GoNuts! | Home made Cashew Ginger Nut Butter (for humans) | Proceeds go to #IF2015

| GoNuts Handmade Nut Butters]

GoNuts is about humans eating healthy, and this month, all the proceeds from the sale of their Ginger Nut Butter is going to our cattery building fund, #IF2015!

GoNuts is a Grace and Michael and their three demanding cats living in Singapore, and they love cooking and eating healthy food! Some people call it Paleo, or Primal, or the Cave Man diet, but these are just labels. They simply believe healthy food is minimally processed and as close to the source as it can get. Combined with regular functional exercise and rest is a great recipe for looking and feeling your best.

The Cashew Ginger was selected for the charity sale because of their ginger cat, Julius! This nut butter contains cashews, spicy ginger with a hint of organic honey - paleo, gluten-free and vegetarian. Cashew ginger is one of their most publicized flavours: it has been featured on Sunday Times last December and just a few weeks ago on 8 days. Each jar is retailed at $10.

Julius

Each batch of nut butter is handmade

How to order GoNuts Cashew Ginger Nut Butter: Simply send them a Facebook enquiry! They also sell their nut butters at the Farmers' Market at Loewen Garden, Dempsey where artisanal food products are sold.

Do spread the word to those you know who like clean eating. They would surely be interested GoNuts!

Donate to our cause by making a deposit to our Love Kuching Project DBS Current Account 027-905975-3 or via Credit Card. Donate us food or litter at charity rates with free delivery via Pawfection      

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Cat Care Talk | 22 March 2015 |

Edit 4 Mar 2015: Registration has closed.]

It is time for our first cat care talk of 2015! Proudly brought to you by our Cat Care Outreach and Foster Network teams. This event will be a hands-on workshop limited up to 10 participants only, so if you want to join in, sign up fast!

It is easy to care for a healthy kitten or cat, one that has clear eyes, clean ears, no injuries or sicknesses of any kind. But what if you had to suddenly learn to care for a sick kitty?

This workshop is here to teach you the basics of clinical care for cats that you could benefit from as a cat owner or as a foster caregiver for sick and injured stray cats. It will be a workshop based event that is participant led, so you can feel free to ask any questions pertaining to the the topics that will be covered.

Each participant will receive a door gift - a travel-sized first aid kit.

Details of the event:
Venue: LKP at Ubi Ave 1
Date: 22 March 2015, Sunday
Time: 3-5pm
Cost: $10

How to sign up:
Transfer the $10 cost per person to our DBS current account 027-905975-3, retain the transaction details, and go to this link to key in your information. If you are registering for more than one person, transfer the tallied amount and use the form to sign up as a pair/group.

Donate to our cause by making a deposit to our Love Kuching Project DBS Current Account 027-905975-3 or via Credit Card  
Donate us food or litter at charity rates with free delivery via Pawfection      

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2015: Volunteer with us! Make it your new year goal

Come the new year, we will be growing even more in our existing work, and so various programmes will need more hands on deck. Like we always say in the rescue industry: if you cannot adopt, foster; if you cannot foster, volunteer; if you cannot volunteer, donate. There is something all of us can do to make lives better for cats in need. For what we love we shall stop at nothing to create change.

We want to use this blog post to highlight areas you can pick to join our Love Kuching family and extended network.

Where can you volunteer in 2015? 

#FosNet


The first dire need we have, is for you to join us as a Foster Caregiver in our Foster Network. This volunteering option allows you to work from home, around your schedule, at a level you can commit. You will not be handling boisterous kittens that need a lot of poop scooping and play, nor need to host any adopters in your home. Your only liaison is with our Foster Network Volunteer, Amizadai. 

The cats we will farm out to you will be sick or injured cats: this is so we can expand our current brick and mortar space of 5 suites for sick/injured cats. We often have more requests to shelter stray cats needing medical care than we actually have space for. Many people turn instead to expensive hospitalisation or boarding options for these stray cats, and their welfare is not great being in such locales because the human to cat ratio is not optimal. This is not counting many other stray cats that get sent to SPCA. Our other option to a Foster Network is to -actually- increase our brick and mortar space. But with rentals very high right now and our cash flow not optimally in excess, 2015 is not the right time for Love Kuching to move into that yet. You being in our Foster Network is the only way we can save more cats. 

Foster Caregivers can give more dedicated care

Bring home a cat to foster, free up a space for another cat

But what if you have very little experience in medical care for cats? Medical care varies from cat to cat, as do the durations each cat will need fostering for. The simplest commitment will be a short 2 week duration, with oral medications you can mix in food. The most extended and intensive type of care will be those that need topical wound cleaning and medication application, injections, and some may will need fostering until they die because they cannot be released back to their original stray territory (terminal illness). You can commit to any level, the simplest, the most intensive, or anything in between. We will match the right case to you.

