aka “the birthing suite.”
Mama Ella (Fitzgerald) and babies Miley (Cyrus), Dr. Dre and Bae (Beyoncé)
THE CAT-ACTIVIST
Then, on the invitation of friend Debra Griggs, founder of Animal Resources of Tidewater (ART) (https://artanimals.org/), I attended the annual meeting of the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies (VFHS) (https://www.vfhs.org/) to learn more about Virginia’s animal welfare needs. My eyes were opened to the many statewide public and private shelters and home-based rescues; the lack of enough low-cost spay/neuter services in our region; the positive ramifications of TNR (Trap Neuter Return); and the huge need for more foster homes. And fundraising! Retirement allowed me to devote time to more foster programs, at Norfolk SPCA, CatTeam7, and Feral Affairs Network. My career skills in marketing also lend themselves to help impact organizations in many ways, especially with greater exposure on social media.
THE CAT-LOVE
I applaud the many rescuers around our region who humanely trap, provide medical care, and house community cats, whether friendly and/or feral.
My specialty is taking care of neonatal kittens requiring round-the-clock bottle feeding and pregnant cats who need a safe space to give birth to (and raise) their kittens to an adoptable age. And, yes, we’ve devoted much of our home to our fosters. A guest bedroom is now a “kitten room” —complete with a foster photo gallery— and we refer to the main part of the house as “Genpop,” à la the popular series “Orange is the New Black.” Coincidentally, our Fall 2019 Queen Piper litter was named for OITNB characters.
Most of our cat/kitten adopters stay in touch and regularly share milestone photos of their furry family member(s); some even have their own Instagram! https://instagram.com/gingerbeignet
THE CAT-STORY CONTINUES
Every day is entertaining at the Schmidt Cattery... every mama cat, singleton and litter has its own story, all of which I post —with photos and videos— on my public Facebook profile. My hope is that friends (and friends of friends) become potential adopters (and donors!!!) and to watch their new furbaby grow. Follow me: https://www.facebook.com/missy.schmidt
WHAT’S NEXT?
Before COVID-19, I was in the early discussion stages with ART to develop a Coastal Virginia Community Cat Summit. The goal? To see how all of us together —working smarter, not harder— can collectively improve cat welfare. On my mission-critical “to-do” list...
Volunteer Spotlight - September, 2020
Michelle Keith
Trapper extraordinaire, FAN-tastic fan!
Michelle has been one of FAN’s busiest volunteers for nearly two years. When asked what she’s been up to, Michelle replies, “Crawling through bushes, sweating, and using every trick up my sleeve to outsmart savvy cats & kittens!” She’s a trapper extraordinaire and will go the extra mile, or shrub, to capture feral cats, get them to our spay/neuter clinics and return them to their colonies. Recently she’s been working a trap-neuter-return (TNR) project in Norfolk with three litters of kittens, four breeding females and a few males. All resident cats have been trapped, neutered and returned, and 14 kittens have been removed for vetting and adoption. Michelle has been an amazing foster parent, often caring for multiple cats and litters. She holds ferals while they recover from surgery and transports cats to and from vet appointments.
Michelle has also kept track of our Cat Stats each month, a valuable report for rescue groups such as ours. It’s because of volunteers like Michelle that FAN can do the work of our mission to save community cats, and we thank her from the bottom of our hearts!
Michelle has also kept track of our Cat Stats each month, a valuable report for rescue groups such as ours. It’s because of volunteers like Michelle that FAN can do the work of our mission to save community cats, and we thank her from the bottom of our hearts!
Volunteer Spotlight - August 2020
Beth Kelly
Foster Mom, Fundraiser, FAN-tastic fan!
Beth Kelley cradles one of her foster kittens, Azalea.
One of Beth Kelley’s favorite (albeit heart wrenching) cat tales is the story of a bloodied and battered stray she trapped and affectionately called Shaggy. Shaggy was in bad shape. He was an older cat who was obviously abandoned years prior. His eyelids had even been ripped off, most likely in a fight with a more aggressive feral cat. Beth soon discovered that Shaggy was friendly, and she decided to shower him with love and good nutrition for as long as he survived. She set up cat hospice in her home for this ailing old guy. He was pampered and loved for 6 weeks, eating 4 cans of soft cat food a day and lapping up the attention and care. And then he passed.
Beth says, “This is why we do what we do, so that other cats don’t end up like Shaggy.”
Beth is one of our most dedicated and versatile volunteers. She likes fostering the “hissy pissy kittens who think they don’t like humans, but who turn into snuggle bugs after a month of socialization.” She transports, traps, feeds a group of backyard community cats, sews beautiful, functional crafts for FAN sales, volunteers at our adoption center, and keeps us laughing with her hilarious, quick wit! She has chaired FAN’s fundraising committee, creating and implementing many lucrative fundraising events. With a heart as big as her beautiful blue eyes, Beth is one of FAN’s most cherished volunteers.
Beth lives with her son, Connor, four cats and two dogs of her own, and her husband, Stephen, who is also a FAN volunteer. “I think he loves cats more than I do!” She says. Connor helps out too, scooping cat litter and loving on the kittens in their care. Beth’s cats Tank, Earl, Todd and Hope are punctual alarm cats who wake her every morning. “I don’t know what I’d do if they weren’t there,” she says lovingly.
With a full time job plus a home and family to care for, Beth MAKES time to volunteer for FAN. Asked why she does it, Beth replies without a beat, “We do it for the cats. They need us, and we need them.”
Beth says, “This is why we do what we do, so that other cats don’t end up like Shaggy.”
Beth is one of our most dedicated and versatile volunteers. She likes fostering the “hissy pissy kittens who think they don’t like humans, but who turn into snuggle bugs after a month of socialization.” She transports, traps, feeds a group of backyard community cats, sews beautiful, functional crafts for FAN sales, volunteers at our adoption center, and keeps us laughing with her hilarious, quick wit! She has chaired FAN’s fundraising committee, creating and implementing many lucrative fundraising events. With a heart as big as her beautiful blue eyes, Beth is one of FAN’s most cherished volunteers.
Beth lives with her son, Connor, four cats and two dogs of her own, and her husband, Stephen, who is also a FAN volunteer. “I think he loves cats more than I do!” She says. Connor helps out too, scooping cat litter and loving on the kittens in their care. Beth’s cats Tank, Earl, Todd and Hope are punctual alarm cats who wake her every morning. “I don’t know what I’d do if they weren’t there,” she says lovingly.
With a full time job plus a home and family to care for, Beth MAKES time to volunteer for FAN. Asked why she does it, Beth replies without a beat, “We do it for the cats. They need us, and we need them.”
Shaggy, hanging out near Beth's home, just waiting to be loved. He was.