We invite everyone in the NE Iowa area to come to the Waverly Pizza Ranch on Wednesday, June 28th, 2017 from 5PM to 8PM. Our Rustic Hollow staff and volunteers will be serving you that night for tips. We get a percentage of the sales and deliveries on the night, as well as tips. It is a good fund raiser for us and we need your attendance. Mark your calendars now.




2017 OPEN HOUSE at Rustic Hollow

Our Rustic Hollow Open House will be held in AUGUST this year.; The second Sunday in August, August 13th, we will host an Open House for you to come visit your sponsored kitty and all the cats in residence. It will be from 10AM to 5PM. Dress down, wear jeans. Most of the kitties have claws and even trimmed, they can be felt. So mark  your calendars now for a fun day visiting the Rustic Hollow furs and meeting our terrific staff!!!
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Wow! It's December 28th and our first real snow storm. We had one in November but it all melted away very quicky. All 8 inches of it. And that is unusual for snow to melt in Iowa once it blankets the earth. Since then we  have had rain, rain, mud, warm weather in the 60's & 70's a couple times. All very unusual for Iowa in the winter too. Our first lasting snow (I think) came Christmas Eve afternoon. Not much, but enough to make it a 'white Christmas' in Iowa which always puts everyone in the Christmas spirit. 
Today their prediction for a big snow came. Not sue how much we will end up with but it is still snowing steadily and blowing. It's nice to be inside today. 
I want to thank the staff who braved the morning weather and came in to care for the furs. And we even had company today!!! They drove down from Minnesota and thanks to one of our staff, Anna Schmitz, they got the grand tour. They will be heading into Illinois and back to their state, New York. I imagine they probably think this 'winter storm' is nothing since they are from New York. Just a little snow.....
Some of the staff is still here in the mid afternoon. I am grateful to them for being here for the furs.
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It is December 25, 2015 and after a month of rain, mud, water in our basement, and more rain...On December 24th, we got snow. Not a lot, but we are having a 'White Christmas at C & W. Today is a good time to reflect on the past year, and also a good time to get some Christmas photos of the furs (which I will be doing later today). Check out the Facebook albums posted on December 25, 2015 on our Rustic Hollow Shelter Facebook page.
​Wanda and I so appreciate the staff who come in on Christmas and all holidays to care for the felines needs and daily care and cleaning. We appreciate our staff very much. We gathered on the 22nd to celebrate November and December birthdays at a potluck in Bradley's House. We try to have birthday potlucks several times a year, another way to honor our staff and show our appreciation for their tireless and hard work. We also have volunteers who came to our party as well. We have a good team now and that is very important to Wanda and I.

​ Well, a first happened at Rustic Hollow just before Christmas, December 22nd, 2015. A wedding was held at Rustic Hollow.. not the FIRST wedding, as one was held in the upper room in Bradley's House in 2013. But the FIRST 'kitty' wedding was held. Let me telly ou the story of Woody & Alice.
Alice was rescued by a kind man in Virginia. She was found near death with maggots in both eyes. While Alice was at the veterinary hospital, a home was being looked for. Alice was going to be totally blind and her rescuers and Sharon's Critter Action Team' (S.C.A.t) went to work. They asked if Rustic Hollow would take little Alice, who was only 12 weeks old. We agreed. And we started our search for the purrfect companion for little Alice. Since we have no other kittens at C & W, we called a rescue friend Vicky at Whispurring Hope Rescue in Dubuque Iowa. We said we wanted a 12 week old kitten who was very mellow and laid back.  Well, she could not have chosen a  more perfect kitten than little Woody, who also had a rough start in life. They came to Rustic Hollow just a week apart. Woody waited for his little lady friend and right away, Alice established herself as 'the boss' and Woody said, "OK." And their relationship blossomed in just a couple of days. When Alice said "You need a bath," Woody would just lay down and let her give him a complete bath. A special room was built for them in The Kat Barn and moving day was exciting for them. They had many toys to play with and much to explore. 
Now, back to the wedding..... Their friends in Virginia decided that these two were such a special couple, they should be married. One of the S.C.A.T. volunteers made Woody a top hat, a veil for Alice, and a tiny satin pillow with two rings. And an engagement Amazon wedding registry went out. The newly engaged couple received many gifts for themselves and for their pals too. What better time to have a wedding......at Christmastime.
So here are the photos from that special day.. For two very special Rustic Hollow furs.

Rustic Hollow would like to thank the following businesses who sponsored our Cruisin' for the Claws & Paws of Rustic Hollow Shelter held Saturday, September 12th, 2015. It was a very successful event and raised money we truly needed to help the CW furs.

Jerry K. Ask Investment Services~Cedar Rapids, Iowa
ZOETIS~Charles City
Jodie A. Buehler, DDS LLC Family Dentristy~Charles City
Lou's LP Co., Nashua~Lou & Shelley Harrington 
First State Bank~401 Main Street, Nashua~Glenn McMichael
Tangled Root Cafe & Catering~322A Main Street~Nashua
Pederson Plumbing~Nashua~Al Pederson
Cronin, Skilton & Skilton P.L.L.C. 'Attorneys at Law'~Nashua
Schueth ACE Hardware~Charles City & New Hampton

August & September fund raising events for Rustic Hollow: MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!!!

