“As I’ve aged, it seems I have come to the autumn of my life;

Where I’m left with remnants of dreams and things that lag behind,

Yet what remains is a mellow feeling of contentedness,

It’s liken to autumn, that brings a pause in time;

When life comes to rest.”

I wax poetic, which beats waxing the floor. Jean Dament’s “In the Autumn of My Life” is a solace to those of us who are actually in that season and gives all of us thoughts of turning leaves (ah, for that scenery), coming out of a chilly evening into a warm home, pumpkin-flavored everything, and cats. Of course, cats. Who better expresses a “mellow feeling of contentedness,” and who better knows how to rest. They do it 16 hours a day, for crying out loud.

So, I’m presenting, for your consideration, four adoptable shelter cats from Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St., at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors). All four are in the autumn of their lives but have quite a few seasons to go. They all deserve a paws in time with you.

Here’s Max (ID# A615799), and we can’t fathom what he’s thinking. He does seem bewildered by having been suddenly left at the shelter. Max is 14 years old, and his owner had him all those 14 years, so we’re bewildered, too. He’s the most affectionate guy—he gives head kisses and is sweet as can be. He was an indoor cat and lived happily with adults, kids and dogs, so he’d be perfect for someone who wants a quiet friend and can show him that he doesn’t need to look back.

Patsy (ID#A614703) had white hair even before she became a senior, so she’s had a lot of practice. She prefers to keep the white, and why not? She’s gorgeous. She’s 12 and was an owner surrender, and she’s been shy at the shelter. Give her a chance to shine as bright as she looks.

Poor Little Moon (ID#A614640) was living in a car with her human, who had escaped a very bad situation. She is 13 and very, very nervous—who knows what both she and her person went through? Her human must have loved her very much to have taken her along. Can you show Little Moon a better phase in her life?

12-year-old Sasha (ID#A612660) is a silver-haired foxy lady who is a loving lap cat. She previously lived with another cat, so she will be a good addition to a house with a kitty who’d love company.

Things to do, pets to support

Find Some Bunny to Love Adoption: To Oct. 31, shelter hours, P. D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach. $30 adoption fee.

October may not be the month when you typically think of rabbits, but no matter—all animals need homes and there’s no special day for that. Long Beach Animal Care Services and spcaLA will be offering a special adoption rate of $30 per set of long ears for the entire month of October. Potential adopters must meet all the requirements.

3D Render of Tortoise in Halloween Pumpkin Cottage

California Turtle & Tortoise Club Care Society Chapter, Long Beach ‘Oct-Turtle-Fest,’ Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m., University Baptist Church, 3434 Chatwin Ave., Long Beach. Free to attend.

Features presentation on rare box turtles by USC biology professor Craig Stanford. Costume party with bratwurst and hot dogs follows; please bring side dishes or dessert. Turtles, tortoises and humans welcome.

Pup-Crawl for Dog-toberfest, to Benefit Fix Long Beach, sponsored in part by “Long Beach Post”: Saturday, Oct. 20, 5–9 p.m., Red Leprechaun, 4000 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. Tickets: $50; includes drink tickets and appetizer.

Hop on The Big Red Bus and let them do the driving! Fix Long Beach’s fund-raiser begins at Red Leprechaun and stops at Malainey’s Grill, Shenanigans and Gallagher’s. Your ticket includes a drink ticket for beer, wine or champagne, and appetizers at one location. Meet at the Red Leprechaun at 5 p.m. All proceeds will go toward Fix’s goal of spay/neuter and rescue in the LBC. Thank you, Long Beach Post, for sponsoring this wild ride!

Halloween Photo and Adoption Event: Saturday, Oct. 20 and Sunday, Oct. 21, 1–5 p.m., Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach. $20 donation per photo; adoption fees vary.

Bring your furbaby in costume to take a picture that you can set next to the jack-o-lantern and the bowl of mini-Mars Bars. You can adopt a kitty as well, but no guarantee that they’ll agree to pose in a tutu.

Strut Your Mutt

Best Friends “Strut Your Mutt”: Saturday, Oct. 20, 11 a.m., Exposition Park, 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles. Visit the page to join a team, form a team, or register as an individual.

Join a team or register as an individual as Best Friends Animal Society and partner rescue groups, shelters and animal welfare organizations walk to save lives at Strut Your Mutt in L.A. The event starts with a celebratory walk (dog not required) and includes a family-friendly festival with food trucks, vendors and lots of fun activities. Last year, over 1,000 people raised more than $400,000 for lifesaving programs such as spay-and-neuter services and adoption events.

National Pit Bull Appreciation Day: Saturday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., Marina Vista Park, East Colorado Street, Long Beach. Free event; adoption and vendor price rates apply.

