Litterbox Bingo raises funds for cat groups
The first Litterbox Bingo has been scratched off the list, and it raised about $4,500 for two cat rescue organizations.
The bingo sold out at 149 preregistered players, plus a few walk-ins who came to Family Bowlaway at noon on Sunday.
Christina Coblentz of Homeless Cats of Butler was thrilled with the response to Litterbox Bingo, which will help fund the group's mission to trap, spay and neuter stray, feral and colony cats in the community.
The funds will also benefit Stray Solutions Animal Rescue, which helps find foster homes for rescued cats.
In addition to 13 games of bingo and chances at door prizes for a $15 donation, more than 85 raffle baskets were available at Litterbox Bingo.
Those who brought cat litter, cat food or other supplies were entered into a drawing for a gift card.
Many at the registration table also dropped cash into a donation box for the two organizations.
One fuzzy attendant at Litterbox Bingo was Little Man, a tiny yellow kitten who was unimpressed by the flurry of activity as he curled up and slept in a cage at the Stray Solutions table.
Pat Potter, who manned the table with Chris Kunkel, said Little Man was found under a porch as a newborn before his eyes were open.
While Little Man struggled to survive, two of his siblings were found with him, deceased.
Potter brought the kitten to her home and nursed him back to life with bottle feeding and constant attention.
“People tend to keep dogs at home and spay and neuter them, but think cats can fend for themselves,” Potter said.
Kunkel said the life expectancy of a homeless cat is one to two years.
Tiffany Fundark of Butler munched on a plate of appetizers from the 11th Frame as she waited for the bingo caller to take her seat.
“I like cats and I like bingo,” Fundark said. “It seems like a win-win, both for the cats and me.”
Fundark has a domestic short-hair, Skiddles, that she rescued from the Butler County Humane Society.
“There's something about them,” Fundark said of her love for felines. “I almost feel connected.”
She appreciates the two organizations' dedication to cats.
“I think they're doing God's work,” she said.
Heather Houtz of Penn Township came to the event with two friends.
“We came to support the cats and have a ladies day out,” she said.
Houtz rescued her cat, Harley, from the side of the road. Harley has become an important part of her family.
“My kids love her and they want to hold her, and she wants to go, go, go,” Houtz said.
Audry Oliastro of Harmony came to support the two organizations. She has seven cats. That's down from the dozen she once cared for.
Some of the cats belonged to her late mother, but most were feral before being taken in by Oliastro.
Five of the cats live inside her home, and two are cared for outdoors because they cannot tolerate the other cats.All are spayed or neutered.“Let them make up to you,” she said of caring for wild cats. “Don't force them to accept petting or picking up.”She said one mother cat she took in wouldn't accept the touch of a human for two years. In the last few months, the cat has begun jumping into Oliastro's lap and allowing her to stroke her back.“Cats are so smart, and they're all individual and independent,” she said.She also appreciated the opportunity to have some fun on a chilly Sunday while assisting two cat rescue organizations.“There's a real need to help these animals,” Oliastro said.Dr. Theo Nelson, who recently opened a local veterinary practice, said anyone who finds a cat without an owner should contact a rescue organization and keep an eye on the cat or kitten.She cautioned the public that if someone takes an injured or ill stray to the vet, they are financially responsible for the care the cat receives.She has performed 300 to 400 surgeries in the past two months, and said about 75 of those were feral cats that were trapped and released after recovering.Lara Lepley of Homeless Cats of Butler said she has trapped 300 cats and taken them to the mobile spay and neuter veterinarians that the organization works with. She trapped her first feral cat 15 years ago when she spied a kitten in the parking lot where she works.“I spent weeks trying to trap that cat,” she said. “He now lives with me and his name is Baby Garfield.”Now she gives presentations on how to trap feral or colony cats for spaying or neutering.Lepley said stray, discarded, feral and colony cats do not ask to be born or left in the neighborhood to fend for themselves when their family moves to a new home.“We try to be their voice,” she said.The main things needed to help “community cats,” Lepley said, is money to help pay for their immediate needs and spaying or neutering, volunteers to help trap cats, and especially “barn homes” for colonies of cats not quite friendly enough for a house.Either organization can be found on Facebook.Potter is glad to serve with Stray Solutions to home as many cats and kittens as possible.“After all, every living thing deserves respect,” she said.