Saturday August 8, 2015 - Saturday, August 22nd, 2015 ONLINE AUCTION at https://www.biddingforgood.como/rustichollowshelter/
 (SEE POST BELOW for more information

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2nd, 2015:  CALLING ALL PIZZA FANS in NE Iowa.
If you are in the Waverly, Cedar Falls/Waterloo, New Hampton or anywhere within driving distance, come join us on Wednesday, September 2nd. We will be at The WAVERLY PIZZA RANCH raising money by bussing tables plus all tips. A percentage of all orders plus take-out will go to our non profit that night from 5-8pm. Please join us. Enjoy a great pizza buffet and help us raise money. Bring your friends. Make this an even bigger fund raiser than last year for the Rustic Hollow furs.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12th:  Rustic Hollow's Cruisin' for Claws & Paws Charity Ride: Classy Cars/Hot Rods, Motorcycles, Vehicles Old and New JOIN US FOR A TOUR, AND A FREE MEAL AT THE END OF THE DAY AT TANGLED ROOT CAFE & CATERING, NASHUA.
Mark Your calendars now and please come ride with us that day. This is our second year and we want this to be a BIG ride. MORE info will be posted later in our NEWS section here on our website. If you know you can come that day, please email Carmen at cwshelter@wildblue.net and be the first to sign up.

C & W’s Rustic Hollow Shelter’s August 2015 
ONLINE AUCTION
Will Start Saturday, August 8th at 8AM EDT
and end Saturday, August 22, at 10PM EDT


 You cannot preview any of the items but
 I will be teasing you on Facebook with some of the items.
On Saturday morning August 8th, you will find our auction at
the following link. It will take you directly to our auction where
you can register to bid.
https://www.biddingforgood.com/rustichollowshelter/

Lots of unique items.  Over 200 items to view and bid on.
Be sure to click on the photos of each item to see a larger view and
Some items have several photos with different angles of the item up for bid.

From hand crafted items to collectibles, books,
cat blankets and catnip toys too; antiques, cat figurines,
 Beautiful cat quilts, vintage items, Lots of 
costume jewelry and new jewelry too; original artwork…

And much more!!
So Mark Your Calendars NOW.. And
Help us Raise money for the Rustic Hollow furs!!
WE MAIL ITEMS TO ANY STATE.
Postage will be included in your winning bid.
 
Another way to find us: Go to the BiddingforGood.com website and
click on“Browse Auctions” and on the right side, it will say
‘filter by state’ and you can scroll down to Iowa and we should appear.
It will tell you on top how to register so you can bid.
But typing the link in your browser is much easier.
Please Share with your friends and family.

Our Sunday, June 14th open house was a beautiful day and we met many new faces and some always welcome and familiar faces as well who return each year to spend time with the Rustic Hollow felines. I also want to thank our staff and all the volunteers who shared in getting things ready before open house and also during the day. Our staff show a lot of pride in our organization and what our mission is for the felines and I am very proud of them. They work hard every day caring for their feline furry charges and they are appreciated. And as you can see the felines needed a much needed rest from their busy day of entertaining. Of course every day is a busy day at Rustic Hollow. We get visitors often during the summertime.

 (SUNDAY, JUNE 14TH) IS 0PEN HOUSE at Rustic Hollow. Everyone is welcome to attend if you are in Iowa or traveling through. We have a terrific staff, and some terrific felines who will greet you in their own fun, funny, quirky and happy ways. The felines love company and now that the weather is nicer we are getting lots of visitors stopping by and a couple special volunteers came by this week:
Shaun Reisner and Sue Jurgensen. 
Sue interned for us for a year during her classes to become a Vet Assistant. And assist us she did. She still comes when she can to help with a spay neuter clinic, or general nail trims for the furs and helps in any way she can. Well, Sue is a wonderful artist as well. She is friends with Shaun Reisner, a Fredericksburg, Iowa artist who also is extremely talented.
Sue volunteered herself and Shaun as she knew we needed a 'cloud' 'fix' in The Kitty Kottage on the ceiling. An attempt at putting clouds on the ceiling did not turn out to actually look like clouds, though the attempt was very much appreciated. Shaun and Sue 'fixed' our clouds and made our ceiling complete. They also spent time with the felines and are planning on coming back for open house this year too.
We really appreciate all of our volunteers who help out in so many ways!
And we appreciate our staff for all the work they do day in and day out to make our facility cleaner and brighter for the furs. And for their attention to details when it comes to keeping an eye on their small charges and bringing any health needs immediately to our Vet Tech and shelter veterinarian. 
Come see what we are about first hand. We think you'll like the experience. 

Shaun Reisner gets some help with his painting project at C & W

Sue Jurgensen working on one of the clouds

Our annual Open House will be held on Sunday, June 14th, 2015 from 10 AM-5 PM. It is a great day to sit under the furs, spend as long as you like in each of our buildings and get acquainted with our wonderful staff. After all, it IS our staff of 11+ and our volunteers who 'are' Rustic Hollow. They are the ones who create the quality of living the felines at Rustic Hollow are accustomed to and they are the ones who keep the cat areas clean and neat. They are the ones who help with repairs and some of the remodeling. They are the ones who paint, spend extra time with the kitties, tend to their health care needs and so much more.  I merely am in the shadows with minor guidance and checking in to visit the felines myself occasionally. Oh, and I am the Fund Raiser at this point til someone steps up and says...."I can write grants."....

Our Open House is just a great day to visit, meet other cat lovers, have some light refreshments and you are welcome to bring donations for the furs. We welcome treats, food, supplies, cat trees, cat beds..... just about anything cat related.   If you can't make it on June 14th, you are welcome to visit any time, any day of the year. Just email us in advance.