2006 Annual Report

Educating our community on responsible pet ownership while providing safe haven for cats and kittens in transition to new lives in permanent homes.

Founded on July 1, 2003, FieldHaven Feline Rescue, a non-profit organization, is Lincoln’s only animal shelter. Our focus is on cats and kittens and providing shelter, adoptions, community education, and spay/neuter assistance.

FieldHaven’s operations are centered around a small shelter located on a private horse ranch in rural Lincoln, California. A limited number of adult cats are housed at the shelter, with the remainder cared for in a network of foster homes.

As Lincoln’s popularity rises, FieldHaven is working to develop and expand programs to better serve our growing community. We have upgraded our website capacity to better convey in-house information among volunteers and staff, document public contacts through our Community/Cat Assistance Team (CAT), a virtual “library” to help the public obtain information on feline health and behavior issues, a gallery of our adoptable cats, and a schedule of upcoming events and fundraising opportunities.

We have sent our volunteers to represent FieldHaven and Lincoln at Placer County’s public meetings to discuss the placement of a West Placer animal shelter, the opening of the feral cat exhibit at the Folsom Zoo, and maintaining the new adoption venue at the recently opened Petco store in Rocklin.

The organization dedicates all efforts of board members, affiliates, employees, and volunteers towards the mission of educating the community on responsible pet ownership and providing a safe haven for cats and kittens in transition to new lives in permanent homes.

Organizational Goals & Activities

• Rescue abandoned/unwanted felines and provide housing at the shelter or in foster homes.
• Provide medical care to rescued felines.
• Adopt rescued felines out into responsible, permanent homes.
• Educate the community on responsible pet ownership, including spaying and neutering to prevent overpopulation.
• Assist the community with trap, neuter, return (TNR) and maintenance of feral colonies.
• Provide shelter and adoption services for cats and kittens rendered homeless by the death of a caregiver.
• Utilize funds received through grants, donations, and other contributions for the activities listed above.

The City of Lincoln was among the thirty-four communities selected as finalists and the only California winner of the coveted All-American Cities Award, the nation’s longest running and most prestigious civic recognition program, only award to ten cities nationwide by the National Civic League (NCL). The All-American City Award encourages and recognizes civic excellence and honors the communities in which citizens, government, business, and non-profit organizations demonstrate successful resolution of critical community issues.

FieldHaven Feline Rescue was among six non-profit organizations to have one of its volunteers selected as “Volunteer of the Year” in 2006 by the Lincoln Volunteer Center, a formally incorporate partnership of the City of Lincoln, Western Placer Unified School District, Heritage Church, and several community businesses.

FieldHaven, the youngest organization represented, received its first time ever honor with two organizations established in Lincoln in excess of twenty years, Ride to Walk (1985) and Lincoln Arts (1986), and three nationally established organizations with chapters in Lincoln (Kiwanis Club, Friends of the Library, and Economic Development Committee).

The six organizations recognized each illustrate a diversity of interest and the volunteers honored play a major role in making a huge difference in the community through their hard work, dedication, and giving spirit.

In 2006, FieldHaven Feline Center reached maximum capacity for housing adoptable felines. Our adoption numbers leveled out, even dropping slightly due in part to shifts in policy regarding homeless cats in the shelter at any given time to comply with stricter health protocols. This resulted in healthier animals, especially kittens. Because of this, we are now focusing on other programs aimed at serving our community and reducing the number of homeless cats and kittens in the long term.

Nevertheless, FieldHaven’s adoption programs remain active and are a primary function of the organization. In late 2006, we expanded our outreach adoption partnerships to include Petco in addition to PetSmart. Outreach adoptions accounted for nearly 70% of our adoptions in 2006.

Under the direction of FieldHaven’s shelter veterinarian, Roberta Peterson, DVM, minimum standards have been established for each cat or kitten to meet before being released for adoption, as part of our effort to ensure each animal is in good health at the time of adoption to minimize the chance it becoming post-adoption. Our strict medical protocols are applied to each cat at the time of intake and throughout its stay with FieldHaven.

