Mewsletter Blog

A very big thank you to Austin’s own People’s Pharmacy.

Austin’s independent pharmacy chain serves not only people, but pets too! They will be donating a portion of their revenue from prescriptions for animals to Thundering Paws.

If your furry loved one has a prescription, get it filled at People’s (and pet’s!) Pharmacy. Not only will you get incredible, hands-on service from “Austin’s favorite pharmacy,” but you will benefit Thundering Paws and other animal rescue groups.

Please read our latest newsletter, which can be viewed on the website at this link. We have had another good year of helping animals get rescued, get well, get happy, and get homes. We couldn’t possibly have done it without your help. Only together can we continue our mission, so close to our hearts.

I want to tell you about Harold. Adopted to a family, he lived with them for 10 months and then they asked us to take him back. This is exactly what we want people to do with animals adopted from us who can no longer be in their adoptive homes, and we gladly brought him back into Thundering Paws. There is nothing wrong with Harold: he and his adoptive family simply were not a good fit. He is large, calm, well mannered (unless you have canned food that you aren’t giving him), friendly, and one of the most gorgeous cats we have ever seen. There is a kittenish quality about Harold that draws people to him. We know he will find a forever home soon.

I also want to tell you about Blackie. She was a restaurant cat at the now defunct El Arroyo Cafe on Bee Cave Road. When the restaurant closed, we took her, and found her a home with a family of other long-time El Arroyo patrons. About a week ago, she ran out of the house and into the nearby woods. Thundering Paws volunteers came to the house with traps and suggestions, and we will continue encouraging the family, and working in the neighborhood until we retrieve her.

The reason I am telling you about these two is to demonstrate that our dedication to animals doesn’t stop once the animal is adopted. We will always do whatever we can for any animal we have ever brought in, named, and loved.

We want to continue to be here, in perpetuity, for these little beings, and to do that, we need your financial support. Please give us what you can to pay for our overhead, vaccinations, veterinary care, gasoline, salaries, supplies, cat litter, and cat, dog, and bunny food. Contributions can be mailed to P.O. Box 1555, Dripping Springs, Tx 78620, or made through our PayPal button on this page.
Thank you for what you do for Thundering Paws, and for everything you do for animals.

Sincerely,
Anne Zabolio

People are so generous during the holiday season! That’s one reason that it’s a major fund-raising time of year for us. Help us earn money to pay our vets, provide shelter, and buy food and supplies for our many animals. Here are our holiday volunteer opportunities. For gift wrapping, we have these times at Bookpeople on Lamar at 6th Street:

Wed., Dec. 16, 2 pm to 4 pm, and 4 pm to 6 pm
Thurs., Dec. 17, 2 pm to 4 pm, and 4 pm to 6 pm
Sat., Dec. 19, 8pm to 11pm
Sun., Dec. 20, 4 pm to 6 pm, and 6 pm to 8 pm
Tues., Dec. 22, 4 pm to 6 pm, and 6pm to 8 pm
Thurs., Dec. 24, 4 pm to 6:30 pm, and 6:30 pm to 9 pm
Fri., Dec. 25, 12 to 3 pm

We will be doing Santa Claws and Paws at Petsmarts for these dates, times and locations:

Saturday, December 19th at Brodie Lane Petsmart (10:45-1:30 or 1:15-4)
Sunday, December 20th at Bee Caves Petsmart (10:45-1:30 or 1:15-4)

Santas and their attendant elves and photographers (three per shift and kids are GREAT as one of the elves, because someone has to run up to the cash register with each customer’s pictures) will cover shifts from either 10:45 am to 1:30 pm, or 1:15 to 4:00 pm each of those days. So, for example, you could sign up as a Santa Claws on Sunday, December 20th from 10:45 to 1:30. Petsmart supplies everything — Santa suit, beard, camera, film. We just supply the people.

