It was a busy 2019 for The Cat House on the Kings. As of mid-December, we have rescued: 1,478 cats and kittens; we have adopted out (or sent to other rescues) 1,067 cats and kittens; and have spayed/neutered about 4,500 animals! The relatively mild weather of central California means that “kitten season” really lasts all year long, and we’re STILL rescuing cats and kittens from the cold.
“Where do you get your cats from?” is probably one of the questions that gets asked the most often at The Cat House on the Kings. Truth be told, for the hundreds of cats that we rescue each month at our 12-acre sanctuary, there are a hundred different stories. The vast majority of the cats and kittens that we rescue come from the local area around Fresno County, and most of those from ordinary people who find abandoned, scared, hungry (and sometimes ill or injured) animals in their yard, on their doorsteps, in their garages, under their cars, along the side of the road, or at their workplaces.
Imagine strolling around our beautiful 12-acre sanctuary trailed by curious cats, while enjoying music, shopping, and some of the best food around! It’s almost here: The Cat House on the Kings 2019 Autumn/Holiday Open House Fundraiser is on Saturday, November 2 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Cat House on the Kings Sanctuary on Kings River Road (at the end of Adams Avenue) in Parlier.
On a recent September evening, volunteers, kitten foster parents, and Cat House on the Kings staff gathered in the banquet room of Club One Casino in downtown Fresno to celebrate our first ever Volunteer & Foster Appreciation Night! Attendees received a special t-shirt proclaiming that “Cat Rescue Is My Superpower,” as well as a raffle ticket for all sorts of fun and unique cat-themed prizes and gifts.
As the temperatures rise during the summer months, things tend to slow down in the cat rescue business. Well, giving and donations tend to slow down; people are on vacation, or are getting ready for back to school, or they are working on summer projects. But at The Cat House on the Kings, the rising summer temperatures mean rising power bills (we pump our own water from a well, after all), as well as rising numbers of cats and kittens.
July has been a month of rescues for The Cat House on the Kings with cats and kittens coming in from near and far, through water and fire, to be rescued and safe at our 12-acre sanctuary along the Kings River.
So far this year, we’ve rescued almost 750 cats and kittens, and we’ve still got half the year to go. Summer is when The Cat House on the Kings is overrun with rescued kittens, and staff are overwhelmed by phone calls asking us to take in more. It’s also the time of year when, because of graduations, vacations and other distractions, giving tends to fall off, leaving The Cat House with more need and fewer resources.
It’s the time of the year when The Cat House on the Kings staff almost hate hearing the telephone ring. Some days are worse than others, but most days see as many as fifty people calling to ask if we can accept more cats and kittens. I took a moment to look through the intake notes for those kittens we have been able to take in, and they tell a sad story about the status of stray cats in the Central Valley.
Last month, we mentioned that we’d rescued a sassy senior Savannah Cat (Serval cross) named Lindy. Since then, Lindy has continued to settle in at The Cat House on the Kings and has moved from Lynea’s house to her very own larger living space, where she can enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, wandering peacocks, and other cats. Both Lynea Lattanzio and The Cat House on the Kings RVT, Chrystyne Cordova, have been taking Lindy on walks around the grounds using a harness.
Just after Valentine’s Day, an adorable, fluffy kitten was brought to The Cat House on the Kings with a badly broken leg. We’re not sure how that happened, but we expect she may have been struck by a car. The veterinarian was unable to save her leg, so she’s now had it amputated and has been spayed. Though she’s now a tripod kitten, this doesn’t slow her down one little bit and she is still just as adorable as ever. Isn’t it amazing how resilient cats and kittens can be?