In 2006, FieldHaven Feline Center became licensed by the California State Veterinary Board as a veterinary clinic. This license is provisional in that we are not a public clinic and are only authorized to treat our own shelter animals.

We also formalized our Adoption Follow-Up Protocol to include a minimum of three follow-up contacts with new adopters. Typically, the follow-up contacts are done at three days, three weeks, and three months, but additional contacts are made as needed. Adopters are encouraged to contact our adoption counselors at any time to discuss any questions or post-adoption questions they may have.

There are four area veterinarians who participate in our veterinary partnership program: Dr. Jyl’s Mobile Vet Connection, Cats Only Veterinary Hospital, Critter Creek Veterinary Hospital, and Bird and Pet Clinic of Roseville. They provide a complimentary post-adoption exam for each adopted cat or kitten.

Board of Directors

Joy Smith, President
Jann Flanagan, Vice President
Roger Carroll, Treasurer
Sharon Kurth, Secretary
Janice Covington, Member
Courtney Nunes, Member
Mary Swanson, Member
Julie Anderson, Member
Reba Miller, Member

Staff

Peri Oldham, Volunteer Coordinator
Jen Paul, Shelter Manager

The continually-successful Mature Cats for Mature People program aims at placing adult cats with seniors by waiving adoption fees and promote the adoption of adult cats. The 2^nd Annual Mature Cat Adoption Day in Sun City Lincoln Hills was held in October, resulting in finding homes for several cats.

We strongly advocate the health benefits of seniors owning a pet. Research continues to produce further evidence of quantifiable benefits of having a pet, especially with the elderly. In 2007, we plan to explore additional ways to promote the Mature Cats for Mature People program.

The program is a key avenue to place adult cats, which are traditional harder to adopt out than kittens.

Thank you, FieldHaven, for giving us the chance to adopt such a fun, loving, and sweet cat. She has truly brought happiness to our home.

The Community/Cat Assistance Team (CAT) is a group of FieldHaven volunteers who respond to phone and email inquiries from the general public. The concept for the team evolved in late 2005, when we found ourselves in somewhat of a conundrum: our shelter capacity is very limited and we were having to turn away the majority of requests we received to surrender owned or stray cats. We did not want to tell people we could not help them without offering advice or guidance.

CAT was designed to triage the requests and provide as much assistance as possible.

Typical examples of the types of calls include:

• Having found a stray cat or litter of kittens
• Feral cats have taken up residence near their home or business
• Rehoming an owned cat
• Reporting lost/found cats
• Behavior problems with owned cats
• A family member with a cat has passed away or become dependent and can no longer keep the pet
• Financial assistance with spaying/neutering, vaccines

Calls and emails come in daily as trained CAT volunteers handle each inquiry on an individual basis. Resources and assistance are provided to every person, no matter what the situation is.

If the caller wishes to surrender a cat or has found a homeless cat in need of placement, we address each inquiry based on the details. When we are unable to accept the cat immediately, we provide them with the opportunity to utilize our website and adoption expertise.

If the cat meets the minimum requirements of being spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and blood tested, they may put the cat on our website in a courtesy posting, where the owner is the primary contact for potential adopters. They are also welcome to bring the cat to any of our outreach adoption events, where FieldHaven adoption counselors will assist in screening potential adopters. As space becomes available at the shelter or in a foster home, the owner is contacted.

In situations where behavior issues or other reasons prompt a surrender request, the CAT volunteer assesses the case and offers solutions where warranted. We have an extensive resource library on our website where we refer people to look for information and tips.

This methodology has been saluted by the public, our peers in animal rescue, veterinarians, and county officials. While we cannot take every animal in that we are requested to, we provide the public with advice, guidance and solutions.

Animal overpopulation and stray pets are not problems that can be overcome by any single person or organization. FieldHaven Feline Center works hard to serve our community, but our accomplishments can be credited to the collaboration and support of numerous organizations.

