Shortcats

General Donations Click Here –> Bit.ly/CatPgh **This is the general list for donations that will be divided between all caretakers, including those who are not listed here. 

Individual/Specific Donations –> Keep Scrolling

All #PghCatFolx projects are under the umbrella of Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities, a 501c3 that is independent of this blog.

If you want to donate financially and let us do the shopping —> Venmo, Cashapp, Paypal @PittsburghLGBTQ

You can also select “Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities” on Facebook or GoFundMe fundraisers.

Register to receive food donations here

Welcome to the homepage for our Cat Food Drive to benefit caretakers of feral cat colonies.

People who provide ongoing care (‘caretakers’) for colonies of feral cats, including those who have been released, are important in the chain of Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR). Rescue organization helps caretakers construct shelters, set up food and watering stations in all types of weather, and offers support when more complicated forms of veterinary attention is needed. These are the volunteers who crawl under houses, slosh through creeks, and show up to help a neighbor coping with a new-to-them feral kitty.

Caretakers feed, monitor, get medical support, build shelters, offer enrichment, and are the best line to determine which cats can be adopted. They are compassionate, kind people who go the extra mile for homeless cats.

Covid19 ruined plans for our second annual pet food drive for feral cat colony caretakers. Drives and distributions for pets and shelter pets have emerged, but resources for feral cats are limited.

We regrouped. And we created Amazon wish lists for individual caretakers, with their permission. You can browse and respond to stories that resonate with you. Ideally, we hope you’ll donate monthly or bimonthly so they know they have support. You can also donate to our general wishlist and we will distribute the food equitably.

Read the caretakers stories.

They are retirees on fixed incomes. They are veterans and social workers. They share their own food. They keep their eyes out for new cats and get them trapped. The Amazon lists are set to ship directly to the caretakers.

• Bit.ly/CatAlandKaren (70 years old, West Mifflin)
  • Al & Karen are 70 year old retirees living in West Mifflin. For the past four years, they’ve been TNRing 8 cats out of their own pockets. They have set up shelters on their property and currently feed 5 cats. They predominantly feed wet food. Any support will help them continue to cover veterinary and spay/neuter expenses for new cats.

• Bit.ly/CatBarbara (78 years old, Oakland)

  • Barbara is a 77 year old caretaker who has been taking care of Oakland cats for 10 years. The colony started when someone dumped their friendly cats outside and they started reproducing. Now there are about 20-25 cats in the colony with the majority of them being spayed or neutered. Barbara worked for the county as a clerk to help bail people out of jail. Now she is retired and uses her social security to care for her ferals. She feeds them twice a day and is grateful for any help.The cats eat wet food and dry food.

• Bit.ly/CatCindy 

  • I currently care for approximately 18 cats. All are from the streets but many are socialized. All except one is spayed or neutered.( will be doing shortly I’m not the best at trapping.) All except 3 have been vetted and are up to date on vaccines. Over the last few years I have been able to get many adopted. Most of the remaining are "problem kitties" meaning they were the runt of a litter, didnt progress as quickly as others, had minor health problems that prevented adoption/surrender, or just to darn feral. I appreciate you efforts. Cindy

• Bit.ly/CatDenise (59, Carnegie)

  • When hubby snd I moved here, 7 years ago, started feeding tiny little kitty. Well, she ended up Having two litters In A row, hidden under our porch snd side bushes. Well. HCMT came and helped trap all but a couple who I fostered for 6 weeks with her kittens and later were all adopted. Through the years sadly since being a rental area people move snd leave their kittys behind or some are strays or are dumped snd they find their way to me up on this hill. My clowder of cats has increased every year snd no one goes hungry and they are trapped as soon as possible. But there are always “new” ones. My hubby hadn’t worked due to multiple back surgeries and I have had one of my own and now with the pandemic it is increasingly difficult to afford this food and shelter. I have received some donations from neighbors but can’t solely rely only on them All have shelters and are healthy and beautiful. Most are friendly and love their brushes from me. They are a source of much happiness for me and I adore each one of them. I can only continue caring for them if I get help. Thank you for caring about homeless kitties. I do!!!

