KFCI's Highlights & Accomplishments

Our tireless President, Beth, has fostered 612 kittens & cats since she started fostering with Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) in October 2009!!  Even more amazing, she found new homes for the majority of these kitties instead of returning to OCAS when their time in foster care ended!!  Beth also volunteers onsite at OCAS helping potential adopters find the kitty(s) just right for them there at the shelter!

Our founder, Cindy, has fostered more than ONE THOUSAND kittens & cats since forming Kindness For Cats Inc!! Most of those kitties found their new homes thru being seen on the Kindness For Cats website as well as other adoption sites such as Adopt-A-Pet and PetFinder! 

Our board members, Caroline & Jessica, have been just as busy fostering felines in need as well as developing their own special interests! Caroline created Kitten School, a fun and interactive YouTube channel for learning about cat behavior and includes great training tips! Jessica formed her own nonprofit called Liberation Cat House and is saving additional kitty lives thru that!

2019 YTD:

Kindness For Cats Inc was nominated by Orange County Animal Services for the FL Animal Control Association Sentinel Award - this award "recognizes achievements by an individual and/or an organization that has advanced the humane treatment of animals by compassionately working in their defense." KFCI was 1 of 3 finalists chosen from more than 80 member agencies!

KFCI received OCAS Community Grant of $2,500 - all funds used to create OCAS New Foster Parent kits, including instructions and supplies, to help new foster parents .

Received Universal Orlando UGive Grant of $1,000 - funds used to purchase 2 incubators to help save more neonatal kitten lives!

Initiated partnership with OCAS in a new kitten intervention program - "Wait Until 8".  During the 45 day "test run" prior to OCAS implementation, KFCI helped 8 individuals keep 52 kittens and mamas from entering Animal Services at a vulnerable age. KFCI provided guidance, support &, supplies to Program participants until kitties reached an age to be safely spayed/neutered and go to their new homes. This was a limited "sample", however we view it as a tremendous success given that it met/exceeded all goals KFCI had established for the program:

• Every person it was offered to agreed to participate (100% participation)
• None of the participating felines came down with diseases associated with shelter intake such as URI (upper respiratory infection) and Panleukopenia (feline distemper).
• Each participant found adopters for some, and in some cases all, of the kitties in their care! Thus these kitties wouldn't be housed at OCAS for adoption giving the ones already there a greater & speedier chance of adoption AND helps with shelter space issues.
• Other "adoptor resources" were tapped as each participant became an Adoption Ambassador for their Foster kitties, reaching a network of people who might not ordinarily go to Animal Services to adopt or even adopt a kitty at all!
• All kitties were "strays" or "Community Cats", meaning none were family pets but instead rescued from outdoors. All kittens were socialized by their foster parents and the mama cats who weren't able to be socialized were spayed and returned to their outdoor home.
• Participants found the experience rewarding and expressed wanting to stay involved as a foster parent, volunteer or at the least as an advocate for the WU8 Program to help others

Hosted April Showers Bring May Meowers Fundraiser - raised over $2,000 in donations, silent auction, raffle items & bake good sales to support the "Wait Until 8" Program.

Partnered with Engage2Excel at the WorldAtWork Conference - provided info about fostering, adopting and general cat welfare. The event generated more than $2,000 in donations!

Received Rachel Ray Save Them All Grant of $1,500 - all funds support the "Wait Until 8" program, including food, litter & general supplies for Citizen Foster Parents, as well as typical vet expenses , i.e., medication for internal parasites, de-worming & flea prevention. We also assist with spay/neuter, FeLV/FIV testing, vaccinations & micro-chipping expenses in some situations.

Currently partnering with local pet supply stores such as Woof Gang Bakery (Thornton Park) & Pet Supplies Plus (Winter Park) to host monthly adoption events. Also partnered with additional pet supply stores such as Pet SuperMarket (Winter Park) to hold semi-annual adoption events.

Partnered with Community Conscious Groups such as The Listening Garden (Orlando) to host Feline awareness and educational events.

Currently presenting New Foster Parent Hands-On Training at Orange Co Animal Services 1-2 times each month as part of OCAS's Foster Parent Orientation. Our Education/Community Outreach Team (Beth, Caroline & Jessica) developed the curriculum as well as present it.

Currently presenting "Responsible Cat Ownership" at several Orange County Libraries (Alafaya - June 5, Winter Garden - June 25 and Downtown - June 27). Created and presented by our Education/Community Outreach Team - Caroline, Jessica & Beth.

 

2018:

Our leader, Beth, fostered 70 kittens & cats in need AND found loving homes for 64 (92%) of these kitties to go to instead of being returned to OCAS when their time in foster care ended!! This is a tremendous achievement and Beth leads our group of foster parents in this goal EVERY year she has been active!!

The number of Foster Parents listing their foster kitties on the KFCI website grew from 11 in 2017 to 39 in 2018!! That is more than triple the number from prior year!!

The number of Foster Kitties listed on the KFCI website grew from 164 in 2017 to 303 in 2018, almost doubling!!

Became a Network Partner with Best Friends Animal Society!

Began providing statistics to Shelter Animals Count, a national database for shelter animals!

Received Orange County Animal Services Community Grant of $2,500 - all funds used to create OCAS New Foster Parent kits, which included instructions and supplies to help a new foster parent have a successful & rewarding fostering experience.

Partnered with local pet supply stores such as Woof Gang Bakery (Thornton Park) & Pet Supplies Plus (Winter Park) to host monthly adoption events. In 2018 hosted 22 adoption events which not only generated many feline adoptions but also provided opportunity to share information with the Community regarding becoming a Foster Parent, Adopting, helping to reduce the unwanted pet overpopulation, TNR resources and general kitty care.

Partnered with Community Conscious Businesses such as Lily Pulitzer (Winter Park) and Perfect Pose Yoga (Orlando) to host adoption and educational events.

Participated in the Central Florida Earth Day Celebration (Lake Eola, Orlando) to increase awareness about becoming a Foster Parent, Adopting, helping to reduce the unwanted pet overpopulation, TNR resources and general kitty care.

Taught New Foster Hands-On Training at Orange County Animal Services 1-2 times each month as part of their Foster Parent Orientation. Our team of experienced foster parents developed the curriculum as well as presented it.