August 8 is National Cat Day.
With this in mind, even if you aren’t up for a new feline companion but still want to help cats, consider volunteering with a cat or kitten rescue agency, or a shelter. There’s an untold volume of legwork, grunt-work and paperwork needed, and your willingness to do some if it means that rescuers and shelters can attend to more critical business more effectively.
If you see a cat roaming, in no apparent distress, take a cellphone photo and walk on by. To paraphrase, it’s not your job to police the world in terms of keeping pets safe from coyotes, cars, poisoning and lightning strikes. If you’re motivated, check Pawboost, the Lost & Found section on the Pasadena Humane website and other community forums including NextDoor.com to see if the cat matches a description of a missing pet.
If the cat approaches you and asks for food, or appears to be ill or injured, the story quickly begins to change. If the cat has been hanging around outside for several days, then Houston, we may have a problem. While we don’t support cat-snatching, we do support the notion that humans have the capacity to help beasts in need.
Undeniably, any small animal on the loose around our neighborhoods is a target. Local wildlife rescuers are overrun with green parrots that have been shot with pellet-guns. And as for coyote activity, missing cats have often met their end in the slender jaws of this agile urban predator.
What to do? If a cat (or other domestic animal) is visibly injured, ill, or suffering, the priority is to get the critter off the street. This is especially true when our temperatures soar into triple digits. There are dozens of cat and pet rescue organizations in the greater Los Angeles area. All are swamped, but the real nitty-gritty is this: many rescuers cannot take an animal that has nowhere to go. Meaning that a foster needs to be lined up, even for a few days, while the rescue group searches out a more stable living arrangement for the animal.
If you do decide to take matters into your own hands, step one is always to check for a microchip. Many vets as well as Petco and PetSmart will scan for a microchip at no charge to you. And if you become obsessed like many of us, you can even buy your own budget microchip scanner from Amazon.com.
Perhaps the most gut-wrenching aspect of pet rescue is the fact that, even when we faithfully scan for the chip and locate the original owner, often the eventual response is, “Oh, you can keep Fluffy. My new boyfriend has a dog, and so Fluffy ran off;” or, “I’m really too busy for pets now, and Fluffy has kidney problems, and I just can’t afford the vet.” And so on.
The moral of the story: the world may not need more cats, but the world needs more, and more responsible, cat caregivers.
Thank you, Lori Mostafa, for the following posts!
Photo: Lori M
Meet Lulu
- Female feline
- Breed: DSH, brown tabby
- Age: 3 years old
- Sweet, shy stray on the streets
- Has rescuer/trapper-backing, but foster needed
Rescuer Lori Mostafa reports that people in Lulu’s neighborhood are trying to poison her, along with her companion cat Loper. This case is Code Red! Contact Lori at (310) 490-6858, Email [email protected] to save Lulu.
Meet Brin
- Female Feline
- Breed: DSH Gray Lynx Point
- Age: One year old
- Spayed and vaxxed
- In fine health
- Sweet, shy
Contact Lori at (310) 490-6858, email [email protected] to meet Brin.
Meet Chloe
- Female feline
- Breed: DSH, brown tabby, no blaze
- Age: 2 – 3 years old
- Mellow vibe
- Will soon be spayed
- Rescuer will provide litter bx, toys, grooming items
Text or call (310) 926-1065 to meet Chloe!
Thanks to our friend Alice C for this next post!
Meet Sweet Baldwin
This guy’s on his way to the slammer. There is still time to intervene, before he lands at the high-kill Baldwin Park shelter.
- Male canine
- Breed: Bully mix
- Age: 3 years old
- Size: 87 lbs.
- Neutered
- Medium energy, mostly lounges like a couch potato
- Well-socialized, regular at dog parks
- Great with other dogs at parks and beaches
- Excellent with children during outings
- Bonds quickly with his people
- Needs encouragement to go outside when alone, but walks well on leash
- No history of aggression in his three years of life
Alice writes: ”This gentle giant is facing a crisis through no fault of his own. He’s a living, breathing soul who doesn’t understand why his world is crumbling. His family can no longer keep him. He lived in a small apartment with a cat sibling he adored. Open your heart and home to this deserving dog, or foster to provide temporary care to buy precious time.”
Call Victoria at (818) 434-2809 to save Baldwin!
Thanks to Ronnie K for this next post!
Meet Querida
We’re calling her that because it means “beloved girl.” The truth is that this young dog with a coat like black velvet hasn’t received much in the way of love so far. Our fearless friend Ronnie K found her living outside an abandoned house.
She’s sweet, playful, and needs a break NOW. Dog has been fully vetted, loses her foster status August 9.
Call Ronnie at (310) 804-1555 to help!
Thanks, Jo, Bailey and everyone at Monrovia-based For the Love of Animals Dog and Cat Rescue for the following post!
So, it’s like this: several weeks ago, a Good Samaritan rescued a female GSD/Husky dog off the street in Apple Valley. Surprise: she was pregnant! Ten adorable puppies arrived soon thereafter. The gentle mama dog, Bonita, and all 10 pups are doing well, and need fosters/adopters, and we’re sharing just a few photos of the crew.
