  As we welcome in June, we also begin to see the arrival of kitten season. Kittens sometimes arrive just a day old and, weighing just a few ounces, require around the clock feedings. Our staff and fosters help care for the kittens, often without a nursing mom cat, to get them to a healthy weight. Once at 2 lbs., the kittens can have surgery and be adopted.
Because all this care requires a lot of resources, we are especially appreciative to partner with Feral Fixers. Since Feral Fixers was established, approximately 16 years ago, our intake of cats/kittens, has decreased. DuPage County is so fortunate to have this group perform targeted spay/neuter (and vaccinate) on our community cats. A special thanks goes out to Feral Fixers as they start their busy season – their hard work is truly making a difference.
 Dr. Barbara Hanek,
Veterinarian Administrator
Why are volunteers needed? There are over 74,000 non-profit organizations in Illinois alone, over 11,000 in DuPage County, demand for volunteers is immense.
Feral Fixers officially began in September of 2007. TNR is Trap/Neuter/Return - neutering the outside strays and ferals and returning them to the location they came from, finding homes for the kittens and tame cats I thought we would be done upon reaching 3,000 TNR'd cats. We have neutered more than 14,000 in those almost 16 years. To do this we need volunteers. We need people to assist caretakers in trapping, transporters to and from spay/neuter days, caregivers for the cats we have on hand before and after surgery, caregivers for the adoptable cats in our building, fosters of adults and kittens, maintenance at our building, there are many ways people can help. Soliciting newspapers from friends and family, sharing our adoptable cat stories and fundraising events, we use experience and abilities to focus our volunteers on what they enjoy and are good at.
You can fill out our volunteer questionnaire at: https://feralfixers.org/want-to-help/volunteer Almost everyone at Feral Fixers wears more than one hat and we are very busy - translate that into it can take some time for us to get back to you :). If you wish to volunteer, tell us as much as you can about yourselves to help us direct your energies in the best way for both of us! We all talk about wanting another body to do a particular task - help us find you and enable us to continue and do more!
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Kitten season is here and DCAS is desperately searching for some special individuals who can work with the feral kittens.
Feral kittens are fearful of human contact, but can become super friendly, cuddly pets with some dedicated TLC. Lion-tamers foster these spicy kittens in their home and slowly win over the shy cats through positive interactions. Using food, treats, and toys, these volunteers turn ferocious lions with no where to go into friendly felines ready for any home.
If you're interested in saving the lives of these scaredy-cats, contact our feline foster coordinator to get more information: dina.schubert@dupageco.org
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Are you hoping to add a kitten (or two, or three) to your house this summer? DCAS staff wants to help every interested adopter find the right match for their family.
Here's how it works:
- Fill out a kitten adoption application.
- Browse our available kittens posted online:
- Once your application is approved, a staff member will call you to set up a meeting. There are two options:
- If you know who you want to meet, make an appointment and we'll have them here for you!
- If you don't know who you want to meet, sign up for a slot at a Kitten Saturday* or Kitten Adoption Event (dates TBA) to meet a variety of kittens.
- At the meeting, our staff will go over kitten care, special needs (if applicable), and answer any questions you have.
- Take your new family member (or members) home!
*Kitten Saturdays are expected to start in July, when our kitten population gets larger. Talk to a staff member for more information.
Adoptable Rogan is one of our special kittens starting off this season. As a tiny little stray, Rogan has needed some extra time and attention to learn to trust people. But with the right family, he's shown how friendly he can be. Like many shy cats, Rogan would probably benefit from having a confident cat in the house to help him learn the ropes. Click his picture to apply today!
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