## Toe Beans Cat Rescue 2021 Annual Review
Toe Beans Cat Rescue was started in January 2021. The aim was to provide a cat rescue service in the Uttlesford District, where there was a recognised need as rescues in neighbouring districts and counties were not able to operate in this rural area due to lockdown restrictions, COVID policies and/or because they do not cover this area.
Our charity number is 1194490, which was granted in May 2021 by the Charity Commission.
We have helped over 120 cats and kittens through lost and found, adoptions and microchipping. This does not include cats which do not come into our care eg cRTAs or found cats which are scanned and immediately returned to owners.
## Treasurer’s Finance Report
At the end of our financial year we had £4081.38 in our various accounts. This ranged from our current account, paypal, go fund me and cash which was generated by fundraising events and facebook sales.
Once we had our charity status granted we were able to open a bank account with Natwest. In the interim, the CVSU kindly offered to hold our monies for us. This was all closed on the 2[nd] September 2021.
For our first year, we had a total income of £17019.85, and expenditure at £13700.83. At year end we were still awaiting a cheque of £317.11 from a GoFundMe campaign.
Our biggest expense was in Vet bills, totalling £9043.97. Many of our Go Fund Me campaigns were to fund some of the largest bills and when our supporters saw the poor conditions the cats were in, they were very willing to help. At certain times we have had to buy medicines, food and litter, however the majority of these are donated.
We invested in some catios for our feral cats, which some of our foster carers were happy to have in their gardens.
We also invested in a gazebo, signage and logoed polo tops for volunteers when attending events. We had various monetary donations, from local businesses, councillor grants and another rescue which had disbanded. These were all put to good use with microchip training, and giving us a good amount in the bank for next year.
We will be applying for Gift Aid once our first year accounts have been submitted, which should generate another portion of income for us.
Here is our full expenditure and income breakdowns
|Type|Item|Value|
|---|---|---|
|Expen|||
|se|Advertising|-18|
|Expen|Ofce||
|se|expenses|-62.75|
|Expen|||
|se|Fees|-88.42|
|Expen|||
|se|Equipment|-96.4|
|Expen|Medicine/fea|-|
|se|etc|102.36|
|Expen|Catio|-|
|se|expenses|103.15|
|Expen||-|
|se|Microchipping|183.27|
|Expen|||
|se|Tshirts|-239|
|Expen||-|
|se|Insurance|327.45|
|Expen||-|
|se|Training|420.48|
|Expen||-|
|se|Food/litter|435.32|
|Expen||-|
|se|Catios|492.99|
|Expen|Event|-|
|se|Expenses|499.01|
|Expen||-|
|se|Mileage|957.03|
|||-|
|Expen||9043.9|
|se|Vets|7|
|||**-**|
|||**13069**|
|**Total expenditure**||**.6**|
|Incom|General|6663.0|
|e|donation|7|
|Incom|||
|e|Cat Donations|5949|
|Incom|||
|e|Fundraising|3335.5|
|Incom|||
|e|Go Fund Me|455|
|Incom|||
|e|FB sales|311.3|
|Incom|Neutering||
|e|deposit|120|
|||**16833**|
|**Total income**||**.87**|
## Volunteers
We have had 64 people volunteer with us, bringing various skills, knowledge, and experience. We have a good team of dedicated (core) volunteers, particularly the foster carers as their voluntary work is full-on 24/7. Ten volunteers have left or resigned, for various reasons.
Our preferred method of communicating with volunteers is through What’s App (Table 1). Many volunteers are in more than one Whats App group. Primary Role shows that Fostering and Lost and Found are the most popular voluntary roles.
Facebook Rooms was trialled once per week for a month but was unsuccessful at engaging volunteer attendance. MS Teams and Zoom have successfully been used for group meetings, particularly useful for Fundraising events and publicity due to volunteers being spread across the District.