WE REALLY NEED SANTAS! Sometimes it’s hard to get guys to do this gig, but, really — it’s FUN! Anyone who can cajole a husband, boyfriend, brother, son, father, or what not into being a Santa, please do — seems you need to be male to be a Santa.

Please email us if you can help with any of these events. Thank you!

Thanks to so many people, Pawstock 7 was a great success!

We’d like to thank Waterloo Ice House for providing such a perfect environment. Thanks also to all the volunteers who helped with organization, setup, clean up, and the many other tasks needed to put on a huge event like this. And thanks to the performers who gave their time and talent to help us raise money to support the many sweet animals in our care: Jackson, Stevie Tombstone, Chris Gates, T. Tex Edwards and his band, and the Therapy Sisters.

Jackson

Stevie Tombstone

Chris Gates

T. Tex Edwards and band

Therapy Sisters

Pawstock 7 will take place this year at the new Waterloo Ice House location in Bee Cave.

Music! Food! Silent Auction! Sunday, October 4, 2009, 3 to 7 p.m. at Waterloo Ice House across from the Galleria. The address is 12815 Shops Parkway Suite 100 at the Northwest corner of Hwy 71 & Bee Cave Road,
Austin, Texas 78738.

Scheduled performers include The Therapy Sisters, T. Tex Edwards, Chris Gates, Stevie Tombstone, Jackson, and Zac Morgan.

Suggested donation is $15 at the door (but you can give us more, or even less, just c’mon and join us for a fun event!).

For more information, call (512) 402-9725 or e-mail us at www.thunderingpaws.org

Aaack! Alas, our Pawstock 7 venue is no more. They have unexpectedly closed their doors, leaving Pawstock 7 homeless. We are scrambling to come up with an alternate location. Please watch this space and your email for new information as it is available. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes with your plans, and appreciate your continued support.

A big, furry Thank You to Scholz Biergarten for graciously allowing us to set up our donation table every Wednesday night since May 13th during the free Wednesday Concert Series. The staff has been wonderful and the food and beer… yummy! Your kindness has enabled us to continue caring for our 80+ cats during this record-breaking Texas summer. Thank you so VERY much to owner Tom Davis, managers Hayley and Fred, and to the rest of the hard-working staff!

As August comes to a close, we want to thank everyone who contributed to our Drive for Five fundraiser. Thanks to all of you who sent in donations, and who passed along the word to your friends, we came very close to reaching our goal of $5000! And donations are still coming in. Without your help, we would not be able to make it through these difficult financial times.

Kitten Paws for Pawstock!

Our next big fundraiser, Pawstock, is just around the corner. Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 4th, and plan to join us at Casa de Luna’s El Arroyo restaurant in Bee Cave. Pawstock begins at 3pm and fun continues until 7pm. Great food, great entertainment, silent auction, and more. We’ll post more details here as they are finalized.

Are you on Facebook? You can also see Pawstock information at this link. Invite all your friends!

Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary always has a tough time getting donations in the summer. And this summer is particularly difficult because we can’t ask our volunteers to stand outside sympathetic businesses and solicit donations in 105 degree weather! By August every year, we are out of money and this year is just a little worse.

Therefore, we have initiated The Drive for Five. If you can send us at least $5.00, and ask your friends to do the same, we hope to reach our goal of $5,000.00 by the end of August. You can send your donation through PayPal, at http://www.thunderingpaws.org/donations/financial.php,
or through the mail to P.O. Box 1555, Dripping Springs, TX 78620.

Five dollars buys food for a bunny for a month, or two weeks worth of food and litter for one cat. It buys monthly flea preventative for one cat. It cools our facility for the hot part of a day.

Thank you for sending what you can. And thank you in advance for passing this on to your friends who also love animals. Without you, we could not carry on our mission. And thanks for everything you do for animals!

Julia Hilder, one of the amazing feral cat trappers in the Austin area, has made this short video about the miracle of birth (click the link to view the video):

Sunday Has Her Kittens

Please, please, spay and neuter your pets, and support spay and neuter programs for feral cats. One litter at a time, it does make a difference.