♥ We've moved our blog here! This page will be kept online as an archive for our decade of blog posts.
♥ Met a stray cat that needs rescue? Go to our website to submit a Rescue Request
♥ Want to adopt a cat from us? Here are the cats that are up for adoption!
♥ Come volunteer to clean the foster space and play with kitties!
♥ Wish to give to Love Kuching Project? Deposit to our DBS Current Account 027-907655-0 or find out other ways to give here


Friday, May 16, 2014

Do you own a shop? Sell kitty themed things? Pet accessories? We want you!

If you click our blog shop link on top you will find merchandise partners who have pledged amounts of their sales to us. These sales make a great impact on our income and we are so grateful that people out there want to incorporate CSR / social entrepreneurship into their business. 

Well, if you haven't joined us yet, become a merchandise partner for Love Kuching!

All you need to do is pledge a part of your sales/profits to Love Kuching, you can add our logo, and then when you have enough to make a deposit (it can be at any periodic amount you like) send us the funds to our account POSB savings 188-520652-7 and you can also request a receipt to be sent to you for filing, just give us your mailing address. Email elaine@lovekuchingproject.org if you need the receipts.


So, join us! Our only caveat is that, because we have a corporate sponsor who supplies pet food, you cannot be a pet shop that does the same business. (On that note we are hoping to go straight to distributors for further discounts, but that is another story.) Pet toys, customised accessories and such are not sold by our corporate sponsor but if you want to find out if there is any clash, search The Water Dish to see if they already have those items. This way we can minimise any conflict of interest. 

In fact you don't even need to be selling pet supplies. ANY item you sell can be part of a social enterprise partnership with us. 

More questions? Drop us a line. 90880785 Elaine (call/sms). 

 

Current fundraising need: Make a pledge to our ER Fund.
Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7.  Find out more.   Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.   Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.    Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

The Use of Essential Oils for Cats

We usually buy our essential oils from iHerb, but not all the oils that will help cat conditions are available there; for those we need but are not available on iHerb, we buy from Young Living.

First of all, let's set the record straight: are essential oils safe for cats? The answer is YES. But it depends very much on the grade and purity of the essential oil in question. We studied the book written by a vet, Melissa Shelton DVM who writes on and advocates the use of essential oils for pets, not just cats alone. With her guide, we have incorporated the use of essential oils even more, and have seen surprising results that look like as if we applied pharmaceuticals instead!

Cats accept holistic remedies better than us humans because their systems metabolises these remedies quicker. This is also why they get poisoned more easily by things like chocolate and lilies, but that is another topic altogether.

Not all of you will be using the rarer essential oils because not all of us have very sick pets, but there are 2 Young Living ones you should consider buying because they are good must-haves to get.

The first, is RutaVala.



Ever since we started using this, we cannot work without it. It contains ingredients like lavender and valerian, which are very calming. What we do with it apart from diffusing it to calm cats down, is sprinkle some on the towel or pee pad that we use when we bring cats out, say to the vet. It really, really works. The cats become less angsty, and they smell good too. If you have hypervocal kittens that you are fostering, this also helps in calming them down. Lex, a new kitten, when he first came, was meowing away because he was lonely and scared. We diffused this, he calmed down, and slept.


The second essential oil you should consider getting, especially if you have allergies to cat fur and dander, is Thieves.



Thieves is not only antibacterial in nature, it also has antihistamine effects. Many of our volunteers actually have allergies (very ironic right?) but when Thieves is being diffused, they stop sneezing. It smells good and helps to cleanse the home of bacteria especially if your cat or kitties your are fostering have any form of illness.

How d0 you buy these oils from Young Living?

Go to their sign-up page, click on Member Sign Up



Then it will lead you to this page where you should enter these details and your own:




Using our code helps us gain some income, which is why we recommend you use our code as a referrer. We need all the funds we can get!

Usually your first purchase comes with a lot of free gifts too, such as a diffuser, depending on how much you buy.

We will do a series on essential oils for other conditions such as pain from illness. For now, these are the essential essential oils you should get!

Hope this was useful! If you need more information on essential oils feel free to leave comments. We regard holistic healing very seriously in our care for our sick and injured cats and with that have seen amazing results with using essential oils. Even to the point of reducing medication doses or without using medication at all.