• bit.ly/CatErica (27, Regent Square)

  • Erica and her mother feed a colony in Wilkinsburg. They’ve named all the cats, know their relationships and heritage, and contact my rescue whenever someone new shoes up or someone is injured. They’ve been instrumental in coordinating with us to get the colony TNRed. They pay out of pocket for the costs of food, and never miss breakfast or dinner time for the kitties, which have a very regular schedule. I drop off excess food whenever able, but Erica’s mother recently shared they spend a ton on food each year and are looking for ways to save. They were considering buying a house, but have put the plans on hold because they don’t want to leave the colony and may choose to wait until something nearby becomes available (or affordable).

• Bit.ly/CatHolly (Pittsburgh)

  • This is the Mattys Mansion Colony. It started with the one black and white short hair that I call Romeo about for years ago. He was coming up on my front porch destroying a catnip plant that I had. I would always chase him and ended up having to bring my cat nip in the house. I see him back-and-forth here and there for a while but that was as far as it went. And then about two years ago he was around a whole lot more and I was starting to think maybe somebody just got rid of him so I started to feed him. My garage door doesn’t shut all the way because it needs replaced it is termite infested and the door is just about hollow now so it is cracked open one panels worth high. I have made a makeshift shelter for him inside with some straw and that’s where he has spent the past two winters where he has had three others join him. A long- haired black one with white paws, a long-haired white and gray one and a short hair gray and white one. I haven’t found appropriate names for the other three yet but I’m working on it. They all deserve to be fed and safe and sheltered. They all deserve a name. It is through no fault of their own that they are where they are. They’re just trying to survive just like us. And if I can help them to the best of my ability, I will 😻

• Bit.ly/CatJudy (76-year-old, Moon Township)

  • I am a 76 year old disabled widow (husband died 13 years ago). I live in a 200 year old farmhouse and surrounding property was sold off and apartments and townhouses built. I have lived here for 30 years and have been rescuing, TNR and finding homes as well as taking cats into my home that have been abandoned when their owners move out and leave their (unfixed) cats behind for the past 30 years. Countless cats. Member of Homeless Cat Management Team, although I have not taken any cats there in a while because of distance. I live on a social security check plus $100 a month from my late husbands’ pension. At my age, and with health conditions and chronic pain, it is getting difficult for me to do TNR any more. I continue to feed and get vet care for the cats, however. Sometimes some of my friends help with food and vet bills. Sometimes I try to sell things to help with bills for the cats and pay my ever increasing school taxes, just to keep a roof over my head. The past two years have been rough as I have needed a new roof due to wind damage, a hot water tank, a furnace and a car. My credit cards are maxed out. I have had huge vet bills over the past two years and right now have one cat with a rare form of cancer called “feline lung-digit syndrome” and one with hyperthyroidism. I just took in 3 kittens last year and got them all vetted and fixed, as well as the momma cat, who at 8 months old was pregnant again. It is a continuing problem because of people dumping their cats and they end up here. I do without myself for them. I go to the food bank for food for me.

• Bit.ly/CatKen (45-years-old McKeesport)

  • Hi I’m Ken Thornton, I am a volunteer with a animal rescue team and currently care for 8 feral cats that I have successfully TNRd. I have made appropriate feral shelters for them to stay in and also built a feral feeding station for them to come and eat from safely. I have been tending to my colony for approximately 3 years now and with hard work and persistence I was able to get these cats fixed and help control the population of stray kittens showing up in the neighborhood. I was successfully able to adopt out a litter of 2 last year and a recent newcomer back in March this year into homes after getting them fixed and vaccinations. I roughly go through a 30 lb bag of food for my colony cats every two weeks. I feed my colony Purina Kit & Kaboodle dry food. I occasionally give them a treat of a can or two of wet canned food (5.5 oz. can) once a week.

• Bit.ly/CatMary *Mary passed at age 94 in November 2020. Pittsburgh CAT took in her remaining cat. Rest in power, Mary.

