Dear Friends and Supporters of Our County Shelter

We have a lot to celebrate right now, all because of you.  Think about it.

When we gave the FATZ manager a check to cover the 193 breakfasts we put out together last Saturday, he said, “You are the only breakfast we do in June.” 

We have you to thank for that distinction.  After all the benefit breakfasts we have celebrated together, it is almost like a family reunion.  We received notes and checks from those who would have liked to be there, but were on vacation along with most of Aiken!

Take a drive up Wire Road to the corner of May Royal and see the emergent outlines of the new Aiken County Animal Shelter on our lovely wooded lot.  All three wings are framed and there’s a roof on the adoption wing.  The floors will be poured next month.  It’s not hard to imagine how fine a facility it will be, thanks to you.  There is still time to immortalize an animal-loving loved one, or beloved pet, with your contributions.

You are the citizens of Aiken County, with friends and loved ones all over the state, the country, and even the world.  You know how important it is to you to have a community shelter that can serve the public and still provide for the helpless creatures that fall into its care.

Our elected officials have heard you, too.  County Council continues to join us in support of an adequately furnished, adequately funded, and adequately staffed facility in which we can all take pride.  The partnership between FOTAS and the county continues strengthen as we join our commitments and combine our resources to do the right thing right, so we only have to do it once.

It is because of you that the FOTAS Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) continues to move forward.  Our partnership with the SPCA Albrecht Center and County Animal Services continues its work in the Valley and Wagener.  As funds become available we hope to expand to other centers throughout the county.  So far, hundreds of pets and feral cats have been altered, resulting in thousands fewer unwanted kittens and puppies.

Yes, dear friends and supporters, we can take pride in how far we have come, but please, please do not think we can afford to rest.  Not yet.

For instance, we were so elated last week at the turn-out for the FATZ breakfast for the shelter Catz.  Tipz were abundant, though no catz were adopted.  Then we found out that, while we breakfasted, 31 cats came into the shelter!  The cat intake was one hundred just last week!  Please spread the word: “9 Lives for $9,” adult cats are $9 this week only.

Please continue your support of the “Fit, Furnish, and Finish” fund for the new shelter.  Please help SNAP continue to grow.  Please give and give some more to our community shelter programs: adoption readiness, foster care, fundraising, and spay-neuter.  Together we can make a huge difference.  Thanks to you; because of you!

tagline:  FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road.  For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

June 10^th thru 16^th, 2013

Brought in:  74 dogs and 100 cats!!

Adopted:  16 dogs and 2 cats 

Put down:    49 dogs and 79 cats!

CALLIE – 1 yr.  Soft and cuddly muted beauty, a lot of kitty for only $9 this week.

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” 

SOPHIE – 1.5 yr. shepherd mix.  As sweet as she is lovely! A special deal at half price: $35  

 

*All adoption fees include: Spay/Neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.

Saturday at FATZ a Day for Our CATZ!

Last year, 1,682 cats died at the Aiken County Shelter, and it is “kitten season” again, which means that there are babies everywhere, nearly all unwanted.  A very few will be lucky and find good homes, but most of them will die; some humanely at the shelter, but the rest will meet sad ugly deaths.

A couple of summers ago, FOTAS helped establish C.A.T.S., an adoptable cat and kitten colony at the County Shelter.  It is really a lovely place where cat-lovers, young and old, can go and spend time with loving cats that truly deserve forever homes.

The shelter welcomes volunteers who might brush them, have a game of chase-the-toy, or just sit and quietly offer affection: a butt-scratch, a behind-the- ear-rub, soft talk, and receive a contented purr of appreciation in return.

Sit on the benches in two indoor cat dorms or go around back to their outdoor patios.  Both offer climbing trees, scratching poles and toys galore.  There are hidey-holes and rafters for the more reticent cats who might love a job in a barn helping to control the rodent masses.  C.A.T.S. is a lovely, welcoming place.

Joan, recently widowed, found solace with the cats after her husband’s passing. She identifies as a “dog person,” but is no longer stable enough on her feet to walk most dogs so she volunteers in C.A.T.S..   She found it surprisingly comforting to have the adult cats come to her wanting to be petted.  “Kittens are fun,” she says, “But they don’t stay put.”

So Joan comes every week now to spend time with the cats.  “There may be four or five kittens in various and sundry positions using me as a climbing post,” she says, “Not on my head, though; I don’t let them climb on my head.” She laughs.  She plans to bring her own folding chair and spend more time.  She recommends that chairs be added when C.A.T.S. moves to the new shelter site.

The cost of relocating C.A.T.S. is a FOTAS commitment.  And there are other immediate needs, like food, toys, kitty litter and spay/neuter funds.  A healthy cat environment needs places to play and things to play with.  It should be interesting, stimulating, safe and clean.  Providing such an environment takes resources: money, time, knowledge and care.

Next Saturday, FOTAS will be hosting our annual benefit Breakfast at FATZ for the County Shelter Catz.  This year it is a component of our “Fit, Furnish and Finish” Fundraising campaign for the New County Shelter.  Herbie Brown will be at FATZ with a sample of our adoptable cats and kittens.  We will be selling our signature hats and t-shirts, recruiting volunteers and foster homes, and answering any questions you may have about our programs. 

Tickets are $7.  Buy them at the door, on line under “Events,” or call 803-514-4313. $5 commemorative tickets are available for those who can’t make it.

We hope to see you there, perhaps in a chair beside Joan, or with a new cat of your own.

FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road.  For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org

Aiken County Animal Shelter:  “By the Numbers”

May 27^th thru June 2^nd, 2013

Brought in:  44 dogs and 46 cats

Adopted:  7 dogs and 6 cats 

Put down:    26 dogs and 20 cats!

Aiken County Shelter “Pets of the Week!” 

BENJAMIN - 3 yrs. Hound mix.  This guy is a joy of a boy!  Yours for only $70  

 

BABY GIRL –1 yr.  Black, black, black, with golden eyes!   Only $35

*All adoption fees include: Spay/Neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.