Current fundraising need: Make a pledge to our ER Fund.
Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7.  Find out more.    
 Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.    
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.     
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Message from Elaine, in the middle of the night no less

When in doubt, blog, they say, "they" meaning nonprofit marketing gurus, and I read as much as I can of what they say. 

Then I read one that says, " don't be afraid to share your obstacles." So here I am. 

This excel spreadsheet screen shot is my obstacle: 



It probably doesn't make any sense to anyone, but it meant we have to raise nearly a thousand dollars more per month. How are we supposed to increase our fundraising? I am fine with living hand to mouth but our recent committee meeting has proven this is not the way to go. 

So, we have raised an average of $2,419.01 in Q1, and have to raise an average of $3410,99 per month in Q2. 

The only way I can get that to happen to is to build a marketing team, because online appeals alone are no longer going to work if we want to raise a thousand dollars more each month. 

But there are no leaders. Be it because of aptitude, or availability.

So it has to be me.

As Mother Theresa would say: don't wait for leaders, do it person to person. 

This is of course causing me a lot more stress than usual and thus this blog post. I don't think we can achieve this target but I will start trying, for I already am, by sharing this obstacle with you.


Current fundraising need: Make a pledge to our ER Fund.
Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7.  Find out more.  
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.    
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.     
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Pawfection cat collars - now 10% sales goes to our Vet Fund!

Twitter/Instagram: PawfectionSG
Facebook: Pawfection.SG

 Pawfection cat collars come in pink with a cat charm, retails at only $8.99. 


To order: go to this link, their Pawfection online shop. 

 



Current fundraising need: Make a pledge to our ER Fund.
Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7.  Find out more.    
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.    
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.   
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Good News! Moca Is Now Jiro Because...


... his foster caregivers adopted him! Some of you may remember Moca from when he was rescued and brought to us. Our Treasurer, Vivien (shown in picture) offered to foster him as both Alvin and her work schedules will allow Moca's 3 hourly feedings. 

Not only was Moca infinitely cute, e.g. this: 

I be cute
 
The resident kitties were also very open to having him around. Jay especially (also adopted from us) was very brotherly towards him


"Must take care the small one."

Then Moca had a bacterial infection and needed some -more- care than his feeds.

Dr Dawn checking what happened to lil one
During this time the resident kitties became even more protective of Moca, the foster parents became more and more in love, and so, foster caregivers became adopters ;) 

Not every fostering scenario ends this way hor, so don't be afraid to foster, in case you end up keeping the cat when you already cannot. Always never fear to rise up and foster.


Sunday, May 11, 2014

#TNR project: Concluding our sterilisation of cats at Sims Drive

After doing round 1 of TNR in February at an abandoned school area in Sims Drive, we re-did our recce report of the area and found there were more cats.

Cats neutered in Round 1

So we did a round 2 in March, trapping another 6 cats to be neutered. 

Cats neutered in round 2
There needs to be a final round to conclude the TNR in this area because there were cats there that we missed out either because they were nursing, or too pregnant, or too young. 

We are going again to trap cats to sterilise and return them to Sims Drive. This will be our final round, and it will be this coming Tuesday, 13 May at 9pm. Our Sterilisation Volunteers, the silent warriors who work in dark areas and lurk in dustbin collection places looking for cats (#truestory) will be there.

As usual, we will live report as much as possible on social media so don't miss out on the action!

If you wanna give towards sterilisation of the cats, here are some helpful donation amounts you can consider: It costs $30 to neuter a male cat, $40-$60 to neuter a female a cat. Transport costs are $80 in total inclusive of trapping services, and pre- and post-op for the cats are at $6 per cat. 

How to give: Deposit a sum of your choice to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7 and email us to indicate you have given to our Sterilisation Fund. 

We -do- need more donations towards our Sterilisation Fund because after this project is concluded, we already have another one lined up. Details soon! 

Thank you for joining us in our work. 


Current fundraising need: Make a pledge to our ER Fund.
Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7.  Find out more.   Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.   Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.    Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Our adoption drive with Cat Welfare Society [@CatWelfareSG] on Sunday 4th May

Pet Lovers Centre at Kembangan
The new Pet Lovers Centre at Kembangan, not far away from the MRT station, has an area set aside for working with animal welfare groups such as Cat Welfare Society, to hold adoption events. It is not a big area, but it is a start! Don't buy, adopt.