_Table 1. Volunteer primary role and What's App membership._
|**Volunteer Role**|**Primary Role**|**What’s App**|
|---|---|---|
|||**Members**|
|Trustees|5|5|
|Foster Carers|8|10|
|Fundraising|2|12|
|Lost and Found|7|12|
|Publicity|5|8|
|Homecheckers|2|5|
|Trappers|2|4|
|Advisory|3||
|No specifc role|6||
|**Total**|**40**|**56**|
Foster carers are subject to a vigorous homecheck and a Fostering Agreement must be signed before fostering is permitted. The Fostering Agreement was updated to prevent people from abusing the fostering system as it was seen as a quick way to adopt a cat.
There are five foster carers active now with a further two on break. There are three people wishing to start fostering in the spring which have been homechecked, and two more applicants to process. Five foster carers have left this year for various reasons, three of these adopted cats from us. One volunteer tried fostering but found her resident cats became very stressed by having a strange cat in their property.
The purchase of 4 catios meant that we were able to offer more cats foster spaces during the summer. These catios were made locally and delivered to foster homes by a Trustee.
## Trapping
We always advise finders of stray cats to follow a procedure to find an owner prior to trapping a stray cat.
It was planned to create a dedicated trapping team. However, this has not yet come to fruition. We do have some volunteers who do regularly offer to help with trapping. All the main trappers have scanners. Online training via Community Cats (America) was offered to trappers but was only taken up by one volunteer.
We have purchased one trap and been donated a second trap. A Trustee loans a personal trap out to us when needed. We have one transfer crate which has only been used once. The total number of scanners available is six, of which four are held by trappers.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Original Lifestyle
18
29
Stray Feral
**----- End of picture text -----**
_Figure 1. Original lifestyle of outdoor cats admitted._
The majority of trapped cats admitted are strays ( _Figure 1_ ). Wherever possible we try to locate owners of stray cats through the Lost and Found team (see Lost and Found). We have trapped two feral family colonies and received one feral family for domestication from another recue. All feral and stray cats and kittens are neutered, microchipped, dewormed and deflead before being returned or rehomed. Kittens are domesticated wherever possible and vaccinated from August upon agreement with our vets. We have had help from other rescues with neutering costs for ferals when requested.
Outcomes of strays and ferals are quite varied (Figure 2). Twelve have been rehomed to domestic homes. Of the current stray cats in Foster (5), one is to be returned to the Rescue he came from in January and three are not in optimum health to be rehomed yet. One is proving difficult to rehome through no fault of her own. Cats presumed Missing after release to new homes (7) are a concern. Owners have kept the cats contained for the recommended period yet inexplicably there is no evidence that the cats are remaining on site. Working
cats (9) have usually been relocated to farms, smallholdings, or stables to continue their outdoor lifestyle. RIP (5) includes cats which have died through Road Traffic Accidents (cRTAs) and found cats which have been euthanised for health or welfare concerns. Cats Reunited with families (8) (see Lost & Found).
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Outcome of
Stray and Feral cats
by Sex
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Foster Domestic RIP Reunited Missing Working
Female Male
**----- End of picture text -----**
_Figure 2. Outcomes for stray and feral cats by sex._
## Lost and Found
We have created a dedicated Lost and Found team. Lost and Found has a separate email address (toebeanscrlostcats@gmail.com) and associated online storage facility. Cats which are brought into our care are added to the lost and found database.
We have helped cats through either trapping and/or using the lost and found procedure (figure 1).
## Admissions
Admissions have come in from Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex Many from built up areas. Most have been one or two admissions, but there have been two instances of multiple cats needing to be rehomed.
