Hello Phlock! We sure have been experiencing the “Dog Days of a Hot, Hot, Hot Summer”! We hope you all are doing well and staying cool! Our July Happy Hour is fastly approaching, looking forward to seeing you all.
Bob DaddyDawg🐾 and Chris🔆
WHAT: Padre Island Parrot Head Club of CC July Happy Hour
WHEN: Thursday, July 21st
WHERE: The Waterline at Doc’s
TIME: 5:00 PM
Entertainment: Aaron Jacobs
Our Reason to Party With A Purpose: The Norman Initiative for stray cats and kittens; Trapping, Neutering, Release (TNR). Any help that we can offer will be greatly appreciated! Below is the mission of the Norman Initiative:
Hi, Gail!
thank you for taking an interest in my work for the community cats of Corpus Christi and the nonprofit organization I formed to help me along the way called The Norman Initiative.
I’ve attached my formation papers here, and the first one is the IRS designation letter with the EIN.
I’ve always just taken in cats over the years, and after our girls left home, I gravitated more and more towards rescue of cats. I’ve been involved with TNR (trap, neuter, return) since 2019, and that’s my main focus, to try to reduce the number of kittens born to community cats. With the other organization I was with, we collectively TNR’d over 3000 cats over 3.5 years. As The Norman Initiative, I’ve only done 71 because now surgeries are so hard to get because of a shortage of veterinarians.
I also foster, and you’ve met some of my fosters at the office. I’ve cared for 166 fosters now – that’s 166 times I’ve cried when they left to take their next step to find their forever home! I wish I could stop that, but the tears just come out.
I have a soft spot for the injured, abandoned, or neglected cats, like Cinco who you saw at our office. Someone did something very unkind to him, and I’m hoping to help him heal physically and emotionally.
Any donation that comes into The Norman Initiative goes directly to the cats’ food and medical care. I cover all the toys, cat trees, and blankets because I tend to go a little crazy spoiling them. I’ve been fortunate that all my litter has been donated so far – that’s been so helpful!
I know I’ll have some medical expenses coming up with Cinco to try to finish up with his jaw since it’s wired in place. He goes back to the vet on Monday. Then I’m taking in a mama and 4 babies that are at an abandoned house. My trapping buddy and I have committed to feed that colony every day to try to get them healthy, and we’ve spayed/neutered 7 so far there (about 3 more to go). We don’t have a place to relocate them, so we are just doing the best we can for them. At the same time, I’m coordinating with 3 people to get their kittens into the Humane Society – 19 kittens total! And then to spay 5 mamas! I try to mentor people to help them with the kittens they have so the kittens stay with the mama, stay in the home, I give them care guidance, and that way I can help more people and more kittens instead of bringing them into my home which limits what I can do.
My tag line is: Advocate for community cats and the people who care for them. I also volunteer for the low-cost pet clinic, PAAC (People Assisting Animal Control on Ayers). At our office in the back shop about every 5-6 weeks, we receive an 18-wheeler full of pet food on pallets that is donated by Chewy’s and Humane Society of the United States. We store that food and then take it by trailer and Mark’s truck on designated distribution days to give to people in need, so they can have food for their pets. This is through PAAC. We have reached so many people in our community, and that makes it rewarding to see them happy and relieved to get help with pet food.
I hope this gives a good picture of The Norman Initiative. If the Parrot Heads ever thought to support of The Norman Initiative, I would be so grateful!
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thank you, Gail!!
The Norman Initiative
Wish List and Needs
Amazon Wishlist is active, accessible via Instagram account:
cckittenfoster
Rescue disinfectant concentrate and also the One-Step bottle
Disposable vinyl gloves
Disposable boot & shoe covers, 200 pack (100 pairs) non-slip
Virbac Rebound Recuperation Formula for cats
Canned and dry cat and kitten food
Nulo Freestyle canned food and kitten dry food
Wellness Complete kitten canned and dry food
Blue Buffalo kitten canned and dry food
Purina Pro Plan kitten canned and dry food
9 Lives and/or Little Friskies canned food for colony cats
Purina Cat Chow Naturals dry food for colony cats
9 Lives canned and dry for colony cats
Friskies canned food for colony cats
There are between 75 – 85 cats in 5 colonies where we actively TNR,
monitor, feed, and make sure any new cats get fixed. Sometimes we
have to euthanize a sick cat since we feel strongly about humane
treatment for them all. We also pull kittens for foster to adopt to get
them into homes and help manage the colony. These are 3
apartment complexes, one business, and one vacant home.
Managers and property owners are so happy to have the help, and
that keeps us going.
Funds for veterinary bills:
$25 FeLV/FIV test per cat/kitten;
$15 FVRCP core vaccination per cat/kitten;
Each foster gets one at 1.5 lbs, and then every 3 weeks while in my
care. Many receive 3 of these before they go out for adoption.
$42 spay/neuter and rabies vaccination per cat/kitten;
$70 spay/neuter and rabies vaccination per cat/kitten at a different clinic;
$9 flea preventative lasting 60 days per cat/kitten which is applied at the
clinic for the TNR community cats. This is very beneficial for them.
$$ any amount for veterinary care. Example, one TNR male’s testicles did
not close immediately after neuter. I took him to the retail vet the
following day to have him stitched up. Another TNR cat has turned
into a long-term foster because his jaw had been broken, his tail cut
off, and he was abused to the point of living with debilitating fear
(His bills are just over $600).
PuppyButtsPetSupply.net (This is a wonderful company in Corpus Christi)
100 TABLETS QUICK CAPS Nitenpyram 12 mg Cats and Dogs 2-25 lbs
12 Monthly Capsules 205mg Cats Lufenuron 2-20 lbs
Tapex PLUS De-Wormer for Cats and Kittens
