Big Cats Wish List
Look around your house and garage. You may have something you don't want that could help us greatly. Your donations are tax deductible and greatly appreciated.
We Need Your Cans: We need your empty coffee cans, peanut cans, or any other kind of tin or cardboard can WITH A PLASTIC LID. If it looks like a drum and sounds like a drum, we can use it for our drumming circle at the Fur Ball. You can decorate it in an African theme, or we will do the decorating. The idea is to have all 750 of our Fur Ball guests have a little mini drum as a center piece on their table that they can use to join in the fun. This will save us hundreds of dollars for center pieces (which means more money for the cats!) and give our guests something to take home as a reminder of the great time they had supporting the cats. This would make a great school or community project. Please mail your clean cans to Big Cat Rescue at 12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL 33625 813.920.4130 Info@BigCatRescue.org
Silent Auction items suitable for resale (animal themed preferred) Here is your chance to find a good use for that gift you got and didn't want or the auction item you bought to support a good cause, but really didn't want. Or donate your services if you are a vet, a dentist, a mechanic, etc. It is great exposure for your business and can really help the cats on our biggest night of the year at the annual Fur Ball.
Chocolate Fountains for our parties, preferably commercial grade 44 inch tall.
Pet carriers (medium and large).
Large, strong nets.
Walkie Talkies and a PA system (Motorolla only)
Unused 3cc syringes with 18-22 Ga. needles for shots.
Gas masks for anesthesia, small to REALLY large. (Not the military type for combat)
Lawn Tools of all kinds, especially shovels, rakes, limb loppers, weed eaters.
Garden hoses, sprayers and nozzles. Hoses need to be: New, Heavy Duty, Anti-Kink, Garden Hose in 25 ft length only. These are available at Home Depot.
Commercial grade ladders in excellent repair and
various sizes.
Bird feeders to attract birds into visual range.
Canoes and paddles, paddle boats, etc.
Storage containers of all sizes.
Cat books for our gift shop and educational center.
Copy paper, office supplies.
Plants, flower and grass seeds. Plants, shrubs, trees... Please check the toxic list first if you are donating plants.
Old perfumes for attracting cats into favored spots.
Old spices for cat enrichment that have not been opened. The cats are intrigued with new scents. For their safety however, we cannot offer spices to them that have been opened and sent to us by people we do not know. The cats often ingest these. The cats favorite spices are: allspice, oregano, nutmeg, apple pie spice, and Italian seasonings. We use most spices that are used for cooking however we do not use any spices mixed with pepper or salt.
New AA batteries or rechargeable with charger for radio contact.
Small T.V.s, Radios, animal videos or DVDs for intern housing.
If you have yard sale items, Kym has a yardsale for Big Cat Rescue every weekend and can sell your stuff with the money going to the cats. Email her at CornishGirl7@msn.com
You can ship any of the above to Big Cat Rescue at 12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL. 33625 along with an invoice estimating the value and we will mail a Donation Receipt back to you. Thank you for helping the Big Cats at Big Cat Rescue!
Want to really make a wish come true? These are some of our more expensive needs. Help us with funding these projects and get special naming rights and other recognition for your generosity.
Shade trees for the cats and for the paying guests $80.00
If you have ever been to Big Cat Rescue you know how wonderful it is to take a walk through our woods and meet all of the lucky cats who have been rescued and now live there in the shady peacefulness. You have probably also just about dropped from heat stroke out by the lions. As we have expanded we have had to build in areas that have no trees. While we have installed pools, misters and artificial shade, it just isn't the same as what mother nature provides. Big trees are expensive and we need lots of them. The bigger the tree, the more shade that it will provide right away, but these require equipment that we don't have and don't have the expertise to rent. Each tree costs $30.00 (limited supply) and $50.00 to move it.
Take the volunteers to lunch $150.00
Big Cat Rescue relies on more than 100 dedicated volunteers who provide 13 Full Time people in manpower hours. They work in the heat, the bugs, the rain and the cold to take care of more than 150 big cats and they do it all for free. Once a month we host a volunteer meeting to make sure everyone knows all the latest news and so that the volunteers can take their training classes. Feeding all of them costs about $150.00 per month. If you would be willing to sponsor a month, you can pick the month and you will be acknowledged for your compassion at the meeting.
The Casper Project $200.00
Casper was a much loved Cougar resident of Big Cat Rescue who was taken from us suddenly by a lightning bolt. As a tribute to this great cat we are outfitting the small cats' homes with lots of ways to have fun and calling it the Casper Project. Each Casper Project is a little different depending on the needs of the cats, but most will include things like swinging platforms, tunnels, ramps, extra branches to climb and toys. Choose your favorite cat for the project or let us select the cat most in need.
Kill the Fleas for a Quarter (1/4 of the year that is) $450.00
Flea prevention is costing us a fortune this year. The Revolution they need costs about $7000.00 per quarter. Truly Nolan sprays between the cages each quarter for $450.00. You can help us keep the cats free of these dangerous and itchy pests by donating to the Flea Treatment Program.
Camera Traps (often called Game cameras) $570.00
Help us track exotic cats in the wild so that we can assist in protecting much needed habitat for them. The best cameras are digital ones because the native people we have trained often do not have access to mail to send us film, but often can get to an Internet Cafe and send the images digitally. Sponsor one of these and we will copy you with the photos we get for a year.