Admissions seem to come in waves depending upon how many foster spaces we have available. During our busiest times we had to suggest cats go through the Home 2 Home process or recommend other local rescues to enquirers.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Admissions
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
**----- End of picture text -----**
_Figure 3. All admissions by month._
There have been 21 cats admitted through the Home 2 Home process. This is where cats are kept in their current homes whilst we find suitable potential adopters and is the preferred method for domestic cats unless there are health or welfare concerns which force them to come into foster. Owners frequently use other rescues when their cats are put through the Home 2 Home service in the hope they are rehomed quicker. We have successfully rehomed 11 cats, 4 were rehomed by other rescues. Most of the cats in this service are seniors (10-15 years old) (8) and geriatrics (+15 years old) (4). No kittens have been admitted on a Home 2 Home basis. We currently have 6 cats looking for homes through this service.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Home 2 Home Cats by Age
4 4
5
8
Kitten Juvenile Adult Senior Geriatric
**----- End of picture text -----**
_Figure 4. Age of cats admitted through Home to Home Service_
We have had 69 cats admitted into fostering. This is where cats are cared for by our Foster Carers in their own homes. Half of the cats admitted into foster care
are adults (26) and kittens (20) combined. Geriatrics are least likely to be put through foster (1) (figure 3). We currently have 9 cats in foster. We have successfully rehomed 51 cats through the fostering service.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Age of Foster Cats
12
1 20
10
26
Kitten Juvenile Adult Senior Geriatric
**----- End of picture text -----**
## Homing
Most of the cats and kittens we have rehomed have been to homes within the Uttlesford District. However, we have rehomed some cats to people living in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. Often this is one cat being rehomed into a single cat household. Kittens have either been rehomed in pairs or into a home which already has a resident cat.
We have rehomed 108 cats and kittens since inception, with slightly more males than females requiring new homes (see table 1). We have helped 18 cats and kittens from other rescues, either by offering a foster space or helping to rehome. Other rescues have helped to rehome 9 cats in our database. Twenty seven cats have not been rehomed, this is due to reunification with owners, owners finding a new home or from euthanasia.
_Table 4. Rehoming Statistics for 2021._
|**Detail**|**Total 2021**|
|---|---|
|Cats admitted to foster|69|
|(Males|35)|
|(Females|29)|
|Cats requesting Home 2|21|
|---|---|
|Home||
|Cats rehomed from other|18|
|rescues||
|Cats rehomed to other|9|
|rescues||
|Total rescue involvement|115|
|Cats not rehomed (PTS/|27|
|owner rehomed/ owner||
|found/ other)||
## Microchipping
At inception, we did not have any trained microchip implanters and we were being charged full rate by vet surgeries due to not having charitable status.
Two volunteers were trained in May 2021 through grant funding provided by a large company in Shire Hill, Saffron Walden and a District Councillor. Since then, we have microchipped 33 cats and kittens prior to rehoming and 10 owned cats. Due to three chips failing to be scanned at a later date, we have now started rescanning chipped cats to ensure chips are still in place and operational.
We offer a microchipping service to the public in their own homes. This is evenings and weekends only. The Governments decision to make microchipping of cats mandatory has not resulted in an influx of enquirers yet. The total number of scanning devices available is six, distributed across the District and surrounding areas.
Microchipping is part of the health and welfare of cat ownership, along with neutering and vaccinations.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Neutering Status
19
24
Yes No Unknown
**----- End of picture text -----**
_Figure 6. Neutering status at time of microchipping._
The neutering status of all cats microchipped is known. Where cats have not been neutered at time of microchipping it is simply because they are too young, showing the discrepancy between microchipping age (from 10 weeks) and neutering age (from 16 weeks).
Vaccination status is known for most cats admitted through the foster and Home 2 Home services, but not for strays or ferals. No data has been collected on owned cats. Due to a shortage of vaccine, only kittens are being vaccinated by us at the present time time.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Vaccination Status
10 10
23
Yes No Unknown
**----- End of picture text -----**
_Figure 7. Vaccination status at time of neutering._
## Publicity
We have submitted articles to local newspapers in Saffron Walden and Great Dunmow, and to Twelve town and village magazines. One newspaper company wished to charge us £500 to run an article to make readers aware of our existence in January 2021. We declined this offer as we did not have sufficient funds at the time.