Also note that Bonita’s brood will be ready to meet and greet on Saturday, August 10, at the Petco in San Dimas, 822 West Arrow Highway, from 11:30 AM until 2:30 PM. Bailey says, “People can email or call us ahead for particulars about the pups or to arrange a specific time to meet them or just show up and fall in love!”
Text/call (626) 524-1939, or email [email protected] to foster or adopt these puppies!
Thanks to Darlene P and www.lifelineforpets.org for this sweet post!
Meet Timmy and Tommy
- Bonded male sibling felines
- Breed: DSH, tabbies
- Age: Just over 2 months
- Very snuggly
These two brothers need to be adopted together. Timmy is a dark gray tabby with brown nose-leather, and he’s a confident, friendly little guy, Tommy’s nose is more pinkish, and this brown tabby is a bit more laid-back, loves being picked up, and loves treats! The pair will be available for adoption in September, when they will be neutered and vaxxed.
Email your application to adopt Timmy and Tommy to [email protected].
Meet #A5636841 Rydell
Rydell deserves a way better photo, and a way better life. Info is sketchy. He’s only a baby.
- Male canine
- Breed: Siberian Husky
- Coloring: White with pearl-gray
- Age: 4 – 5 months old
- Sweet-tempered
- Has a respiratory infection
It’s a sad fact that even an easily resolved illness like Rydell’s sniffles may shorten his life in an overcrowded shelter, especially if there is no space to quarantine sick animals, so act now.
- Downey Animal Care Center
- 11258 Garfield Avenue, Downey, CA 90242
- (562) 940-6898
- @downeyanimalslaco
Meet #A516368 Cuddles
Props to the late Rick James:
- “She’s a very kinky girl,
- The kind you don’t take home to mother…
- She’s a SNAKE! Super SNAKE! She’s super-snakey!”
Reptiles require a specific kind of person with a specific, scaly, Addams Family-kinda love. We understand that this may not be you.
For instance, boas need to eat whole, entire animals. Granted, the prey animal doesn’t need to be alive. In fact, a live rodent (boa’s fave) can actually injure a captive snake, so frozen/thawed mice, chicks etc. fill the bill. Herpers advise that snake-feeders avoid Petco and PetSmart as a source for snake-food because their mice are prone to salmonella. There’s an art to feeding a reptile, and rubber-coated tweezers are a must!
Cuddles is a beautiful, 3-year old female boa, though we are unsure of the exact subspecies. She’s not low-maintenance, which is why she’s in the clink.
To meet #A516368 Cuddles, make an adoption appointment with Pasadena Humane.
- Pasadena Humane
- 361 South Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105
- 626 792 7151
Meet #A5635255 Rachel
- Female canine
- Breed: Basenji/Kelpie mix
- Age: 4 years old
- Coloring: Dark red body, white muzzle, eyebrows, paws and belly, golden eyes
- Spayed
- In fine health
- Medium energy
- Partially housebroken
- Well-behaved on leash
- Knows basic commands (sit, shake, “down”)
- Smart, trainable
- Affectionate, good with calm dogs
She’s a beauty, and Baldwin Park Animal Care Center where she is being held is considered extremely high-kill.
Thanks to our friend Alice C for this next listing!
Meet #A5632973 Randy
- Male canine
- Breed: White Lab Retriever
- Age: 2 years old
- Suze: 63 lbs.
- Neutered
- Gentle, ideal as a family pet
- Baldwin Park Animal Care Center
- 4275 Elton Street, Baldwin Park, CA 91706
- 626 962 3577
Thanks to the amazing Cassy White for the following posts!
Meet Tony, Lady Luna, Trevor and Trax!
These little drops of tabby-striped DSH adorable-ness were dropped off at the City of Los Angeles North Central Shelter one month ago. They are now in foster care, seeking permanent homes.
All are fully weaned, vaxxed, up-to-date on vaccines, will be spayed/neutered. All are in good health.
Adoption fee: $50. Phone/text Cassy White at (310) 980-8438, email [email protected] to meet (adopt!) these kittens.
- Tony (male) is bold, confident, independent
- Lady Luna (female) is gentle, sweet, pocket-sized
- Trevor (male) is social, curious will follow you around the house
- Trax (male) loves to be carried and cuddled
Photo: Cassy White
Thanks to our friend Renata Murez for the following post!
Meet Three Kinds of Wonderful
These three kittens, a calico sister and marmalade brothers, are about 10 weeks old and have been fully vetted, have had both sets of shots, have been dewormed, no FIV/FELV, have been flea-treated, and fully domesticated.
They’re not fierce backyard wildlings (which we also love). These kittens have been handled, socialized, loved, and given appropriate medical care.
The rescuers will cover cost for spay/neuter next month.
What to name them is up to you; we just made up the names in the captions.
Contact Renata Murez at (310) 874-3101 for a meet and greet.
