{"id":6370,"date":"2019-06-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-21T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/it-never-hurts-to-try-this-nonprofit-takes-in-animals-others-discard-as-broken\/"},"modified":"2019-06-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-06-21T07:00:00","slug":"it-never-hurts-to-try-this-nonprofit-takes-in-animals-others-discard-as-broken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/pets\/it-never-hurts-to-try-this-nonprofit-takes-in-animals-others-discard-as-broken","title":{"rendered":"‘It never hurts to try:’ This nonprofit takes in animals others discard as ‘broken’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Please send any Long Beach or Seal Beach pet-related events or projects to\u00a0<\/em>pets@lbpost.com<\/em><\/a>. Posting subject to approval.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>You buy a package of Oreos, you open it, and find that one or two or broken. You don\u2019t throw them away, of course\u2014broken cookies are as sweet as whole ones.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the spirit behind House of Broken Cookies and its founder, Jenn Linn. Linn is a cat rescuer who focuses on \u201ccats that need extra,\u201d as she puts it\u2014cats whose legs are backward, twisted or don\u2019t work at all; cats who are blind or deaf cats with nightmares and neurological problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe name for my rescue came from a friend who said that I had a house full of broken cookies,\u201d Linn said. \u201cAnd it stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linn discovered that she had a knack for cats and kittens with issues when she began volunteering as a rescuer. When she went independent as a rescuer in 2011, she brought along special-needs cats from the original rescue. Her intent wasn\u2019t necessarily rehabilitation, because that\u2019s not always possible, but to attend to all the cats\u2019 needs and make them as comfortable and functional as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a terrible need to fix things, and I learned the hard way that there are some things you can\u2019t fix\u2014but it never hurts to try,\u201d Linn said.<\/p>\n

Linn\u2019s affinity for special-needs cats is in both her DNA and her life history. Her mother had a day-care business when Linn was young, and Linn helped take care of some of the children who had issues. In college, she cared for special-needs children and adults and later worked with the Orange County Department of Education. When she started rescuing cats, she was working in a performing-arts studio for people with disabilities. Her work with rescues acquainted her with the knowledge that some animals had special needs, too.<\/p>\n

House of Broken Cookies was established as a 501 (c)(3) in 2018, which made accepting tax-deductible donations and receiving grants possible. This is fortunate for Linn, because the money for food and medical care comes mainly out of her own pocket (\u201cFunding<\/em>? Ha ha ha ha!\u201d was her reply to a question about where funding comes from) and strong financial support from other rescues and friends. Linn wouldn\u2019t mention any of them by name because she\u2019s afraid she\u2019ll forget to mention someone. They know who they are, though, she said.<\/p>\n

The cats in her care come from everywhere\u2014the street, the shelter and rescues that know Linn and call her as soon as they have someone for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take the ones I can give a chance to and see what happens,\u201d Linn said.<\/p>\n

You can see the residents of House of Broken Cookies on their Instagram<\/a> and Facebook pages<\/a>. Linn knows that caring for a special-needs cat takes more than willingness and a heart that breaks for them. Adopters have to be fully educated about any cat who only seems broken on the outside. But Linn has had successful adoptions\u2014you can see them on Broken Cookies\u2019 pages, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of these cats will never leave my home,\u201d Linn said. \u201cBut my belief is that there\u2019s a home for all of them\u2014you just have to wait for that person to come along.\u201d<\/p>\n

House of Broken Cookies participates in adoptions and fostering in front of Pussy & Pooch, 4818 E. Second St., Long Beach on Saturdays. If a special-needs cat isn\u2019t in your wheelhouse but you want to help Jenn Linn and her Broken Cookies pay for food, meds, and expensive treatments and surgeries, visit their fundraising page<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are a few cookies who may be broken but won\u2019t crumble with some help. Their photos show how catlike they are.<\/p>\n

