When unaltered cats of opposite gender can meet up anywhere, particularly during the warmer months that make up kitten season, it’s a yowling supershedder event. The felines produce numerous of litters, with an average of four kittens per litter and a few higher than 10. Female cats can get pregnant at 4 months old, and the kittens birthed by each cat can be fathered by more than one randy male. Females can give birth three or four times a year during an average three years of life for an outdoor cat and about 13 for an indoor cat (who should be fixed anyway—come on!). The kittens will have kittens who will have kittens who will have kittens. Even if you don’t crunch the numbers, it’s a sad fate for animals who are in reality domestic pets whose ancestors had the bad fortune to be kicked outdoors.

Just as sadly, not all the kittens born outdoors survive, which may be a blessing for them. The ones that live will either grow up to continue the cycle, be prey for other animals or predators, or schlepped to shelters in boxes, with the would-be Good Samaritans believing them, often erroneously, to have been abandoned by the mother. Before organizations like Best Friends Animal Society created kitten nurseries and supported municipal shelters with methods and resources to save little lives, kittens brought into shelters didn’t have much of a chance, not that the same scenarios don’t happen now.

“I’m not blaming anyone, but they’d go straight to the back [for euthanasia],” said Deborah Felin-Magaldi of the nonprofit Helen Sanders CatPAWS cat rescue. “We couldn’t take all of them.”

The cats and kittens that CatPAWS rescues come mostly from public shelters. Like any volunteer-based organization, the number of cats that they’re able to take in depends on the number of people available for fostering, socializing, visiting the vet and bottle-feeding. So, Felin-Magaldi did what many animal advocates do: call on the public for help.

“In 2016, I asked Ted [Stevens, former Long Beach Animal Care Services manager], are you willing to tell people that you’d kill these kittens but they can take these supplies to take care of them, and you’ll get them fixed?” said Felin-Magaldi, who never sidesteps an issue. “And Ted said yes.”

Felin-Magaldi raised funds to assemble the DIY Kitten Care Kits and conducted a DIY presentation with the shelter’s animal control officers. The officers put the kits on their trucks to offer people who found kittens in their area and agreed to help.

woman in face mask stands next to a pillar in front of a light-blue building next to a large pile of blue boxes.
Long Beach Animal Care Services manager Staycee Dains receives a shipment of DIY kitten-care kits to hand to residents who agree to care for found newborn kittens. The kits contain powdered formula for newborn kittens, bottles, syringes, probiotic powder, nipples, a warming disk or a hot water bottle to regulate the kitten’s body temperature, a fleece blanket, and information on newborn-kitten care and how to obtain free spay/neuter vouchers. The items are packaged in a plastic sterilized container that are the perfect size for the caregivers to bathe the little guys. Courtesy photo.

“We gave out 100 that year and hundreds since,” Felin-Magaldi said.

The kits are delivered exclusively to shelters, where animal control officers can hand them to people finding kittens or people can pick them up.

“One thing I impress upon all the shelters: These are for members of the public and not for rescue groups, including ours,” Felin-Magaldi said. “It’s to help engage members of the public. And there has to be some mechanism for the shelter to somehow track or enforce that these kittens have to be fixed so that we don’t make another generation of cats to make more cats.”

It was a win-win for the shelter and the cats—the community would have education about helping newborns and would help the babies stand on their own four feet. Shelter employees would be relieved of the hideous, stressful task of dispatching the kittens.

“Pretty much, when someone came into the lobby with some kittens or called us about kittens in their yard, or if an officer in the field got a call about kittens in a yard, we used that opportunity to educate the people on the issue and offer the kits to them as an alternative to leaving them with us,” Stevens said. “It was really awesome to see our front-office staff and kennel attendants excited about educating people and offering the kits to them. I feel like it really empowered them to share their knowledge and help the people and the kittens to have positive outcomes, rather than what they had to do in the past, knowing that a positive outcome was unlikely.”

a man and a woman, both with face masks, stand before a sign designating the area as SEACCA animal shelter. Quote reads: "One of my core beliefs is that no organization--shelter or rescue--can really save them allwithout making the larger community an ally.
Earlier this year, Best Friends Animal Society awarded a Rachael Ray Save Them All grant to CatPAWS to help them continue saving lives of newborn kittens in the Greater Long Beach community with the kitten-care kits. “This grant allows us to expand the DIY Kitten Care Kit Program in which we partner with municipal shelters to provide tools to the public to save this most vulnerable population—tiny kittens,” Felin-Magaldi said, expressing her gratitude to Best Friends. “Our goal will be to save at least 1,000 kittens this year through our partnership with area public shelters.” Courtesy photo.

