Virtually pets

Several sets of statistics indicate that most New Year’s resolutions fail by February, so I’m getting a head start. Two columns ago, I resolved to feature more dogs, and I did, one column ago—nothing but dogs. OK, time to bring back the cats, along with a rescuer who spent the past eight years rescuing them and striving to save them from injury and disease.

Aurelie Vanderhoek formed Zoey’s Place Rescue, named in memory of a beloved cat, after pulling a stray momcat and her kittens from a warehouse behind the business where she worked. Since then, her all-volunteer rescue would take cats from the streets, parks and other dumping grounds and provide vaccinations, spay/neuter procedures, parasite medication and other veterinary life-serving processes. A number of them suffered from physical trauma and illness, and the healing process was long and sometimes heartbreakingly unsuccessful. The successes, however, were met with joy, particularly when they were adopted. In 2019, 65 went home from the small rescue.

“Community cats get a bad rap—they’re often at the bottom of the barrel,” Vanderhoek said. “They’re euthanized twice as much as other cats.”

When the Vanderhoeks and their housecats moved to Washington state in September 2019, they left Zoey’s Place in the capable paws of her partner to wind down for eventual closure. The rescue is down to three cats, but more about them later.

One door may be closing now, but Vanderhoek isn’t one to wait for the next one to open. She’s created two long-distance projects that encourage and help others living in Southern California, where her heart remains, to help cats in the same way that Zoey’s Place has done: The Trevor Foundation and The Worldly Cat.

The Trevor Foundation assists individuals and small rescues who come across cats with injuries or conditions but don’t have the funds or the knowledge to help them recover.

Like Zoey’s Place, The Trevor Foundation was inspired by a cat.

Brown tabby sprawls on a tan rug with maroon puffy details, looking to the left.
“Trevor was our biggest case—a $15,000 cat,” Vanderhoek said. “He had a completely shattered pelvis and a herniated bladder, encased in scar tissue. A woman managing a cat colony brought him to me. When I put him in front of the vet, he was, ‘Are you sure?’ and I said, ‘Yup.’” Photo courtesy of Aurelie Vanderhoek

 

Trevor’s rehab took eight months, 16 procedures, and a lot of homeopathy and healing, Vanderhoek said. It also took all the resources that Zoey’s Place could scramble up.

“He finally fully healed—he thrived, and he became my foster,” Vanderhoek said. “He became a beacon of hope for me and all of us. Finding him a home was very sensitive, so when we decided to move to Washington six months later, up he went with us.”

Like many creatures left to the streets, though, Trevor had other issues. He had FIP—feline infectious peritonitis—which had progressed too far for any available trial drugs to be effective. He died November 2019. As Vanderhoek wrote in a post on The Trevor Foundation’s Facebook page, “sometimes, showing up for an animal in need simply means helping this soul pass with greater peace and loving circumstances.”

“My heart was broken, but I decided to make something good out of it,” Vanderhoek said. “He was too big a cat, and I had too much to offer.”

Vanderhoek researched grants and found one to fund her project. The Trevor Foundation stretched its legs and got up and running early in 2020. The grant’s terms specify funding for Southern California residents who want to help injured community cats, particularly those in life-or-death situations, but don’t have the resources to help or need to be educated on the ins and outs.

The Trevor Foundation also helps human cat companions with excessive medical bills. The organization took in its first protégé in March—a kitten with an abdominal hernia. The founder adopted her as soon as she knew that she’d be able to afford the surgery thanks to The Trevor Foundation.

“My biggest pet peeve is animals who aren’t getting care because of money,” Vanderhoek said. “But [The Trevor Foundation] isn’t just about funding—it’s building an informed and empowered community to link people together. We did a good job in Southern California, and now we want to help the Good Samaritans who want to do more.”

The Worldly Cat melds Vanderhoek’s knowledge of cat behavior with her creativity. The services and products help fund The Trevor Foundation. Clients receive counseling for behavioral issues their cats have—socialization, sudden marking of territory—and receive suggestions for solutions and aromatherapeutic techniques to calm kitty down.

“Some cats aren’t just physically broken but emotionally broken,” Vanderhoek said. “The counseling is for the humans as much as it is for cats.”

Very large black cat sits on a cover with pastel-prints of maps and compasses guarding a long black toy with colorful prints.
Joy for the moggies! The Worldly Cat applies Vanderhoek’s 22 years of experience with fashion to the crafting of a colorful line of kicky kitty kicksticks loaded with what seems to be a chronic strain of catnip, if my cats’ reactions are any indication. The kicksticks have lasting power in both structure and scent. Duncan’s had his since 2019 and still demands exclusivity. Photo by Kate Karp

 

Until the nonprofit’s website is established, donations go through PayPal at thetrevorfoundation@gmail.com.Along with the grants and 10% of profits from the kicksticks and other Worldly Cat services, donations help fund The Trevor Foundation.

brown tabby lies on tan surface. The words "The Trevor Foundation" are printed in green to the left.

 

 

stylized bright-color cat with red heart-shaped nose above the script words "The Worldly Cat"
Courtesy graphic

 

Here are the three Zoey’s Place cats who need people—special people. Each cat has an issue that is manageable, to different degrees. All of them are in fosters. To adopt any of them, email Zoeysplacerescue@gmail.com and specify the cat you’re interested in.