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Talei<\/strong>, usually called TaTa<\/strong>, is at 10 months old an amazing kitten\u2014friendly, lovable, travels well and purrs like crazy. She couldn\u2019t use her legs when she was found at 2 weeks old with her siblings. Her front legs work OK now, but she needs help expressing her stool and urine. She wears a diaper, which is no big deal to her. She also has megacolon, which is an enlarged colon that causes paralysis of the bowel. It\u2019s under control, though, with a specialized diet. TaTa loves attention and enjoys being held and loved. She is very fast and gets around very well. She climbs on cat trees and on her tent all the time TaTa gets along very well with the other cats in her foster home in Long Beach and with the little dog at the home of noted medical foster Gina Gould, in Glendora, where she\u2019s treated with Acuscope therapy. Check out her Instagram page @tata_hobc. Photo courtesy of House of Broken Cookies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Jade, 1 year old, was found in a garage in Long Beach, dragging her back right leg. The lower half of her tail didn\u2019t work. It turned out that she had nerve damage, possibly from a fracture. She had three surgeries\u2014the second to shave the bone down to ease the pain and a third to release fibers in the leg\u2014and Acuscope therapy from Gould. Aside from a slight pull in the leg, she\u2019s fine and just needs love and attention to get her powerful purr going. She gets along with other cats but would do fine as an only girl She\u2019ll make a great companion for someone who just wants a kitty that will sit with them. Photo courtesy of House of Broken Cookies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Curly
Curly Sue<\/strong> is about a year and a half. \u201cThis girl has a special place in my heart,\u201d Linn said. \u201cShe has had a difficult time and we are hoping to find her a foster that can give her a quieter space and time to see if will help her. She has been through a lot but has some demons she is battling. She is a very special girl.\u201d Photo courtesy of House of Broken Cookies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This is Delani, whom I met personally at the shelter. She\u2019s one of the most beautiful and affectionate cats I\u2019ve ever known. Her back legs don\u2019t work because of a spinal compression\u2014it\u2019s unknown whether it\u2019s trauma related or congenital. Broken Cookies is working on getting her to a new home in New York where she will get tons of love and have a great life\u2014hopefully, this will be successful, but keep an eye on Instagram in case you\u2019d like to take her home. Photo courtesy of House of Broken Cookies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"brown
Oliver Twist<\/strong>\u2014a fitting name, yes? When the shelter reached out to House of Broken Cookies, he turned on the charm, and that was that. Oliver\u2019s front and back legs don\u2019t work right\u2014again, it\u2019s unsure whether it\u2019s congenital or because of an injury. He\u2019s 8 months old now and is ready for surgery. Linn, Broken Cookies\u2019 volunteers and followers and, of course, Oliver Twist are excited because they\u2019ve just raised funds for surgery for both legs that may have him running around with his foster sisters and brothers\u2014like a \u201cnormal\u201d cat, whatever that is! He\u2019d have a good time at your house as well! Photo courtesy of House of Broken Cookies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"cat
The amazing Lt Dan came in at 6 weeks old with both back legs backward. He can walk on his two front legs even now. In a twist\u2014pun intended\u2014of circumstances, the amazed rescuers watched his left hind leg turn and face forward! He has some missing bones in the knee but it appears to be functioning very well and offers the support he needs, although the right hind leg is still bent and has atrophied. He runs, climbs and gets where he needs to be. He has a heart of gold and likes to take care of the little ones\u2014he\u2019s quite the cat daddy! Broken Cookies is deciding how to best help him with his atrophied leg, and if surgery is the answer, he\u2019ll be next in line. Photo courtesy of House of Broken Cookies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Things to do, pets to support<\/h5>\n

