Past, Present & Future
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CRAFT
PO Box 6441
Bend, OR 97708
Tiny skeletons in the tall weeds
The location, a worn-out house right in the heart of Redmond, was home to at least 25 cats and kittens that were living in a dumpster and beneath the house. The neighbors had tried in vain for over a year to get local authorities or the shelter to help these unfortunate cats. Finally a jogger who lived blocks away saw the cats rummaging for food in the dumpster, and called around enough to learn about CRAFT.
The next day CRAFT volunteers approached the resident, who agreed to cooperate as long as the cats did not go someplace where they would be euthanized. 17 cats and kittens were loaded into carriers, and since that time volunteers have brought in 6 more. Even though she signed a release form for all cats to be removed, the resident became less than cooperative after the first day, which happens all too often, so the remaining cats are being caught at the neighbor's.
All of the cats had a bacterial intestinal infection, which was treated immediately. They were also treated for parasites, vaccinated, etc. Two weeks later, they were spayed and neutered and ID chipped, and were then ready for new forever homes.
Several of the cats had given birth in the past month or two, but the babies could not have survived this kind of infection. Thus, tiny skeletons in the tall weeds.
Another challenging day in the life of the CRAFT volunteers.
Prior to this rescue, CRAFT had received 14 cats and kittens from Canyon City, Oregon. The authorities there were rounding up cats from the home of an elderly person who was unable to care for them, and the cats were to be destroyed as there is no shelter in that area. A local woman talked them into waiting, and contacted CRAFT. CRAFT agreed to take in the remaining 18, some of which are mom cats with tiny kittens.
Before that, CRAFT accepted 23 cats from a farm outside Redmond where the resident decided it was time to 'thin out' the cat numbers by shooting them. His sister asked us if we would take them if she could get them out of there.
Prior to that, over three month's time CRAFT rescued a total of 96 cats and kittens from a hoarding situation in Madras. The two big shelters took in about 30 cats each. Jefferson County has no shelter for cats and euthanizes those that come to the dog pound. About a dozen of these cats required specialized veterinary care and are still with us, waiting for appropriate new homes. One of these cats is Rudolph.
About the same time, CRAFT became aware of a group of 16 Munchkin cats living in squalor for years in a makeshift pen in a Bend backyard. All had health issues, and the females used as breeding stock all had uterine infections that were life-threatening. 10 have been adopted and the others, who needed specialized medical care or socializing, are now ready for new homes. Here’s the Munchkin 'pit'.
On top of the larger rescues, CRAFT rescues or accepts individual cats or smaller groups of cats from a variety of situations. Some are abandoned or abused, others come in as strays, and far too many are surrenders from desperate people who often have ended up without jobs or homes.
CRAFT cannot help these forgotten or abandoned cats without the help of the community. Grants and corporate donations are very hard to get in this economy, and CRAFT is not eligible for government funding because we take in only cats and are a true no-kill group.
Rescues By the Numbers
- 2006: 494 cats rescued
- 2007: 569 cats rescued
- 2008: 588 cats rescued
- 2009: 1,023 cats rescued
- 34% from the Redmond area
- 23% from Terrebonne/Madras
- 14% from the La Pine/Sunriver area
- 13% from the Bend area
- 5% from the Sisters area
- 11% from other parts of the State
CRAFT’s Wish List
- Good quality dry & canned cat food
- KMR kitten formula & bottles
- Authority kitten food (canned – PetSmart brand)
- Clay litter
- Cleaning and laundry supplies
- Occasional handyman help
- Trees, shrubs and flowers for landscaping around the sanctuary
- A 10 x 20 storage shed for cages, carriers, litter and supplies
- Cat carriers and fold-down cages
- Quality humane traps
- Laptop computer (to be able to use debit/credit card equipment)
- Professional groomer services
- Power washer, staple gun
- Gift cards for purchases of vaccines and medical supplies (on line or local)
- Volunteer help: with cattery chores, grooming, on-site adoption days, off-site adoption events, advertising, fundraising events, outreach to retailers and others regarding services and supplies, trapping and transporting, etc.
- Funding for the above, especially veterinarian expenses
Expense Breakdown
- Veterinarian fees: 56%
- Prescription meds: 5%
- Non-prescription meds: 4%
- Litter: 7%
- Food: 6%
- ID chips: 4%
- Supplies and equipment: 5%
- Building maintenance: 8%
- Other (advertising, fees, professional services, postage, etc.): 5%
