The Cat House on the Kings: Autumn Open House, Endless Kittens, Rescues, & Updates

Sep 24, 2016 | 2016 Articles, Animal Rescue Adventures, 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.

Well, I am back from my short vacation. It wasn’t really a vacation though. I spent the time trapping, trapping, oh, and trapping. It has been an exhausting summer for everyone at The Cat House on the Kings, employee and volunteers alike.

Open House Time Soon!

The Autumn Open House is scheduled for November 5, and you ‘have’ to be there. There are always the best silent auction items to bid on! By the way, WE NEED ITEMS FOR THE AUCTION! Tammy is in charge of donations, tammy@cathouseonthekings[dot]com. Same email if you want to volunteer. Many hands make light work!

quilt

We have another spectacular quilt up for raffle. We also have what is probably the most unique cat activity center ever created. It literally is a one-of-a-kind cat tank. Yes, an actual tank. I think that this is the sort of cat toy even the most macho guy would be proud to have in his home. To get the details on how to purchase raffle tickets, visit our website, Facebook, or read the latest newsletter.

So Many Kittens!

1000th Kitten

The kittens have been coming in non-stop, and the phones have been ringing off the hook. On August 26 the 1,000 kitten came through the doors. A gorgeous Russian Blue cat was abandoned by the river in Reedley. I am embarrassed and ashamed that so many of Reedley citizens think that this is an acceptable practice. You may remember a story from a previous column of mine when at the river a small child pointed out a kitten, said it was hers and said that her parents told her “we brought it here to play with the other cats.” It seems so simply obvious to me that you get your cat fixed and you won’t encounter the problems that occur when you fail to do so. You don’t have to think about what a poor excuse for a human you are for dumping a poor cat/kittens in the middle of nowhere. You don’t have to live with the knowledge that you lied your child. Not to mention the fact that one day the child WILL realize what you did. People like this expect other people to come along and clean up their mess due to their own complete lack of foresight, ethics, and common sense. I cringe when I hear people say, “My kids wanted a kitten/puppy.” Then the kids lose interest, the pet grows up and is not quite so cute. The most common phrase I see from adults when I am trying to adopt out a cat or kitten is, “It’s so cute, I want it.” That is the kiss of adoption death for me.

That is what we call “a whim.” A pet should NEVER, EVER be a “whim.” It should always be a well thought out decision. Adding a furry family member is a serious decision. It is a commitment that should not be discarded the moment it becomes inconvenient.

One basic question to ask yourself is, “Can I afford to get my cat or dog fixed and take it to the vet when needed?” If the answer is “No,” then be an adult and realize that it might be best to forego a pet until such time that you can provide properly for that pet. If you or your kids need a cat fix, they can always come out to The Cat House and pet cats to their hearts content. We have lots of kitties looking for a pet and a scratch behind the ears. I think it would make a huge difference if there were pet education for children in the schools. They could have speakers come to the after-school programs.

Ludipuss Cat Tank

Updates

Best Western, Selma—two more adults trapped and fixed, four kittens removed, four more older ones appeared. More TNR there. Selma has a serious unaltered cat problem.

Kingsburg Kmart—Thus far approx. 25+ kittens removed, sixteen cats trapped and fixed. Of the sixteen, twelve were female. I am halfway through this project but have run out of money. I also received word that the Kingsburg City Manager wanted to talk to me. Whatever for I wondered? Perhaps to congratulate me on a job well done? Or tell me to stop? Which would frankly be kind of stupid since I am providing a public service, for free. Maybe he wants to pay me? Maybe he doesn’t like the Kingsburg name on my GoFundMe page? It is no big secret that Kingsburg is completely overrun with unfixed cats. More Kingsburg residents need to help out with some donations to help fund the remainder of this project.

Reedley CVS—A black adult and two older kittens have shown up at CVS. This means time to do some trapping there. It really never ends.

Fowler McD’s—The black mom cat continues to elude me, and she is now pregnant again. We keep trying to capture her. So far about seven cats there are fixed.

