November SEASONS GREETINGS FROM TEN LIVES CLUB!

2020 Dear Friends of Ten Lives Club, Throughout this whirlwind of a year, you made amazing things happen. You made sure that over 2,000 , who had nowhere else to go, got the chance at life that they deserved. It is said that cats have “nine lives”. Ten Lives Club makes sure they have ten lives…their forever and final home when they leave our shelter. Whether entering our program through a hoarding case or brought to us because their families could no longer care for them, you made sure these cats had somewhere they could turn to. When most other shelters closed during the pandemic we stayed open to help and you made that possible. When we had to cancel most annual fundraising events, you stepped up financially to help. Without you, cats would not be able to receive the extra time and resources they need to learn to trust again. Thanks to you, cats who were left abandoned and starving received immediate care. Cats that were sick were healed with the proper attention and medical treatments. Innocent animals on death-row at kill-shelters were gladly taken in. just days old received individual care in foster homes. You make our mission and work possible. Your support ensures that we can provide the very best care for each who is brought to our shelter. You save lives. You, our community, are the reason our organization is so successful and has grown to be the unbelievable shelter we have become over the almost twenty years in existence. You believed in us and we certainly did not disappoint! As the year comes to an end, we are very grateful for the help and support we received during the Covid-19 crisis so we could continue with our lifesaving work. Things have really changed and we are slowly adapting to the new normal. We thank you for all. From our shelter to your home…We wish you and those you hold dear a happy holiday and a joyous new year!

Marie Edwards, Founder & President

Ten Lives Club

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Rescue Stories 2 Adoptions 3 Upcoming Events 4 Holiday Wishes/Volunteering 5

Ten Lives Club Lives Ten News Ways to Help 6 716-646-5577 Faces of Rescue 7 www.TenLivesClub.com Pledge Page 8 RECENT STORIES OF RESCUE

A call for help from Youngstown, NY brought the beautiful tortoiseshell cat seen here into the care of TLC. “Jolene” and two other unspayed, female cats were left behind and abandoned when their owners moved. Thankfully, a nearby resident knew the three cats had been kicked outside and were able to safely bring them to our shelter. Once she arrived, our vet staff saw immediately that not only had Jolene been left behind to fend for herself, she was also very pregnant. Two days later, while safe in foster care, she gave birth to five kittens, named Dolly Parton, Reba McIntyre, Patsy Clein, Charlie Daniels, and Johnny Cash. What would have happened to this cat and her kittens had they not been rescued by a Good Samaritan and brought to TLC?

Late this Summer, four kittens made their way to Ten Lives Club after being abandoned at an area store. The “Suits” kittens, named Heart, Spade, Diamond, and Club, had apparent health issues including eye infections, possibly caused by a congenital birth defect shared by all four kittens. Though one sadly passed away after arriving at our shelter, our vet team hoped that the remaining kittens would be able to recover with medical treatment. The kittens immediately began receiving two types of eye medications, as well as antibiotics for upper respiratory infections. Wewere unsure at first whether the kittens would also require surgery to perhaps be able to give them more sight; however, once their infections cleared, the kittens did not seem to be limited by their ability of what they are able to see. They are able to play and navigate around like any other kitten! At this writing, Diamond has been the first of the Suits kittens to find her forever home, adopted from our Eastern Hills Mall location in October.

Meet Orange Crush! This sweet girl was found as a stray in the Cheektowaga, NY area and brought to Ten Lives Club by one of our own volunteers. Orange Crush arrived with conjunctivitis, which is a common and fairly treatable eye infection often found in cats living outside. Our vet team started her on a course of antibiotic eye ointments to clear the infection, and she is currently recuperating well within our shelter. Once she is recovered and healthy, Orange Crush will be spayed and made adoption ready! YEAR TO DATE TLC INTAKE With one whole month of rescue work still to go for 2020, Ten Lives Club has already achieved a major milestone– we have surpassed the largest number of cats accepted into our program than in any other previous year. Between the intake of friendly strays, personal pet surrenders, and the transfers from over-crowded WNY rescues and out-of-state shelters, over 2,000 cats and kittens have been given a new lease on life through Ten Lives Club. Every cat that enters our program has a story. Many of those stories this year, unfortunately, have had a common theme– they were personal who’s owners have been forced to give them up due to housing or financial issues. Many more were strays, often females pregnant or with kittens, who were found by Good Samaritans looking to spare them from life on the streets. When many other groups were unable to accept new animals into their care during the shutdown caused by Covid-19, TLC was fortunate to be able to remain operational and be there when help was needed. Surrenders JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT TOTAL

158 155 168 114 196 257 259 237 257 221 2,022 HAPPY ADOPTION STORIES The Purrfect Café in Buffalo had the honor of finding homes for siblings Paris and Florence recently. The two kittens’ other siblings, London and Rome, were adopted quickly from the café, but Paris and Florence stayed in the lounge for a while since they weren’t very outgoing at first. They did eventually start to come out of their shells and absolutely loved to snuggle, play with, and chase one another. A visitor to the café fell in love with the pair, but was unable to adopt them due to having cats of her own at home. She offered to sponsor their adoption fees if we could find someone who would take them together. The Weeks family were originally interested in adopting just Paris, but once the situation of the kittens being so attached to each other was explained, they decided to give a home to both! These siblings found their forever home because of a Good Samaritan sponsoring their adoption fee and helping to get them into a home together where they can play their days away. Happy tails to you, Paris and Florence!

