For years, Noddy (Itzl's mom) has been running what she calls a "Water Paws Pet Comfort Station" at local outdoor events. She recently diaried about it. While I was reading the diary, sparks began to flare up in the sludgy morass that passes for my mind. "This is such a damn good idea," I thought. "There should be 'water paws' stations at every outdoor event that takes place in hot weather. But there aren't. I'm a cat rescue person and animal lover, and I never even thought of it. Bet a lot of other folks haven't, either. We need to spread the word. This is a fabulous idea."
Noddy's done the heavy lifting for years and years. She knows the ins and outs of getting an effective pet hydration station up and running. I don't. But I do know how to create a (hopefully) elegant and effective Web site and get it online. Why not do a Web site based on Noddy's expertise and knowledge, post it, and try to draw attention to it so that other people are motivated to create their own "water paws" stations at the outdoor events in their areas?
Here's the rough draft of the home page of the site. I expect it to change a good bit over time, especially when I get better photos (hint, hint, y'all). And there's NO information in it just yet. I'd rather wait and get the info straight from Noddy (she's currently out of town) than try to put together something from her diary, and then have to change it when she sends me the stufz for the site's content. But it's a start. And it works like gangbusters on mobile phones and tablets. (Someone give it a spin on their iPhone, iPad, and such, as well as their really big monitors, and let me know how it looks on those displays.)
Hosting and domain names cost money. I can get a domain name and a year's hosting for somewhere around $50 through a reputable Canadian hosting company (they have a 40% coupon code which explains "why so cheap?"). That's a lot of money for the Max household, considering all of our disposable income (and some of our indisposable income) goes to caring for the 40+ feral cats in our backyard. So I'm asking the PWB community to consider making a "water paws" donation for the site. My PayPal account is through my email address:
purplesage23@yahoo.com
Any excess in donations will go to buying food and med care for the ferals, but I'm only asking for donations for the site.
It's not free for Noddy to host her Water Paws stations, so if she has a PayPal account or another way for you guys to donate towards her costs, I'll post that here also when she gives me that info.
Thanks, guys. The hot, thirsty, and heat-stressed animals appreciate it.