Selma Walmart—They finally tore out the bushes and I haven’t seen my cats in a month. I’m heartbroken as I have been caring for them for five years now. I continue to leave food and water nearby.

Daisy, the kitten rescued on Facebook

Even as I write my column, a concerned woman sends me a screenshot of someone on Facebook giving away a very young kitten, for free. Before the tiny one could become snake food, I teamed up the person who notified me, and we got the kitten. It had been found and taken to the Dinuba Police Department/Animal Control who told them that the kitten was too young and would be euthanized. So they took it home, although they were not allowed pets and posted it on Facebook. While not the ideal way to find help for the kitten, their hearts were in the right place. Kitten is safe and doing well.

Please remember to mark your calendars for Saturday, November 5, for our always-a-good-time open house fundraiser. There is going to be a dance group performing that you won’t want to miss! And don’t forget to read the latest Cat House on the Kings newsletter. Till next time…

Learn more about the Cat House on their website.

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 21 years, Frank, and their 2 children. Jackie currently writes for Traffic Magazine and 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.

18 Comments

Elaine Faber on September 25 at 8:54am

I wonder if you have considered contacting your local small town newspaper to see if they would run an article such as you’ve written about the seriousness of spaying/altering cats and dogs. Surely you kind-hearted neighbors would understand if they knew the results of their carelessness. And maybe a local vet could give reduced rate spay/neuter fees for a while? I’m sure you’ve thought of this. God will bless you for your kindness. I also donate to the Kings River Cat House.
Reply
- Jackie Dale on October 7 at 9:06am
  
  Thank you Elaine,
  I have written numerous letters but am about due for another one! Our vet gives us a discount price for the spays and neuters. Unfortunately a large populace of the community of the Central Valley are not very educated and they believe animals are simply property to be discarded when no longer cute or convenient. A major portion of the problem to be sure. I spend a lot of time trying to educate people.
  Reply
Tyme on September 29 at 6:57am

Regarding “unaltered cat problem”. Do you all, and the local TNR folks, know about the feline birth control? Use to be called FeralStat. Formula was ‘discovered’ by a veterinarian. He passed away, and it was no longer marketed. However, the same pharmacy that compounded it for them is still doing so, and it is available with a prescription. This is a little known fact. I have spoken with them many times.

There really is no excuse for local TNR/feral caretaker folks to _not_ be using this as temporary measure until females can be TNR’d. And, of course, there are those cats who just can’t be trapped. It is very cost effective.

We TNR/feral folks in Central Florida used it, and it is very effective. A friend in Dallas is using it on her colony with great success. Never saw sign of any side effects.

Alley Cat Allies, and veterinarians of course, discouraged its use before, citing possible side effects. It is no different than human birth control or any other drugs that have been tested for dosage. If you overdose it, there can be problems. So, just dose it correctly! But, then again, a female cat has a greater risk of dying from having been pregnant (increased risk of cancer with each litter). And, of course, ferals/strays are at great risk of dying for many reasons. Also, people have erroneously discouraged its use saying surgical sterilization is the best solution. Of course it is!! But, we can’t TNR thousands of cats every week, now can we. We can give them a nice birth control treat each week in the meantime – that is doable.

It is super easy to administer. Mix 1/8 teaspoon of the powder into a bit of wet food and the cats will eat it up as a delicious treat. Give only 1x per _week_. Doesn’t work on males (although might make them a bit calmer), but doesn’t hurt them either. With big colonies, you mix the power with big bowl of food and distribute to all cats (in small dollops, spread well apart so they can’t eat each others).

I have done this myself, with a large colony. I have good tips/tricks, and would be happy to share.

If you don’t know about it — you should. I’d be happy to tell you more about it and give you the name/number of the pharmacy.
Reply
- LIGHTNING SUGAR MAGNOLIA on September 30 at 2:50am
  
  PLEASE oh please tell me more about this……all you tips and tricks! And the pharmacy. Can you contact me directly at my email: roccomiamorcito@gmail.com?
  
