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

Virtually Pets

For this week’s adoption feature, I’m directing you to the Long Beach-area Facebook community bulletin board page: Cats Needing Homes. The page is specifically set up to network people who need to find a home for a cat; have found kittens and need fosters, bottle feeders or permanent homes; want to spread the word about adoptable cats in our shelter; and ultimately to link up cats and folks.

To post a cat, include photos and descriptions, and address commonly asked questions regarding spay/neuter status, vaccinations and any reforming fees. Include the city and state or general location as well as contact information.

The page managers don’t have the cats; adoptions will be between the posters and the adopters. Both posters and respondents are encouraged to be responsible for any information and to do their own research. Soliciting funds is prohibited, as it may lead to misunderstanding and a few other negatives. Any soliciting or otherwise inappropriate post will be deleted.

Cats Needing Homes may not be an adoption foundation but it’s a pretty ingenious tool to find cats homes and fosters. Click on the above link and see what they’ve got. Here are a couple of examples—check the page for contact information.

 

The two calendar girls are Amelia and Merudite, a bonded pair of 6-month-old kittens available for adoption in Norwalk. They are spayed, vaccinated, tested FIV and FeLV negative, treated for fleas, de-wormed and microchipped. They were dumped at a colony of community cats, probably after having babies of their own (cats can give birth as early as 6 months, and their poor bellies were full of milk, but no babies were ever found. They’re friendly, affectionate, loving and beautiful, and both deserve a happier ending.

These are two of the hundreds of kittens born in Long Beach and aren’t lucky enough to go to rescues, fosters or adoptive parents. When rescues are full or people don’t know what else to do, they wind up in the shelter. Kittens are highly adoptable, but there aren’t enough people at any one time to take them, and many of them, sadly, face euthanasia. These guys look a little shabby, but with love, good food and proper veterinary care, you wouldn’t recognize them as the same cats. I know this from personal experience!

Mark Your Calendars (the People Way)

Friends of Long Beach Animals Meet and Greet
Thursday, June 16, 6:00PM–8:00PM, Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 East Anaheim Street, Long Beach
Free event

Long Beach’s most venerable animal advocacy organization invites all animal lovers to mingle with one another at a social at the Long Beach Playhouse. A wine/beer and taco bar will be available for your pleasure, and local vendors will provide free dog samples for the pleasure of your pets at home. Cast members from the upcoming musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying will give a sample performance. Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA) Board members will present their accomplishments to this year, including the installation of a soon-to-be-opened veterinary clinic on the shelter grounds, and will award prizes to students who won the Kindness Essay contest. Best of all, attendees can meet the reason for FOLBA’s activity—the shelter pets themselves! Parking is free and located next to the theater. Visit the FOLBA website for details.

Helen Sanders CatPAWS Fund-Raiser
Wednesday, June 22, 11:30AM–10:00PM, Domenico’s Italian Restaurant, 5339 East Second Street, Long Beach
Menu Prices

Remember the scene from Lady and the Tramp when the two dogs shared a kiss through a strand of spaghetti? Great way to show love, is Italian food, and in this case, it’s to the cats. Bring the flyer above this announcement to Domenico’s, and 25 percent of the tab will help with medical and food bills for the adoptable cats and kittens from the Helen Sanders CatPAWS rescue in Seal Beach. Baci, baci, baci!

Divas for Doggies (and Kitties, Too) Drag Show Fund-Raiser
Sunday, June 25, 3:00PM–6:00PM, Hamburger Mary’s Long Beach, 330 Pine Avenue, Long Beach
$5 donation

Glitter for the pets! Anderson Real Estate Group is putting on a drag-show fund-raiser at Hamburger Mary’s to benefit spcaLA hosted by the one and only Jewels. Proceeds from the donations and silent auction will benefit the spcaLA P. D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village & Education Center in Long Beach.

Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals
Saturday, July 16, 6:30PM, Los Alamitos Race Course, 4961 Katella Avenue, Los Alamitos
$3 general admission; free admission to guests 17 and under

Who’ll cut the mustard this year? In one of the most delightful animal events presented, a full card of 11 races of long doggies will compete for the championship with their version of racing. Each race will take place between the regularly scheduled horse racing; the championship race will take place at approximately 9:15PM. Audience members are encouraged to arrive early at about 5:00PM to secure seating. No ice chests, outside food or pop-up tents are permitted.

Full details are available at the Race Course’s website.

Ongoing

Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS): Free Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics, once monthly; Low-Cost Vaccination Clinics, scheduled days Monthly. Locations vary.
See flyer on web page for pricing of services

Beginning this Sunday, February 21, the Society for California Veterinary and Vaccine Care (SCVVC) will offer free spay/neuter procedures and wellness services to residents of the cities served by ACS: Long Beach, Signal Hill, Cerritos, Los Alamitos and Seal Beach. During the remaining weeks of the month, Spay/Neuter Project Los Angeles (SNP/LA) will offer low-cost vaccines, nail trimmings and topical flea treatment for residents of the same areas. Click link for locations and times and click the links next to each event for vaccine pricing and other details.
Pet owners must be 18 years or older. All pets must be on leashes or in carriers. Only healthy and non-pregnant animals will be vaccinated. If you have a prior rabies vaccine certificate, license tag or license renewal notice for your pet, please bring it with you to the clinic. Vaccination and microchip services are provided for pets residing in any city. Licensing service is provided for residents within our jurisdiction:. Microchips, flea treatment and nail trimmings also available.

BARK Therapy Dogs Library Appearances
Various area libraries (Long Beach events generally held on Saturdays)
Free event

Dogs love unconditionally. They don’t judge or criticize. And they love a good story. Bring your children to the library to read to these lovely therapy dogs, and watch their confidence in their reading ability grow.

BARK (Beach Animals Reading with Kids) is an all-volunteer group dedicated to increasing children’s reading skills as well as interacting with pets. Check the calendar page on the group’s website, and find out more about this terrific organization.

Reserve a Humane Education Presentation for Your Classroom, Scout Troop or Anywhere That Pets and Kids Come Together

spcaLA Friends for Life Summer Camp
June through August, Monday through Friday; Pitchford Companion Animal Village, 7700 E. Spring Street, Long Beach
Details on website

Paws down, it’s the best camp around! spcaLA Friends for Life Summer Camp™ is for kids 8 through 13 years old. At camp, kids learn the basics of pet care and responsibility, respect for all animals, and the beginnings of dog training, all while making new friends on a number of legs! There are several sessions still available, each running Monday through Friday. Registration details and session schedule are available here.