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Fix Long Beach\u2019s \u2018A Fistful of Dollars\u2019 Casino Night:\u00a0<\/strong>Saturday, June 22, 6\u201310:30 p.m., Cosmic Brewery, 20316 Gramercy Place, Torrance, $20 per ticket, available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It shouldn\u2019t be a gamble to see whether Fix Long Beach can spay and neuter as many cats and dogs as possible as well as support the fosters they rescue. But it\u2019s a great way to fund the clinics, if last year\u2019s event was any indication! The event includes a burger bar with a vegan option, s’more bar, discounts on beer and wine, and $50 casino cash for full-size craps, poker, roulette and blackjack tables. Come dressed to win in your favorite Western wear, and wax up your lip fur during the Best Moustache contest. There will also be a 50\/50 drawing; the silent auction; which includes some amazing trips; and the opportunity drawing. Prizes will go to the biggest casino winners.<\/p>\n

Tickets are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Free microchip clinic for dogs:\u00a0<\/strong>Sunday, June 23, 10 a.m.\u20131 p.m., Primary Care Veterinary Hospital, 2200 N. Lakewood Blvd., Long Beach, free<\/p>\n

Microchipping an animal, as long as the pet\u2019s owner registers the chip through the proper channels, can be the difference between your errant cat or dog making it back home. An article on Petfinder.com<\/a> cited the effectiveness of microchips in return-to-owner of pets; now, a number of animal partners are making a free one-stop for Long Beach residents to have their dogs microchipped for free! See flyer for details, and see Fix Long Beach\u2019s free clinic calendar announcement below for cats. They\u2019ve got to make it home, too.<\/p>\n

Purrfectly Precious Kitten Shower:\u00a0<\/strong>Sunday, June 23, 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., Feline Good Social Club, 301 Atlantic Ave., $10 per ticket, purchase here<\/a><\/p>\n

While Long Beach\u2019s first cat caf\u00e9 is tangled up in the red tape of zoning ordinances, they\u2019re planning to shower you with kittens! Four one-hour time slots are available a limit of 25 guests per session. You can cuddle the cute kittens while you enjoy light refreshments, enter a kitten-naming contest, and win some winsome prizes. Please\u2014children ages 7 and up only. Of course, since it\u2019s a kitten shower, gifts will not be denied! New toys, treats made in USA, litter litter litter!<\/p>\n

Dine-out at Mama\u2019s, to benefit Seal Beach Animal Care Center:\u00a0<\/strong>Wednesday, June 26, 8:30\u20139:30 p.m., Mama\u2019s Comfort Food and Cocktails, 11122 Los Alamitos Blvd., Los Alamitos, menu prices vary<\/p>\n

Mama knows what\u2019s good for you, and she also knows what\u2019s good for cats and dogs\u2014funding! Having lunch or dinner at Mama\u2019s will make 30% of your tab available for food and medical treatment for the pets at Seal Beach Animal Care Center.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Foster the Fourth orientation for dog fosters:\u00a0<\/strong>Saturday, June 29, noon, Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach, free<\/p>\n

Fourth of July is not a pet\u2019s favorite holiday. Loud crashes and booms from pyrotechnics, \u201csafe,\u201d legal or otherwise, sends them hiding and often fleeing in terror. It\u2019s also not a great time for the shelters\u2014they fill up with lost cats and dogs, some of them injured, and there\u2019s a threat to the other pets already in the shelter because of space constraints. Want to help out? You\u2019d take a shelter dog into your house for only two to four weeks while the shelter locates the owners of the errant animals. This is the third year that Live Love Pets<\/a> has organized this worthwhile project\u2014it\u2019s dogs only, so we hope to see you at the orientation.<\/p>\n

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Fix Long Beach Free CAT Spay\/Neuter Clinic:\u00a0<\/strong>Sunday, June 30, 8:30 a.m.\u20132 p.m., Ramona Park, 3301 E. 65th St., Long Beach, free spay\/neuter for qualifying Long Beach residents, with appointment; free microchips<\/strong>, shots, flea-med doses, dewormers and nail trimmings $10 each\u2014no appointment necessary.<\/p>\n