  I am a senior with major health issues the last 3 years (heart attack/failure, chronic kidney disease, and been fighting cancer for 1-1/2 years….(mastectomy) and have been rescuing animals all my life. Mostly cats. Currently have 8 feeding stations and back to doing TNR finally after chemo/radiation….still far from 100% well but grateful to still be alive! I don’t know how much longer I will be able to care for the cats I’ve taken care of for the last 16+ years as there is no one to take my place to feed/water/visit with them. I would love to know more about birth control and use it. Is it expensive? So many questions…..I thank you kindly for your wonderful work. I am shocked that I have not heard of this from ANYONE in the rescue community before now.
  
  Bless you….thank you…
  Sugar’s Mom
  
  p.s. I don’t Twitter or Facebook
  Reply
  - CiCi on October 9 at 11:43am
    
    Sugar’s Mom:
    
    I replied to your email immediately, with information. Did you receive? (Been more than a week.)
    Reply
- Jackie Dale on October 7 at 9:09am
  
  Hello Tyme, I have never heard of this but am very interested. Please send additional info to my email address
  jackiejoy@hotmail.com
  I have one female that I have been trying to catch for 2 years and am quite weary of her multiple litters of kittens. I look forward to your response.
  Reply
- Jackie Dale on October 7 at 9:17am
  
  Hello Tyme, I have never heard of this but am very interested. Please send additional info to my email address
  jackiejoy@hotmail.com
  I have one female that I have been trying to catch for 2 years and am quite weary of her multiple litters of kittens. I look forward to your response.
  Reply
- Jackie Dale on October 7 at 9:20am
  
  Hello Tyme, I have never heard of this but am very interested. Please send additional info to my email address
  jackiejoy@hotmail.com
  I look forward to your response.
  Reply
  - CiCi on October 9 at 11:42am
    
    Have sent email to both you and “Sugar’s Mom”.
    Reply
Virginia Knauss on September 29 at 8:31am

How do we donate to your Go Fund Me? Is a donation tax deductible?

Thank you for all you do – you are absolutely incredible!!!

v.
Reply
- Jackie Dale on October 7 at 9:02am
  
  Hi Virginia,
  You can go to GoFundMe.com and either type in my name or “Kingsburg Kmart Cats” and it should come up. Unfortunately I don’t think donations to the GoFundMe is tax deductible. But if you want the deduction, you can make the donation via check to The Cat House on the Kings and include a note that the funds are to go to Jackie Dale for TNR. Thank you so much! I try to do what I can to make my tiny piece of the world a better place for animals.
  Reply
  - Virginia Knauss on October 9 at 10:05am
    
    Thank you Jackie – I will do that.
    Reply
Jennifer Meyer on September 29 at 9:36am

I give monthly to the CHOTK but would also like to know how to get to your GoFundMe page. Thanks for all you do – I enjoy your columns.
Reply
- Jackie Dale on October 7 at 9:16am
  
  Thank you so much Jennifer. Every little bit helps, it really does. Just go to GoFundMe .com and type in the search bar, either my name or Kingsburg Kmart Cats. Once that project is complete I move on to a Best Western in the next town over. Thanks again!!!
  Reply
Lorrie Preston on September 29 at 11:08am

The hard work you provide saving cats/kittens is incredible and I know it’s such hard work and I am grateful for everything you do for these cats/kittens. I have a few feral cats where I work and I feed them everyday and have rescued many which live in my home.

Thank you and everyone for all you do!
Reply
- Jackie Dale on October 7 at 9:22am
  
  Thank You so much Lorrie. You sound like an awesome soul.
  Reply
Autumn Browne on September 29 at 5:22pm

Jackie, you are truly my hero. I can not adequately express how in awe I am for all you do for these beautiful angels. I’ve been a financial supporter of CHOTK for several years, and visited several times. Thanks so much for your efforts to fix stupid!
Reply
Jackie Dale on October 7 at 9:11am

thank you so much for your kind words Autumn. Always a nice boost to get a little pat on the back. Having to deal with idiots on a daily basis is exhausting, lol, but I will not be deterred from my mission.
Reply