Mosquito Control Device $1500.00
Even though our cats are treated for fleas with Advantage and Revolution, it is just not enough to keep the mosquitoes from biting. We need mosquito traps that are electric powered and cover 1/2 acre. These cost 1500.00 through FrontGate. The black cats suffer more than any others from mosquito bites and will lick "hot spots" or sores from the irritation. Cats like Jumanji, Adonis, Bagheera and Nico would really appreciate your help with this item! Shaq already got one and what a difference that makes!
Surveillance Equipment $2,500.00
As Big Cat Rescue is becoming more successful at ending the trafficking is exotic cats we are increasingly being threatened by people who breed, sell and buy exotic animals and their parts. Even some places that call themselves sanctuaries are doing all they can to stop us because if we end the abusive practices that cause so many of these great cats to suffer abandonment, then they won't have any cats to rescue and people will stop donating to them. The vast majority of people who call themselves sanctuaries are just people who want to stay home and be paid to play with the animals they like to be around.
To safeguard our cats from being released, poisoned or harmed and to protect our staff, volunteers and interns who live at the sanctuary to provide constant care, we need surveillance caners that can monitor our grounds. A four camera system that can tape constantly for four days in a loop which can be monitored by both on site and off site staff only costs about $2,500.00 installed. We need a number of these systems and your help with this project will help us sleep better at night, while we are making sure the cats do.
Misting Fan $3900.00
We want people to have the best experience possible when they visit Big Cat Rescue. The waiting area outside is shaded but many of our guests are from out of state and out of the country and cannot handle the Florida heat. 36" oscillating, portable mist fans are $3900.00 each. These would be great to have on hand for occasions where cats may be sick or recuperating outside rather than having to coop them up in the cat hospital for days on end.
Aeration Pumps $7700.00
You may have noticed that our lake is a funny shade of green. That happens with the oxygen is used up in a lake faster than the natural plants and elements can replace it. We need three aeration systems that cost about $7700.00 each.
New Rear Entrance Gate $16,000.00We are putting a 10 foot wall around the entire property and need a gate at the entrance to the Lion's Lair Party Pavilion. The cost of the gate is $16,000.00 but every visitor would see your name as the proud donor. (This item is no longer available for sponsorship. See below.) |
| Sponsored by Cy and Janet Spurlino! Thankyou |
Generators $?
To keep our own generator up and running would probably be more expensive than to pay a rental fee throughout the year that would keep one on hold for us. To keep our meat cost down and insure a supply if we cannot get deliveries, we have to order in large quantities. We have two freezers that hold about 25,000 pounds of meat and a cooler to defrost the meat. One of the most serious risks to the cats is if Tampa takes a direct hit from a storm that leaves us without power for days and makes meat deliveries impossible. We would lose our supply and have nothing to feed the cats. The kind of generator needed to keep the freezers going costs about $10,000, but they require steady use and maintenance to be reliable, so the rental insurance seems to make more sense than buying one.
We need 4 small generators costing about $700 each at our local Grainger dealer. These are needed to keep the well pumping, the front gate operating, and provide limited power to our buildings.
Be The Bearer of Big Cat News $80,000.00
With more than 77,000 subscribers to The Big Cat Times you can be the one to reach all of these animal lovers and show them just how committed your company is to the protection of some of the world's most charismatic creatures. The Big Cat Times is printed and mailed quarterly. Your sponsorship of this on an annual basis would be $80,000.00 or $20,600.00 for the quarter and includes a full page color ad, subject to approval.
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7000 foot perimeter wall estimated total cost $800,000.00
We have a wall around our property that currently is deteriorating in some places, is not high enough in others and for 5000 feet it is chain link, which means that as the area becomes more densely populated our cats are in increasing danger from poachers and vandals. Help us keep the cats safe from the "animals" who will be moving in next to them by helping us with this project. You can sponsor 1 foot of the 8 foot concrete wall we need for 80.00 by donating and telling us it is for the CatterWall. If you are in the wall building or repairing business we could use your help.
Services Needed
Big Cat Rescue needs publicity. Being a non profit 501 c 3 charity means that many forms of advertising will air ads for us at no charge because in some cases they are required to by the FCC and in others they just want to demonstrate community service. If you are a member of the media you can help us by having our public service announcements made.
Big Cat Rescue needs tractor mowing and bobcat services. Mowing 45 acres takes up a lot of volunteer time and requires us to keep a lot of old tractors working when they should have been retired 20 years ago. Once a month would help us out tremendously.
Expert Second Lifer needed to create a Second Life presence for Big Cat Rescue. We have land and three Avatars, but need someone to create Second Life ads and find placement for them. This person must be one of our trusted Volunteers or AdvoCats.
Expert computer animation person to create computer generated cats for online advertising and television.
Data entry volunteer to build a data base of potential supporters. This person must be one of our trusted Volunteers or AdvoCats.
Someone to promote our ink recycling program to businesses, schools and individuals. More HERE.
To help with any of these issues please contact Carole Baskin:
Big Cat Rescue 12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL 33625
813 920-4130 or Info@BigCatRescue.org