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.

Things at the Cat House on the Kings continue to hum along. One thing that is not humming so much is our adoption rate. Our Petco adoption center rates are good but we have so many cats and kittens at the Cat House, they can’t all go to Petco. The Cat House adoption rooms are full to the rafters with cats, kittens and a few dogs too. We really need more adopters to stop by the Cat House and check out the fantastic assortment of kitties we have to offer. A virtual smorgasbord of feline choices! You can also view some of our adorable kitties on the website first!

Why Don’t They Love Me Anymore?

We have had quite an influx of abandoned animals lately. We recently took in 16, yes I said 16, Chi-Weenie puppies, (Chihuahua/Dachshund mixes), left in a box on the side of the road. We were fortunate to be able to find placement for the puppies with various rescue organizations. One of our new cats up for adoption, Turquoise, was left behind when the owners moved, a disgusting but all too common occurrence. We received a call from a local farmer who found a box of kittens in the middle of a field he was plowing. They kittens had obviously been left to die, too far to be seen from the street. We have just taken in another litter of puppies that was found on a country road. One of the puppies was already dead, unable to survive the frigid nighttime temperatures. The surviving three will be up for adoption as soon as they are old enough to be fixed. They are so cute, it is hard to fathom that there are people whose hearts and souls are so black and empty that they can put defenseless puppies in a box, drive them out to the country and leave them on the side of the road, knowing what grim fate awaits them.

Last week someone brought a box of kittens to the local feed store. The kittens had been left in a box in the middle of the road and were rescued by a curious passer-by. Again I say, what kind of low-life does something like this? This was a deliberate act to kill these poor creatures. I now feel compelled to stop and check the boxes and bags so often seen discarded on rural roads.

Unfortunately, so many people are twisted enough to think that it is acceptable to just dump their unwanted animals off somewhere to die. Of course they don’t tell themselves that. They tell themselves that a kind stranger will pick up their pet, and sometimes that is what happens. Most of the time however, the animal dies of exposure, starvation, is killed by another animal or gets hit by a car.

I can only imagine what sort of parents people like these are to their children. Here is a perfect example of such “stellar” parenting. The elderly woman who feeds the cats at the Reedley feral colony told me that a little girl came over to her and said that two of the kittens there belonged to her. She said; “My mommy and daddy said we brought them here to play with the other kitties.” Unbelievable! Lucky for them I wasn’t there that day, as I have no problem with telling the truth. My response would have been “I’m sorry honey, but your parents lied to you. This is where people take cats they don’t love any more.” Then I would go over to parent(s) and inform them that their actions are unethical, immoral and illegal. Of course I would also extend an offer to fix their cat. I expect some backlash such as yelling and cursing. But I “calls it like I sees it”. I believe that if no one is ever called on their bad behavior, they will continue to behave badly. They may curse, call you bad names and tell you to mind your own business. But hopefully they will think twice before doing something they (now) know is very wrong.

Animal abandonment, along with neglect, abuse and harassment, are crimes. Granted it is only a misdemeanor, but a heinous crime nonetheless. If the penalty for these actions were increased to a felony level, we would definitely see a significant decrease in crimes against animals.

Cat House Receives Huge Grant!

The Cat House on the Kings has just received a very large grant from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous. This grant is specifically to provide free/low-cost spay and neuter services to Fresno County residents. Now is the time to convince that friend, relative or neighbor to get their cat (or small dog) fixed! Offer to drive the animal to the appointment. Give them that little nudge they need to do the right thing and be a responsible citizen. No more unwanted kittens/puppies, fewer health problems, less fighting among males are some of the many benefits of spaying and neutering our pets. Call now for an appointment as they fill up quickly! 638-0490

TNR Updates

Reedley trap-neuter-return efforts continue, but with the shorter days, things have been scaled back a bit. There are only a few cats left to trap at the Reedley feral colony. All three locations that we have worked on this year have some holdouts. I have begun work on a fourth location of homeless cats in Reedley. I have also spotted a cat that a clerk at Starbucks told me lives in the bushes. A couple of months ago I saw this cat crossing the busy street with a kitten. Mom made it but the kitten did not. I took the baby home and gave it a proper burial. Mom cat has been added to my list of future TNR’s as soon as I figure out where her home base is located.

The two kittens that live with their mom in the bushes at the Selma WalMart have proven to be most elusive. I finally got them to go into the trap only to have them carefully step over the trip plate. After going through this several times, I smeared the food directly on the newspaper just past the plate, forcing them to step on the plate to lick up the food. I got both kittens within 45 minutes. After being fixed they were returned to their home and mother who is one of my holdouts. I try and try but she will not go in the trap. There is also a large black cat that resides there but I rarely see him. Of course, trapping efforts will continue!

Helps Us Earn Up To $8,000!

Wellness Natural Pet Food has pledged up to $8,000 to the Cat House on the Kings. But we have to earn it. Follow the link below and “Like” the Wellness page. Enter your email address and $1 will be donated to us for each email address entered. Thank You! www.facebook.com/wellnesspetfood

You can advertise your business with Kings River Life Magazine and designate the Cat House to receive 10% of the ad fee.

Check out more animal rescue & pet related articles, including more Cat House columns, in our Pet Perspective section.

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.