Tats for Cats returns -- this time in a bigger location

MEDINA — On Sunday, Alleycats & Aristocats hosted its fourth annual Tats for Cats fundraiser at the Common Ground. The annual event allows those interested to get a variety of cat-themed tattoos or piercings, with 100 percent of the proceeds from the fundraiser going directly to Alleycats & Aristocats cat rescue efforts. Event coordinator Zoe Freeland said this was the first year the event took place at Common Ground. Last year, the event was held at Mission Possible, with nine tattoo artists and a piecer, but the space was very tight. "We were very close to each other and it got overwhelming," she said. "I knew that we needed more artists this year. We were there until midnight last year, tattooing and we still turned away 50 people on that list. I knew that we needed more artists and needed more space." Freeland reached out to Common Ground, 220 N. State Road, and the facility offered up the space on donation. "We have 14 tattoo artists and our one piercer," she said. "It is working out way better than I thought it would." Freeland said each artist had space against a wall, making the event less crammed and more organized. "We have been continuously expanding this event and it was time to upgrade to a much bigger facility," she said. Around 3,500 people showed interest in the event on the organization's Facebook page. "I'm thinking we will probably have around 1,000 in and out throughout the day," Freeland said. "Not necessarily in for tattoos but in and out throughout the day." In the first two hours of the event, she believes around 200 people stopped through the fundraiser. The money raised through the event is going to help cover the general expenses the organization has. "I know what we like to do is recover from kitten season after the summertime," Freeland said. "We get, unfortunately, a lot of big medical bills that can put us in debt in some places. We use this fundraiser to really help us boost ourselves out of it." Freeland said the organization saw several big and severe medical cases this past summer, including a cat shot with an arrow, cats with mouth ulcers and cancer diagnoses. "This is our largest fundraiser of the year," she said. "Last year we made around $20,000. It seems like a huge number, but it takes about $200,000 a year to run the whole rescue. It is so important for us to get this done because if we don't, we are severely out of luck." The organization had the goal of raising $30,000 this year. Freeland said a community has been built around the event with people coming back year after year to participate and some people at the doors of the event as early as 8 a.m. She said the organization is just so happy to be able to host the event to bring people together to help its mission. For more information on Alleycats & Aristocats, visit alley-aristo.org. Contact reporter Patrick Rhonemus at (330) 721–4050 or prhonemus@medina-gazette.com.