I probably don’t have to tell you why our wrap-up is late. The good news is, “We survived 2020.” It wasn’t easy, and we had to make a lot of adjustments quickly. Didn’t everyone?
Our supporters are amazing. In spite of their own financial struggles, the donations didn’t drop. A couple of very special people contacted us to say they needed to make smaller donations. Of course, we understand. People continued to donate leftover or unused supplies. Amazon Smile gifts continued to come in. Our wonderful vets continued to find ways to provide care when many clinics were overwhelmed. We could not have done it without the support of everyone.
We are also proud to let you know we now have the highest ranking available on GuideStar–Platinum. That’s your assurance we are legal, transparent, and provide the care you expect for the animals you love and support with your hard-earned dollars. Catnip Casa Cat Refuge does not have an audited financial statement, like many other small organizations, because we are a small organization. That said, our 990-N filing is always current, and we include manually entered financial data. Our largest expenses are always food, medicine, and veterinary care. Administration costs come in at less than 10% for everything that covers which includes office supplies, insurance, marketing, and equipment maintenance for computers, printers, and phones.
The 2020 Amplify Austin did well and cleared many of our veterinary bills. Fortunately, it took place just before the Covid-19 shutdown. So we went into the shutdown in good shape financially. Thank you!
Due to Covid-19, we put a moratorium on adding any new kitties. We are all-volunteer foster-home based, and it was not safe to have public interaction among volunteers and the community. The lifetime senior and special needs cats continued to have full-time home care in the president’s home. Having them all in one place facilitated veterinary care and delivery of supplies. There were some food shortages that stretched the patience of the cats that only like one food, but we managed to get through it.
We also owe a big thanks to our virtual volunteer, Claire, who stepped in and took over the social media posting to allow the people left to do hands-on cat care without volunteers’ assistance to focus on the needs of the cats while making sure they took necessary precautions to remain healthy too.
Sadly, we lost two kitties in 2020. Our oldest kitty, Vinnie, celebrated his 20th birthday before he left us. Old age and health challenges simply caught up. Sweet Pea was not as lucky. She lost her life to a very severe form of cancer. Fortunately, we caught it quickly, and she did not suffer. There was no possibility of treating her. While it always hurts to lose them, we continue on because they all deserve love and a life of comfort and dignity. Catnip Casa is always a safe place for a ninth life.
Jumping forward to 2021 for a moment, most of you know about the winter storm in Texas in February of 2021. With a lot of hard work, the cats, people, and facilities made it through without damage. We were VERY lucky! The event caused us to review our preparations and ability to handle even more severe events during hot or cold weather. Our board is working hard on improving our ability to respond quickly by having solid plans and equipment available.
Again, the volunteers, board, and kitties, thank you for caring!