Sometimes people need a little help showing their soft side, and occasionally that help comes in the form of…well…vodka.
Show Your Soft Side (SYSS), a volunteer-based organization whose mission is to combat animal abuse, announced a national sponsorship with Tito’s Handmade Vodka to bolster the work of the Street Kitty Medical Fund. The fund is the leading resource for street cats in Baltimore, providing emergency medical and dental care for cats who have been abandoned or born on the streets.
Costs for this care exceed $100,000 annually and are increasing every year. SYSS tries to keep up with the expenses with small donations from its many supporters, but they got a big boost from Tito’s Handmade Vodka in the form of a $20,000 sponsorship.
“This marks the first time a national company has supported the Medical Fund, which lessens the suffering of homeless cats, many of whom were likely former pets that were subsequently abandoned,” reads the press release announcing the sponsorship.
Between its launch in 2019 and October 2023, the Street Kitty Medical Fund has covered 1,416 emergency room visits, surgeries, dental procedures, and veterinary appointments for cats and kittens.
“Street cats are vulnerable to illness, injury, and abuse. Their teeth rot, they suffer from malnutrition and respiratory infections, untreated wounds, and broken limbs and tails. Periodically, veterinarians have discovered pellets embedded in their bodies during their emergency exams,” said Sande Riesett, co-founder of Show Your Soft Side. “We are incredibly grateful that Tito’s not only understands but is willing to help with what really is a community problem. Unlike years past, most of the kitties that come through our Medical Fund aren’t ferals but instead friendly cats who, through no fault of their own, are left to fend for themselves in the streets.”
At the start of 2023, SYSS began to track the outcomes of the cats who received services through the medical fund and were encouraged by their findings.
“We were thrilled to learn that 65% of the cats assisted by the Street Kitty Fund were ultimately adopted or relocated to sanctuaries and barn homes rather than being returned to the streets,” said Riesett. “These cats just want to be loved, so the fund has not only saved their lives but changed them for the better.”
“We’re honored to support Show Your Soft Side’s Street Kitty Medical Fund and bring national awareness to the wellbeing of abandoned cats. At Tito’s Handmade Vodka, we’re not just Vodka for Dog People, we’re passionate about supporting all our furry friends alike,” said Beth Bellanti-Pander, Vodka for Dog People Program Director at Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
Show Your Soft Side, Inc. began as a public service campaign whose goal is to spread the message that compassion towards animals is a sign of strength, not weakness. Today, it’s an all-volunteer, registered 501c3 using its reach and resources to build a better world for animals, and in so doing, build better adults.
In July, SYSS held a “Softie Homecoming” in which Baltimore celebrities attended a fundraising soiree with adoptable four-legged “dates” by their sides.
