Meet Yvonne Foster: a pilot for almost 29 years, a lifelong friend to cats, and a generous donor to the HBSPCA. Yvonne has spent her life with cats. Where Yvonne is, cats inevitably are, too. She currently has three —Mickey, Minnie, and Oswald—that she and her husband rescued. She believes cats are great companions and have wonderful cuddly personalities. The love of a cat is something close to her heart.
Yvonne has been a donor to the HBSPCA since 2004. She began by donating bags of cat toys and participating in the HBSPCA lottery. She has always wanted to do more to help animals in need, but her hectic work schedule is an obstacle. So she got creative, and in 2017 started making catnip-filled mice toys—which take about 15 minutes each to make—and then sold them in veterinary clinics for $2 each as fundraisers for the HBSPCA. Six years later, Yvonne’s catnip toys are still raising funds, and are available at about 15 local vet clinics. For Yvonne, this is a fun and easy way for her to pass the time between flights and has become an enjoyable hobby on her days off.
Her toys are very popular with both pets and pet parents. They sell out quickly in the vet clinics. The resident cats will attempt to get into the boxes, so much so that some clinics have to store the toys in containers that stealth feline thieves can’t access. Yvonne’s own cats will occasionally snatch a toy away from her as she is making them and will conduct what she calls “quality control.”
The toys are so successful that sometimes Yvonne has a hard time keeping up with demand. Rising costs and time constraints has made it harder for her to purchase and grow catnip to continue making these toys and supporting a cause she cares for deeply. If you are interested in donating catnip to help Yvonne help animals in need, please drop off your donation at our shelter at 245 Dartnall Road or you can check out our Amazon Wishlist and have your donation shipped to us.
Yvonne, thank you for all the amazing work you have done for the animals at the HBSPCA. The time and effort that you put into your creations does not go unnoticed and we appreciate your dedication to this cause.