I’m going to be uncharacteristically brief in this column’s intro. Yesterday’s article referenced a foster-coordination team that Long Beach Animal Care Services’ manager Staycee Dains is creating and where to inquire about being hired. I introduced the position with eight paragraphs and a video explaining why Dains is developing her idea.

Now, I want to introduce you personally to eight of the most important reasons. They’re mostly adult cats, some with issues, who tend to get overlooked for kitten cuteness. Each of them has a sorrowful story, and we’re hoping that someone will write a better sequel.

Fostering helps, spay/neuter prevents, and adoption is the ultimate solution.

alert-looking brown tabby with brown nose looking at the camera.
Vicki (ID#A628162) is a gorgeous, alert 3-year-old little girl. She was brought to the shelter in a condition of starvation, but she’s pudging out nicely with med care and good food. You and she could raid the refrigerator until she’s at her ideal weight.
Calico cat with unique black patch from eyebrow to right side of muzzle. White muzzle.
She’s light on her feet like many cats her age, so she was given the name Ginger Rogers (ID#A627337). Ginger’s a longhaired calico who’ll dance into your heart the minute you see the cockeyed masque on the right side of her face.
black kitten with straight-up ears, green eyes, and pink paper collar
And then there’s Charlie Chaplin, an eentsy little 4-month old comic performer. We hope she’ll be taking a little tramp around someone’s bungalow real soon.
white cat with pink nose and one green and one blue eye.
One look at Lunar (ID#A630193) and you’ll be moonstruck by his beautiful white fur and his dual-phase orbs—one blue, one green. He’s 10 months old and ready to cruise the cosmos with you—or at least your bathroom and unroll the toilet paper.
tuxedo kitten with bat ears, black nose, and white muzzle and chest looking at camera.
This masked fellow is Bandit (ID#A628625). He’s just a little over 3 months old and (can’t help myself) will steal your heart. And more than likely your tuna salad sandwich. Get ready for years of play and snuggles.

These special-needs cats deserve a full life, too.

Big-faced brown tabby with sour expression looks at camera.
You may have met Biggie Smalls (ID#A628686) yesterday, but he’s here again because I fell hard for him at the shelter and am still massaging my heart because I already have four at home. Biggie’s only 4, but the expression on his face looks like the rest of us do when we wake up and find out that we have to face another day. Biggie is struggling to recover from an abscess and is FIV positive. He can live a good life once he’s well as can be.
Tuxedo cat with white spade-shaped muzzle and pink nose, staring into camera
Cleo (ID#A626940) is 15 and more than likely blind. Her sixth sense is fine, though, especially where affection is concerned. She may need special attention to her teeth. Her previous owners declawed her. No further comment.
Brown medium-hair tabby with white muzzle in a bed, looking out.
Ricky Bobby (ID#A627897) is 12 years old. Shelter staff thinks he’s a Maine coon. He has been neutered and was obviously someone’s pet. The staff is concerned because he hasn’t been eating and has been losing weight. He needs outa there, with a medical rescue or a foster.
Blue building in distance, sign over it saying "Animal Admissions," between two white pillars. To the right is a banner with blue highlights and animal faces that reads "Adopt at Long Beach Animal Care.
And here’s where you go to meet them. The signage at the P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village doesn’t specify which door leads to the shelter and which to spcaLA. But it’s easier now. To adopt one of the pets in this article or any from Long Beach Animal Care Services—the shelter—pass through the door to the left of this banner, with the sign “Animal Admissions.”
Things to do, pets to support

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

Adoption event and vet CBD patient-appreciation day: Sunday, July 28, noon–4 p.m., The Circle Long Beach, 1755 Ximeno Ave., Long Beach, adoption fees vary.

Visit with adoptable doggies and purchase VET CBD for your pets at a special discount price that day!

Long Beach Creamery’s Golden Mallow ice cream, made exclusively for Pow! Wow! Long Beach 2019. Photo by Dina Amadril.

Ice cream social fundraiser: Sunday, July 28, 4–8 p.m., Long Beach Creamery, both locations at 222 E. Broadway and 4141 Long Beach Blvd., menu prices and adoption fees vary.

The fantastic team at Long Beach’s own artisan ice cream place is offering two scoops of love and support for rescues. They’re giving 25% of every goodie purchased to support healing of the #Fosterthe4th dogs and find their Forever Family. The doggies will be there, too, as toppings to the treats!

Long Beach Animal Care Services adoption event: Saturday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Petco, 3065 California Ave., adoption fees vary.

The shelter’s Adoption Waggin’ (aka Land Rover) will wheel in dogs, cats and maybe a couple of bunnies that you can adopt and then buy stuff to spoil them rotten at Petco.

tan boxer in standing position on green lawn with trees in background. He's wearing a collar and attached leash.

