News & Events

Be sure to check out our latest newsletter and find out about events and successes below.

Project Purr at Scotts Valley Garden Faire!

On Saturday, June 25, from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Project Purr participated in an educational booth at the Garden Faire, at Skypark in Scotts Valley.

Project Purr had a wonderful time and received a lot of love from the community. The Garden Faire provides a wonderful opportunity to connect with gardeners who are seeking non-toxic methods of rodent control, and can provide garden/shed/barn homes for rescued unsocial kitties! "Will work for food." Rescued, fully-vetted, semi-social garden cats ready for relocation. These kitties will help... restore the peaceful balance of having a beautiful garden without pesky rodents.

Project Purr’s program covers the cost of having them fixed, vaccinated, disease tested and ear tipped for permanent visual identification.

We are dedicated to saving these innocent lives and are grateful to find safe, responsible homes where they can be welcomed as outdoor cats. THERE ARE NO ADOPTION FEES. Donations welcome! Save a life and your garden, too!

Contact Project Purr if you are interested in providing a home for garden kitties!

Article in NACA News!

An article by Lynne Achterberg, one of Project Purr's founders, was published in the National Animal Control Association News, September/October 2011, on an innovative paradigm shift for feral cats that saves more lives of all shelter cats.
Read the article online here.

Santa Cruz Sentinel article by Gina Spadifori on feral cats, column "Where the Wild Things Are", July 21, 2011

Click here to read it!

Summer Internship at Project Purr

Ever harbored a secret fantasy of interning with Project Purr? We know you have!! Well now, get a peek behind the scenes and follow along on what it is like to help neighborhood cats on a daily basis.

Welcome Amelia! Animal-loving 19-year old pre-vet student Amelia Erickson has a University of Vermont summer internship with Project Purr. Follow her blog here: A Purrfect Summer!

Project Purr's World-Famous Fall Rummage Sale
Another Success!

Just in case you haven't heard, it's OFFICIAL... Project Purr's Fall Fundraising Rummage Sale made just over $18,000. to fund our feral cat and kitten low cost spay/neuter program... and added to the $27,500. from the Spring Rummage Sale (just a few short 10 weeks prior) we raised over $45,500. from our TWO HUGE rummage sales this year!

And also... thank you to Project Purr's business supporters! We could not do it without you!

Thank you!!!

Project Purr's Spring 2011 Rummage Sale Results!

Project Purr's spring rummage sale and silent auction set a new record by raising over $27,000. to fund our low cost feral cat and kitten spay/neuter program. There was an overwhelming response with donations from individuals and local businesses, dedicated volunteers, and multitudes of smart and savvy shoppers.

Project Purr's program provides access to low-cost feral cat spay/neuter for the public, which is the most effective way to save more cats' lives, and effectively and humanely reduce our county's animal overpopulation. Project Purr thanks the donors who support us, and we in turn support them. Project Purr helps people help cats! Thanks to the many individuals that generously give such a wonderful array of useful items and fun and unique treasures for others to discover.

A sincere and heartfelt thank you to our community's wonderful animal-lovers! Please mark your calendars for the next "world famous" fall rummage sale... the weekend after Labor Day, Sept 9-11.

To volunteer or donate for the fall sale, please call 423-MEOW.

Project Purr Program has record spay and neuter months!

The Project Purr program had two more record months, while the public gave a HUGE response to the Project Purr program being free for February and March!

Passion, experience, and commitment... a successful combination!

Many many lives were saved and made healthier! Thank you!

Find out more about our spay and neuter program here.

Please support us, so we can continue to provide this program to the people and cats of Santa Cruz County! Monetary donations can be made here using Network for Good, or mailed to:
 Project Purr, PO Box 891, Santa Cruz, CA. 95061. 

Watch spring 2009 rummage sale opening on YouTube.

Project Purr Progress: 2010 Stats

In 2010, the Project Purr program spayed or neutered 568 feral cats, of which 42 were prewean feral kittens that were rescued, socialized, and adopted into loving homes. In addition, Project Purr saved the lives of 90 feral cats and kittens rescued from the county shelter and relocated them to new barn/garden/backyard homes. That's a grand total of 658 cats whose quality of life will improve. These efforts also humanely stopped the births of hundreds more.

Have you heard the myth that one unspayed cat can produce 420,000 cats?

Well, as it turns out, none of the humane organizations where this number originated now will take responsibility for that estimate. Mathematicians have gotten involved, and their estimates range from 100 to 5,000 cats in 7 years—still huge (but more realistic) numbers that demonstrate why it is SO important to spay and neuter. Find out more in the article Trying to Herd a Cat Stat.

Every cat we spay/neuter today saves tens, then hundreds, then thousands of animals from entering tomorrow's animal shelters.

Take a look at this chart to see how unfixed feral cats impact cat overpopulation.

Kitten Season all year long in 2010!

A good Samaritan found these adorable kittens in a hollow log in a field. It is estimated that 80-90% of kittens come from feral Mom cats. Shelters and rescues are filled with kittens. Please help our community by using our low-cost feral cat spay/neuter program!

Rescued kittens--watch video

These kittens were rescued in summer, 2009. All have been adopted! Watch on YouTube
See adoption page
Email info@projectpurr.org for adoption information!

New One Month Record!

Project Purr boldly launched a new south Santa Cruz County feral cat spay/neuter program in Watsonville in August, and also had a record month of 83 feral cats vaccinated and altered (total for all program locations). Adding in the 41 cats altered in July and 61 cats altered in September, in the past three months Project Purr has spayed/neutered 185 cats!!

Stopping the cycle of breeding will improve the quality of life for these cats.

THANK YOU for supporting Project Purr as we "alter" our community... one cat at a time!