Newborn kittens are the most euthanized pets in shelters, ours included. The best way to stop a flood is to tamp the source, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re here. Our appointments are fully booked, but you can come for standby at 10:30 a.m. Appointments are available for future clinics\u2014come make one. Full details are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Celebration Sunday, Meow Edition:\u00a0<\/strong>Sunday, June 30, noon\u20133 p.m., Pixie Toys, 3914 Atlantic Ave.; and Averyboo Art Studios, 3908 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, crafts from free to $12; Moon Cat Caf\u00e9 visits, $12<\/p>\n

\u201cChildhood buddies\u201d Averyboo Arts and Pixie Toys celebrate 10 years in Bixby Knolls with Sunday Celebrations, this one all about cats. Averyboo Arts will feature cat-themed cats and ceramics and an open-studio visit; Pixie Toys will offer kitty storytime, whisker face painting, and party favors and snacks; and Moon Cat Caf\u00e9 will introduce playtime with real-live adoptable cats along with a locally sourced pastry and coffee that only the cats exceed in quality. A portion of the caf\u00e9\u2019s door fee will benefit rescues.<\/p>\n

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Friends of Long Beach Animals 25th anniversary theater benefit:\u00a0<\/strong>Thursday, July 11, 6:30\u201310 p.m., Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 Anaheim St., Long Beach, tickets $30<\/p>\n

Don your boas and make sure that they\u2019re not crafted with feathers or fur! Then, sashay on down to the Long Beach Playhouse for one of the most enjoyable benefits you\u2019ll ever attend: divine piano playing, faaabulous finger food, ravishing raffle prizes and a production of La Cage aux Folles<\/em>, which will set you on fire! Tickets, which include it all, my dears, are available here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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24th annual Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals to benefit Seal Beach Animal Care Center:\u00a0<\/strong>Saturday, July 20, 6\u20139:30 p.m., Los Alamitos Racing, 4961 Katella Ave., Cypress, $3 for general, free for kids under 17, $85 for VIP dinner packages, parking free<\/p>\n

Enjoy the most, if not the only, humane dog race anywhere! Los Al will be wriggling with wiener dogs, i.e., dachshunds, at this whimsical event that has raised over $275,000 for the Seal Beach Animal Care Center<\/a> since 1996, with $12,000 earned last year through ticket and T-shirt sales. The dogs will win prizes for themselves, and the nonprofit animal care center will get goodies for their animals, too! Purchase tickets at the Care Center in advance of the event or at the door the day of. For safety reasons, please do not bring your own dog. Call the Vessels Club at (714) 820-2821 for information about the VIP package. If you have a long little doggie\u2014dachshunds only\u2014and want to enter him or her, call (714) 820-2690\u2014there are a few spots left.<\/p>\n

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Pinot\u2019s Palette Fundraiser for Fix Long Beach:\u00a0<\/strong>Sunday, July 21, 2:30\u20135 p.m., 470 Pine Ave., Long Beach, $35 per artist<\/p>\n

Remember that silly book titled When Cats Paint<\/em><\/a>? After a couple of glasses, you\u2019re sure to do as well as any of the kitty Kandinskys and Kahlos in this ridiculous book. You\u2019ll have a great time slapping the colors on the canvas\u2014or whatever they use while sipping a good glass of wine and helping Fix Long Beach<\/a> make sure that cats\u2014and dogs too, of course\u2014can still paint on paper but not paint the town red breeding kittens. Doors open at 2:30, so get your pawr of wine ready. Tickets are available here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Ongoing<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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Kitten Super-Bloom:\u00a0<\/strong>to June 30, P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach, $20 adoption feline fee<\/p>\n