We work closely with our peers in Placer County and beyond. With Animal Spay & Neuter Clinic, a non-profit clinic in Auburn, California, we have a partnership to achieve a maximum number of sterilizations of cats in our community within the resources of both organizations. We make an effort to accommodate the requests from staff at Placer County Animal Services to transfer animals that may have a better chance of getting adopted through FieldHaven.

FieldHaven is represented on the Placer County Animal Services Advisory Committee, a committee comprised of county management and representatives of animal shelters and rescues throughout the county. The Committee’s charter is to serve in an advisory capacity to the executive officer of the county’s animal care services.

Through our efforts with the 2005 Iams Home 4 the Holidays adoption campaign (sponsored by the Helen Woodward Animal Center and the Iams Company), FieldHaven was awarded a grant of ten-tons (20,000 lbs.) of Iams cat food – certainly more food than our organization could use.

A special event was planned to bring nearly twenty animal rescues, shelters, and individuals from five counties together, as well as organizations serving the pets of seniors and the homeless. The event centered around two tractor-trailer loads of food that arrived at FieldHaven in late June 2006.

Organizations were invited to bring their trucks, vans, and SUVs for a celebration of the award, while FieldHaven volunteers filled their vehicles with bags and pallets of food. Many of these organizations distributed their share of the food to others within their own community.

FieldHaven was honored to share our award with others who work so hard towards our mutual goals.

Home Depot assisted FieldHaven with the construction of a feral cat holding area where we can house felines brought in by the community for transport to Animal Spay & Neuter Clinic or for recovery prior to being returned to the colony. Staff from Home Depot brought supplies donated to FieldHaven and provided several hours of labor to prepare the foundation for the project.

Each year, the Lincoln Volunteer Center participates in Make a Difference Day, a national volunteer day. In 2006, FieldHaven was one of the several non-profits in the Lincoln area to participate. About twenty volunteers arrived to assist regular volunteers with pre-planned projects, such as painting, winterizing our outdoor habitat areas, and sprucing up the gardens surrounding the shelter.

In partnership with the Animal Spay and Neuter (ASN) Clinic, a non-profit and low cost spay/neuter clinic, FieldHaven is able to offer Lincoln and nearby communities a comprehensive spay and neuter program.

It has been demonstrated by spay/neuter programs nationwide that providing no- or low-cost spay and neuter is not the sole answer in getting people to comply with spay/neuter responsibility. The barrier is often the logistics of transporting the animals to the clinic, catching the cat(s), and/or recovering them.

FieldHaven fills a void where many other SNAP programs fall short by providing services to assist with those logistics, such as:

• Loan of traps and cages
• Volunteer assistance with trapping
• Instructions and guidance on trapping/recovery and caretaking of a feral colony
• Adoption assistance through CAT for non-feral cats
• Transportation to/from ASN by FieldHaven volunteers
• Assist to relocate feral cats when necessary
• Donations of food and supplies to feral colony caregivers

The effectiveness of this approach was proven during 2006, when we had no specific grant funds to support SNAP. Not wanting to lose our momentum achieved in 2005, some funds were allocated to SNAP from the general budget. We strived to supplement those dollars with donations from SNAP recipients themselves, asking people to donate whatever they could afford when their cats were returned to their owners or caregivers. They were not obligated to contribute, but we explained what whatever they contributed would go back into the fund and allow us to stretch our resources to help more people and cats.

The plan was overwhelming successful: most people made a contribution. We provided SNAP serves to 222 cats in 2006 – 40% more than in 2005 and nearly 70% of the costs were covered by the recipients. By simply providing them with transportation and equipment assistance, as well as the encouragement to get their animals spayed and neutered, it was enough to have a significant impact on the number of animals served.

In late 2006, FieldHaven received funds from several sources, including PetSmart Charities and a Placer County trust fund, for expanded SNAP services in 2007.

It should be a record year for spaying cats and kittens in and around Lincoln!

