JULY 13, 2008 IT'S KITTEN SEASON!! So, you'll find us set up at the Jacksonville PetSmart some extra Saturdays to give everyone a chance to see lots more spayed/neutered kittens and cats! Our regular Topcat Adoptathons will continue the FIRST AND THIRD SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH at the Jacksonville PetSmart . We're holding another Adoptathon at the Jacksonville PetSmart this SATURDAY, JULY 19th and will be there again on SATURDAY, AUGUST 2. Stop by visit us and see all the cats and kittens waiting to greet you....and go home with you forever.

DON'T FORGET... there are spayed/neutered cats and kittens in The Sound Cat's Adoption Room all the time, just waiting for someone to visit and give some hugs (and maybe take home forever.) See details below

PLEASE remember to support the businesses who display our Topcat Donation Banks. We are very grateful for their support! And we're very grateful for your support too, especially when a stray cat or kitten is rescued by someone and has a major injury or problem. It helps if we have some money set aside for those emergencies! Consider a donation specifiying our "Cat Angel Fund," which is held just to help cover the expenses incurred from major surgery or emergencies. Sometimes, spaying or neutering is just a small part of the expense. Saving the life may be the first requirement.

JUNE 22, 2008 Operation Topcat is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization started in 1995 by a few residents of Topsail Island, NC to assist others who were trying to do the same thing we were: help the stray and feral cats in our area. We now assist rescuers and caretakers from a much larger area ranging from Hubert, Jacksonville and points west to Hampstead and points south, still covering Topsail Island, our starting point, as well as Surf City’s mainland area, Holly Ridge and Sneads Ferry.

Our main limitation is, of course, funding! While we don't lose much money on adoptions of our tame cats and kittens, provided they are healthy when found, caring for sick kittens and cats does reduce the number of cats we can help, and money spent on the ferals can only be made up by donations. However, spaying and neutering of ferals is vital if we are ever going to reduce the population of cats in a humane and caring way!

We now have a Board member who is specifically in charge of our feral cat caretaker assistance program. Keep in mind that while “feral” means wild and consequently unadoptable, these are often fairly docile cats. Caretakers who have been feeding one or more ferals may even be able to pet some of their ferals. In other cases, the caretaker may only be able to bring food and after moving away, the cats will come out of the brush or woods.

The most important point is that these cats must be spayed or neutered or the caretaker feeding 1 or 2 cats, even young cats (female kittens can go into heat as young as 4 months) will soon be feeding 5 or 10 and that number can go up fairly quickly since cats can have 3 litters in a year. But, let’s not forget that unless the males get neutered, they can cover quite a bit of territory leaving litters of kittens everywhere! For feral (wild) cats our organization follows the Trap/Neuter/Return (T/N/R) program recommended internationally. With this method, feral cats are trapped, neutered, and have an ear tipped for easy recognition. They are then returned to their home colony for continued care and love by their caretakers. Often we are able to get kittens when they are young enough to still be socialized by Topcat volunteers who will foster and tame them. And, yes, we do always need more volunteers for fostering!

All tame cats and kittens must be available for adoption to be considered for our program. We have only a few foster homes and usually must ask the person who asked for our help with a cat or kitten they have rescued to continue to foster through the testing, shots and spay or neuter (paid for at least partially by Topcat but donations VERY welcome) until a safe and loving home can be found, usually through one of our PetSmart Adoptathons or from this wonderful Petfinder page. Because many of our cats and kittens are with foster families, we can’t seem to get all of the pictures and write-ups to list here. We’ll keep trying but in the meantime, remember, ALL Topcats and kittens are already tested for Feline Leukemia, spayed or neutered, and up-to-date on shots, just waiting for someone to love them in their very own forever homes!!

Operation Topcat is always looking for safe, loving homes for all our Topcats, and has an adoption form which prospective adopters will need to complete. We ask for a donation of $70 for an adoption. All Topcats available for adoption have been tested for Feline Leukemia, spayed or neutered and are up-to-date on their shots. We occasionally need a safe, loving barn (or garage) home for semi-tame or feral cats that cannot be returned to their colony. We do require that any cats placed in this manner have shelter as well as being fed and watered every day, year-round and be supervised.

MAY 21, 2008 Topcat has no organization shelter. Many of the cats we have spayed or neutered remain with the person who rescued them until we find an adoptive home. Just send an e-mail to request more information on where to visit any of our Topcats in purrson. We are very grateful to be able to participate in this Petfinder program which allows us to let people "see" some of our Topcats looking for homes!

Some of our spayed or neutered cats and kittens can be seen 7 days a week in our five cages in the Adoption Room at the Jacksonville PetSmart, 1335 Western Boulevard. Cats and kittens there are available for visits during PetSmart's business hours. Topcat volunteers are there for our Adoptathons, usually the first and third Saturdays. Volunteers are occasionally there at other times and adoption applications can also be accepted by a PetSmart manager.

Other cats and kittens are taken for complete care, including spay or neuter, by one of our Board members, Dr. Rosemarie Williams. They can be seen in the Adoption Room at Dr. Williams' cats-only veterinary hospital, The Sound Cat , 7775 Market Street, Wilmington, NC. during the hospital's hours: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday, or Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Call The Sound Cat (910-686-0131) for more information on cats in their Adoption Room or directions. Cats for adoption there can also be seen on The Sound Cat's website: http://www.thesoundcat.com

Operation topcat is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that relies solely on the support of volunteers and donations.  Our mission is to help as many stray and feral cats to live a happy healthy life either in their feral colony with a caregiver or in a loving home.

PREFER TO SEND A CHECK - Mail to PO Box 922, Sneads Ferry, NC 28460 your donation will go towards the cost of spay/neuter, vaccinations and Feline Leukemia test of a homeless cat or kitten.

MEMORIAL DONATION - Give a special gift or tribute in honor or in memory of a special friend or loved one and help a homeless pet at the same time.  Be sure to include the name & address of the person you would like to receive notice of your gift and of course the honoree of the donation.

FOOD LION'S SHOP & SHARE PROGRAM - If you shop at Food Lion you can help. Register your MVP card with Operation Topcat, we are one of the charitable organizations, and each time you shop you will be helping a homeless cat. Just email us your name, address and the 12 digit MVP number, and we will register you. It's a wonderful way to help and won't cost you a penny.