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.

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, it is a good time to take pause and reflect on those things for which we are truly thankful. The Cat House on the Kings has a lot to be grateful for. We are grateful to have Lynea who has literally, dedicated her entire life to running The Cat House. We are grateful to have Tammy Barker who is second in command and does the job with true passion and astounding efficiency. We are very thankful for the employees who perform the daily duties of caring for hundreds of cats. We are thankful they are willing to come in to work so early each day to prepare the meals and clean. Even on Thanksgiving Day, (and Christmas too!) someone has to come in and feed the cats. The cats don’t care if it is a holiday; they just really expect to eat everyday.

The Raffle Quilt-details at the end of this post

We are grateful for Karla at the Kitten Quarters and all the techs that care for the cats and kittens that arrive almost daily. Many are sick or injured and require intensive treatment. The triumphs make their heart swell with happiness and the ones that don’t make it can break those same hearts.

We admire and thank all those who have the strength to endure the overwhelming and emotionally draining turmoil of saving and caring for so many cats. (& dogs)

Of course, we must acknowledge how thankful we are for all the supporters of The Cat House on the Kings. We are grateful for each and every person. Without them, The Cat House would cease to exist. Donations of cash, food/supplies, and cat sponsorships enable the Cat House to continue its mission.

Getting Wet

Never was the loyalty of our fans tested more than on our Open House Fundraiser on November 1. Despite the fact that the heavens opened up and dropped a deluge of rain on us, people were not deterred from coming. After about a 30-minute absolute downpour, the skies cleared up for the remainder of the event, and we were definitely grateful for that! We desperately needed the rain and we were grateful to get it. Maybe not so much in such a short period of time, but we are not complaining! After the rain let up, the silent auction went on as usual, albeit a bit soggier.

Cat House fans braved the rain to attend Open House

On the Home Front

A 91-year old lady in Reedley recently called The Cat House for help with some cats. Since I usually assist with the Reedley area cat problems, Lynda asked me to help her out. The lady is in ill health (she is after all, 91!) and felt that three cats were too much for her. The cats are semi-feral and she had been feeding them for some time. Two of them had already been fixed and their ears were notched. The third was a female and she wasn’t too cooperative about going into a carrier. After several failed attempts I resorted to the trap and caught her right away. Initially the lady wanted me to just take them all away. I explained to her that I had no place to put them and The Cat House was at capacity. I told her that I would attempt to find someone to take even one of the cats. As it turned out, she got some help from a family friend who agreed to take two of the cats. I trapped another one of the cats and they were relocated together to Kingsburg.

A lady in one of my yoga classes asked if I knew any place that would take cats. Of course I asked why. “Oh” she says, “I have this friend and a cat had kittens under her house. She just fed them and now she has 28 cats.”

So I said, “At what point did your friend realize she had a problem?” I told her that I could do nothing for her, that The Cat House was full. I said The Cat House could help her get them fixed and advise her about how to try and adopt some of them out. I feel bad for the cats, knowing that they are probably not taken care of too well.

A friend of mine shocked me by telling me she had taken her adult son’s cat to the pound. She said that he left the unfixed female behind when he moved. I made every attempt to help her fix the cat. After several litters of kittens and the son “not paying for any cat food for two years” she said she was fed up and wanted it gone. She said the SPCA told her they would find the cat a good home. I told her that cat was dead the minute she decided to take it to the pound. This sort of thing can really strain a friendship. You wonder if you really knew this person at all and I lost some of the respect I had for her.

The newcomer-Fluffy

Fastest.Rescue/Return.Ever.

One day I left my house to go to town and I see this gorgeous, fluffy Pomeranian trotting down the street. It did not look like the typical stray dog, it appeared well cared for. I stopped, opened my car door and the dog jumped right in. I turned my car around to return home and put the dog in my kennels until I returned from the store. I see a black SUV slowly coming down the road. As he gets closer I notice he seems to be looking around. I stopped my car and waved the guy over. I asked him if he happened to be looking for a dog. Well, lo and behold, he was looking for the escaped Pomeranian. He was very happy to find his dog and I was equally happy as well.

Where Have All The Bushes Gone?

I was shocked to arrive at my Selma feeding station to find that the bushes were being cut down. The men told me that they were trimming the bushes and that they had seen several cats go running from the bushes. It took them a week to butcher those bushes. It was a “professional” crew of workers but they hacked away at those bushes like it was their first day on the job and they had skipped the training sessions on proper pruning techniques. The end result was horrible. The bushes once provided shelter from the elements and predators. Sadly this is no longer the case. I was so worried when I didn’t see my cats that whole week but the following week I saw two of the five and by the end of the week, I had seen all five. I secured a large piece of plastic over the bushes near their feeding station to keep the food dry and provide a dry area from the recent rains.

Selma cats before....

And after the bush massacre

Quilt Raffle-December 15th!

This specially designed quilt is an 80”x 90” one of a kind masterpiece. Phyllis Estee, 86, completed the quilt in just six weeks! Raffle tickets are just $1 each. To enter the raffle: send a check or money order payable in U.S. funds to The Cat House on the Kings and marked “RAFFLE TICKETS” in the memo section. Mailing address: The Cat House on the Kings, 7120 S. Kings River Rd., Parlier, CA 93648. (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 office at (559) 638-0030 Monday-Friday. ($20 minimum)You need NOT be present at The Cat House on the Kings on December 15, 2014 ~ we will ship the quilt anywhere in the world. 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.

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.