What is a Feral Cat?

A feral cat is an unsocialized cat who was born to a feral mother and has never lived with a human family, or a house cat who strayed from home and over time has thrown off the effects of domestication, reverting to a wild state.

What is Trap, Neuter, Return?

Trap, neuter, return (or TNR) is the humane, non-lethal method of feline population control. It is more effective than trap-and-kill and is more reflective of a caring society.

Volunteerism at FieldHaven has grown a generous 30% from 103 volunteers in 2005 to 134 volunteers in 2006. The growth is due in part to the wide variety of opportunities available. Not only can help be provided on-site with cat care duties, adoptions, and transportation to and from Animal Spay & Neuter Clinic in Auburn, but from remote positions as well.

Volunteers may work from home or their office, providing valuable hours of data entry logging into the shelter management system, following up on voicemail messages through our Community/Cat Assistance Team (CAT), or providing foster care.

Additional growth has been notable by our high school and college-age volunteers fulfilling community service hours required for graduation.

FieldHaven’s foster care program is a comprehensive, medically-based system for providing off-site housing for all kittens and select special needs cats to ensure the healthiest environment until they are adopted. Foster volunteers are screened, trained, and guided through the well-documented UC Davis Shelter Care guidelines and recommendations. By having the animals in their home environment, foster parents are able to provide valuable socialization for their fosters and give them the optimum opportunity to easily adjust once adopted.

Volunteers were honored with an appreciation dinner held at Buonarroti Ristorante in Lincoln. During the event, Bruce Valencia and Bob Miller were jointly awarded Volunteer of the Year. Both Bruce and Bob have devoted an enormous number of hours, expertise, and loving care to the many cats and kittens over the years.

Founding board member and volunteer Sharon Kurth was named Lincoln Volunteer Center’s Volunteer of the Month in October 2006. Sharon has written most of the grants funding several of FieldHaven’s special programs, including Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) and Community of Lincoln Education About Responsibility (CLEAR). She is also an avid foster parent, was chairwoman of the Barn and Book Sale, and she doesn’t mind rolling up her sleeves for an evening of weekly cat care at the shelter in Lincoln.

FieldHaven provides a safe, wholesome, family-oriented atmosphere where people of all ages, education, and background can come together to help make the community of Lincoln a wonderful place to live.

Barn and Book Sale – Spring 2006

On March 3 – 5, 2006, FieldHaven was the beneficiary organization at Lynn Willingham’s “Friends of Placer County Yard Sale for Animal Welfare Tax-Exempt Non-Profits.” Marked for two years on Lynn’s schedule, FieldHaven was to be the last animal welfare organization helped before she retired after thirteen years of helping Placer County animal welfare agencies through used book and yard sales offered to the public and conducted on her property. FieldHaven received over $11,000 donated from the three day event.

Fourth of July Food Booth – Summer 2006

The Fourth of July Food Booth, sponsored by Daniel Alcantaro, chef and owner of Buonarroti Ristorante in Lincoln, paired FieldHaven volunteers and Buonarroti staff serving delicious lunch entrees to families enjoying Lincoln’s Independence Day celebration activities at McBean Park. All proceeds were generously donated to FieldHaven, with the day’s sales netting several hundred dollars.

Used Book Co-Operative (UBC) Benefitting Animal Welfare Agencies – Summer 2006

FieldHaven is an active, on-going participant in the Used Book Co-Operative (UBC), a fundraising effort started in July through the behind-the-scenes leadership and management of Lynn Willingham. The UBC either sells books to brokers or retailers to benefit animal welfare agencies, or it supplies books to animal welfare agencies wanting a fundraiser by holding their own used book sale.

FieldHaven is paid from three activities: donating books to the UBC, providing volunteer labor to the UBC, and selling used books the UBC provides. In 2006, we earned $2,917 from our books and volunteer labor. Our fall Barn and Book Sale raised nearly $1,000 from book sales.