In case you worry that your cats might get into a fight with the foster cat, we will provide you a cage if you need one. Besides that, all medications and medical supplies will also be provided. You will also get food and litter supplies from us. And before you start, as well as along the way, you will get training support. This way, you can also learn and grow in your cat care skills. 

Learn hands on medical care from us!

Adoption is a lifelong commitment, but fostering is not. Because we as cat lovers simply cannot adopt every cat in need, fostering is one way we can make a difference in the lives of cats that need help. If you want to find out more and/or sign up as a Foster Caregiver, drop an email to ami@lovekuchingproject.org




Foster Care

Currently, we have 6 Foster Care Volunteers who are paired up to cover Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights weekly. They come in every week to do cleaning of the foster space as well as medical care of the cats, hosting ad hoc play/clean volunteers, and interacting with the kitties that are for adoption in order to socialise them.

Shelter kittens need a lot of positive human contact

This job scope is expanding to preparation of medications, supplements in food, on three other nights: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. However, on these nights, whoever is on duty will not need to clean; the focus will be on the medical care of the cats and preparation of supplements. The time slot will also be different: instead of 7-9pm, it will be 8-9:30pm.

Application of topical medications

Learn clinical care like fluid administration

We have Foster Care Volunteer slots available for Wednesday nights weekly, and Friday nights weekly, from 8pm to 9:30pm. You can volunteer alone, or as a pair with a friend or loved one.

We do not need any experience in medical care of cats from you. The key attributes you should have are availability, teachability, and passion. As it is a weekly, long term commitment, you should be available on the night you choose (Wednesday or Friday) over the long haul, ad hoc personal commitments aside. Being great at learning on the go is also something we want - a hunger to learn is always better than experienced minds unwilling to learn. You will not only learn from Elaine who is in charge of the medical care on most days, you will also get a chance to learn from other Foster Care Volunteers during joint sessions with them. Also, we want passionate people - you should be interested in critical intensive care of medications, learning about holistic therapies, keen on hands-on work. 

Basically, helping sickies feel better!

If you are keen on this, email elaine@lovekuchingproject.org.

(Psst. Have we yet bragged about how great a place we are to volunteer at? We bond over common interests, our common passion about cats, be it with other volunteers in the same portfolio or across other portfolios during our gatherings. We are also open and don't hold back, and everything is about the 'we' not the 'I' in our work. All of us share the same goals and agenda in Love Kuching, and there is mutual respect for one another. 32 people have helped create it as such a community, why not come be a part of making it too? We are an all-inclusive community!)

And, as always, if you are keen on ad hoc volunteering instead, you can always join the play/clean sessions hosted by our volunteers on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. Volunteering is fun with friends or family so you can also feel free to volunteer with someone instead of going it alone.

Share this post with people you know might fit the bill for any of the volunteering opportunities listed above. We want our family to grow!

Donate to our cause by making a deposit to our Love Kuching Project DBS Current Account 027-905975-3 or via Credit Card   
Donate us food or litter at charity rates with free delivery via Pawfection      

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Our first #FosNet success!

In August, we launched our Foster Network, and made an open call for folks like you to join us as volunteer foster caregivers. We asked for people to join us to be on standby to take in sick or injured stray cats, so we could move beyond the 5 cat suites we have dedicated for such cases. This also means we can boost the take-up rate on our Emergency Response Fund, which can only be activated if there is a foster caregiver on standby to receive the cat after it goes to the vet.

Sick and injured stray cats have varying needs in their care of course, some are more complicated requiring difficult medical care such as injections, some require simple care that is merely oral medication or topical medication. We only match difficult cases to volunteer foster caregivers with the experience and availability to handle them, and easy ones to those with limited experience or time.

Lee Ying, our first foster caregiver, having had no experience with cats at all, took on Gerry for whom we have been appealing for help in fostering because she is a very simple case to handle. By getting Gerry to a foster caregiver, her slot in our foster space can be freed up for more serious cases that require specialty critical and intensive care. This also lowers the load the volunteers have to medicate at the foster home. Lee Ying really made a difference when she stepped forward.

Lee Ying with Gerry

Gerry has been doing well in her new foster home! Not only is she receiving more attention because of the human:cat ratio, her current foster home has more cat amenities and space for her to roam instead of being in a cage most of the time!

Gerry's corner in her new room

Gerry in box with cushion from her LKP cat suite

Scratching post Lee Ying got for her

We passed Lee Ying medication, food and litter, which is what foster caregivers in our Foster Network will receive. For Gerry we administered a steroid jab before she went to Lee Ying's home, and also oral steroids for when the jab wears off. She also needs topical cleaning of the wound with saline, and Duoderm gel to help her wound heal. Our FosNet Volunteer, Ami, gets updates from Lee Ying about how Gerry is doing so we can help if she needs any more supplies, or if any problems arise so we can check with our vet.