So far this year, about 70 DIY kits have gone not only to Long Beach Animal Care Services but also to Orange County Animal Care in Tustin, SEACCA in Downey and several of the Los Angeles County Animal Care locations.

Jill Prout, who was the rehoming coordinator at Long Beach Animal Care Services at the time that the kits were introduced, said that the kits were also advertised on the city’s phone lines and on the shelter’s social media. Prout, who has since moved to Orange County Animal Care, said that the kits were recently given to the shelter there.

“I can’t wait to help more kitties here in the OC!” she said.

Shelter manager Staycee Dains said that the kits continue to ride along with animal control officers to be given to people finding litters of kittens. She said that no appointment is necessary to pick up a kit from the shelter, but that anyone interested in obtaining one should contact the shelter at 562-570-7387 or at [email protected] to let them know when they’ll be there.

Your donations will help pay for the goodies in the DIY Kitten Care Kits. Access this link to help newborns have the life they deserve. General donations to Helen Sanders CatPAWS can be made here.

Virtually Pets

Cute kittens grow up to be winning adults, each with their own personalities. These furries are mentored in adoption centers in the Long Beach area or else cuddled at home by fosters. To adopt any of them, fill out the application here.

Black cat stands on brown wood floor staring upward with big, green eyes
This little darling is Jett, and he’s 3 years old. He was adopted from CatPAWS a couple years ago as a kitten and then was rendered homeless when his people divorced, moved and didn’t take him. As Jetts go, he’s a blast, and he knows how to have a blast anywhere he is. He loves to play, talk, cuddle and enjoy life. Meet him at PetSmart in Seal Beach, and become a member of the Jett set!

 

shiny black cat with small white chest star lies on tan rug staring into camera with big, green eyes

shiny black cat looks into camera, lying down.
Have you always wanted cats who act like dogs? Come when you call them? Carry toys around? Do a happy dance when you come home? Bub (top) and Lou (bottom) are perfect for you! At 10 years old, these chonky boys are happy wherever and with whatever. They are both friendly and docile and would be great for someone who wants two laidback cats who get along well together.

 

White cat with tabby-patch ears and back stares upward, sitting in bowling-pin position in a glassed-in kennel with store products in background
Chompers, whom the rescuers renamed Shompei for ease of pronunciation, is chilling at the Cat Adoption Center at the Long Beach Pet Food Express. Shompei is 10 years old and has no teeth but her fangs because of a horrible case of stomatitis that went untreated for heaven knows how long. Nonetheless, she’s playful as a kitten and loves to cuddle. She needs to be in a home with no other animals and no small children, but she thrives on having her chops rubbed. Can you give her the life she deserves?

 

Just fur fun and fur-ther education

Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp: Saturday, April 10, 10 a.m., online event, register here

Following two successful virtual events in 2020, Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp, the acclaimed event for animal enthusiasts of all stripes, patches and solid colors is back for a springtime celebration to engage and inspire cat lovers around the world, thanks to a generous investment by Petco Foundation. Reinvented as a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cat Camp’s mission is to educate, entertain and empower by providing the right tools to every individual interested in helping kitties. It’s a lot of fun! Camp activities will feature interactive content, both entertaining and educational, that includes harness and clicker training—including how to teach cats to high-five, caring for kittens, fundraising ideas, how to best serve community cats and so much more, followed by an “After Pawty” full of cat-themed activities, games and prizes. Meet “My Cat from Hell’s” Jackson Galaxy along with Christina Ha, co-owner of NYC’s first Cat Café, Meow Parlour and its affiliates; and Hannah Shaw (aka “Kitten Lady”), who will focus on inspiring attendees to “level up” their skills on their journey to helping cats in the home and the community.