Come help these funny, misunderstood doggies and their friends at the inaugural National Pit Bull Appreciation Day! Live Love Animal Rescue is partnering up with Blockhead Brigade for an event featuring local vendors, a “pack walk,” food, yoga with your dog, adoptions and other highlights. All breeds, creeds and loving humans are welcome.

Haute Dog’s 18th Annual Howl’oween Parade: Sunday, Oct. 28, 12:30–4:30 p.m., near Colorado Lagoon, 5355 Eliot St., Long Beach. Free to spectate; entry registration and seat reservation information available here; full schedule of information available here.

Will you go as a Hound of Baskerville? Or Cujo? Or a poodly princess in a pink petticoat? Justin Rudd and his Community Action Team along with Third District councilmember Suzie Price will present the biggest Halloween pet event in the world—and the most enjoyable one! Enjoy a vendor and pet-adoption fair from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., and don’t miss (as if you could!) the highlight of the day: over 500 costumed dogs (parading a few blocks in front of a few thousand gawkers and a panel of judges!). $10 advance for each dog who enters the parade, but there’s no charge for humans to walk in the parade with or without costumes and with or without pets. Free to spectate.

Pussy and Pooch

Live Love dog adoption event: Sunday, Oct. 28, noon–4 p.m., Pussy & Pooch, 4818 E. 2nd St., Long Beach. Adoption fees apply.

The “Pooch” part of Pussy & Pooch welcomes Live Love Animal Rescue and its adoptable doggies! The P&P team is ready to help you and your furry friend get started on the right path to health and wellness—everything from bones to beds to baths!

Thai Silk restaurant fund-raiser for Fix Long BeachFriday, Nov. 2, 7–10 p.m., Thai Silk, 1506 E. Broadway, Long Beach. Menu prices vary.

Spice up your evening with a delicious Thai meal and know that 15 percent of the tab will go toward free spay/neuter procedures at Fix Long Beach Clinics.

7th annual Fall Fund-Raiser, to benefit No Stray Left Behind and The Cat Cove: Saturday, Nov. 3, 5 p.m., Eat at Joe’s, 7120 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach. $25 admission, menu prices vary; see flyer for details.

Dogs fostered through No Stray Left Behind and cats curled up at The Cat Cove want your attendance at this fund-raiser that includes live music, a menu of food and activities. Eat at Joe’s will also donate a portion of food and drink sales to the rescues.

Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter Clinic: Saturday, Nov. 13, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Ramona Park, 3301 E. 65th St., Long Beach, free spay/neuter for qualifying Long Beach residents; free microchips; shots, flea-med doses, dewormers and nail trimmings $10 each.

It’s 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. Make an appointment through IM or email at [email protected]; include (1) your name, (2) address, (3) phone number, (4) pet’s name, (5) age, (6) sex, (7) breed, and (8) weight. Standby available at 8:30 a.m. Vouchers are provided through Long Beach Animal Care Services Spay/Neuter Assistance Voucher Program for pets without appointments or dogs too large to fit on the vehicle—they may be used at specified veterinary clinics. For both spay/neuter and vaccinations, all dogs must be on sturdy leashes and all cats must be in dedicated carriers.

Ongoing

Pet Adoption Locations

The following pet-related businesses regularly feature cat, dog and rabbit adoptions. If you’re a Long Beach-area rescue and don’t see your adoption event listed here, please email [email protected].

Petco Animal Supplies, Marina Shores, 6500 Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach

Unleashed by Petco, 600 Redondo Ave.

PetSmart, Long Beach Exchange, 3871 N Lakewood Blvd., Long Beach

PetSmart Signal Hill, 2550 Cherry Ave., Signal Hill

PetSmart Compton, 1775 South Alameda St., Compton

PetSmart Seal Beach, 12341 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach.

Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach:

 Gelson’s Market, 6255 E. 2nd St.

Chase Bank, 5200 East Second St., Long Beach

Low-Cost Pet-Vaccination Clinics: For schedule, visit this link

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.

Free Pet Food Distributions

Pet food is available at Beacon for Him Ministries, 439 West Anaheim St., Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. A dog-washing station with a stainless-steel tub is also available onsite at these hours. Donations and supplies such as shampoo, flea control meds and pet food are always gratefully accepted.

The Pet Food Bank is sponsored by Christian Outreach in Action, located at 515 E. 3rd St., Long Beach. Hours are Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m.

Pets of the Homeless provides many collection places across the country to help homeless people to feed and care for their animals. Please support them through a cash donation, or bring pet food to the Long Beach-area drop-off center, Trendi Pawz Grooming, 3726 E. 7th St., Long Beach. Access this link for resources and donation areas in SoCal and across the country.

Shelter-enrichment supplies requested for ACS’s cats, dogs and rabbits: drop-off Wednesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., shelter side of P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach

Creamy peanut butter, 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 all are needed. Donations are tax deductible.

Please send any Long Beach or Seal Beach pet-related events or projects to [email protected]. Posting subject to approval.