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.

Open House Saturday, November 5 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

In only two short weeks it will be time for the Autumn Open House! Make sure you have it on your calendar in big red letters! There is no time to waste! We are in desperate need of donations for the silent auction, and of course, we always need volunteers. At our last Open House, we were woefully short on volunteers so please consider volunteering. As far as silent auction donations, this would be the perfect opportunity to get rid of that gift you didn’t want or need and is gathering dust in the back of your closet. Or perhaps you have a designer purse, or some new shoes that didn’t work out. Jewelry, artwork, wine, antiques, or maybe even a gift card you haven’t used yet. Do you make something you could donate? It takes a boatload of money to feed and care for all the cats that reside at The Cat House. Medical treatment alone is a staggering expense in addition to the copious amounts of food the cats consume daily. So dig deep, and let’s see what we can come up with for the best silent auction ever. If you have friends or family that own businesses, please consider asking them for a donation as well. Gift certificates are awesome too! Donate and take the tax deduction!

We also really need more people to volunteer. We particularly need people to help set up and break down the event. There are two shifts to choose from, morning or afternoon. If you can spend a few hours volunteering your time, you would have our deepest appreciation. Volunteering your time is just as valuable as donating money or goods.

Please contact Tammy Barker at tammy@cathouseonthekings if you have an auction donation or you would like to volunteer your time. It takes very little to make a huge difference!

And let’s not forget about the raffle tickets! Only $1 each!! For every 20 you buy in advance, you get one ticket free! We have tickets for the Cat Tank activity center, a spectacular multi-purpose cat entertainment center. Your cat(s) will be the envy of every cat in town with this one of a kind feline dream toy. We also have tickets for the quilt, titled “Bright Kitty.” The quilt is a stunning 54×54 inch washable quilt handcrafted and donated by Ley Cash.

Bright Kitty quilt

You don’t have to be here to win either raffle prize! We will ship within the U.S. and to Canada. If you live outside the U.S., the shipping is on you. You have two choices to purchase tickets.

• You can mail a check or money order (US funds only) to The Cat House on the Kings, 7120 South Kings River Rd, Parlier, CA 93648. Remember to write either “Quilt Raffle” or “Tank Raffle” in the memo line and include a phone number in case you win.
• You may also use a credit card to purchase tickets by calling our office at (559) 638-0030. Ticket numbers are recorded for the drawing but will not be mailed out to save money on postage.

On the big day, in addition to the silent auction, there will be vendors, cats, music, raffles, cats, tours, food, and of course, cats. We will be having a special line dance performance by a local group called “Jus’4 Kix.” I hear they are pretty good so be sure to head towards the garage area right about 11:30 a.m.

Miscellaneous Cat House News

The cat that came in with the horribly broken leg had surgery and will not lose his leg. The handsome fellow is resting comfortably and is in good hands.

I heard that there is a Cat House on the Kings adult coloring book that will soon be available. I am so excited! Adult coloring books have become the popular new way to relax and a Cat House on the Kings version makes perfect sense. I also think that a Cat House on the Kings coloring book would make an excellent Christmas gift for adult and child alike. Christmas is just around the corner you know!

Cody was rescued crossing a busy street!

I notice that Facebook now has 1,247,334 followers. We are grateful to each and every one of you for your support! Without you, we would cease to exist and that simply is not an option. Please keep following, liking, sharing, and donating!

Don’t forget you can choose to sponsor a cat for only $15 a month. That is only 50¢ a day. Where else can you make a difference for only 50¢ a day? Plus you get to have a cat, without actually having a cat.

TNR Updates—Feeling Grateful

—First of all, I would like to give a great big THANK YOU to everyone who donated funds, so that I can complete the Kmart project. I was very pleasantly surprised when I received the donations. I also wish to thank Karen Rae, who always supports me by sending me new traps, cat food, kitten formula, and donations. She is an angel on Earth, and if the world had more people like her, the world would most certainly be a much nicer place.

—I have just received word that I am the recipient of a VERY NICE donation towards my TNR projects. Now I will be able to complete projects in Reedley, Sanger, and Selma. I am so very grateful to a donor from Berkeley, who wishes to remain anonymous, for the grant that will enable me to complete several projects that have been stalled due to lack of funds.

—In the last two months, with Lin Faurie making a lot of phone calls, we were fortunate enough to ship out a lot of kittens, six puppies (All adopted within days of arrival!), and even a few older cats to various no-kill shelters around the state. These opportunities don’t come along everyday, and we are so thrilled when they do. I personally made one of the trips to the coast with a carload of kittens, and Lin just transported a bunch to Southern California.

Daisy and her big brother Spike

—My TNR for the past month has mainly consisted of helping an elderly woman with approximately eight cats. It has been a challenge, and so far I have only trapped four, three of whom were girls. One had recently given birth so I was forced to release mom sooner than I would have liked. I spent some time assisting the lady with non-cat related things like showing her how her DVD player and cell phone worked. Plus she seemed lonely, so I tried to spend a little time with her each time I made the 40-minute drive (each way) to her home. I’m taking a short break before resuming trapping there.

Archie

I have a lot of trapping to do this coming month, wish me luck! See you at the Open House. Right?! I will be there, and so if you see me, be sure to say, “Hi!”

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.