Helen Sanders CatPAWS Virtual Kitten Shower: Thursday, April 15, 6:30–7:30 p.m., free, register at this link

April showers may bring May flowers, and kitten season brings more cats. This actual virtual kitten shower, though, will help care for the ones whose lives are in the literal hands of Helen Sanders CatPAWS’ rescue. Learn how the patient, determined kitten foster-care providers provide life-giving support for these delicate little souls and how you can do the same, if you’re interested. If you don’t have the time and space, there are other ways to provide them with medication, food and veterinary care. Registration is free.

Help wanted, help given

Feline Good Social Club needs willing subjects for its bewhiskered nobility

Feline Good Social Club has opened and is running and knocking things off shelves. The cat curators would love some volunteers for their furry residents. Want to be part of a kowtowing staff to cats because everyone knows that cats expect it? Email [email protected].

Fix Long Beach low-cost pet-services clinic: Wednesday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., 1749 Magnolia Ave., Long Beach, services available by appointment at www.fixlongbeachpets.com.

Fix Long Beach has reopened and is taking appointments for low-cost spay/neuter, dental, vaccines and other vet needs for cats and dogs. Visit their webpage or Facebook page for details.

DIY Kitten Care Kits available free at Long Beach Animal Care Services

Kitten season has begun, and soon, shelters and rescues will be scrambling to save their lives, get them fixed, get them adopted. It isn’t unusual to find nests of young, seemingly abandoned kittens during kitten season. It is a natural reaction to want to help, to save them. If you are interested in obtaining a Kitten Care Kit made possible by Helen Sanders CatPAWS, please email [email protected].

Spay/neuter vouchers available at shelter

Long Beach Animal Care Services has spay/neuter vouchers available. They’ll take a healthy nip out of the cost of a procedure. Residents of any of the five cities served by the shelter—(see above)—can telephone the general number at 562-570–7387 to request a voucher.

 Spay/neuter appointments available at SNP/LA

The Spay/Neuter Project of Los Angeles (SNP/LA) is back in business for free and low-cost spay/neuter services, and they’re extending the hours of their vaccination clinics. The San Pedro clinic, located at 957 N. Gaffey St., will give shots every third Thursday between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Call 310-574–5555 to see if you qualify for services.

If you can see the bottom of the kibble bag

Pets of the Homeless’s 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’ human families can pick up at outreach locations. The following Long Beach businesses will accept your donations:

Trendi Pawz, 3726 E. Seventh St.

Belmont Heights Animal Hospital, 255 Redondo Ave.

Paw Shoppe Pet Center, Inc., 6416 E. Spring St.

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

Adopt, adopt, adopt

tuxedo cat with tipped ear sits in kennel near a window.

Pet Food Express Cat Adoption Center: weekdays and Saturday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, adoption fees apply.

This adoption center is a much-needed satellite operation of Long Beach Animal Care Services. Julie and her team pull adoptable cats—”adoptable,” to these guys, means any cat in a shelter kennel! The team socializes the kitties until they’re adopted, which takes less time than you could imagine!

 Helen Sanders CatPAWS adoption center: viewable daily during store hours, PetSmart, 12341 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach, adoption fees apply.

Window-shopping’s a neat pastime and likely has become more common during the pandemic. Helen Sanders CatPAWS has applied window-shopping to cat adoption; you can peer at several of the fine felines through the windows of the PetSmart adoption center in Seal Beach. Sadly, no ear scratching or chin rubs at this time, but volunteers can answer questions and provide you with adoption information! Be sure to wear a mask. You can find adoption applications and all the kitties here.

Links to loveables

The following pet-related businesses regularly feature cat, dog and rabbit adoptions, but as of now, adoptions are mainly by appointment. Click on the links for each rescue in case of updates or changes. These organizations operate through donations and grants, and anything you can give would be welcome. Please suggest any Long Beach-area rescues to add to the list.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to remove a paragraph.