• bit.ly/CatKevin (66, Monongahela)

  • Kevin is a 66 year old former railroad worker. He was suffered a massive heart attack and is now on disability. He currently has 3 neutered indoor only cats. Kevin’s neighbor started out with a few indoor/outdoor cats that she never had spayed or neutered. Within a few years, the cat numbers were well over 40 and many of cats were coming into Kevin’s yard looking for food and shelter. He felt bad for them and started feeding them, along with the original caretaker. He reached out for help to get the cats vetted and altered early in the summer of 2020. Kevin has named all of the cats and despite his health issues, he has been instrumental in the trapping of these cats since I live about 40 minutes away. He is genuinely concerned with their well-being and built a cat shelter for them on his porch. He also put spot lights out to deter the coyotes from coming down and attacking them, which he reports has happened in the past. Kevin would eventually like to move, but he recently told me that he can’t leave the cats.

• Bit.ly/CatLana (40, Midland, Beaver Co)

  • Hello my name is Lana and I care for a colony of 6 which are all TNR (BUT I recently saw two more coming to eat so I guess now I have 8) I also have 7 indoor kitties in my crew, most have been street kitties or rescues I couldn’t give up. When I moved from the PGH area to Midland 10 years ago I started seeing a bunch of homeless cats digging in trash for food and decided to start feeding them and gave them shelters to live in and actually got quite a few kitties homes. My grandmother did the same thing when I was growing up so I felt like it was just part of who I am. I got really attached to one of them, Mr. Biggums, and he came one day really sick so I took him in. He ended up having FIV so I decided to keep him indoors fulltime. That’s when street kitties really became my absoulte favorite. We had 5 great years together indoor. From then on I promised in his honor to do everything I can to help any kitty that comes my way. Keeping them housed and fed, healthy, happy, and loved even if it’s only from a far. Thank you for reading my story and to anyone donating to help the cats and caretakers.

• Bit.ly/CatLennyMaryAnn (71, 70, Northside) *Veteran

  • Lenny is Veteran who is disabled on a fixed income. We are both up in age and it gets harder each year. We love these kitties even though they are not friendly with us. It’s not their fault people failed them.

• Bit.ly/CatMarjorie (45, Imperial)

  • ;My name is Marjorie. I’m 45, disabled. Can’t work due to chronic illness. I’ve had 12 surgeries, all medically necessary. Looking at another spinal fusion in the near future. Been paying for cat food out of pocket. I love these cats but with a limited income I’d appreciate any help.

• Bit.ly/CatMaria (62, Northside)

  • I started spaying and neutering cats that hung around a dumpster outside an apartment building half a mile from my house. Then started same around vacant buildings all over Perry North and South and then found elderly people feeding cats on their porches. Most only had Social Security no transportation and partially i m b o b l e so I got all the cats they were feeding fixed plus I started fixing people’s indoor cats as I came across them that were very low income. Now I’m bringing the humans food and groceries realizing they never have enough money to make it until their next social security check. 4 over the the first 10 years I was feeding approximately 200 cats at 17 colonies. I started r e t r a p p i n g and bringing sick feral cats to vet appointments mostly dentals. Couple leg amputations, Etc All of this on my administrative assistant salary. The expenses drained any savings and u p p e d my credit cards immensely. Due to Natural attrition I’m down to nine colonies approximately 100 cats. Due to my own medical expenses with high-deductible health insurance I really could use a break on food donations. I also buy food for two elderly caretakers. I’ve been buying Cat Chow regular and indoor 20 lb bags at Target using their $5 gift card for buying two along with 2 and 3 Dollar coupons I find. I’m going through at least three 20 lb bags a week. I also buy canned food when I can afford it especially in the winter time I bring it to my colonies warmed up. Using an extra tank of gas a week just for all the going back and forth to colonies and much wear and tear on my car. Several people from Homeless Cat management team and other rescue groups do know me and can vouch for me.

• Bit.ly/CatMike (70 years old, Robinson) *Veteran

  • Mike is a veteran who kept a promise to this dying daughter 18 years ago that he would continue to feed the cats. I personally am a disabled senior and feed 3 more colonies. We both pay for supplies out of pocket. I hold a fundraising auction when I can.