Online, we have accounts on Facebook and Instagram, have access to Next Door app and use a Google Business page.
## Facebook
## _Page_
This is a business page, which we use to engage with potential adopters and supporters. We currently have 1,133 Facebook likes and 1246 Followers.
## _VIC Group_
This private group has 203 members. The main purpose is to allow foster carers, finders, previous owners and adopters to keep in touch through posting updates on cats and kittens which have been through our system. A few adopters have posted updates of the cats in their new homes. Other updates come via fosters.
## _Fundraising Group_
This private group has 174 members. The primary purpose is to provide a platform for selling donated items and raise awareness of fundraising events (both online and real world).
## Instagram
The Instagram account is connected to the Facebook account. We follow local businesses, other rescues worldwide and pet accounts (see table 2). A large donation of Christmas dinners were supplied through the generosity of one of our supporters and their followers.
_Table 5. Data for Instagram since creation of account._
||**August **|**2021**|**December **|**2021**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Followers|413||518||
|Following|1014||1190||
|Posts|295||400||
## Google
The Google Business Listing is a free add on with the Gmail account. The address is toe-beans-cat-rescue.business.site. This has the capacity to create posts, events and offers whilst advertising our services (see table 2). The Google account can also direct enquirers to our website.
_Table 2. Data from Google Business Listing._
||**August**|**2021**|**December**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**2021**|
|Found us on the Google Business|4790||4266|
|Listing||||
|Used the “Call Us” function|13|15|
|---|---|---|
|Asked Google for directions to us|22|28|
|Visited the Google Business|295|377|
|Listing/website|||
|Interacted with the Business|781|1150|
|Listing|||
## Fundraising
We do not currently have a designated fundraising team; however, we do have volunteers who help at real world events and supporters who regularly share events on social media. Funds have come from a variety of sources including grants, donations, and adoption fees.
## Events
We have organised four events so far, three in the real world, one online. Further events are being planned (see table 3).
_Table 6. Approximate money raised through fundraising events._
|**Event**|**Approx. Money**||
|---|---|---|
||**Raised (£)**||
|Cofee Morning||300|
|Summer Sale||500|
|Pop-up Gift Shop||170|
|Online Plant Sale||100|
## Donation Tins
We have purchased some charity boxes which have a two-fold purpose. Firstly, to raise awareness of Toe Beans as a new cat rescue charity operating in this area, and secondly for fundraising (see table 4).
_Table 7. Locations of donation tins._
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Manzil Indian Pharmacy, Nisa Thaxted The Bell Pub
Takeaway Saffron Stansted Wendons Ambo
Walden =
removed
November 2021
due to closing
down.
Nigel Quiney Nisa, Saffron Wimbish Garden Animall, Littlebury
Publications, Walden (Cromwell Centre
Saffron Walden. Road)
Removed
November 2021
for use at
Christmas
fundraising
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
events.
Ish and Chips, Sparrows End Arts Decoratif,
Saffron Walden Farm Shop Saffron Walden
Deja Vu, Saffron Shop, Audley End
Walden Station
**----- End of picture text -----**
## Collection Points
We have successfully gained 3 food Collection Points, located at Saracens, Thaxted, Lowes, Thaxted and Robsons Feed, Clavering. Other businesses have been asked but have declined for various reasons.
## Online Fundraising
We have a Go Fund Me page, which was used to help generate set up funds. We are signed up to easy Fundraising and have an Amazon Wish List.
## Equipment
Equipment can be hired out, which we keep a record of.
## Health and Safety (Accidents)
5 incidents of a cat biting or scratching 5 individuals were reported, all involving the same cat. One victim approached the cat despite a warning. Awareness of cat body language, and need to label baskets/warn vet staff when an aggressive or unpredictable cat is at vets were highlighted (a vet nurse was bitten).
The other reported incident was unrelated to specific rescue activities and involved a fall when the volunteer was delivering leaflets about an event.