Virtually Pets
Kitten season is in full bloom. They’re being born practically by the minute and their little lives are always on the line. There aren’t enough fosters, enough bottle feeders, enough trappers to keep mama cats from having more of them, and the ones who exist are full and often struggling for funding. And kittens can get pregnant at 4 months old, and you don’t have to be a math major to figure out how overrun with cats a neighborhood can be if nothing’s done for the “first family.”
There are several things anyone can do to help—get involved in trapping, foster kittens, or bottle-feed them—Long Beach Animal Care Services has free bottle-feeding kits that were created and provided by Helen Sanders CatPaws. You can donate to one or more of the nonprofits. You can—and must—spay or neuter your own cat—female cats can get pregnant into their old age.
And of course, you can adopt. Take home two. Take three if you can handle it. This week, Pet Projects features The Cat Cove, a nonprofit that does it all—they pull cats and kittens from shelters and feral colonies, they practice TNR (trap/neuter/return—why spay isn’t included in the initialism is beyond me, but they do that as well), and maintain and monitor community-cat colonies. Check out the story of these adoptable kittens—it’s a template for how an animal-advocacy community works.
Charlie
Bast
Geb
Charlie, Bast and Geb came to The Cat Cove from a good community member that had a feral momcat give birth to them in her backyard. She made a safe place for the mom to care for her kittens and handled them as they got older so that they would become friendly and social with people. Once they were 6 weeks old, the good neighbor contacted The Cat Cove and asked for help with TNR in her neighborhood (that’s the way to do it) and if they could take the kittens into their adoption program.
“We were lucky we had a foster home available at the time she contacted us,” said Teresa Fernandez, The Cat Cove’s founder. “At this time all of our foster homes are full.”
She brought the kittens to The Cat Cove’s adoption event at a local PetSmart. Later, one of the volunteers showed her how to operate a trap and told all that she needed to know about TNR to do it herself—where to get spay/neuter done, the cost and how to care for the cats after their surgery. The neighbor was very excited to become a part of the solution in her neighborhood, and several cats have already been TNR’d, thanks to her reaching out for help and being willing to do it herself.
Rorschach/Roadie
He’s not a kitten, but adult cats get passed over so often for kittens, and they need homes, too. Roadie first came to the attention of The Cat Cove when he showed up in the feral colony a couple years ago. He was a shy, seldom-seen boy. He proved difficult to trap, and once trapped, neutered, and released, he kept his distance from humans, including those feeding him. Sometimes, feeders caught him watching them, but he continued to stay away. He was named Rorschach from his unusual markings that looked like ink blots.
Then, he was gone. His feeders stopped seeing him. They worried about him.
A tuxie showed up near a local eatery about three months ago. He was friendly and wanted his belly rubbed. His ear was tipped–a sure sign that he had been trapped and neutered. No one knew him. Then, a clear picture of his beautiful fur was seen. Roadie, as he has been named, was in fact Rorschach! Volunteers at the Cat Cove were ecstatic! He was safe! And, more importantly, he had turned. He wasn’t feral. He now wanted human contact.
Roadie/Rorschach was easily picked up and housed. He was bathed, vetted, and found to be in good health. His foster mom said that he wants nothing more than a warm lap to lie in and someone to give him belly rubs! You, forever?
To adopt any of these fine cats, contact [email protected]. Other adoptables can be seen here.
Maybe I’m too madly in love with metaphors, but The Cat Cove volunteers feature the logo and not their own faces because they know too well that it’s about the animals and not themselves. Photo courtesy of The Cat Cove.
As a friend said, the problem is bigger than the solution. However, if you’re willing to keep chipping away at it, here are a few good resources. Please suggest any that I left out.
Information
Support Groups
Vouchers and Free/Low-Cost Spay Neuter
Long Beach Animal Care Services (vouchers provided by Friends of Long Beach Animals and clinic information only; the shelter’s S/N isn’t open to the public)
SNP/LA Veterinary Clinic, San Pedro (call to inquire about feral spay days)
Golden State Humane Veterinary Clinic, Long Beach
Fosters, Bottle-Feeders, Help Needed from the Community!
(The Little Lion Foundation CatPAWS and Little Lion to present bottle-feeding workshops)
Jellicle Cats Rescue Foundation
Long Beach Spay and Neuter Foundation
Making Biscuits Cat Adoption and Rescue
In memory of Noddy and Nightingale, two little lives lost out of ignorance but not for a want of trying to save them.
