Founder Laura s original Coco - RIP MAY & JUNE 2011 NEWSLETTER #22 EXCEPTIONAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT REQUEST : page 1 Results from the anniversary party : page 3 Recent Medvet events : page 4 Our adoptable kittens : page 7 Coco s Cat Rescue A.C. is seeking financial support to secure purchase of a 2 nd house located directly behind our current permanent clinic (C1) in Mission de Los Flores Development in Playa del Carman. As you may recall, last year a generous sponsor provided funds to rent a second house two doors down from C1. It has become abundantly clear the space in two houses will be needed to fill Coco s needs on an ongoing basis. LOCATION: The house under discussion is located directly behind C1, which is owned by Coco s founder and is therefore secure for future use. Because of the ideal back-to-back location, the second house (let s call it C2) can be attached to C1 through a joined backyard. This would, of course, allow for a large outdoor area, but perhaps more importantly, it allows for ease of access between C1 and C2 by the vet staff and volunteers. As well, Coco s will be free to modify each house (e.g. installing air conditioning to improve air flow for housed kittens) to suit the needs of the organization, and ownership will obviate any concerns around potential lease contracts and termination. FUNDING AND OWNERSHIP: The purchase price directly from the developer is $550,000 pesos, or approximately US$48,000. We have secured US$37,300 to date, which by the way includes the equivalent of a full year s rent paid in a lump sum from the generous sponsor mentioned above.
We are seeking US$10,700 in funding support to complete the purchase of C2. We have until August 5 th to raise these remaining funds to avoid a private loan. This house ownership is being put under the name of the non-profit organization, Coco s Cat Rescue A.C., which will be the sole owner of the property. PLANNED TWO-PROPERTY SPACE MODIFICATIONS: Here is a summary of the planned space modifications made possible by purchase of the second location: A joined common patio area; Three kitten play rooms; Two quarantine rooms; A big open living area for weekly kitten cuddling; A sterile surgery, as well as alteration of existing kitten rooms to a recovery space for kittens or cats needing overnight care. Creation of a lab room. Our generous partner and donor, Rob Sulzman, has provided lab equipment including a microscope, med vet 2000 ECG machine and heart monitor, Lazersyte blood lab machine and autoclave and more. EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY: The houses on either side of C1 have already been sold, however the house directly behind the current permanent clinic has just recently been made available for purchase. This is a unique opportunity for Coco s to have the perfect joined location and ongoing stability. Any donation to this purchase, large or small, will be welcome. Because of the importance of this special opportunity, we have commenced the purchase process. Through donations, we hope to avoid finding private loan monies to cover the remainder of the purchase price. We would be delighted to have potential donors visit Coco s clinic to see for yourselves what we have created in our first two years of operation. Our annual report compiled in Feb 2011 is available upon request. It does not include our success rates for kitten rescues and re-homing but it will give you a nice overview from the sterilization project perspective. All rescue and re-homing statistics are available through our newsletters, available at www.cocoscatrescue.org. Thank you for your consideration of our special request for funding. Should you have questions or concerns, please contact Sherry Stevens at sherry.stevens7@gmail.com, or by phone at 984 119 5467. You may review the developer s website and details below about the house now for sale. http://www.ara.com.mx/asistente/desarrollo/playa_del_carmen_mision_de_las_flores/56/ CAOBA Floor Plan Model: Lot size: 90m 2 Construction: 80m 2 Bedrooms: 3 Floors: 2
Sherry Mcdonell lives in Playa and has three lovely daughters who volunteer at Coco's. Here is what the youngest, Brooke (5), said to her mum: Brooke: Mama, I want to be a kitten. Can you help me? Sherry: Well, I m not really sure honey, but I will do my best. Brooke: That s okay. Just take me to Coco s and ask Dr. Edgar to put me to sleep and turn me into a kitten. But, make sure you are the family that adopts me! SUCCESS! JUNE 3, 2011 RAFFLE & PET FOOD DRIVE The Coco's Cat Rescue and Tierra de Animales food drive and raffle was a big success! Special thanks to Chris, Carrie and everyone at PG S Sandbox for hosting the event and making this possible. Trish and Kelly (above, with band Crazy Toy playing in the background) who organized the whole event did an AMAZING job ~ thank you for doing this for Coco s and Tierra de Animales!
Many wonderful raffle prizes were won! Thank you to Maureen for playing with the children and giving out press-on tattoos and other prizes. A large amount of cat and dog food was also donated and was divided between the charities. Here are the amazing results: DONATION BOX ~ 1,650 PESOS RAFFLE ~ $35,827 PESOS RICARDO S T-SHIRTS, ETC. ~ $4,367 PESOS COCO S T-SHIRTS, ETC. ~ $2,050 PESOS SALTY CHIHUAHUA SHOTS ~ $500 PESOS 15% FROM PG S BAR - $1,600 PESOS TOTAL MONEY RAISED: $45,994 PESOS! All proceeds and food were divided between the charities. Thank you to everyone who donated a prize, volunteered, bought tickets, donated food and came to the event!
