Whiskers and Wine: Dueling Piano Comedy event next weekend

Friday is deadline to purchase tickets

In just a few short days, the largest fundraiser of the year for The Cat Hut and Hamilton County AdvoCATes will be held. The event, which includes a formal dinner at the Briggs Woods Conference Center, a silent auction and a blind wine event will also include entertainment by the Dueling Piano team.

Sunshine Duffy is coordinator of the event and is still working on donations for the auction portion of the event. Ticket sales are going well but there is still a lot of work to do.

"The silent auction is going, but it's a little slower," Duffy said. "We moved it up a month, so that has crunched us for time."

The Cat Hut is a 501C3 organization under the umbrella of Hamilton County AdvoCATes. Their cat and collection adoption services include not only the care and feeding of those up for adoption, but those who are waiting for surgery through the Trap, Neuter, Release program, which was the original intent of the organization.

But the adoption program has been going well.

'If you have cats, we have cats," she explained, "We only have so much room." She explained that if they are dropped off without an appointment to review the situation, they may not have a place for them. Their compassion makes them scramble to find a foster home, and if the animals are not neutered, the situation becomes even more complicated. Male and female siblings have to be separated, as they can start having litters as young as four months.

So the need for the fundraisers to support The Cat Hut are necessary for continued service.

The ticket sales for the Whiskers and Wine dinner are going well, she said, "We have about 75 seats so far, but hoping to have at least 200."

The cost of the dinner is $50 per plate, but they have a deal for a table of eight at $350. They are hoping with more full tables sold, they will energize the attendance with each table holder helping to guarantee sold seats.

The work of The Cat Hut has proved to be a work of compassion for all the volunteers and employees, in addition to the Board of Directors for AdvoCATes.

"It's a free service," said Duffy, "Just talk to us, don't take advantage of us."

And that is the way the donations go further and provide more homes for kittens and mature cats.