Fix Long Beach Free DOG Spay/Neuter Clinic, sponsored by Justin Rudd: Saturday, Aug. 10, 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m., Marine Stadium, 5255 E Paoli Way, Long Beach, free spay/neuter for qualifying Long Beach residents, with appointment; free microchips, shots, flea-med doses, dewormers and nail trimmings $10 each—no appointment necessary.

The best way to mitigate shelter euthanasia is to tamp the source, and that’s why we’re here. Our appointments are fully booked, but you can come for standby at 10:30 a.m. Appointments are available for future clinics—come make one. Full details are available here.

Benny’s Big Birthday Bash: Saturday, Aug. 24, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Camp Run-A-Mutt South Bay, 945 W. 190th St., Gardena, $15 regular admission, $20 for admission and Quartermania

Benny is the little cat who went through hell, was stuck in limbo for a while, and then reached a deserved paradise (you can read his story here.) Benny’s paying it forward, back and in every direction he can jump, which are surprisingly quite a few. All proceeds from the event will benefit Benny’s benefactors: Helen Sanders CatPAWS and Long Beach Animal Care Services. Tickets are available here.

Drags for Wags, to benefit Sparky and the Gang: Saturday, Aug. 24, 4 p.m., Hamburger Mary’s, 330 Pine Ave., Long Beach, $10 donation

Some of the greatest ladies of the town will put on a show for their very besties—the adoptable doggies at Sparky and the Gang Animal Rescue.s Raffles and giggles all evening long!

Ongoing

The Kitten Super Bloom continueth into the summer, featuring  $20 cat & kitten adoption fees at Long Beach Animal Care and at all @spcaLA locations until fur-ther notice. Check out shelter manager Staycee Dains’ video. Again.

Your old towels and blankets wanted and needed at Long Beach Animal Care Services

Stop! Before you toss away the old towels or use them to sop up the oil on your garage floor, consider our shelter  animals! gently used hand towels and regular-size ones clean up messes in the kennels and dry off pooches and kitties after baths. Don’t forget small and medium-size blankets, too. Cats curl up on them and dogs are warmed and comforted. Drop by the shelter with them and a shelter staff member will help you take them in. Long Beach Animal Care Services is located at 7700 E. Spring St. at the entrance to El Dorado Park, 7700 E., Spring St. No parking fee for shelter guests. Go through the Animal Admissions door that has a banner in the ground to the right.

tiny scruffy Siamese kitten
Jellybean, courtesy of Long Beach Animal Services

Bottle feeders needed desperately at shelter, ongoing

This is Jellybean, and he’s 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’s finished eating. Photo courtesy of Long Beach Animal Care Services.

This year’s kitten season has been a downpour. Last Saturday, about 40 pets (in one day!) were brought to Long Beach Animal Care Services, and over 30 of them were kittens, many just born. Our shelter and the Long Beach Little Paws Project kitten nursery 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—private-message the shelter on its Facebook page with your contact info to help kittens in our shelter, like Jellybean. Please share the post on that page widely. If you’re not in our area, your local shelter kittens need your help, too.

Strut Your Mutt

Register for Strut Your Mutt Los Angeles

Best Friends Animal Society is teaming up with our partner rescue groups, shelters and animal-welfare organizations to help save the lives of homeless cats and dogs at Strut Your Mutt. Local Long Beach groups such as The Little Lion Foundation are participating, and animal advocates and lovers will be coming from everywhere. Register for the Walk or donate if you have a pet who just won’t be walked—cats come to mind. All funds raised go directly to lifesaving programs such as spay/neuter, adoption, and a KITTEN NURSERY! This year’s event is on October 26, 2019 at Exposition Park in Los Angeles—all information is available here.

Donations accepted for Pets of the Homeless

Pets of the Homeless’ 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, 255 Redondo Ave., Long Beach

Belmont Heights Animal Hospital, 255 Redondo Ave., Long Beach

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

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., Long Beach,Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m. Donations will be gratefully accepted at these locations as well.

Adopt, adopt, adopt

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]. Click on the links for each rescue in case of updates or changes.

Chase Bank, 5200 E. Second St., Long Beach

The Farmer’s Marketplace of Long Beach, 5000 E. Spring St. (Spring and Clark), Long Beach

Gelson’s Market, 6255 E. Second St.

Kahoots Pet Store, 18681 Main St. #102, Huntington Beach

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

PetSmart Cerritos, 12741 Towne Center Drive, Cerritos

PetSmart Compton, 1775 South Alameda St., Compton

PetSmart Garden Grove, 9835 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove

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

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

PetSmart Signal Hill, 2550 Cherry Ave., Signal Hill

Unleashed by Petco, 600 Redondo Ave.