FieldHaven First Annual Barn and Book Sale – Fall 2006

As the “Friends of Placer County Yard Sale for Animal Welfare Tax-Exempt Non-Profits” would no longer hold sales for the benefit of our agency, we began holding our own sales to take place each fall at our shelter facility.

FieldHaven conducted a six-week donation drive prior to the sale and received an overwhelming number of items for the sale: enough to fill two donated storage units and garage space volunteers were willing to donate.

Held over a two day weekend, we sold clothing, good quality unwanted household or business possessions, typical yard sale used items, FieldHaven logo clothing, personal items, and used books. The Fall Barn and Book Sale raised $3,876, with $969 from used book sales alone.

Home 4 the Holidays Gift Basket Fundraisers – Winter 2006

FieldHaven entered a fourth year of competition in the Iams Home 4 the Holidays adoption campaign. To purchase items contained in the Christmas basket of gifts accompanying each adopted feline, FieldHaven raised money by placing donation canisters near cash registers in local retail establishments, by gift wrapping at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore, by soliciting businesses to sponsor the campaign, and by individual donations of money and items.

The website offered shopping business partners willing to donate a portion of the sale back to FieldHaven, including Amazon.com, Café Press for, FieldHaven logo items, greeting cards and other printed items from EZGiving.com, and holiday cards and prints from the “Home for the Holidays” painting by Ann Ranlett and annran.com.

Monthly Giving Program

Donations are the lifeblood of any tax-exempt non-profit organization and FieldHaven is no exception. Your donations support the work we do to continue our existing rescue efforts and develop new programs to assist animals and animal lovers in our community.

By joining our Monthly Giving Program, you can make life better for stray and feral cats every day. Donors receive our newsletter and announcements of special programs or events. Your monthly donations via credit card or electric funds transfer ensure resources we need for our ongoing programs are always available and enable us to respond quickly when special situations arise or cats/kittens are in peril.

Leave a Gift to FieldHaven in Your Will or Living Trust

By including FieldHaven in your will or living trust, you create a powerful legacy that will protect stray and feral cats for years to come. Living trusts eliminate the need for an often lengthy and expensive probate process and help to ensure the proper protection and distrubution of your estate in the event you become incapacitated and after your lifetime.

FieldHaven has information you may request to discuss this procedure with your attorney. Contact FieldHaven to request additional information.

Tribute and Memorial Gifts

Honor a special person or pet by making a tribute gift in his/her name to FieldHaven. Your honoree will be notified of your contribution with a personal card from FieldHaven and a complimentary subscription to our newsletter for one year.

Few things are more difficult than losing a beloved companion, whether human or animal. Now, you can honor the memory of your loved one or someone else’s by helping a cat or kitten who needs a friend. With a Memorial Gift, FieldHaven will send a sympathy card to the person you designate, noting that a special gift was made in remembrance.

Should you wish to make a more lasting and public gesture, a gift of $500 or more entitles you to an engraved memorial or tribute plaque honoring your loved one.

2006 Memorial Donations

• Fran and George Philip in memory of Maxine Jones
• Ann Baker in memory of Maxine Jones
• Sharon Jones in memory of Happy Sweeley
• Lorraine Heidecker in memory of Jodie Decker
• John and Jennie Gill in memory of “Murphy”
• Janice and Tim Norris in memory of “Levi”
• Joy Smith in memory of “Levi”
• Norma Smith in memory of “CeCe”
• Diane Vance in memory of Mrs. Inoue
• Frances Apa in memory of Jodie Decker
• Sharon Kurth and Marie Salers in memory of Jodie Decker

Gifts of Appreciated Stock

Giving stocks and bonds to help FieldHaven fund programs can drastically reduce your tax bill while helping us prove the lives of stray and feral cats.

Workplace Campaigns

Our volunteers have designated FieldHaven as a write-in beneficiary to receive donations through workplace giving programs, including United Way and the annual California State Charity Fund Drive in the category of “Animal Welfare Agency.” This will offer state employees a simple, efficient way to help cats through our Workplace Giving program.