Set up of our corporate coloured cage

Cats on standby mode

Kieran getting a hug from Riley
Garry and his sister Gurly

Together forever siblings
Volunteers speaking to potential adopters
Adoption drives very rarely have successful adoptions straightaway, usually, some are potential adopters visiting who have already contacted us before, like Zuliana.

Zuliana was the first to write to us about Dumpling, answered all 9 questions of our Adopters Questionnaire, sent us pictures of her safe windows and balconies. She shifted her schedule around so she could come visit us the next day with her helper, because we have a "whole household must be present for the visit" rule.

So, the next day, after a good chat, Dumpling got adopted.

Zuliana, Dumpling and Kakak their helper

Zuliana was there too at Kembangan, but she missed the opportunity to hug Dumpling on Sunday, she got her chance the next day and forevermore. Thank you Zuliana!



Current fundraising need: Make a pledge to our ER Fund.
Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7.  Find out more.    
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.  
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.     
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Want to buy pet supplements from @iherb like we do, but don't know what? A sample shopping cart for you!

We buy our supplements from iHerb because:

  1. Human supplements are better in purity, grade and bioavailability
  2. They are cheaper! (save money mah, we are a very small nonprofit) Not only cheaper than pet supplements, 
  3. They are cheaper than supplements bought in local stores like Guardian, Watsons, Holland and Barrett and GNC etc. No fight here, really.
If you are a first time buyer, using our discount code AVA985 will also get you USD5-10 off your first purchase! Also, you can choose which shipment method you prefer; if your total purchase is not too heavy you can opt for Singpost which is usually half the price of DHL.

But -what- exactly to buy? 

First off, these are mostly human supplements we buy.

Human supplements for cats, you say? Can meh? Yes, can. Give half the human dosage stated, mixed in wet food, or in water then syringe (the former is the better option). If your cat rejects this dosage, bring it down to a quarter, for some is better than none at all. 

If you want to start trying to buy supplements for your pet on iHerb but don't know where to start, we have compiled a sample shopping cart of sorts for you to pick and choose from. These are what we would call must-haves, that will truly help if you have cats in your home.
 

Thorne Basic B Complex, Product Code: THR-10403
Why is vitamin B a necessity? It helps for a LOT of things. It helps in recovery of illness or injury. It helps with stress. It helps with appetite. So for anytime your cat is "out of sorts" in anyway, giving vitamin B complex will help.

We like Thorne because of its bioavailability. For example, for vitamin B12, the cheaper version is cyanocobalamine, but cats cannot actually absorb that unless it is via injection. Thorne uses methylcobalamine for its vitamin B12, this can be absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract. We have been using this brand for vitamin B for a long time.

Estimated price after conversion: SGD22.95


Bach Original Flower Essences, Rescue Remedy, Product Code: BAC-01531
This is an absolute necessity for any cat owner. When visitors come over, when there are vet visits, when new cats are being adopted into the family, you absolutely need this product. It also helps as a first aid measure for epileptic fits, fear of thunder, stress during illness. 

Estimated price after conversion: SGD21.33


Now Foods, Gr8-Dophilus, 120 Vcaps, Product Code: NOW-02910
Why we like this particular brand of probiotics. Probiotics should have as many strains of healthy bacteria as possible, as as many billion live organisms as possible. But, the high kinds of levels can be expensive, so we settled on this, which gives us best of both worlds in terms of the best probiotics we can give for the best price.

But why probiotics? We all need probiotics, which is why as humans we take things like yoghurt and Yakult. Also, cat food actually does not really contain probiotics. Apart from brands like Wellness CORE that has probiotics sprayed on the kibble so as to maintain the probiotics at a more live level, the rest of the brands, even if they have probiotics, a lot is lost in the production process. Many canned food brands also do not have probiotics.

Probiotics is good to add every day, but if you can't add it when your cat has diarrhoea or constipation or vomitting. Don't rush to the vet first. In general, probiotics also helps in the immune systems of both humans and cats. We often get sick, especially with things like allergies to food, environmental allergens, because of poor immune systems. If your cat is already sick you definitely have to add probiotics to her diet daily to help her system fight the illness on her own as well.

Do remember, if your cat is on antibiotics, feed probiotics at least 2-3 hours before or after antibiotics, as antibiotics will kill off the probiotics in the gut.

Estimated price after conversion: SGD27.01


Now Foods, Slippery Elm, 400 mg, 100 Capsules, Product Code: NOW-04750
This is another must-have. It cures diarrhoea, constipation, vomitting, and yes, hairballs too. Does your cat eat too fast and regurgitate? This also helps. The taste is also not too horrible to add in wet food for the cat to eat. You need this. Buy it. Then you don't need hair-ball remedies anymore.