Things to Do, Pets to Support
California Turtle and Tortoise Club, Care Society Mini-Show
Saturday, May 5, 10:00AM–3:00PM, El Dorado Nature Center, 7550 East Spring Street, Long Beach,
Free for club members; $7 parking fee
Learn about turtles and tortoises of all kinds! Many will be there to meet you. The club will be supplying a lunch, probably pizza. All ages welcome!
BARK Therapy Dogs Pajamarama Event
Thursday, May 10, 6:00PM–8:00PM, Barnes & Noble, Marina Pacifica Mall, 6326 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach,
Free event
Kids—put on your favorite pair of pajamas and have a great read with BARK dogs who will also be in their pajamas—more than likely with Scooby Doo or Beethoven. What could be cozier, more adorable or likely leading to more reading?
Cause an Effect Fund-Raiser to Help Homeless Pets
Thursday, May 10, 10:30AM–10:00PM, Any L.A. County Chipotle (locations here, or key in your zip code on the link)
Menu prices apply; 50 percent of sales go to spcaLA
Eat a burrito and help homeless animals? As incongruous as that may seem, it works—and everyone wins! On this date, all L.A. Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants will donate 50 percent of all fund-raiser sales to spcaLA. Go up, order your meal, and mention the fundraiser to the cashier before payment.
Furry Friends Faire
Saturday, May 19, 10:00AM–1:00PM, Los Cerritos Park, 3750 Del Mar Avenue (across from Los Cerritos Elementary School), Long Beach
Free to attend
Don’t miss our all-things-animal event! We’ll have fun contests to enter your furry friends in, such as pet tricks, largest pet, smallest pet and most unusual pet. The poetry-award winners from Los Cerritos Elementary students will be reading their poems. We’ll have an array of service providers you can meet at the event for your pets: groomers, trainers, pet food, dog walkers and more! For more information and updates, visit us here!
Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter CAT! Clinic
Saturday, May 19, 7:30AM–3:00PM, Ramona Park, 3301 East 65th Street at Obispo Avenue, Long Beach
Have your CAT spayed or neutered free with appointment and qualifications; vet appointment with voucher, minimal charge for dogs and cats; flea meds $10; shots and dewormer $10 each; nail trimming, $10
Fix Long Beach thanks our shelter, Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS), for giving us the means to sponsor this month’s clinic. The more cats that get fixed, the fewer unwanted kittens that will be put to sleep.
Putting on these events costs in the thousands, and it couldn’t happen without the generosity of our donors.
It’s now the law to fix your pets in Long Beach and many Southern California cities. To provide this costly service to our Long Beach residents who otherwise couldn’t afford it, Fix Long Beach offers this service free of charge. The spay/neuter truck will be at its new location at Ramona Park on this date. The spay/neuter procedures this month are for cats only.
Make an appointment through IM or email at [email protected] for your dog, and include (1) your name, (2) address, (3) phone number, (4) pet’s name, (5) age, (6) sex, (7) breed, and (8) weight, and Fix will see if they can schedule you. You can also come as a standby, but be there at 8:30AM. Make sure that your pet has had nothing to eat or drink past 10:00PM the previous night.
To donate, visit our page. In-kind donations such as leashes, collars and toys can be brought to our event or ordered through our Amazon wish list.
For both spay/neuter and vaccinations, all dogs must be on sturdy leashes and all cats must be in dedicated carriers. Fix thanks you in advance for being responsible for your pet’s health and for helping to reduce shelter overpopulation and euthanasia.
Pets Ahoy Wine Fund-Raiser for Seal Beach Animal Care Center
Sunday, May 20, 1:00PM–4:00PM, Seal Beach Yacht Club, 255 North Marina Drive, Long Beach
$50; proceeds help to fund SBACC
Toast the animals at SBACC with wine, soft drinks and a buffet lunch. Enjoy silent auctions, a super-opportunity drawing for a $1,000 Visa card, and the knowledge that cats and dogs at SBACC will thrive and find good homes, thanks to you! Ticket sales information is available here.
spcaLA Free Adoptions for U.S. Military Service Members
Friday, May 25, 10AM–5:30PM to Saturday, May 26, and Sunday, May 27, 10:00AM–4:00PM, spcaLA at P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Adoptions free to military
spcaLA and Animals for Armed Forces Foundation will honor and thank our dedicated service members by providing them a new best friend, with no fees or strings attached. Active duty, reserve, and veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard as well as immediate family members all qualify; be sure to provide documentation (click the Armed Forces Foundation link for more information.