Get the details on our Spay/Neuter program here!

Report on World Rabies Day Event

Read about the World Rabies Day event..

2010 Fall "World-Famous Rummage Sale" for Spay/Neuter!!!

Thank you everyone for your generous donations of money, time and items. We appreciate your donations of quality items to sell, all of the volunteers who come together as a village, receive donations all day long on a Friday, set up and sort a huge amount of “stuff”, assist in all the logistics of running a massive sale and redistribution of all that “stuff”, and then help us break down all the leftovers, and return the field to it’s prior state. We also appreciate the community who comes to shop and share all their kitty stories. A special thanks goes out to the many, many businesses who contributed items to the silent auction at our fall sale.

Through the community’s support, our fall rummage sale and silent auction raised over $22,000, which helps to fund two new just launched low cost feral cat spay/neuter programs... one in north Santa Cruz County at Animal Hospital of Soquel and one in south county at East Lake Animal Clinic in Watsonville.

Project Purr believes that love of animals is found in most people and that most people find value in and want a better world for animals... including the abandoned strays and feral "community cats and kittens" of Santa Cruz County. Project Purr provides our community with the resources needed to improve the quality of life for these cats. We believe that providing public access to low-cost feral cat spay/neuter is the most effective way to save more animal's lives and effectively and humanely reduce animal overpopulation. And the community’s support of Project Purr makes it all possible.

We are committed to our mission, passionate about the animals, and positively changing lives. Together, we are making a difference! Thank you!!

2010 Spring "World-Famous Rummage Sale" Makes Over $21,500. for Spay/Neuter!!!

Despite the originally forecast showers which turned into a 3-day heat wave, Project Purr raised over $21,000. for the "forgotten" feral cats of Santa Cruz County!

The hardworking dedicated volunteers enjoyed donated coffee from downtown Starbucks and wonderful muffins and brioche from The Buttery, delicious lunch and yummy cookies from Gayle's, tasty fresh sandwiches from the Live Oak Cafe on setup Friday, and volunteer Cheryl thrilled us with homemade brownies... topped off with organic pink frosted cupcakes from volunteer Rose!

Yes, it was really long hard hot work, and we're glad it's over... but not without thanking EVERYONE who donated, volunteered and shopped to HELP FUND SPAY-NEUTER AND SAVE LIVES!

It was truly another great outpouring of community to help our "community cats and kittens"! THANK YOU ALL!!!

Won't You Join Us?

Either way, we have grown to love and appreciate the people in our community and are thankful for your generosity, love and support. Thankfully, at this difficult time, Soquel Creek Animal Hospital (476-1515) has offered Project Purr and Santa Cruz County residents discounted feral cat Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) pricing.

To continue in the coming years, Project Purr needs our animal-loving community to step up and assist us in our committed goals. There are so many tasks that need doing. For a long time Project Purr has operated by relying on a small core group of people. Project Purr now finds itself in the position of needing to ask for more people to participate in our day-to-day activities. If you value the work of Project Purr, please consider joining us to help share and shoulder some of the responsibilities it takes to run a Trap-Neuter-Return program. We need a larger group of people with a love for cats to volunteer time, abilities, energy, and enthusiasm to keep our program going and growing. Without this assistance, Project Purr will not be able to continue caring for our community cats.

We welcome your ideas/suggestions for fundraising, grant writing, and volunteer time.

Please call 423-MEOW... if YOU can help!

Through education and action, we hope to eliminate the trapping-surrendering and killing of healthy feral cats, and further enhance human/animal relationships which, we believe, reflects the ethics of our community.

Peet's and Project Purr -- Successful Match!

Peet's Coffee and Tea on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz recognized Project Purr as their 2009 Charity of Choice for our contributions to the community. We exceeded our challenge goal, generously matched by Peet's, and received over $2,265. to help us fulfill our mission!

Thank You to all the friendly hardworking Peet's baristas and animal-loving Peetniks for your wonderful support!

Nickels for Nonprofits
at Whole Foods Market

Good News!
Project Purr has been selected to participate in the "Nickels for Nonprofits" at Whole Foods Market located at 1710 41st Avenue in Capitola! As a community giving program, each time a customer reuses a grocery bag, five cents will be donated to one of three featured local nonprofits. From January 18 through April 11 don't forget to BYOB ... bring your own bag(s)... and select Project Purr as your nonprofit of choice when shopping at Whole Foods!

Thank you Whole Foods Market in Capitola!!

Project Purr Fundraising FALL Rummage Sale 2009

Fall 2009 Fundraising Rummage Sale Nets $19,000?
and anonymous, last-minute donor takes it over the top to $20,000!!

Whew! Another successful fundraiser despite the bleak and stormy economic forecast and predicted thunderstorms, donations poured in, sunny hardworking volunteers appeared, shoppers shopped, the rain stayed away and we breezed through it! One might say, "The Cat Gods were with us!"

Many heartfelt thank-you's to our local community volunteers for their efforts setting up and managing the rummage sale, and to local businesses for their thoughtful contributions. Thanks to Kitty Hill Resort for Cats, Ocean Honda, Severino's Grill, Shopper's Corner, Staff of Life, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Shampooches, Aptos Village Rattan, Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria, Paws for a Cause, City of Paris, Fleur, The Purrfect Girl, The Buttery, Live Oak Cafe, Far West Nursery, Darrell Burns Photography, Starbuck's Coffee, and Denise Broadwell Photography.

Thanks also to the many individuals that generously give such a wonderful array of useful items and fun and unique treasures for others to discover.

And now, thankfully, Project Purr's feral cat Trap-Neuter-Return program at Adobe Animal Hospital in Santa Cruz can continue on!

Thank You Everyone!