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.

The Open House was….Amazing!

Everything about it was just amazing. The weather was just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears; not too hot and not too cold, it was just right. The turnout was also amazing, in fact we believe we had a record setting number of people for this open house. As hard as we tried to provide adequate parking, the sheer number of people strained the limits of available spots. We are already planning how to address this issue for the fall open house. We are also considering having only one open house a year, in the fall. The logistics of holding two open houses is just an incredible amount of work. Tammy Barker, who literally spends six months planning and executing each open house, is being stretched to the limit having to coordinate both open houses in addition to her many other duties.

Absolutely deluged with kittens!

For example, right now The Cat House is being absolutely deluged with kittens. There are currently 300+ kittens at The Cat House and in various foster homes. Many of these kittens need medical attention, some need bottle feeding, and all need loving homes. In addition to her many other duties, Tammy has to locate suitable foster homes, go through numerous applications for cat/kitten adoptions, and additionally divide her time between her duties at The Cat House and the Petco Adoption Center in Fresno. She also has a “regular” job and is generally fostering something herself. Aren’t you glad you are not Tammy? I don’t think she has a lot of spare time.

Kittens in foster

But Tammy, like the rest of us, has a passion for animals, and that is what keeps us going. For those who have the passion but life’s circumstances prevent you from assisting in a way of your choosing, you can donate. We depend on your kind generosity to keep The Cat House up and running. There is no shame in not being able to volunteer or foster. Your donations are the life blood of our rescue. We could have a ton of volunteers but without the financial support, we would be dead in the water. For those people, we offer our substantial thanks! But whether you donate your time, your money, or simply spread the good word about us, we are so eternally grateful for every single person who cares enough to support the mission of The Cat House on the Kings.

Tammy with a DJ

With summer vacation right around the corner, taking a tour of The Cat House on the Kings should be on the top of your summer activities to-do list. Bringing the kids or perhaps out-of-town visitors for a tour will prove to be a memorable experience. Lynea leads most of the daily tours, except for Wednesdays, that’s her day off. The tour begins at 1 pm. It is important to call and make an appointment before coming out to The Cat House. The Cat House runs on schedule and unexpected visitors can throw things “out of whack” so to speak. It is equally important to keep that appointment, to call if you are unable to keep the appointment or if you will be late. Summer is also the perfect time to volunteer! We always need people to play with and socialize with the kitties. The kitties adore the attention! Volunteer applications are available on The Cat House website.

Jackie Has Been Busy Too!

I have been getting calls, emails, texts, and tagged on Facebook almost daily about kittens. A kitten here, four kittens there, kittens, kittens, everywhere. The Cat House can’t possibly take them all in so we volunteers try to assist by helping with the overflow whenever possible. If people would just fix their cats. Why is that such a hard concept to grasp? I recently received a call from a guy I previously helped. I had trapped and found placement for three older stray kittens. He promised to get his personal cat fixed while assuring me she, “only went out to use the bathroom because he didn’t want to be bothered with a litter box.” He tells me his cat had kittens about a month ago, and when could I come and pick them up? My jaw just about hit the floor. Seriously!? But I held my tongue, (it wasn’t easy), and told him all I could do was try to find placement. I asked him to send me pictures but told him I had no room for his kittens. There will be a caveat to my help this time. I will not help him further until he shows me proof that he has spayed his cat.

Apricot-mere days old/Fresno City College

At the end of last month’s column, I was bottle-feeding four kittens left at an area dog rescue. That healthy group went to one of my wonderful foster parents to hone their solid food skills. This past month I was able to send off three pairs of cats to jobs as rodent control specialists. Reports back from my various placements have all been quite favorable.

Jackie picking up 2 kittens in Kingsburg

Peache’s and Licorice/ Kleenex box babies

I assisted several people who needed a jumpstart getting their cats fixed. It turned out to be the month of the boys. One lady whose male came home after three weeks, skinny and beat up. Two ladies who unexpectedly caught community boy cats and needed an appointments quickly and one lady who arrived carrying her male cat in her arms.

How kittens look when you see them

FYI: Cats must arrive and leave in carriers. It is the safest way.

I had a woman referred to me about TNRing six cats on her property. I set up appointments, set up eight traps, and caught all six cats plus an additional cat. Three cats went to The Cat House and the other four went to H.O.P.E who was having a great special for feral cats. All seven cats were male. I could hardly believe it. The lone female responsible for this colony had disappeared shortly before trapping began. This super nice lady even paid me for my time so that was an unexpected bonus!

How they sometimes look when we get them

And for a point to ponder: If everyone could convince/help even one person to spay/neuter their cat, you will have done a big service to that person, the cat and their community. Think about it. Thank You.

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 Dale is a freelance writer who lives in Reedley with her husband of 25 years, Frank, and their 2 children. Jackie currently writes for The Cat House on the Kings Feline Rescue. A former ballerina, Jackie now teaches yoga and fitness classes privately and at local area gyms.