KLOS and KABC Present spcaLA Pet Adoption Day, in Observation of National Pet Adoption Day
Saturday, June 2, 10AM–5:30PM to Saturday, May 26, and Sunday, May 27, 10:00AM–4:00PM, spcaLA and ACS at P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Adoption fees vary
Time to come to the Pitchford Companion Animal Village and get Sticky Fingers from all the kitties and puppies licking them! It’s spcaLA’s biggest adoption event of the year and a great chance to meet your new BFF! All adoption fees will be 50 percent off (the qualifications for potential adopters remain the same), and there will be vendor booths, giveaways, food trucks and other good stuff to have fun with! Wild horses couldn’t drag you away!
Ongoing
BARK Therapy Dogs Reading with Kids
See website for information
Founded in 2007, BARK (Beach Animals Reading with Kids) is a nonprofit all-volunteer program that encourages children to increase their reading skills and self-confidence by reading aloud to certified therapy dogs. Students sometimes find it intimidating to read in front of classmates but love to read to the non-judgmental, calming dogs. BARK now has 170 teams listening to kids in more than 100 schools and libraries in California—Long Beach libraries visited monthly are Bach, El Dorado, Bayshore, Brewitt and Los Altos; outlying-area libraries include Hawaiian Gardens, Iacoboni and Los Alamitos. BARK teams also visit nursing homes, senior living facilities and veteran centers. They even de-stress college students during finals week! For all events, check out BARK’s calendar. To find information about volunteering your furry buddy or to arrange a visit to your school, library or other community, contact the group at [email protected] or (562)235-8835.
Kitty Catchers Adoption Event
Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00AM–3:30PM both days, PetSmart, 2550 Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill
Despite the name, Kitty Catchers catches doggies, too, and some will be there along with the lovely fosters at this event! You’ll find your best friend there and anything else you’ll need to give him or her a good life from then on.
Pet Adoption Event at PFE
Saturdays and Sundays, Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach
Adoption fees apply
Find your new BFF and everything that he or she could possibly want or need, in one place. Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) and other rescues bring great cats and dogs ready to go home with their new people. Everything is high quality at Pet Food Express, and that includes the adoptive pets! Check out the Cat Adoption Center, featuring fine felines from Long Beach Animal Care Services and Stray Cat Alliance. For more information about which rescues will be present on any particular day, follow this link.
SNP/LA Mobile Low-Cost Pet Vaccines
Locations and dates vary; visit link in text
For low-cost vaccines, visit this link. Note that pet owners must be 18 years or older, all pets must be on leashes or in carriers, and only healthy and non-pregnant animals will be vaccinated. Please bring prior vaccination information with you to the clinic. Vaccination and microchip services are provided for pets residing in any city. Licensing is provided for residents within our jurisdiction at Saturday clinics; please bring your renewal notice and rabies certificate with you. Low/cost spay/neuter information is also available through SNP/LA.
Free Pet Food Distributions
Papa, a big “teddy bear’ of a dog, sits with his human in Ashlee’s Pet Care station at Beacon for Him.
Beacon for Him has extended an outreach for people experiencing homelessness and their pets. Pet food, primarily dog food, is available at their facility at 439 West Anaheim Street, Mondays from 9:00AM to noon and Saturdays from noon to 3:00PM. A dog-washing station with a stainless-steel tub is also available onsite at these hours. Donations and supplies such as shampoo, flea control and, of course, pet food are always gratefully accepted.
The Pet Food Bank is sponsored by Christian Outreach in Action. COA is located at 515 E 3rd St, Long Beach. Hours are Thursday from 9:00AM to 11:00AM.
Shelter-Enrichment Supplies Needed for ACS Dogs and Cats!
Drop-off: Wednesdays through Fridays, 10:00AM–5:30PM and Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00AM–4:00PM, 7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach
Individual donations requested
ACS is continuing our kennel enrichment activities for our canine guests here and could use so more donations (there are plenty for the cats!). Here is what’s needed:
- creamy peanut butter
- yogurt
- beef broth (canned or in the box)
- chicken broth (canned or in the box)
- incense
- carabiner clips (heavy duty)
- ice cube trays
- pipe cleaners
- toilet paper/paper towel rolls
- cat toys
- corks from bottles (for cat toys)
- catnip
- canned cat and dog food
Donations are tax deductible. Our pups and kitties say thanks so much!