by Harvie Schreiber

Harvie coordinates Facebook and Fundraising for The Cat House on the Kings, fosters kittens, and serves as an Adoption Coordinator at our Fresno Adoption Center.

“I could never foster kittens; it would break my heart to give them up.”

Whenever I ask people about fostering kittens for The Cat House on the Kings, one of the more common excuses I hear is the fear of making emotional attachments to those furry little fluffballs and then having to give them up. I used to think that way, too, and it kept me from fostering for years until one fateful day ten years ago. It was the summer of 2008, and I was sad and lonely because my military husband had been deployed to Iraq. I found myself with too much free time on my hands and that just caused me to worry more about him. An animal rescue friend was desperate for a temporary “safe space” for a litter of kittens and asked if I had a spare room or bathroom. I said yes, and that decision changed my life for the better. That summer, I fostered litter after litter and learned a lot about kittens and how amazingly stinky, messy, unpredictable, and sharp-clawed they can be. (Do you know how kitten poo ends up on a bathroom ceiling? I do! They step in their poo and then fling their paws repeatedly!) I had a lot less time that summer to worry about my deployed husband, and spent a lot more time worrying about kitten poo!??

I stopped counting when I hit the number 150 for fostering kittens, and the number fifty for fostering dogs—and that was a number of years ago. As I became more and more involved with The Cat House on the Kings, I felt better about fostering for them because I saw first-hand how carefully they work to screen potential adopters, and the time that they spend working with cats and potential adopters to find the perfect fit. This has given me the comfort and confidence of knowing that when I give up those kittens after raising them, they are in the best hands I could hope for. If you’ve got a bedroom or bathroom that you can house cats or kittens in (and you’re willing to bring fosters in for vaccines and checkups), The Cat House on the Kings would love to have you fill out an online foster application so you can join our small network of loving foster homes. It will be messy. Saying goodbye may be heart-wrenching. You will get litter everywhere as well as kitten scratches, but you will be partnering with us to save lives. The Cat House on the Kings Foster Application.

What do you name a teeny tiny white fluffball of a kitten who is as sweet as can be while being one of the strongest fighters around? Why, Sugar Ray, of course! Sugar Ray was rescued by The Cat House on the Kings as a very small, very sick little fellow who spent a long time in Cat House on the Kings Founder/Director Lynea Lattanzio’s house receiving around-the-clock care and treatment. “There was no way I was going to give up on him. He is such a fighter,” explained Lynea. After a number of health scares, Sugar Ray rallied (like the fuzzy prizefighter he is) and started to grow, thrive, and to get even cuter and sweeter every day. The most surprising thing about this Siamese Mix Sweetheart (he’s now four-months old) is that no one has (yet) scooped him up for adoption. I’ve met this cutie pie and he’s just delightful. You cannot ask for a spunkier little guy with enough spirit to fill a stadium. If you’re interested in adopting this wonderful boy, fill out an online adoption application. The Cat House on the Kings – Kitten Sugar Ray Adoption (Of course, we also have many, many other great cats and kittens who need homes, too! Available cats are listed on our website under the ADOPT tab.)

Quilt artist Maxine C. Harris has been hand-crafting beautiful cat-themed quilts and donating them to The Cat House on the Kings for a number of years, and we’ve fallen in love with her eye for color, the care and detail she puts into her work, and with her love for animals that shows so beautifully in her amazing work. “It’s a labor of love,” she explained a few years ago. “I do it for the kitties.” On December 18, we’re raffling off her “Cats Leave Pawprints on our Heart” quilt that she designed, embroidered, and appliqued based on a US Postal Stamp design. Tickets are $1 each (if you buy twenty, we’ll give you an extra one free), and we will ship the quilt anywhere in the US. Call our office at (559) 638-0030 to buy tickets for this quilted masterpiece. (Kittens available separately, of course!)

Have you ever wondered how we come up with the designs for The Cat House on the Kings t-shirts that we sell? Well, one of our current designs is based on a trio of adorable foster kittens that were fostered by Lacey Wehner, one of our more creative foster moms. Lacey loves to bundle, cuddle, snuggle, and wrap up her foster babies and take amazing photos of them, and one of her photos inspired us so much that it became the design for our new t-shirts. (Kitten Quarters Supervisor Karla Cortez graciously agreed to humor me and pose for this photo.) If you’re looking for Christmas Gifts with a Purpose, check out our website where you’ll discover we’ve got 2019 Cat House on the Kings Calendars, Cat House Refrigerator Magnets, great t-shirts, hats, and other apparel, plus nifty items like mugs, tumblers, and even umbrellas! As a 501c(c)(3) nonprofit, we need all of the donations we can get, so showing your style also supports our sanctuary!

“We spend so much time with some of these cats, they become part of our family, and we love them as much as if they were our own,” explained Assistant Shelter Director Tammy Barker as she lovingly cuddled with a ginger-colored office cat named Amelia. “And let’s face it—some of the time, Amelia is in charge of our office!” Ginger Amelia recently developed some dental issues (not that uncommon in aging cats), and she required some diagnostic testing and dental surgery to extract nine of her teeth. She’s recovering well and is well on her way to being her normal self (which includes laying on keyboards, knocking over things in her way, and refusing to get up when she’s stolen someone’s chair), and we’re very appreciative to the faithful financial support of our followers and friends who helped cover the cost of her vet care. (Amelia wanted us to mention that she’s featured in our magnets and she’s willing to sign autographs!)

As we enter into the colder months, I take comfort in picturing the cats at The Cat House on the Kings. Some are sleeping next to the wood burning stoves. Others are sleeping in sunny spots inside one of our buildings or houses. And others are in heated shelters scattered strategically over our 12 acre grounds. I love knowing that they are warm. I love knowing that they are well-fed and well-cared for. And I love knowing that they are loved by our staff, by our volunteers, and by you. Please remember us (and them) in your holiday giving.

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On behalf of all of us at The Cat House, we wish you and your family a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season!

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. Join our Pets Facebook group to keep up with all of our pet articles.