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 have been hopping at the Cat House on the Kings. We just had a film crew come all the way from Australia to film a segment for the show “Bondi Vet.” Normally set on the fabulous Bondi Beach in Australia, the Cat House proved so compelling a subject that the show made the arduous journey to California to film a segment for their television show. Veterinarian Dr. Chris Brown is quite handsome and had all the ladies in quite a dither! KMPH Channel 26 News was kind enough to come out and cover the story for us. We are always grateful for any publicity.

Kitten Rescues

Rescues continue to take precedent this past month. On Thanksgiving morning Tammy Barker received a call about very young stray kittens in a local apartment complex parking lot. So Tammy and her daughter, Amanda, went out and chased hissing, spitting kittens around a parking lot with a net on a cold foggy day when they could have been snuggled up watching a turkey cook. Tammy sustained a few bites and scratches for her efforts. Tammy is fostering the kittens and they are becoming more socialized every day. Tammy’s dedication seems to be limitless!

Another of our volunteers found a severely injured kitten that had wandered into her garage. Marilyn Miller manages our memorial wall. Her husband, Pete, found the kitten in the garage, speculating that it had wandered in when he went to get his morning paper. They gave the kitten some food and water but then noticed it seemed to have some neck injuries. Upon further examination they discovered three holes in her neck, possibly from an owl or a hawk. There were also maggots, meaning the injuries were several days old. Marilyn called Lynea and then she drove the kitten the one-hour trip from their home to the Cat House. Lynea examined the kitten, now named “Holley”, and called in Tammy along with Venessa Gambo, to tend to the kitten’s very serious injuries. The kitten was so close to death that her temperature did not even register on the thermometer. Lynea already had Holley sedated when Venessa and Tammy arrived and they immediately began to remove the dead skin and maggots. Holley is doing much better under Lynea’s watchful eye and her chances of recovery are excellent.

Marmalady Has Relatives

I recently spoke with Barbara Miller, the mother of the two wonderful young ladies who rescued the now infamous, Marmalady. Apparently Marmalady was once part of a semi-feral colony of approximately 20 cats living in, and this seems to be a reoccurring theme here, an apartment complex parking lot. The cats are of various ages which means of course, they are breeding. The complex does not allow pets so the residents are unable to take in any of these cats. A woman who lives behind the complex puts food out for the cats. It is unclear at this time if any of these cats belong to the woman. So shortly we will begin an effort to trap and neuter/spay these cats. The older cats will be returned and every effort will be made to adopt out any kittens that are not too feral. This sad and often repeated scenario is why we must spay and neuter our pets. You have heard the saying, “If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.” Well, it’s true.

Honoring Kaylie, Our Special Angel

The Cat House on the Kings has its very own angel by the name of Kaylie Bergen. Kaylie, 8, has a rare form of brain stem cancer. The Make-A-Wish foundation offered Kaylie the trip of her dreams. Some children choose trips like Disneyworld or perhaps swimming with dolphins, but not Kaylie. Her dream trip was to visit the Cat House on the Kings.

Kaylie, who lives in Seattle, spent a magical weekend here last year at the Cat House, petting kitties and receiving their unconditional love and affection. Kaylie is just the sweetest little girl that ever graced the grounds of the Cat House. That is why it just breaks our hearts to learn that Kaylie is rapidly losing her valiant fight with this terrible disease. It crushes us to know that someone so sweet, young and innocent will soon leave this earth.

The Cat House on the Kings is planning on erecting a marble bench in Kaylie’s honor. The bench, which will have Kaylie’s picture on it, will be placed under the eucalyptus trees where Kaylie sat for hours and enjoyed the attention of the cats that surrounded her. We would like for Kaylie to see the bench and time is rapidly running out. The bench will cost about $1,500. If you would care to donate towards Kaylie’s bench, you can send a donation to 7120 S. Kings River Road, Parlier, CA 93648. Think about it, if we could get 1,500 people to each send in $1, the cost of the bench would be covered. Please make a notation on your check that your donation is to go to “Kaylie’s Bench.” You can also donate through our website using PayPal. Thank you in advance for your donations!

Puppies Adopted

We are happy to report that all but one of the Havilland puppies has been adopted. One gentleman flew all the way from Virginia to adopt two of the puppies. Marc Roth and his wife are thrilled with their new “children”, Fletcher and Cooper. They are walked on a tandem leash but Fletcher and Cooper also get to ride in their very own stroller. Looks like these two lucky dogs will be living the ‘life of Riley’!

I Won $25 Worth of Hot Dogs

In late November I submitted a photo of my cats Spike and Nermal to the KMPH 26 Pet Photo Contest and I won the Hot Dog Pick of the Week. My prize was a $25 gift certificate to Der Wiernerschnitzel. I rescued Spike and Nermal, along with their sister Spot, seven years ago from the side of the road. All three are polydactyl and it is possible that a superstitious person dumped them there. The tiny kittens were in the middle of nowhere near a bunch of beehives and playing on the road at 10 o’clock at night. I scrambled around through a ditch in the dark wearing high heels, but managed to catch all three. Nermal had both physical and emotional disabilities. He had some kind of hip problem and his feet were so large that he walked slowly. He also did not like to be picked up, it made him nervous and scared. I am sad to say that a couple of weeks ago, Nermal, uncharacteristically escaped the fenced yard and was hit by a car. We will miss him dearly.

Don’t forget, if you advertise with Kings River Life Magazine, you can denote to the Cat House on the Kings to receive 10% of the ad fee. And ad prices will be going up in the new year.

Learn more about The Cat House On The Kings in this past article in KRL and check out their website.

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.