by Jackie Dale
Jackie is a part of Cat House On The Kings in Parlier and does a monthly column on the Cat House here at KRL.
Next weekend is the Open House! The Cat House hopes to have a big turn-out. WE ARE DESPERATELY IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS! Please, please, please consider volunteering to help. We need people on Friday, May 4 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to help with the set-up. We also need volunteers on Saturday morning from 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. This gift of your time is a donation that would be greatly appreciated. Just a few hours out of your day will make a tremendous difference in helping this event get started and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. If you would like to volunteer, please send an email to tammy@cathouseonthekings[dot]com. In the subject line put “VOLUNTEER,” so Tammy can spot it among her many, many emails.
This year we have added food trucks to provide yummy eats to hungry event goers. There will also be a photo booth and cat tattoos! It’s not too late to hustle up a last minute raffle item. Just bring it to The Cat House Office and one of the office staffers will be happy to take your item and issue you a receipt.
Don’t forget to bring a little something for an admission donation. Cash is always awesome, but cat food (dry and canned), particularly kitten food is needed. We use a ton of cleaning supplies to keep the facility clean and sparkling so those are welcome, too. Bleach, pine cleaner, paper towels, and soaps (dish and laundry). We also use lots of hand sanitizer and apple cider vinegar. It is really going to be a fun day, and we look forward to seeing our loyal fans and supporters. If you are local and have never been to the Cat House on the Kings, this is a perfect opportunity to see the valuable work being done in your community.
Cat Trapper Tails
This unhappy fellow was #21 of the Nelson TNR project.
The five kittens from the Selma shelter went to one of my best foster moms, Heather Stout. Although the smallest one passed away, the remaining four are healthy and thriving. All the kittens have loving homes awaiting them once they are old enough. Fosters are an essential component of rescuing kittens. Without fosters, it would be impossible to save as many kittens. People only have so much time and room, so volunteering to foster is giving an innocent little kitten a chance at a good life. You have to spread the work around so that no one feels overwhelmed. Many hands make light work. You might not be saving the world, but you will be helping to make your little piece of it a better place.
Kittens being fostered
I took in a single orange kitten from the Selma shelter that had barely escaped certain death in the bottom of a dumpster. It was pure fate that the driver had to get out of his truck to position the dumpster. He heard tiny little “mews” and he climbed into the dumpster and rescued the tiny kitten. I don’t know the man’s name, but he is a very fine example of human-kindness. Tammy Barker saw his cute face on my Facebook post and offered to take him. She was searching for just the right kitten to be a companion to a lonesome, depressed kitten named Macaroni. My kitten was dubbed “Cheese” because he was after all, a nice cheesy orange. After a short, hissy meet and greet, Mac and Cheese have become inseparable pals. Their sweet story was even picked up at Love Meow.com–kitten rescued with brother.
Cheese
The calls just kept coming. Five small kittens abandoned at an apartment complex. I think that sometimes when people find kittens alone, they immediately jump to the conclusion that they are abandoned. In fact, the mother may just be off eating and doing her business. People should wait and watch to see if indeed, the mother cat returns.
Then there was a kitten found alone under the dumpster at the Clovis Target. Tammy also offered to take that kitten, she had another in foster the same age. Thanks Tammy!
I got tagged on Facebook about a kitten that had been left in a box on someone’s doorstep. They could not keep the cat and were giving it away for free. It was only about three-weeks old and still needed bottle feeding. I drove forty-five minutes to a somewhat sketchy neighborhood to pick up the fluffy gray kitten. That kitten went to another of my foster people who had a nursing mother cat.
Another rescued kitten
A volunteer from 2nd Chance brought me an injured adult cat. As the volunteer and I were talking in front of my house, the cat managed to rip apart the mesh window of the fabric-type carrier and run off. Tip: Don’t use fabric-type carriers. At first I just stood there trying to absorb what just happened. The black and white cat ran under a pile of stuff in the side yard that was covered with a tarp. I placed a trap at the entrance hole and waited. Four days later…caught me a cat! After taking the cat to be neutered, he was moved out to the feral refuge because he was pretty smelly. If he turns out to be tame once he settles down, then I can try to find him a home. NOTE: About a month after a male cat is neutered, the pungent odor of their urine disappears!
I responded to several more calls, one of which was an emergency rescue, where the outcomes were not so good. Unfortunately, with the successes come the failures. However, all we can do is try our best.
Feral mom and her dark minions
As I was writing this column, I got a call from 2nd Chance. A black cat had delivered her kittens underneath the stairs of the play-toy at the Selma Head Start. Three of us volunteer ladies gathered with our gear including my brand new $30 net. Netting the mother was quick and relatively easy, we even managed to get her in the cage. But, she was tangled in the net. After much deliberation, it was decided that risking losing the cat was not an option. The net had to take one for the team, and I cut it to free the cat. We collected her five, all black kittens. The family is currently residing in a large cage in one of my bedrooms. Mom is a fierce defender of her kittens. Feeding and cleaning is a challenge, but we do what we must.
Till next month…
Learn more about the Cat House on their website and you can donate here.
Check out more animal rescue & pet related articles, including more Cat House columns, in our Pet Perspective section and remember that if you buy an ad in KRL you can designate 10% of the ad price to go to the Cat House.
Jackie- Thank you for saving these precious little souls. I’m a regular reader/subscriber to KRL and always catch your monthly reports. And, it goes without saying, a long-time supporter of TCHOTK ! Your faithful and undying support is truly appreciated. Cats forever!