Kitten season has seeded the pet gardens at the shelter at Long Beach Animal Care Services<\/a> and spcaLA<\/a> with beautiful little blossoms, big and little. Oh, enough with the flowery talk. Both facilities are bulging with cats, and they need to go home. This is the only time that you can pick a flower and have it thrive instead of wilt and die. Until the end of June, you\u2019ll have the opportunity to pay a $20 fee as long as you meet the adoption requirements.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Jellybean, courtesy of Long Beach Animal Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bottle feeders needed desperately at shelter<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is Jellybean, and he\u2019s eating gruel (think 6-month-old baby human in a high chair). He needs help getting all his food in his mouth and then cleaning his cutie-pie face after he\u2019s finished eating. Photo courtesy of Long Beach Animal Care Services.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s kitten season has been a downpour. Last Saturday, about 40 pets (in one day!) were brought to Long Beach Animal Care Services<\/a>, and over 30 of them were kittens, many just born. Our shelter and the Long Beach Little Paws Project kitten nursery<\/a> need help badly and immediately, whether you are an experienced bottle feeder or have never had a cat before. Compassion happens when the rescuing begins\u2014private-message the shelter on its Facebook page<\/a> with your contact info to help kittens in our shelter, like Jellybean. Please share the post on that page widely. If you\u2019re not in our area, your local shelter kittens need your help, too.<\/p>\n

Feline Social Club\u2019s Letter-Writing Campaign,\u00a0<\/strong>through June 23<\/p>\n

Fans of Long Beach\u2019s first cat caf\u00e9 who\u2019ve been waiting at the mousehole for it to finally open will be satisfied if not overjoyed to learn that the gears are turning in the right direction. On Monday, June 24, the founders of the Feline Good Social Club<\/a> will appear before the Zoning Commission for their public hearing. Want to bat along the effort a little? Send an email to info@felinegoodsocialclub.com<\/a>\u00a0and state why\u00a0Feline Good Social Club would be a great addition to Downtown Long Beach! The founders will collect all the emails and share them with the Zoning Commission. Meanwhile, go to the cafe\u2019s website<\/a> to find out other ways you can help: volunteering, donating, flyer distribution and light-duty construction.<\/p>\n

Donations accepted for Pets of the Homeless<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pets of the Homeless<\/a>\u2019 home page gives a self-description as the only organization focusing only on providing food and care for pets belonging to homeless people. Businesses and other organizations across the country receive in-kind donations of food and other needs that the dogs and cats\u2019 human families can pick up at outreach locations. The following Long Beach businesses will accept your donations:<\/p>\n

Trendi Pawz<\/a>, 255 Redondo Ave., Long Beach<\/p>\n

Belmont Heights Animal Hospital<\/a>, 255 Redondo Ave., Long Beach<\/p>\n

Paw Shoppe Pet Center, Inc.<\/a>, 6416 E. Spring St., Long Beach<\/p>\n

Food and supplies are available at Beacon for Him Ministries<\/strong><\/a>, 1535 Gundry Ave. Long Beach, Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from noon to 3:00 p.m.; and at Christian Outreach in Action<\/strong><\/a>, 515 E. Third St., Long Beach,Thursday from 9-11 a.m. Donations will be gratefully accepted at these locations as well.<\/p>\n

Shelter-enrichment supplies requested for ACS\u2019s cats, dogs and rabbits:\u00a0<\/strong>drop-off Wednesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m.\u20134:00 p.m., shelter side of P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach<\/p>\n

Canned kitten food (Royal Canin), yogurt, beef and chicken broth, pipe cleaners, toilet-paper and paper-towel rolls, catnip, canned pet food, wine-bottle corks (for cat toys) and ice cube trays<\/p>\n

Adopt, adopt, adopt<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The following pet-related businesses regularly feature cat, dog and rabbit adoptions. If you\u2019re a Long Beach-area rescue and don\u2019t see your adoption event listed here, please email\u00a0pets@lbpost.com<\/a>. Click on the links for each rescue in case of updates or changes.<\/p>\n

Chase Bank, 5200 East Second St., Long Beach<\/strong><\/p>\n