Tuesday, March 14, 2006
You can tame a feral cat but…
You can’t tame a fundraiser!
So. First things first. Well, second things first, actually. The fundraiser was this weekend, and man, I think it went well. I really do. I think we raised some awareness, and I think we raised some funds. Not as many funds as I would have liked, but the awareness thing was the French vanilla pudding with chocolate sauce that day. We got about 150 people, maybe a few more, and ran out of seating.
It wasn’t supposed to be a seated event. I had it in my mind as more of a cocktail event, but sure enough, we put out tables, and people all sat down. That’s the problem with seating – if you provide it, people will use it. And also, there had been food ordered by the other organizer that was of a sit-down type, so the seating was, after all, kind of necessary. And really, with the presentations the way they were, the seating was necessary due to that, too. We got extra tables set up in a jiffy, though, which seemed to please the other organizer.
There were, of course, a few hitches, like the DJ had to get the right wiring, and the sound on the speaker’s presentation wasn’t loud enough because it was off a laptop instead of an independent system, and the other organizer and the speaker made off just before the TV cameras showed up, so I had to talk about things into a big camera with a big, bright light, and I think I might have rambled on a bit then.
However, the fashion show totally ROCKED!! The dogs were fantastic, the outfits were oh-so-cute, and even the people were well-behaved. Beau must have eaten his weight in treats. We sent them back down to the dog holding room when the food was served, but somehow, they made their way back upstairs and were so cute and well-behaved that people couldn’t help but crowd around them, fawning and glowing, petting them and feeding them so many unapproved things…
The silent auction also went very well. There were a couple of items I wish had gone for more, and a couple of items I wish I’d had time to bid on. My father, The Grumpaw, bid on and got a police ride-along certificate, which he says he’ll redeem in spring when it’s nicer out. My sister got a cute leather backpack that suits her very well. My friend Rose got a dog bed and dog treat package and seemed inordinately pleased by that.
One of the puppies in the fashion show got an adoption application for her by one of the guests in attendance. How could she not? She is so cute… a little rat-terrier cross… with her little floppy ears and tiny face.
The people all seemed to have a great time, and that’s the trick, isn’t it? I mean, now we’re in a better position to do even better next year!! Ha. Maybe we can get more help organizing it next year…
I have to say I was very impressed with Beau throughout the evening. He did so very well, didn’t fuss about his outfits, and was a big ham for the cameras. He made friends with everyone in the room, and didn’t bark or whine at all. He was such a good boy!
Speaking of good boys, Fearsome has turned the corner and come around to being a great cat. He just decided on Saturday that it was time he started to enjoy being petted, and now he’s loving it!! I opened his door on Saturday morning, like I always do, and he stayed around, so when I brushed his whiskers, he allowed himself to sink right into my hand!! I was so excited, I wasn’t sure if I should keep petting him, but I did, and then when he had had enough, he went back under the bed. Until I opened the door again, and the process repeated itself!
And from there, it was just a tiny jump to pick him up, which he seemed a little nervous about at first, but then enjoyed, too! Now, today, he’s swirling around my ankles when I go in the room, and looking up at me with optimism and happiness in his eyes. He’s friendlier with the other cats, and is looking out from under the bed at the dogs with interest instead of fear.
So there – you can tame an adult feral cat, in spite of what all the websites say, that it is impossible and you’re just in for a lot of scratches and an unhappy cat. You just have to have the time and patience to do it! It’s amazing that this once totally wild creature, terrified and horrified by humans, is actually allowing me to pet him, and is liking it. I feel like I have won the lottery. Everyone should go out and rescue a cat, today, in his honour.
Now, though, I have to get back to the real world and do some work. I have to catch up from the slacking I did last week when I was concentrating on things other than work. I have to get a few projects started and a few of them done this week. So if I don’t write, it’s not because I don’t care, it’s because I’m, well, probably dead under the piles of paper that are built up all around me.
So. First things first. Well, second things first, actually. The fundraiser was this weekend, and man, I think it went well. I really do. I think we raised some awareness, and I think we raised some funds. Not as many funds as I would have liked, but the awareness thing was the French vanilla pudding with chocolate sauce that day. We got about 150 people, maybe a few more, and ran out of seating.
It wasn’t supposed to be a seated event. I had it in my mind as more of a cocktail event, but sure enough, we put out tables, and people all sat down. That’s the problem with seating – if you provide it, people will use it. And also, there had been food ordered by the other organizer that was of a sit-down type, so the seating was, after all, kind of necessary. And really, with the presentations the way they were, the seating was necessary due to that, too. We got extra tables set up in a jiffy, though, which seemed to please the other organizer.
There were, of course, a few hitches, like the DJ had to get the right wiring, and the sound on the speaker’s presentation wasn’t loud enough because it was off a laptop instead of an independent system, and the other organizer and the speaker made off just before the TV cameras showed up, so I had to talk about things into a big camera with a big, bright light, and I think I might have rambled on a bit then.
However, the fashion show totally ROCKED!! The dogs were fantastic, the outfits were oh-so-cute, and even the people were well-behaved. Beau must have eaten his weight in treats. We sent them back down to the dog holding room when the food was served, but somehow, they made their way back upstairs and were so cute and well-behaved that people couldn’t help but crowd around them, fawning and glowing, petting them and feeding them so many unapproved things…
The silent auction also went very well. There were a couple of items I wish had gone for more, and a couple of items I wish I’d had time to bid on. My father, The Grumpaw, bid on and got a police ride-along certificate, which he says he’ll redeem in spring when it’s nicer out. My sister got a cute leather backpack that suits her very well. My friend Rose got a dog bed and dog treat package and seemed inordinately pleased by that.
One of the puppies in the fashion show got an adoption application for her by one of the guests in attendance. How could she not? She is so cute… a little rat-terrier cross… with her little floppy ears and tiny face.
The people all seemed to have a great time, and that’s the trick, isn’t it? I mean, now we’re in a better position to do even better next year!! Ha. Maybe we can get more help organizing it next year…
I have to say I was very impressed with Beau throughout the evening. He did so very well, didn’t fuss about his outfits, and was a big ham for the cameras. He made friends with everyone in the room, and didn’t bark or whine at all. He was such a good boy!
Speaking of good boys, Fearsome has turned the corner and come around to being a great cat. He just decided on Saturday that it was time he started to enjoy being petted, and now he’s loving it!! I opened his door on Saturday morning, like I always do, and he stayed around, so when I brushed his whiskers, he allowed himself to sink right into my hand!! I was so excited, I wasn’t sure if I should keep petting him, but I did, and then when he had had enough, he went back under the bed. Until I opened the door again, and the process repeated itself!
And from there, it was just a tiny jump to pick him up, which he seemed a little nervous about at first, but then enjoyed, too! Now, today, he’s swirling around my ankles when I go in the room, and looking up at me with optimism and happiness in his eyes. He’s friendlier with the other cats, and is looking out from under the bed at the dogs with interest instead of fear.
So there – you can tame an adult feral cat, in spite of what all the websites say, that it is impossible and you’re just in for a lot of scratches and an unhappy cat. You just have to have the time and patience to do it! It’s amazing that this once totally wild creature, terrified and horrified by humans, is actually allowing me to pet him, and is liking it. I feel like I have won the lottery. Everyone should go out and rescue a cat, today, in his honour.
Now, though, I have to get back to the real world and do some work. I have to catch up from the slacking I did last week when I was concentrating on things other than work. I have to get a few projects started and a few of them done this week. So if I don’t write, it’s not because I don’t care, it’s because I’m, well, probably dead under the piles of paper that are built up all around me.
