April 2023 State of the Sanctuary Phew!  Its been a minute since I last provided an update on our progress.  I am chronically challenged to balance my career and personal life with the Smokey Acres’ operations.  You’ll have to forgive me for being a bit tardy on this post. 😊 As most of you know, we are a tiny 100% volunteer-managed IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  Over the past few years, we’ve continued to accept new residents as space and resources permit.  We lose cats regularly as is the nature of feline leukemia.  I find peace in knowing that the death of one resident means thatRead More →

January 2019 State of the Sanctuary As I reflect on 2018, I am thoroughly pleased with the progress that our little non-profit organization has established.  Smokey Acres has enjoyed fantastic support, made new friends, both human and feline, and established some important milestones on our journey.  This was an important year to us for a variety of reasons that I’ll describe below. Support 2018 was our most successful year yet with respect to community support.   During the fourth quarter, we received two exceptionally generous gifts from The Paul and Susan Bloom Family Fund and the Foren Family Foundation.   In spring 2018, we beganRead More →

November 2018 In November, Smokey Acres received a generous donation from Nancy Frye to honor the memory of her cousin, Kevin Rowland.  We are so very grateful for this support and proud that we were selected for this tribute to a beloved family member. Kevin was born in Indiana and raised in Illinois but, spent his retirement years in Panama City Beach, Florida.  He enjoyed motorcycles and loved spending time with family, friends and his dear pets.  Kevin adored his dog, Buddy, who was adopted by Kevin’s mother, Elizabeth “Betty” Rowland.  Buddy will miss his dad but, he is glad to be at home with Grandma Betty whereRead More →

September 2018 Smokey Acres is so very grateful for a recent, generous donation by Marguerite (Midge) Davidson of Sylvan Lake.  Midge donated to us in honor of her dear family member, Luna, whom she recently lost.       Luna was a miniature bull terrier who, at full weight, was 22 pounds of pure bully love and joy.  Luna’s nature was timid but, she loved cats as much or more than dogs. Luna is survived by her brother, Soleil the cat, who can be seen with Luna in the photo below.  Luna lived for almost 13 years as Midge’s trusted best friend.  Together they grewRead More →

August 2018 Smokey Acres celebrates another first thanks to Flower Bar at the corner of North Territorial Road and Pontiac Trail in Salem Township, Michigan.  The Huey Family, owners of Flower Bar, have most graciously allowed Smokey Acres to take up some valuable counter space with a donation box.  This is our very first donation box placement and we are excited to enjoy greater community support. Flower Bar is a convenient location for customers to enjoy fresh coffee house beverages, pastries and Guernsey ice cream.  When you stop in, make sure to leave some time to shop for unique gift items by local artisans.  Check out their website orRead More →

June 2018 Congratulations to Lynda Stanecki and Rose O’Hara for being our first monthly supporters!  These two ladies gifted us with automatic monthly payments via PayPal.  Both Lynda and Rose have a special relationship with Smokey Acres. We met Lynda many years ago when she rescued a stray neighborhood kitty who is now named Daisy.  Lynda intended to keep this young cat but, when she took Daisy to her veterinarian at Bloom Animal Hospital, Daisy tested positive for feline leukemia.  Since Lynda already had retrovirus negative feline family members, Daisy presented an unacceptable health risk.  Luckily for Daisy, Dr. Bloom knew exactly who to call!  SmokeyRead More →

May 2018 We are excited to be working through the permitting process for our facility.  This has proven to be a greater challenge than originally anticipated.  Luckily, we already have a several acre parcel which will serve as the perfect country home for our cats. As a 100% volunteer run organization, we take progress one day at a time as we slowly work towards our goals.  In the interim, we continue to house a small colony of very happy kitties.  We look forward to the time when we can share photos of our build with you…stay tuned!Read More →

November 2017 We’ve enjoyed two enrichment donations during the month of November.     Many thanks to Keira Markell for the homemade toys!  The cats immediately found this surprise box of catnip infused goodies.       The cats have also been enjoying the food puzzles crafted and donated by Ben Frischmuth and Prentiss Laich.Read More →

October 2017 Our cats have been enjoying a very warm autumn with plenty of outdoor time.  Earlier this year, we installed two outdoor pens for our population.  These pens allow for the cats to take in all the sights and smells of our country acres.  We’ve got plenty of birds, mice, snakes, moles and deer for feline viewing pleasure.  We’ve notice significant stress reduction  by providing enrichment keeping our kitties healthier which is critical in an immune suppressed population. One of our semi-ferals, Casey, had an outdoor escape during the summer months.  Lucky for us, he didn’t care to wonder far!  Can you find himRead More →

March 2017 Smokey Acres would like to extend a special thank you to Pet Supplies Plus for a recent donation of food and supplies!  As you can see by the photo below, we are fortunate for this generous gift.  Having enjoyed exceptional customer service during prior shopping trips to the Pet Supplies Plus South Lyon store, we were thrilled for an even more meaningful relationship with this organization. As a non-profit specializing in sanctuary for immune compromised cats, Smokey Acres has some unique needs.  We benefit greatly from community support like the donation from Pet Supplies Plus which allows us to focus our remaining resources on the veterinaryRead More →