The Little Paws Kitten Nursery is but a toddler itself, having opened its doors last year on April 15. Like any infant—and all the kittens under its wing—it’ll take a village to see that it matures in the best way possible. With this in mind, the volunteer team has created a Facebook fundraiser to keep the lights on and the doors open.

“We’re trying to keep the nursery afloat,” cofounder Claudia Marie said. “We want to raise $30,000, which will be just enough to cover the lease and the bills.”

https://youtu.be/059glwGk-P0

 

Little Paws began as a joint agreement brokered in 2018 among The Little Lion Foundation, of which Marie is also a cofounder; Helen Sanders CatPAWS, which provided start-up supplies that included custom-made kennels and the signing of a two-year lease; and Long Beach Animal Care Services, which provided spay/neuter assistance and, of course, the kittens and nursing mothers. The agreement allowed the nursery to save more lives of newborn kittens, unarguably the most vulnerable members of the shelter population. Without rescues and eager fosters, greater numbers of them would be subject to euthanasia.

This year’s pandemic and its financial stress has imposed constraints and a different blueprint for animal rescue, the nursery included. CatPAWS needs to redirect its resources to other efforts, although they’re paying the lease through the remainder of 2020. Consequently, Little Lion will be the sole steward of the kitten nursery facility operation and its fiscal responsibilities.

“It is going to be hardship, and that’s why we’re trying to fundraise to keep the doors open,” Marie said.

Although volunteers from rescues still come to Long Beach Animal Care Services to pull cats and kittens, Little Lion is doing things differently from previous years.

“We’ve been doing more ‘indirect impounds’ because the shelter isn’t open, and we’re working with more animal control officers [to directly take rescued mother cats and kittens],” Marie said. “Before, we were doing everything from the shelter. And we’re doing more TNR. We’re working with groups like Stray Cat Alliance to keep the cats from having babies, and we’re also developing our own TNR program. We’ve become more of a full-circle-type program.”

TNR stands for “trap/neuter (and spay)/return.” Rescue groups and community members engage in the practice by trapping stray cats and fixing them, sometimes coaxing mother cats into the traps where their weaned kittens have been placed. Unsocialized adults are returned to whence they came, and the kittens and friendly adults are adopted out.

Spay/neuter efforts have also gotten more creative.

“We are really lucky to have this mobile clinic coming two days a week—instead of the cats going to the shelter or SNP/LA to get fixed, we do it here,” Marie said. “Our ferals, they get fixed two days a week. We had over 150 kittens backed up for S/N—they got all of them fixed in three weeks’ time! They take City of Long Beach vouchers, and Little Lion pays for the vaccinations, snap tests and so on. We also got a grant from The Kitten Lady [Hannah Shaw] and pay for vet visits with it. A vet tech helps us twice a week.”

Marie said that at this writing, 402 kittens have been saved and 334 adopted this year—“100 in July alone, which is awesome!” She added that there are no more adult cats, but there are plenty of kittens under the aegis of The Little Lion Foundation.

Now, all they need to do is make sure that the rent is paid, the air conditioning and heat stay on, and the incubators keep running. Access this link to help with their fundraiser.

Ultimately, it’s about adoption. Check out these cute nursery alumni, and fill out an adoption application for one or two of them, or any of the kittycats on the page. Many of them have their baby pictures in their profiles, and it’s heartening to see how they’ve grown! Each has been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and otherwise fully vetted.

cat with tabby mask, back and tail and white paws, legs and chest sits on a shelf looking at camera.
Kookai at 4 months old is a playful, energetic little girl. She loves to wrestle with her brothers. She’s also sweet and is almost always purring. She loves being held and sleeping in her foster’s arms. Photo courtesy of The Little Lion Foundation.
kitten with light-orange ears and a white body sits in a blue tunnel looking out.
Jumpin’ Jelly Bean is a silly Creamsicle fellow. This boy is full of energy and has a lot of love to give. He has a charming little face that asks for pets and belly rubs. Jelly Bean is about 4 months old. He would be good in a home with cats, dogs or kids. Photo courtesy of The Little Lion Foundation.
white cat with tabby ears and mask lies on a rug and looks at camera
Agave is pretty shy at first but will quickly warm up if treats are involved! She loves to play with her cat friends and snuggle on fuzzy blankets. She lights up when you pull out a wand toy and will play with you for hours. She also has very silky fur. She would love to be adopted with her brother, Aloe, or into a home that already has a young cat. Agave is 5 months old. Photo courtesy of The Little Lion Foundation.

https://youtu.be/jbe3jRtcer8

Here’s little Gingerbread playing with her foster. We’ll let her foster tell you all about her! Video courtesy of The Little Lion Foundation.

The Little Paws Nursery runs on three shifts: morning, midday and evening, and volunteers are needed to help handle the shifts. Apply here to volunteer. Fill out an application to foster here. Contact Little Paws at [email protected].

Pet projects

If you can see the bottom of the kibble bag:

West Coast Toyota of Long Beach bought $3,000 worth of pet food last month to deliver to people in need in our community. If anyone you know is in this position, take a photo of the food you give to your pet, and include your name, contact information and a brief description of your work situation to [email protected]. Fix’n Fidos will deliver the food to you or arrange for you to pick it up.

Helen Sanders CatPAWS offers, through specific private donors, e-gift cards for people struggling during the crisis to buy food for their pets. The CatPAWS Spay/Neuter Fund, also privately funded, has vouchers available for anyone not able to go to the shelter for them. They also accept donations.

