Through 2/14
Twelve years ago, when Debbie & Pete Gulyas arrived in North Collinwood’s Waterloo Arts District to open Blue Arrow Records, they noticed the large number of stray & feral cats in the area, and wanted to do something to help them. So the Waterloo Alley Cat Project was born.
Since then, they’ve had hundreds of cats spayed and neutered to the point where they seldom see kittens born anymore and the population slowly decreases as cats age. She says they see a handful of dumped or abandoned “left behind” cats each year, but they have been successful in finding home for most of these.
They’ve assembled a team of cat-loving volunteers who tend to the cats living in the neighborhood, feeding them and getting them to the vet when needed. Debbie & Pete have turned a former parking lot into a gated cat community, with shelters, a feeding station, a small cottage to isolate certain cats, and in the summer, catnip growing everywhere. Recently, they turned a garage that was formerly used for storage into a shelter for the cats, complete with heated beds. These cats may be outdoor cats, but they’re living the good life!
Debbie estimates that it costs $2,000 a month to feed the approximately 50 cats they care for throughout the neighborhood, with vet bills adding to their costs. Much of that money is raised at their annual benefit which generally takes place in February — a big social gathering of cat lovers who come to eat, drink, bid on donated silent auction art works and gift baskets, buy raffle tickets and share photos of their cats. Last year’s took place at Bottlehouse Brewery in Cleveland Heights.
“When the virus hit, we were all worried about how are we going to raise money,” says Debbie. “So I wrote to a couple of foundations right away and we got emergency funds. But that goes fast.”
So the benefit is happening, but this year’s will take place only online. It won’t be a big party (Debbie says they might have an outdoor event in the summer, if possible), but it will help them feed the felines. The virtual fundraiser is a raffle where, for each $20 ticket, you’re entered in the drawing. The first prize is $1,000, the second is $200, and third, fourth and fifth tickets get gift baskets. The drawing will be held on Facebook on Sunday February 14 @ 5pm. Buy tickets here.
“I think there’s more awareness and compassion for cats now,” says Debbie. “I’m feeling that way from doing this for 12 years. I’m sure they were around but there wasn’t the awareness of them. Now there seem to be more groups springing up in different communities. We get people from all over Cleveland donating. People are very nice about supporting us.”