• Bit.ly/CatMikeM (73 years old, Northside)

  • Mike does not have email. I’ve been trapping on his porch for over 10 years. He has taken in five although he can’t pet or pick them up but they provide great company. he’s always had pet cats throughout his life. He continues to feed 3 ferals on his porch. All have been fixed.

• Bit.ly/CatRich (75 years old, Munhall) *Veteran

  • Richard is a retired veteran who served in the Coast Guard in the 1960s. He serves the community now by caring for a colony of 30 feral cats – he works with groups to get them vetted and keep as healthy as possible. He typically mows lawns to pay for cat food. He’s asking us to help his cats during this pandemic.

• Bit.ly/CatRosemary (70, Northside) *Veteran

  • I am a disabled Air Force veteran from Illinois and a senior of 70 on a subpovertylevel pension, an artist and published poet and a retired publisher/editor of a women artists’ magazine and three small poetry presses I rescued dozens of cats for about 50 years, and can tame most feral cats and have a feral mother under my bed with her 3 kittens running around happily (2 are tame now). I now have a half acre for the cats, and more rooms. I am a work in progress.

• Bit.ly/CatRoy (94 years old, Northside)

  • Roy is a 94 year old retired tug boat captain. He is currently living on social security and has 2 inside cats, though he occasionally helps feed the neighbors cats when the neighbor goes into rehab, and some alley cats. Roy took in his two inside cats from a neighboring abandoned house when a neighbor went into jail and never came home. Roy is on Meals on Wheels and when he doesn’t have enough cat food he feeds his donated meals to his cats.

• Bit.ly/CatStaciSean (50, Bridgeville)

  • My husband and I have rescued at least 18 cats off of our deck and backyard. We spend our own money to spay/neuter them, shots, pet insurance, food, medication, heartworm monthly medication and etc… We are over run with cats in our township. We try to save as many as we can. We feed them several times a day because they come in waves here. We have 3 litters of kittens and adult cats They now have taken residence on our deck. My husband made houses for them last year and a neighbor gave us a dog igloo. We put hay in there for the summer and my husband would like to try and heat them for the winter if we can afford it. This kitten season was brutal. Everything comes out of our own pocket and we are just getting too stretched. I have heart, lung and other health problems and my husband’s health isn’t the best either, but doing this makes us feel better knowing they aren’t starving and that they have a home to come to for basic needs. Last January my husband lost his job and I lost my job the following month. I cut hair for elderly residents in nursing homes and with Covid they didn’t want me there and I haven’t been back since. However, this didn’t stop our mission to continue rescue homeless kittens and cats. We continued to feed them and do the best we can. We are now financially crushed. I have reached out to local rescues, no kill shelters, and organizations to help us. everyone is full and there doesn’t seem to be any fosters available to help out if we trap. We are completely full, overloaded and overwhelmed. We were advised to become a nonprofit rescue. We became members of TICA. That we were told is a first step and my husband did that a while ago. The paper process of starting a nonprofit is a very long one and I feel like I am drowning trying to start it up. Now that my husband went back to work recently and I haven’t everything rests on me. By the time I am done taking care of them morning, noon and night I’m exhausted. I got the indoor and outdoor cats. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. If anyone can help trap and knows where we can take for trap and neuter, and home them I would greatly appreciate it. I don’t want to throw them back out in the outdoors. Winter is coming soon. We have babies out there still nursing. Our resources are coming out of own pocket. We just want to save these babies. South Fayette/Bridgeville area is over polluted. We feed them about 16 cans a day and 1-2 large mixing bowl of dry food a day. Especially now we have kittens too on the deck.

• Bit.ly/CatStephanie (30 years old, New Derry, Westmoreland County)

  • Stephanie is a disabled 30 year old woman living in a rural Pennsylvania community. She maintains a colony of 10 cats.