Estimated price after conversion: SGD6.34


Bio Kleen, Bac-Out, Stain & Odor Remover, 32 fl oz (946 ml), Product Code: BIK-00032
Stop throwing away rugs, carpets, bedsheets, cushions and pet beds. Get this product to remove pee and poo stains effectively, to the point where the pet no longer smells its own scent marks there and returns there to repeat the spray marking. It can clean without you ripping off sofa covers and washing them, just squirt, soak, clean with water. If you want to have even better scent removal, after that process, apply a slurry of baking soda and water, cover it with a wet towel, and then wipe off. When dry, vacuum or use a lint roller to remove the remaining particles of baking soda. To make things -even- more effective, buy a Feliway spray from The Water Dish to spray over the area when it is dry. Biokleen is a must-have in any pet household so that mommycat does not have so much laundry to do!

Estimated price after conversion: SGD10.84


With this cart of purchases, and using our discount code AVA985, and if you buy some of the product in bulk for bulk discounts, you will truly save a lot of money, and time rushing to the vet, and vet fees for simple things like a couple of vomitting. It also saves you money buying expensive supplements from pet stores and pharmacies! So go shop away, don't say we never share good things!



Current fundraising need: Make a pledge to our ER Fund.
Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7.  Find out more.    
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.    
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.     
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

2014 Q1 Financial Report

Here is our Q1 Financial Statement, showing donations incoming and expenses outgoing. 


 Based on our current budgeting, we need to increase our monthly income (donations, merchandise partnerships etc.) by $991.98. That's virtually a thousand a month. We have a huge burden to carry. 

Will you help us? Our average donation size is about $100. 10 donations of that size will already help us make our target increase in donations per month. 

To donate, make a deposit via online banking or at an ATM/CDM to our bank account POSB savings 188-52652-7. If you wish to specify the donation to go to a specific Fund, let us know by emailing us.

We are also hoping for another goal, that is to set up our own Love Kuching Project bank account under our registered society status number UEN: T13SS0220G. But that means we need a opening deposit ot $3,000 to have such an account. You can see our current cash balance is only over a thousand. We want this registered society account not just so you can donate via cheques made out to 'Love Kuching Project' or have a chequebook ourselves, but because our existing account is actually personal joint account and we want to make our finances even more structurally sound, intergrity-wise. 

Our main income source still comes from donations from cat-angels like yourselves, not anything else. There is no better way for us to achieve our goals than through yourselves. 

If you cannot give, try sharing this post with friends, or pooling a source of money among your social contacts, or giving a smaller amount because if it is $5 we will still be as thankful as if it were $100, we just want to rally and increase our fundraising by a lot more. 

Help us, and we will continue helping the cats as we have, and increase in our care for them and in our outreach. 

Questions about the financial statement for Q1? Email Elaine at elaine@lovekuchingproject.org to ask, no question too "silly" where finances are concerned.


Current fundraising need: Make a pledge to our ER Fund.
Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7.  Find out more.    
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.    
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.     
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Another latest rescue Jaq, now named Jacqui

In a Tampines block someone abandoned a 3 month old kitten around the 20th of April, who was having severe diarrhoea and flu'. Jackson who lives in that block brought her over to the foster home as the diarrhoea was quite serious.

Because she was contagious we had had quarantine her. We also put a humidifer for her in her cat suite so she could breathe properly. 


She looks solemn but is really very sweet

We started her on metrogyl, to kill any protozoal infection in her tummy. We also brought a poop sample to the vet to just rule out any other bacteria causing her diarrhoea. Her runny poop subsided, and he were happy or her. Her flu' though, is still giving her a wet sneezy nose, hence the quaratine continues as does the antibiotics. She also has yeast infection in her ears. Soon she can be vaccinated and play with her new foster siblings. 

She still on atibiotices for the runny nose but her eyes are clear of conjunctivitis. 


She is quite active now after gettting better

 
#pawcircle she can get out of quarantine soon!



Jacqui won't be available for adoption yet until she is recovered and vaccinated. Watch our blog for a new kitty available for adoption soon!



Current fundraising need: Make a pledge to our ER Fund.
Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7.  Find out more.    
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.    
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.     
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.