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, 3726 E. 7th St., 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.

Mainly fur fun

Benny’s 3rd birthday celebration and fundraiser: Monday, Aug. 24, 7 p.m. Register online here.

Last year, The Scratching Post published a story about Benny, a little cat who, at a year old, had apparently been through some awful abuse and yet kept his sweet disposition Benny was brought to Long Beach Animal Care Services in 2018 with a shattered jaw and other trauma-related injuries. Long Beach resident Beverly Leifer’s heart went out to him when she saw him, and it wasn’t long after that her arms also reached out and brought him home, forever. Last year, Benny and Bev both vowed to give back to the community and had a birthday bash like no other to raise money for the shelter and to Helen Sanders CatPAWS, the feline rescue that paid for Benny’s surgeries. This year, undaunted, the two have planned a virtual celebration that’ll be virtually awesome. This year, funds will go to CatPAWS again and also to WISEPlace, an Orange County center that empowers homeless and abused women. Benny hopes to help victims of abuse across species lines. More details are available here.

Best Friends Strut Your Mutt Day: Saturday, Oct. 24, register or donate here

The annual Strut Your Mutt dog walk, which has raised thousands of dollars for lifesaving projects, is going virtual like everything else. Best Friends has teamed up with local rescue groups, shelters, animal-welfare organizations and pet-community members for a virtual community walk and fundraiser to benefit homeless dogs and cats across the country. During this period of relative isolation, raising funds is more important than ever, so join up and participate in engaging opportunities to help throughout the season and build a virtual no-kill community. All funds raised go directly to lifesaving programs such as spay neuter services and adoption—and it’s all off leash!

Calendars—save the date, and save some pets!

Helen Sanders CatPAWS Show Us Your Kitties 2020 calendar contest: through Sunday, Sept. 20, register your floomf here

Sick and tired of 2020 already? Let’s build a new year and help cats at the same time. Helen Sanders CatPAWS Show Us Your Kitties calendar contest is back, and it’s time to submit your photos! This year the rescue’s goal is to reach $10,000 so they can continue the lifesaving work to make sure every cat gets the best life (and home) possible. The rescue will try its best to place every photo they receive somewhere in the calendar, even if not in the top 13. Because times are tough and CatPAWS wants to encourage people to share their beloved kitty photos, they have waived the usual entry fee this year! You can reserve a day for your cat for $10—a birthday, a memorial, St. Gertrude’s Day… Read the full rules here.

 Southern California Bulldog Rescue’s No Bulldog Left Behind calendar contest: through Monday, Aug 31, register your slobbery baby here.

 Southern California Bulldog Rescue provides shelter, rehoming assistance, and funds for medical treatment for over 250 bulldogs each year coming from animal shelters, other rescue groups, and owners who wish to surrender their purebred pets. They rely on donations for support, and this calendar of jut-jawed beauties is their biggest fundraiser. Do you and your adorable, squatty little friend want to reserve a day or strive for an entire month? Of course you do! Find out how here.

Help wanted, help given

Give a Dog a Bone Week: Pets of the Homeless, through Aug. 16, details here

This annual event is a national effort hosted by Pets of the Homeless to raise awareness and to help local communities across the country raise donations of pet food and supplies for pets of people experiencing homelessness. This year is a particularly critical one because of the pandemic and job loss because of illness. With unemployment expected to rise, the need for pet food and supplies will increase as more people become homeless. If you can donate pet food, this interactive map displays the collection locations near you. Donations are accepted, and T-shirts are available for purchase.

Second Annual Long Beach Gives: midnight–11:59, Thursday, Sept. 24, details here

Long Beach Gives started as a grad student project in 2018. In short, it’s 24 hours of donating to any of the 153 Long Beach charities in their aggregate. Last year’s inaugural event earned a combined total of over $822,000 for 93 local organizations, surpassing their initial goal of $350,000 by 300%, according to their website. This year’s impressive list of charities includes the following pet-related nonprofits: Fix Long Beach, Golden State Humane Society, Helen Sanders CatPAWS, Live Love Animal Rescue, Long Beach Spay & Neuter Foundation, Sparky and the Gang Animal Rescue, spcaLA and The Little Lion Foundation. Show your love and support for pets and the organizations that spend their money and themselves to help them—donate on Thursday, Sept. 23, between midnights.

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

It’s kitten season—the time of year when cats give birth. It starts in the spring—sometimes before, depending on the weather, peaks in midsummer, and ends in autumn. It occurs because so many cats are not spayed or neutered, and soon, kittens flood our shelter. 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. But before you jump in, consider these steps outlined here. 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.

Free and low-cost spay/neuter services and vaccinations

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. Beginning June 18, 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.

Adopt, adopt, adopt

spcaLA Are You Kitten Me? adoptions: Through Sept. 30, shelter hours at all spcaLA locations, $20 adoption fee for all felines

Help the community raise kittens born during kitten season and shine a spotlight on the adult cats passed over for their younger counterparts. Because of closures to the public, spcaLA will conduct all adoptions virtually, so check out these pointy-eared cuties here and complete an application on any of the adoptables’ pages. An spcaLA adoption counselor will contact you to complete the adoption. (This adoption special is for qualified adopters; exclusions may apply.)

 Helen Sanders CatPAWS adoption center: Daily, store hours, 2341 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.

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.