by Paula Hunsaker

Feral Paws Rescue Group in Fresno shares with us some of their animal rescue adventures every month. Check out KRL’s article about Feral Paws to learn more about them and check out their website.

We have been so blessed to work with Margo Campainha-Cassidy who is with Whiskers, Tails, and Ferals in Napa, California. Margo is amazing! She saves over 1,000 animals a year from High Kill Shelters. I truly admire her so much, because she is so much like our rescue who looks out for the misfits. I have followed her work with the cats that are so sick that they are on death’s door, only to bring them back to life so they can move forward to being adopted. We spend a lot of time texting about the animals. In fact, this amazing group is into group texting, keeping up with the status of the cats we are helping to care for, and I don’t think Margo ever sleeps because she is constantly caring for her misfits that need medical attention 24/7.

Since she is in Napa, she still helps the cats at CCSPCA, a high-kill shelter in Fresno, and also helps the cats in need of rescue from Tulare Animal Control, which is a no-kill shelter. I pick up her tagged cats from CCSPCA and hold them at our rescue until a transport is set up. Tulare Animal Control is just amazing because they will transport the cats pulled from them to a meeting place where Margo’s cats can be picked up and placed at our rescue to house until transport is set up. I want to thank Melissa Comfort and Carla Renee Morrison for helping with transport from Tulare Animal Control. Melissa and Carla do their very best to try and make sure the cats coming to Margo, or my rescue, are in the best health possible. So often, Margo and her husband Albert drive to Fresno to pick up animals waiting for transport. What a perfectly amazing team they are, and together in their love for animals. Margo, Albert, and their team work together well, and accomplish a lot for their animals.

Urgent cats may get a special plane ride with Dharma Webber and her husband. A big Thank You to Kim Purcell for arranging the flight with Pilots N Paws. Dharma and Kim take a lot of pride in the animals riding on their planes. They don’t just load them and go. They spend time with each one boarding their plane to make sure they are safe and have a happy plane ride. Then we have a very special lady Kendra Laine Matson that will drive and transport to Napa for Margo, helping to get urgent cats that need to leave my rescue up to Margo as quickly as possible. Kendra is just amazing and caring, and takes a lot of pride in transporting the cats. Then we have a very special lady Brenda Bethel that works so hard in every way possible who posts on Facebook about urgent cats that will be euthanized at the end of the day. Brenda lets rescue groups know about the urgent cats needing to be tagged before the end of the day. It is heartbreaking for Brenda, who is trying to do all she can to get the word out who needs help by rescue. When she can’t get them all tagged by a rescue, it is heavy on her heart knowing she did everything possible she could do to save who could be saved that day. Brenda also contacts Kim Purcell that lets Snap Cats know when we have a special needs kitty that is urgent and if we can get those special needs kitties out of the shelter. Our rescue will keep those kitties at Feral Paws Rescue until Kim Purcell with Pilots N Paws flies into Chandler Airport in Fresno to pick up the special needs kitty and fly it to Snap Cats.

All these little lives are saved by Teamwork and love for the animals. We all work well together, and the communication we are doing between us for the sake of these animals we are saving is beyond awesome. I love being a part of this amazing group and feel so blessed for all the cats we can save. There is no “I” in teamwork!

Check out more animal rescue stories in our Pet Perspective section & watch for more stories from Feral Paws every other month, and we would love to have you join our KRL Pets Facebook group. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to Feral Paws.