Our mission We are a non-profit organization with a no kill policy, dedicated to reducing and controlling the cat population in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We achieve this via our TNR (trap, spay/neuter and return) program for feral cats, and our rescue, treat, spay/neuter, and tame program for kittens under three months. We aim to find a permanent loving home for all the rescued kittens in our care. We are also committed to education which encourages responsible pet ownership and challenges negative associations with feral cats and consequent cruelty. We provide free or low cost spay/neuter surgeries and basic pet care to those on a low income. Our long term mission is to greatly increase the number of animals that we are able to assist and expand our model to embrace other local areas in need of our services. Between June 13 th and 17 th, the Marvet team examined, vaccinated, deparasited and sterilized animals in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, in conjunction with Tierra de Animales and Coco s Cat Rescue. They also provided vet-checks for Coco s kittens. Special thanks to Dr. Paul and the Marvet team, as well as to Coco s vets Lety and Edgar. Volunteers Sherry, Cryss, Roz and Dave did a great job of supporting the medical team. Carboncitos provided lunches for all the vets and volunteers. Thank you all for the success of this wonderful program! For more information on MARVET, go to: http://www.marvet.org/ Dr. Paul Maza, Co-Director of the Health Center at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, closely monitors veterinarian students neutering a cat at Coco`s Cat Rescue in Playa del Carmen
UNSUNG HEROES Sharon Schulz is one of the people in Playa del Carmen who selflessly helps the feral animals, never asking for recognition or reward. We asked Sharon to tell us about her work: Your donations are so important and a little goes a long way! Here are just a few options if you are considering donating to CCR every month: Every morning at approximately 7:00 am, I feed cats from Playacar Fase 1 to Constituyentes, from 5th Ave. to the beach. There are six colonies, with one of the largest being at the Police Station on 5 th Ave. and calle 14th. I also feed any wandering cats I might come across. Fluffy Kitty ($10) This will provide a parasite treatment for one kitten every month. Meowing Kitty ($25) This will feed and deparasite one kitten every month. Purring Kitty ($50) This will pay for cat milk for a newborn kitten for one month or spay/neuter two kittens every month. Fat Kitty ($100) This will feed and deparasite, including coccidiosis and flea treatment, PLUS spay or neuter a kitten every month. (figures in U.S.$) Kelley Anthony and I also trap this area for the TNR (trap, neuter and release) Program at Coco's. We had it pretty well cleaned up, but we are now receiving some calls about some unneutered kitties in a few of the areas. Kelley is also kept busy feeding cats in Playacar Fase 1, Walmart and the Sam's parking lot. Without volunteers like Sharon and Kelley, there would be far more starving and unsterilized felines in Playa. Thank you both for all you do to help keep the stable population of cats healthy and fed! In a happy coincidence, Sharon won the bid for horseback riding at Coco s anniversary party. She and her daughter Heidi were able to go together. Sharon reported back: I did not know in advance that these were rescued horses, which made it unbelievably emotional for me. What a wonderful group of people and horses. The ride was glorious!
More sweet kittens are available for adoption! Does your home have room for just one more? Coco s is always overflowing with healthy adorable kittens who want nothing more than to find their own forever homes. WEEKLY KITTEN CUDDLE DAY EVERY FRIDAY FROM 2 4 P.M.! Please send an email to info@ cocoscatrescue.org and we will send you a map and directions on how to get here. Taxis from town cost 30 pesos and it's easy to find. Then taxis pass by all the time so it s easy to get back to town. Mum and kittens will be ready for adoption shortly! THE KITTENS WOULD ADORE YOUR LOVE AND ATTENTION! EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Sylvestre, male 3 months May, female, 3 months Asher, female, 3 months Contact us at info@cocoscatrescue.org when you re ready to bring one or two of these darlings home!
Cachito Fund Update These dogs are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, negative-tested for heartworm and are ready for adoption. Foca, 2-1/2, is still looking for a home. She is sweet and loving and great with cats and dogs. Kangaroo is a 3 month old puppy who was rescued from the street and is staying with Cryss. Sombra (right) is a 3 year old female dog who was found on the street by Cryss and is now looking for a home. All dogs are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, tested negative for heartworm and are ready for adoption.
Thank you to Sherri and Ken for their ongoing generous donations to the Cachito fund! MAY 2011 SPAY AND NEUTER # Feral cats 47 Pet cats 100 Coco s kittens 16 Dogs 88 Total sterilizations 251 MAY 2011 KITTENS # Rescued 27 Re-homed 12 Coco s thanks Karen Doody, who does such a great job of taking many of the photos that appear in our newsletter! Hmmmmm If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it. It s possible your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others. Never buy a car you can't push. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
Contact info for Coco s Cat Rescue: Cell phone: 984 120 0572 (From N. America, dial: 011 52 1 984 120 0572) Cell phone is answered from 8am to 4pm daily. E-mail info@cocoscatrescue.org Information regarding our financials, municipal and tax status is available upon request Newsletters are usually published once a month, except December. We love to get stories and information from our readers, so please send to: thepagesmx@hotmail.com Submissions welcome; cat humour, rescues and life-with-a-cat stories will be featured whenever available!