Spring is here and the third annual spring planter fundraiser and food drive for NOTL Cat Rescue is just around the corner. 

“One hundred per cent of the proceeds go to NOTL Cat Rescue,” said Tanya Rice, the fundraiser’s organizer and longtime volunteer.

NOTL Cat Rescue is a volunteer-based organization in Niagara-on-the-Lake that rescues stray cats and kittens. 

Kauzlaric Family Farm will be sponsoring the fundraiser this year, which helps with the startup costs, Rice said.  

The sale is April 1 from 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., behind Crossroads Secondary School at 456 Line 2 Rd. in Virgil.

Rice, her mom Joyce and a friend will be making 70 to 80 large and small planters to sell for $25 to $40. 

Some planters will be filled with tulips, while others will be contain geraniums. Fresh pussy willow will be used in each planter, along with a large bright bow and butterfly or dragon decorations.

“We always do it the weekend before Easter,” Rice said. “A lot of people buy them as a hostess gift.” 

Rice’s Christmas fundraiser for the rescue raised about $4,500 and sold 64 plants, she said. 

“We’re always striving to improve ourselves,” Rice said. 

A food drive will also take place and Rice is asking for dry food, wet food and cat litter donations.

Brands like Fancy Feast, Natural Balance and Performatrin for kittens and adults are always needed.

There will also be a raffle table. 

Customers will have a chance to win prizes from businesses like Caroline Cellars Family Estate Winery, Pet Valu in Virgil, the Shaw Festival and Soko Bakery.

There is also a Kate Spade bracelet and a Stella and Dot clutch to be won. 

The proceeds from the fundraiser and raffle will help the rescue cover the medical costs for cats coming into its care. 

This winter more than 20 cats were rescued.  

The spay and neutering costs alone come to $210 and $260 per animal.

“But we never get away with that minimal cost because then there’s the microchipping (and) the vaccination,” Rice said. 

There are also unexpected medical costs, like surgery, which can cost thousands of dollars.

Rice also wants to use the fundraiser as a chance to educate the public on why it’s so important to spay and neuter cats.

“We just took a six-month-old kitten off the streets,” she said.

“Not spayed, not microchipped, she had frostbite all over her little face. Her tail had sustained an injury,” she added.

The kitten, named Ginny, is an example of what the rescue often sees. Her vet bills came to more than $700. 

“As a result of cats not being spayed or neutered, we have a huge increase in kittens in the spring,” she said. 

The rescue is also looking for new volunteers and fosters to help with the influx of cats and kittens.

“We lost four foster homes between the end of February and the beginning of March,” Rice said. 

Foster families will be provided with everything they need to foster a cat, Rice said. 

“You just need the love in your heart and an empty room in your home,” she said. 

Cash and debit will be accepted at the sale.

Anyone looking to volunteer, become a foster or donate to the raffle can email Rice at brownspoint4@hotmail.com.