by Tina Anderson

Tina Anderson is an Outreach Associate at Valley Animal Center in Fresno, California. VAC will be shares their animal rescue adventures with us every month. Check out KRL’s interview with VAC to learn more about what they do.

During the winter holidays, Valley Animal Center receives multiple inquires from community members who would like to contribute or donate to help the nearly 400 dogs and cats cared for at our shelter. To best meet the needs of the VAC’s furry residents during the holiday season, a wish list is placed on the shelter’s website for easy access by donors who want to help.

The Valley Animal Center holiday wish list has a variety of items that are needed year-round to care for the shelter’s dogs and cats. The items most in need are those that help the shelter staff and volunteers clean the housing areas for the pets in our care: bleach, laundry detergent, dish soap, 33-gallon trash bags. In our clinic, distilled water and hydrogen peroxide are also big requests, as they help keep the facility clean for surgeries and medical visits.

The holidays are a wonderful time of year for so many, and Valley Animal Center greatly appreciates all the love and attention directed toward animal shelters at this time of year. In fact, the holiday season is actually a crucial donation time-frame, as the donations that come in November through December make up a large part of what helps shelters meet the needs of fur kids for the entire coming year.

One item in particular that VAC could use this year is wet canned cat food. Cats in their senior years and those with special needs depend upon wet food. They are often unable to eat dry kibble, as many of them have mouth issues, special diets, or few teeth.

One of the many pets that Valley Animal Center has for adoption that depends upon wet food for survival is Krishina, a four-year-old female cat. Krishina is an owner-surrendered pet that came to our shelter in March 2015 with “feline stomatitis,” which is known in general terms as gum disease.

Krishina

While she has most of her teeth, Krishina’s gum disease makes her gums red, sore, and irritated. Her condition also makes eating painful for her, so wet food is a necessity. While Krishina’s condition is treatable, it is not inexpensive; for now, she is able to get enough nourishment via wet food.

Krishina is a sweet yet shy Flamepoint Siamese who could easily live another 12 years, based on cat life expectancy. With a little tender loving care, her shyness will subside. She gets along with other cats and doesn’t seem to mind dogs too much. If you would like to visit Krishina and see if she is the purr-fect forever pet for your home, please visit Valley Animal Center’s Cat Adoption Center, which is open seven days a week from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. If you would like to donate wet food or other items on the VAC wish list, you can also stop by, or visit www.valleyanimal.org/donate.

The staff here at Valley Animal Center are hoping for holiday miracles for all of our animals—that they find loving homes—and, until they do, we are very appreciative of donations to help care for dogs and cats like Krishina.

Happy Holidays from Valley Animal Center, and thank you for your support!

Keep up with VAC’s animal rescue adventures here at KRL, and learn more about adopting from them, volunteering, and donating to VAC on their website If you advertise with KRL you can designate 10% of your ad fees to go to VAC.

Check out more animal rescue stories in our Pet Perspective section. Advertise in KRL and 10% of your advertising fees can go to a local animal rescue.