FieldHaven will be seeking new opportunities to extend this convenience to others working for non-state employers.

For more information about the many ways you can help FieldHaven continue to make the world a better place for stray and feral cats, please contact FieldHaven board president, Joy Smith, at (916) 434-6022 or by email at [email protected]

Non-Cash Donations

FieldHaven accepts donations in the form of supplies, equipment, etc. Please refer to our website for a current list of items needed. We have also established a vehicle donation program. Details are also available on our website.

This is a partial, unaudited presentation of the financial statements of FieldHaven Feline Rescue. The entire financial statements are available upon request.

Income

Adoption Fees: $18,405
Surrender Fees: $1,890
Donations/Fundraisers: $53,780
Grants: $16,566
Other: $4,083

Expenses

Animal Expenses: $45,881
Misc. Business Expenses: $4,495
Outreach: $15,220
Miscellaneous: $4,744
Staff: $10,445
Occupancy Expenses: $6,647

Totals

Total Income: $94,724
Total Expenses: $87,432

We wish to recognize the following businesses and individuals who have contributed to FieldHaven’s success in 2006:

At first glance, Ynes looks like a normal, slightly-chubby black cat you would see in any suburban neighborhood, living in a caring home, and having a good cat life filled with naps in the sun.

However, Ynes has a job where she works 24/7. While she may sleep a lot, those naps are part of her work. She is an assistant caretaker at the Montclair Villa Residential Care Facility in Rocklin, California. Ynes is the assist of Bobbi Stefan and her family, who operate the facility to care for up to six senior residents in their home-like residence.

Ynes has been with Montclair Villa since 2004, when she was adopted from FieldHaven. Since then, she has provided “purr therapy” to a number of residents. Throughout the day, she is always on the go, whether it’s to give a head-to-chin bump, to bring a smile to Ruth’s face, or to help Gladys beat her daughter at cards. Every evening, she ensures each person gets their share of love as she moves from bed to bed providing everyone with the best sleep aid: a feline snuggle. There was one particular occasion when she broke this pattern to stay by the side of a gentleman for two weeks as he made his final journey in life – a journey that is the human equivalent of the Rainbow Bridge.

Ynes’ history prior to FieldHaven is somewhat vague. It seems she was another young cat left to care for herself who ended up pregnant. She was found at the back door of a business, pleading for help. Within two hours of arriving at FieldHaven, she delivered six kittens.

After raising her beautiful babies, she was spotted by Bobbi, who immediately adopted her and put her into her wonderful family at Montclair Villa, where she began her career as a purr therapist.

Ynes instilled a love of people and a desire to nurture to her six kittens, all of which were adopted into wonderful homes. Two of the kittens, Missy and Sissy, live right in downtown Lincoln with their mom, Faye Guvea. Faye is a widow who has a large family in the area, but found her house much too quiet. She wanted some companionship. When her daughter adopted two of Ynes’ kittens, she decided to adopt two for herself.

Kittenhood was tough, as the girls were feline hooligans ripping through Faye’s once-orderly house, challenging Faye to keep up with them. They also provided Faye with hours of entertainment and a bucketful of smiles each day.

As Faye will be quick to tell you, the benefits of having the kittens are proof-positive in her own health. Last year, Faye had a cardiac work-up. Her physician remarked how excellent the test results were, asking Faye what she had changed about her lifestyle to bring about the improvement in her cardiac health. She was delighted to tell him about her personal purr therapists who give her a poke on the nose to get up and going each morning – by providing them breakfast first thing, of course.

Faye says the only use her exercise bike and treadmill receive these days are when Missy and Sassy take turns perching on the equipment for their daily brushing. Each cat has their favorite games they enjoy playing to keep Faye at their service all day. Faye says, “They let me live in the house with them.”

We applaud Ynes, Missy, Sassy, and every other bundle of feline fur for the healing work you do. Thank you!