• Bit.ly/CatZarina (52-years-old, Northside)

  • I’ll start with the reason why I want to do it. I grew up with cats. To see cats trying to survive outside without water and food breaks my heart. Some of them are apparently abandoned or lost cats. I didn’t see these many cats when I lived in suburb, where people tend to have dogs as pets. It makes me feel that the cat situation in the city is due to that more people have cats as pets but not being responsible enough. Therefore, having the the community cats TNRd is equally import as feeding them. Pittsburgh’s free TNR program gives us no reason not to do it. People need to be educated that feeding the cats does stop them from controlling the rodents population. Using the TNR program not only reduce reproduction, it also gets the cats dewormed and vaccinated, which is good for human beings. I’ve been paying the cats food from my own pocket.

• Bit.ly/CatWalt (76 years old, Northside)

  • Walt is a Northside senior citizen and cares for a colony of 26 black cats. Yes, you read that right- 26! All have been TNRed. Walt is on social security and uses his checks to buy food for his ferals. He needs support to help feed his large colony.

Bit.ly/CatPgh **This is the general list for donations that will be divided between all caretakers, including those who are not listed here by their choice. 

Bit.ly/CatSueandLaura This is the consolidated list for our own feral and foster work

Pittsburgh CAT wishlist for foster cats and kittens

Kitty HydeAway wishlist for feral and foster cats (*partner)

TrashCat Foster Project wishlist for foster cats (*partner)

We also set up a general list of items. We will use those donations to fill gaps and support new caretakers. We are in search of a new drop-off location on the Northside.

If you would like to donate items in person, please DM us or email pghcatladies@gmail.com For everyone’s safety, we cannot accept walk-in donations, but you can schedule a no-contact dropoff. If you want to shop on your own, here are some general items that are helpful.

• Large unopened bags of quality dry food – Purina Cat Chow, Purina in Teal Bag, Special Kitty Outdoor Food (Amazon), Meow Mix are suggested. Smart Kitty is often requested as well.
• Wet food – Meow Mix cups, Fancy Feast, Friskies.
• Treats
• Other brands, especially medically sensitive, can typically be matched with a caretaker.
• Open/partially used bags might be accepted by caretakers, but we need to know ahead of time to ask them.

COVID-19 has changed the way we do things like food drives. This is one way to help both the cats and their caretakers. Our volunteers are helping them access human resources when possible.

Who are we? We are cat folx. All of us have cared for feral cats (and still do) and occasionally, adopted one into our home. You’ll learn more about us and our cat stories as the drive unfolds. We all know firsthand that this work quickly can become costly. We want to do something to give back while raising awareness of the really good people who take care of these homeless animals, day in and day out.

Read about our adventures in fostering kittens via the Pittsburgh Cat Ladies posts.

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT TO DONATE: these items have been identified by rescuers

• Bags of dry food, preferably Purina in the teal blue bag, Special Kitty, or Meow Mix.
• Canned food
• Cat treats
• Open or partially used bags must be cleared first – please message or email us.
• Other suggestions can be found on the Amazon Wishlist.

WHERE TO DONATE: we have one permanent drop-off location that can accept your items 24/7 (COVID-19 cost us our dropoff spot)

• WE NEED A DROP-OFF SPOT ON THE NORTHSIDE please
• You can contact us to arrange a no-contact drop off or delivery.
• Let us know if you can accept donations/deliveries at your location.

DONATE FINANCIALLY

We are working under the umbrella of Pittsburgh LGBTQ Charities #PghCatFolx projects. They are a 501c3 organization.

• Venmo @PittsburghLGBTQ
• CashApp @PittsburghLGBTQ
• Paypal.me/PittsburghLGBTQ
• Send Amazon, Chewy, Target, PetSmart, Petco gift cards.

DONATE OTHER CAT ITEMS

• If you have cat carriers, crates, traps, etc in good condition with all working parts, please contact us to discuss if we can find a home for your items.

ADD MY COLONY TO THE LIST?

• If you are in the Southwestern PA area, you can be added to this list. You will need to fill out this form (or fill it out for a caretaker you know)

Let us know if you have any questions – we are at pghcatladies@gmail.com