Beautiful ten year-old Lola was Buffy was found on a street in Buffalo A young lady named Anika reached originally a Ten Lives Club cat that as a young kitten. She was so small out to TLC recently after seeing a Facebook post of ours regarding a we had in our care nine years ago. that she required bottle-feeding in the group of cats we had taken in from In 2011, Lola was adopted into a home of one of our experienced foster a hoarding situation in Niagara loving home; sadly, her owner volunteers. As she grew, it became County. All of the cats from this recently passed away, and Lola was apparent that she has a fused joint in situation are quite timid and mostly brought back into our care. her front right leg, meaning that her all-black cats, meaning the odds of Once she was updated on medical leg cannot bend and she will likely finding homes for them quickly are needs, Lola made her way to our always have a limp. Luckily, it doesn't stacked against us. Fortunately, Anika was moved to adopt one of PetSmart Cheektowaga location. slow her down one bit; she is just as these kitties and made an Luckily for her, she did not have to active and playful as any other kitten. appointment to meet with them. search very long for her next home! She immediately fell for a male cat Less than 24 hours after arriving at our After two days, a young man who named November. Anika is a true was looking for a companion cat Petco West Seneca adoption location, animal lover with hopes of one day came to the store. All of the a wonderful couple happened to see running her own farm sanctuary for younger cats in the adoption room Buffy while shopping and fell in love rescued animals. For now though, paid him no attention, but sweet with her. The couple has a soft spot she is happy to be able to provide a Lola stole his heart by walking right for special needs animals, so we knew home to a much deserving cat In need. She said she also hopes to into his arms. We are so thankful this was going to be a perfect fit for begin volunteering with us soon! that this senior kitty did not have to the kitty! Buffy now has a blind kitty Thank you so much to Anika for wait long at all to be back in a home brother and they are living their best adopting November into his forever of her own. lives together. home. Upcoming Events

Due to current restrictions with our PLEASE normal venues, some events’ locations NOTE and dates are different than previously advertised in the 2020 TLC Calendar.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE EVENTS, DETAILS AND UPDATES www.tenlivesclub.com/events Holiday Wishes Ten Lives Club is extremely fortunate to be able to have our own in-house vet team to care for the cats in our program and provide the medical procedures necessary for them to be adoption-ready. This year already, over 1,200 spay/ neuter surgeries have been performed within our building! Our vet team members work tirelessly and do not always receive the thanks and recognition they deserve. You can help us thank them for a job well done this year with a gift from their Holiday Wishes listed below. To discuss a donation, please call Marie at 716-646-5577 ext. 5. Pictured is Ten Lives Club Veterinarian Technician, Jessica, and Vet/Infirmary Assistant, Carlie, with foster kitten, Lily. Lily was adopted shortly after this picture was taken!  (4) spay packs/ surgical instruments (~$200 each) - new instruments needed for spay/neuter surgeries  Tabletop kitten incubator (~$1,100) - used for warming neonatal/orphaned kittens  Laser printer - for Vet Office use of printing medical records  (3) Top-loading cat carriers, medium sized  Ophthalmoscope set (~$300) - used for eye/ear exams  LED Gooseneck surgical/procedural lamp (~$450) SHELTER WISH LIST  Purina Cat Chow Complete  Yesterday’s News litter  Two-pocket folders  Canned paté food  Disposable litter pans  Rolled cellophane  Paper towels  Brooms & dustpans  Restaurant/store gift cards  Laundry detergent  30-gallon garbage bags  Wine/liquor for raffles  Disposable gowns  Advantage II for cats  New York Lottery tickets  Disposable gloves (Medium)  6’ folding tables  Postage stamps

To see our full list of needs, please visit www.tenlivesclub.com/wish-list Volunteer With Us! There are many ways volunteers help our cats and kittens! For more information on the positions listed here and others available, call us at (716) 646-5577 ext. 1, or visit www.tenlivesclub.com/volunteer. Blasdell Shelter– Cat Care/Cleaning Daily between 9am to 4pm, hours can be flexible 3741 Lake Shore Road, Blasdell, NY Basic cat care and cleaning of cat rooms and/or cages; duties include providing fresh food and water, scooping litter boxes, sweeping, mopping, laundry, etc. A rewarding way to spend one-on-one time with the cats in our shelter! Volunteers must be over the age of 18 or accompanied by an adult. Eastern Hills Mall– Adoption Assistant Weekly scheduled shifts, approximately 3-4 hours 4545 Transit Road, Williamsville, NY Provide general information about Ten Lives Club and the cats available for adoption at this location, review adoption applications and complete adoption paperwork. Some cleaning and basic cat care are also performed. Be a Hero to Cats! 2021 TLC Calendar  Donate theme baskets/Buy-it-Now/Silent Auction Still need to pick up one of our 2021 Ten Lives Club items to be used at our events calendars? Find them at our Main Shelter in Blasdell, our  Shop for TLC apparel online at www.bonfire.com/ upcoming events and fundraisers, online at www.tenlivesclub.com/store, or call 716-646-5577 ext. 1 store/ten-lives-club-store/ to order by phone. These beautiful calendars are created  Donate used clothing, shoes, and linens to our on-site by one of our very own St. Pauly Shed at the Blasdell shelter, 3741 Lake volunteers, sponsored by a Shore Rd, Blasdell, NY number of local businesses,  Shop through Smile.Amazon.com, iGive.com, or and printed by Vilardo Printing. 100% of profits Goodshop.com and choose Ten Lives Club as your benefit TLC. Remember– designated charity to receive a percentage of proceeds they make great gifts for the from your purchases cat-lovers in your life!  Consider leaving a bequest to Ten Lives Club in your Will through insurance, 401k, stocks, or property/ Rada Cutlery Online Fundraiser home  If you use Fresh Step® cat litter, enter and donate your Paw Points reward points online to Ten Lives Club. Create an account and find more information atwww.freshstep.com/paw -points/  Shop through www.petrescuerx.com for your pet's medical and wellness products, choose Ten Lives Club as your charity of choice, and help earn our group credit towards making purchases for products to help the cats within our care. New ongoing, online fundraiser alert!  Donate your returns from cans and bottles to any of Have you heard of Rada Cutlery? Rada's products are 100% the following locations who have standing accounts to American made and carry a reputation for value and quality. Even better, Rada offers us a fantastic fundraising opportunity, benefit Ten Lives Club: with an average of 40% of all orders donated to our group.  The Can Man, 101 Waverly St, Springville They offer a wide variety of products including their well-known  Can Bottle Return, 4255 Clark St, Hamburg cutlery, cooking utensils, quick mixes for soups, dips, marinades, and more!  Millersport Recycling, 803 Millersport Hwy, Buffalo Shop Ten Lives Club’s online site and support our group here:  Xtra Dime Back, 1041 Englewood Ave, Buffalo radafundraising.com/?rfsn=4601292.5bc813 Dash’s Market Tape Saver Program Did you know that just by shopping at Dash’s Markets, you can help our cats in return? For every $100 in Dash’s receipts that are collected and submitted to our dedicated volunteer who handles this program, Dash’s donates $2.50 to TLC! It may not seem like a lot, but it adds up quickly! This year already, TLC has received $1,500 in donated funds from Dash’s thanks to our supporters who participate in this easy program. The deadline to submit 2019 receipts is Monday, November 30, 2020. Be sure not to alter your receipts in any way, as they will not be accepted for the fundraiser. Receipts may be dropped off at our Blasdell Shelter location (3741 Lake Shore Road), or our Eastern Hills Mall location (4545 Transit Road in Williamsville, across from Dipson Theatre). They may also be mailed to: Janice Gardner, 3986 Tonawanda Creek Road, East Amherst, NY 14051 Thank you again to all of our amazing supporters who help the cats of TLC through Dash’s Tape Saver Program! Please be sure to share this fantastic fundraising opportunity with your friends and family to help our cats even further. THE FACES OF RESCUE

764 cats have been transferred 98.69% is Ten Lives Club’s to TLC from other rescues this year. This includes a Niagara save rate. This means out of the County SPCA transfer of cats from 1,900 cats surrendered to TLC in a severe hoarding situation. 2019, only 1.31% were humanely euthanized. TLC’s save rate has never been below 98% since our inception in2001 – a fact we are so proud to report!

119 volunteers had given 1,691 hours of their time to helping at our Blasdell shelter by November 1, 2020. In total, over 300 volunteers make up TLC’s “Cat Crew”, between shelter assistance, fostering, fundraising, and adoption assistance/cat care at our 14 satellite adoption locations.

31 spay/neuter surgeries have been performed in our Blasdell shelter facility to date. A number of the cats undergoing these surgeries were feral cats who were trapped and brought to one of our 904 kittens up to the age of 5 months were accepted into our public, low-cost spay/neuter program as of November 1, 2020. clinics, offered by TLC to help Many of these babies required combat the overpopulation of bottle-feeding by staff and volunteers. community/stray cats in WNY.

At Ten Lives Club, we love numbers. Every “number” represents a face– the face of a cat rescued and taken into our program; the face of a stray female who will no longer be at risk of giving birth to up to five litters of kittens a year due to receiving spay surgery; the loving face of a volunteer giving their time and dedication to a kitten requiring bottle- feeding to survive. Thank you to YOU for being a part of the amazing work that Ten Lives Club is able to accomplish from year to year. You are one of many people who care about cats in need, which is very special to us.