Giving Back : Propawsition Nine Lives
Every cat matters — including the ones without homes, hashtags, or a safety net.  

Every Cat Matters

If you've found your way here, you may have spotted our colorful and slightly ridiculous Propawsition Nine Lives "cat campaign" signs around town, featuring some of our most well-known community cats proudly championing their very important causes. While the campaign is playful tongue-in-cheek, the mission behind them is real.

Over the past year and a half, we’ve been quietly focused on helping community cats through Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR), medical care, advocacy, and a lot of behind-the-scenes work. We strongly believe that every cat deserves a chance to live out it's nine lives. Some of you already know this story. Others may be meeting it for the first time. Either way, we’re grateful you’re here.

Every Cat Matters is our way of raising awareness — and support — in a way that feels hopeful, human, and a little fun.
Because helping cats doesn’t have to be grim to be important.

Everyone wins in this “election.”
Every vote helps.
And every cat matters.

What We're Doing

We're not a rescue, nonprofit, or shelter and we can't take cats in on demand. We're simply backyard helpers who refuse to look the other way when cats clearly need help. 

It all began with an observant neighbor and a 10oz kitten who wandered out of the woods behind our home, barely alive. We named her Olive Oyl.
What started as helping one cat has grown into ongoing rescue and care for many more. 
​Since then we've: 

• ​Trapped, neutered, returned, fostered, or found placement for 18 cats
• Broken the breeding cycle for multiple colonies
• Continued TNR and daily care for a small group of feral cats returned to their habitat
• Provided food, shelter, vaccines, and medical care

This work is done independently, supplemented with support from generous friends, neighbors, strangers, and gratuities from Nine Lives Twine clients. One of the most humbling lessons has been realizing people want to help when they understand how they can. 

Propawsition Nine Lives 

Propawsition Nine Lives is a satirical "campaign" built around a simple belief:
Every cat matters and deserves to live their full nine lives. 

The campaign uses humor and familiar election imagery to raise awareness and quietly fund real-world care — spay/neuter, medical needs, food and supplies — for community cats. 

The best part about this "election"?
Everyone wins and every vote is cast in the best interest of cats. 

The campaign is ongoing, with rotating candidates, posters and updates. New cats have a way of sneaking into the race — and honestly, we've stopped pretending we control that. 

VOTE/DONATE

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Meet the Candidates

Each of our candidates represents a real community cat (and Olive who is forever home) —with a real story.

Click any campaign poster to:

• Learn about their platform
• Cast a vote (a.k.a.) donate
• Support the care of cats just like them

​PSP PSP PSP...vote as often as you'd like 

HONEY MOO MOO
"As Sheriff I promise to work 2 days a week, be paid for 7 and never nap on the job. I will place bounties on every rat in town!"
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RON "CHEEKS" PURRLMAN
"Ladies love me Queens adore me... even the ones who never saw me like the way that my cheeks steal the show ...the reason why Honey Moo Moo knows!"

TIMMY "TIM TIM"
"We will have a kitty city to be proud of once you elect me to Cat Council. NIP NIP NIP Lower Morningside represent!"
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FENNEL
"I survived a coyote attack and a snare trap. You will not find a stronger advocate for your kittens! We won't talk about the runt I abandoned. New Year New Me"

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OLIVE OYL
"As Judge I vow to let each and every cat off scott free AND pardon every cat wrongfully convicted for any offenses committed while on nip! (3 sardines please)"
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JAMES BOND
"I slink through the darkness so you've probably never met me but I assure you every tale told about me is true! Elect the real life urban legend!"

GOLDENROD
"With decibel meter in paw I promise to quiet every serial barker on every street and return the peace and tranquility you've all been missing!"
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"BOOBERRY "BUSCEMI"
"Ready for low taxes and a collector on the take?  Say hello to small town corruption and elect me to collect snacks in lieu of taxes."

Why Community Cats Need Care

Community cats may not have a traditional "owner", but they aren't always alone. Often, someone nearby is feeding them, worrying about their safety and keeping an eye out for them. 

An ear-tipped cat is a cat in the community that has been spayed or neutered through TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) and returned to their home territory.  These cats are usually feral or unsocialized and once altered they tend to live quietly with their colony. 

Spay and neuter is the single most effective and compassionate thing we can do — it reduces territorial fighting, disease, and endless litters. 

But care shouldn't stop there. 

With an average lifespan of just 2-3 years, feral cats also need vaccines, preventative care, reliable nutrition, and medical help when necessary. It takes more than casual feeding — but these cats deserve it, and we do everything we can to provide it.

How People Sometimes Help

Some people ask how they can support this work. There are a few ways:

• Contribute any amount through paypal or venmo
• "Vote" through the Propawsition Nine Lives Campaign
• Send supplies through our Amazon Registry
• Learn about community cats and share accurate information

Support is never expected — it's simply available if you'd like to give. 

The Reality of Care

• Spay/neuter, vaccines, testing, microchip, flea & tick treatment: $185 per cat
• Basic emergency or urgent outpatient care: ~$1,200
• Dental care (often desperately needed): $600–$3,400
• Wholesome nutrition: $3.60 per day, per cat

Every dollar helps us intervene earlier — and help more cats.
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VENMO ANY AMOUNT

PAYPAL ANY AMOUNT

VOTE/DONATE

AMAZON REGISTRY

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Extreme Weather Care for Pets and Community Cats

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Other Ways to Help Community Cats

• If you have a visitor, provide food if you can and fresh water.
• If a visitor becomes a regular and doesn't have an ear tip, connect with a local rescue for TNR support if you can't trap yourself.
• Offer a winter shelter made from totes or coolers and fill them with straw (never hay) and do not disturb shelters you may see.
• If you see a roaming cat, please don't chase.
• In winter, check under your car and tap on your hood before starting the engine.
• Educate others about the importance of spaying and neutering
• Support local rescue efforts through fostering, shelter building or fundraising.
• Talk with neighbors and be aware of any talk of "nuisance" cats —report any actions to deter cats that even hint at cruelty. 
• Most importantly, if you see a roaming cat understand they are just as deserving of love and care as a fluffy kitten at an adoption event.