Want to join our Foster Network? What difference will you make?

• Be on standby for cases that come in when we have no space.
• Help foster easier cases so we can save space for those who require more intensive care. This way we can save more cats together.
• Give more one-on-one attention to foster cats that they can never receive with the human:cat ratio we have at our foster home

What will you be given to help you become a foster caregiver?

• Food and litter
• Litter box and bowls if you do not have any
• Cage, if you do not have a spare room
• Medications and pharmaceutical supplies
• Supplements that the cat needs
• Briefing and demonstration on how to care for the cat medically before you start
• Support from us via our FosNet Volunteer, Ami, for any questions you may have

Want to ask more questions about our Foster Network? Ami is reachable at ami@lovekuchingproject.org. Tell all your friends, especially those who either want to have some prior short term experience before adopting a cat for life, or those who have already had cats for life and wish to help our strays on a short term commitment. Those with experience fostering kittens too, because adult strays who are sick or injured are not too dissimilar in their requirements of care. Remember, we only match you to cases we can handle. Share and RT away!

Donate to our cause by making a deposit to our Love Kuching Project DBS Current Account 027-905975-3 or via Credit Card   
Donate us food or litter at charity rates with free delivery via Pawfection      
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Gerry from Jervois Road: Her story, and an appeal for fostering help. #FosNet

Serene from Jervois Road contacted us last week about a stray cat with what seems like a large flesh wound on her side.

Photos that were sent to us

We got a trapper to transport her over to our foster home, and brought her to our vet the next day.

Gerry's wound being cleaned at the vet

Turns out that what Gerry has is eosinophilic ulcers, a severe allergic reaction. A course of steroids and topical medication will help it to heal, and if it really doesn't, we will arrange a skin graft surgery for her.

Gerry posing in her cat suite

She is quite a neat cat that is used to indoors

New skin tissue is already forming around her ulcer

She has been very obedient thus far, except that she doesn't like canned food with supplements, so she only eats dry food. She willingly lets us clean her ulcer on the side of her body, and apply Duoderm gel (which helps flesh wounds to close). New skin tissue is already forming around the edges of the ulcer.

She received a long-acting steroidal jab, which lasts for two weeks. After that, she will switch to oral steroids.

Gerry is very easy to foster, and because of this, we have an appeal to make.

Will you be able to help foster Gerry, if all the food, litter and medical supplies are provided?

We ask this because there are many other cases on our waiting list right now that are not easy to foster, those needing full-day care, or palliative care. And they are still waiting for a slot, but we are absolutely full.

If you can join us as a foster caregiver, do email Ami at ami@lovekuchingproject.org to sign up as a foster caregiver for us. We will give you the supplies you need, provide you advice and direction, and we just need updates from you (photos etc.) regarding her progress. Any vet fees that may be incurred will be paid for by us. You can also email Ami if you have enquiries before you decide.

Spread the word to those you think can volunteer as Gerry's foster caregiver. We need the help, and other much sicker kitties need the spaces we can clear out.

Donate to our cause by making a deposit to our Love Kuching Project DBS Current Account 027-905975-3 or via Credit Card   
Donate us food or litter at charity rates with free delivery via Pawfection    
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

CALL TO ACTION: Foster Caregivers needed for sick/injured cats in Foster Network #FosNet

On average, we can take in one to two sick or injured cats per month. This means whoever else needs the space, we have to turn away. Where do they go? As of this week alone when this post was written, we already turned away two cats.

Here is how you can help make a difference and provide them Love Kuching care offsite, in your own home.

We are looking for Foster Caregivers who, supplied with food, litter, supplements and medication, can help give foster care in a home environment for cats we cannot take in ourselves due to space constraints.

Pharmaceutical and veterinary supplies will be given

Provision of cat food and litter

You will likely be a stay at home mom, someone who works part-time, a retiree or someone who works from home. You do not need incredible amounts of experience, as we can show you how to care for a case you take in.

This Foster Network is for cats that are sick or injured, not for rehoming. You do not need to host potential adopters, and the only visits you will get are liaisons from Love Kuching to give you the support you need and your supplies.

How can you become a Foster Caregiver for #FosNet? Email our Committee Member in charge of #FosNet, Ami, at ami@lovekuchingproject.org. You can also direct your questions there.

Join us in making a difference. Say yes to fostering. 

Donate to our cause by making a deposit to our Love Kuching Project DBS Current Account 027-905975-3 or via Credit Card   
Donate us food or litter at charity rates with free delivery via Pawfection    
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram