by Harvie Schreiber

Harvie coordinates Facebook and Fundraising for The Cat House on the Kings, and lives with a house-full of rescued cats. Jackie Dale will be back to doing her regular Cat House column next month.

“I’d like to donate some cats to you.” As silly as that may sound, Cat House on the Kings staff and volunteers get between 200 and 300 calls a week during spring and summer from people who have kittens and cats that they want us to take in. Though we do give shelter to hundreds every year, we obviously cannot take in the vast majority that are offered to us, which means that we’re often left with upset, frustrated, rude, and even hostile people on the other end of the phone line. This wears on our staff, who have to deal with this on a daily basis. Of course, there really is only one answer to this problem: spay and neuter, spay and neuter, spay and neuter. For those who call, our best advice is usually for them to make a personal commitment to just one litter. Take in just one litter. Keep them fed, keep them safe, get them healthy. And get them ALL spayed and neutered before finding them good homes. For those of you who are willing to do some much-needed TNR (Trap – Neuter – Return) in your own area, we’ve created a handy resource for you: www.cathouseonthekings.com/docs/tnr_basics.pdf.

A few months ago, a very small kitten was brought to The Cat House on the Kings by someone who had found it covered in the sticky glue used in mousetraps. Cat House on the Kings founder/director Lynea Lattanzio and her staff spent countless hours working diligently to “unsticky” the adorable tabby girl, who remained loving and full of purrs during the process. After using Blue Dawn dish detergent, peanut butter, coconut oil, and corn starch, the staff realized that she smelled like a candy bar and she was named Almond Joy! In early August, Almond Joy was adopted by a loving family from northern California. PLEASE do not use these sticky glue boards anywhere that a cat (or dog) might become stuck! The Humane Society of the United States says: “There are numerous reports of cats becoming stuck in glue boards and requiring veterinary help, sometimes surgery, to remove the board. Because of their agility, cats are able to access seemingly out-of-the way places, so it is dangerous to assume that a glue board can be placed safely out of the reach of cats.”

Almond Joy when she first arrived

Almond Joy gets adopted

The Cat House on the Kings’ next major fundraiser will be their Saturday, November 5, 2016 AUTUMN OPEN HOUSE, to be held at our beautiful 12-acre sanctuary along the Kings River. The fundraising portion of the event (which features guided tours, music, food, and – of course – hundreds of kitty cats) is our Silent Auction. We are currently asking people to donate items to us that can be auctioned off: artwork, jewelry, purses, collectibles, gift baskets, gift certificates, knitted, crocheted, and hand-crafted gifts of all kinds! If you’re willing to drop it off or send it to us, we’d love to have your donations. If you’re interested in donating, please send an email to Tammy@Cathouseonthekings[dot]com so she can let you know deadlines and shipping instructions. We hope to see as many of you as possible at our Autumn Open House!

Raffle tickets are on sale now for our November 5 Open House Raffle Item: a custom-made LudiPuss Cat Tank Activity Center that was donated to us for this raffle. This one-of-a-kind Cat Tank includes a moving laser light installed with on/off switch, four separate ping pong ball play centers, three hidden mini fur mice, two larger sisal mice in the left hand track, three sisal scratching areas, and a rotating turret with opening lid. The Activity Center is lined with 100% wool felt. (Weight: 33 lbs)

Ludipuss Cat Tank

You need NOT be present at the Open House to win; we will ship the Cat Tank to the U.S. or Canada. (If you live in a different country, you will need to cover shipping costs.) Raffle tickets are just $1 each. For every 20 tickets you purchase in advance, you will get one free. So if you buy 60, you will actually get 63! To enter the raffle send a check or money order payable in U.S. funds to The Cat House on the Kings, 7120 S. Kings River Rd., Parlier, CA 93648. Mark “RAFFLE TICKETS” in the memo section. Please include a phone number in case you win! If you wish to use a credit card to purchase raffle tickets, you may call our California office at (559) 638-0030, Monday through Friday. $20 minimum, please. Your ticket numbers will be recorded for the drawing, but we are saving on postage and not mailing ticket stubs. Tickets purchased locally will receive ticket stubs. Please note: We are not permitted to accept raffle ticket payments online. We apologize for the inconvenience. Raffle questions? Send an email to info@Cathouseonthekings[dot]com.

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.