 

Gray cat wearing a colorful diaper lies on a yellow bedspread and looks longingly upward.
Sasha is a Russian blue mix who is now 1 ½ years old. She was rescued in the spring of 2019 after she ended up in a crowded shelter with a pull-tail injury. After a tail amputation and many months of various therapies, Sasha is now doing really well and is ready for her forever family. Sasha is a special-needs girl—her bladder is still weak—but she rocks her Fancy Pants diapers and loves running around the house chasing her toys. She’s fine with other cats, but she could do without dogs. Sasha is looking for a human who will love her quirkiness as much as her fosters do!

 

Tabby-patch cat with white spot on back sits on a wood floor in bowling-pin position and stares with huge eys at camera.
Gigi was trapped with her brother at 3 months old, and the trappers weren’t sure if she was ready to participate in the human world. But after a couple of weeks in a comfortable foster home, she made some good progress, and the rescue knew she deserved a chance to become someone’s special furball someday. Sadly, over three months ago and right after she was spayed, Gigi started to get sick. After several tests and a lot of conversations, she was diagnosed with FIP. However, she has successfully completed 84 days of treatment using GS 441524, an experimental drug developed by UC Davis, and the fosters are now waiting for her 84 days of observations to be over to deem her cured! Gigi’s 8 months old now and has truly blossomed. She’s now a comfortable cat with just a few streaks of shyness here and there. She’s a courageous soul who’ll hopefully conquer this awful disease and get her happily-ever-after story at the end.

 

Brown tabby sits in meatloaf position on a pastel-print thick bedspread.
Miss Kitty arrived at Zoey’s Place after she was surrendered by her owner at the tender age of 10 due to a complicated job relocation. She’d been an only cat all her life, so her life in a foster home was complicated, to say the least, but the foster did their best to make it work. Miss KItty was adopted last summer but was sadly returned to Zoey’s Place after two months because she started to have some dental issues that the new owner didn’t want to deal with. Zoey’s Place took care of all her dental needs, and she has bounced back to her cuddly self. However, she needs a home to call her own, as sharing her space is really something she doesn’t like to do, especially now that she’s turned 11. Miss Kitty is the absolute lap cat who will join you on the couch or in bed for a daylong binge-watching of your favorite shows. She loves to be held, cuddled and petted all day long, and the fosters want to write her happy ending once and for all!

 

Just fur fun and fur-ther education

Online Cat Conference 2021, register here, Friday, Jan. 29, 4–6 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 30, 7 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 31, 7 a.m.–3 p.m., $60 through Jan. 29, $75 after that date.

Have you made a resolution to find out more about how you could help some of the cats you see out and about in your neighborhood? Or maybe you resolve to learn more about nutrition and how to keep your own cats healthy and happy. You can learn about all that and so much more in this information packed three-day conference! Check out the myriad topics and outstanding presenters. If you type in the code Catpaws when registering, the conference planners will make a $25 donation to Helen Sanders CatPAWS.

Help wanted, help given

Free pet vaccines available from SNP/LA, Harley Davidson, 1517 Pacific Coast Highway, Harbor City Saturday, Jan. 30, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Does your cat or dog need their vaccinations? Line up at the mobile clinic at a distance of 6 feet and get them at no charge. All human clients must wear masks over mouth and nose, and to reduce the number of people in line, a maximum of two individuals per group is allowed. All cats must be in carriers; all medium/large dogs must be on leashes. Small dogs may be carried. Please bring all past pet vaccine records. Vaccine information is available here.

Feline Good Social Club needs willing subjects for its bewhiskered nobility

Feline Good Social Club will be closed to the public until it’s safe for humans. The cat curators said that in the interest of public safety, the kitties will be meanwhile curled up in foster homes and will return to bat toys and hearts around. Volunteers are needed in some key areas to help get things ready for reopening. Want to be part of a kowtowing staff to cats, because cats expect it? Email info@felinegoodsocialclub.com.

DIY Kitten Care Kits available free at Long Beach Animal Care Services

Kitten season is just about up, but kittens still enter shelters. It isn’t unusual to find nests of young, seemingly abandoned kittens during kitten season. It is a natural reaction to want to help, to save them. If you are interested in obtaining a Kitten Care Kit made possible by Helen Sanders CatPAWS, please email animalcare@longbeach.gov.

Spay/neuter vouchers available at shelter

Long Beach Animal Care Services has spay/neuter vouchers available. They’ll take a healthy nip out of the cost of a procedure. Residents of any of the five cities served by the shelter can telephone the general number at 562-570–7387 to request a voucher.

 Spay/neuter appointments are available at SNP/LA

The Spay/Neuter Project of Los Angeles (SNP/LA) is back in business for free and low-cost spay/neuter services, and they’re extending the hours of their vaccination clinics. The San Pedro clinic, located at 957 N. Gaffey St., will give shots every third Thursday between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Call 310-574–5555 to see if you qualify for services.

If you can see the bottom of the kibble bag:

Helen Sanders CatPAWS offers, through specific private donors, e-gift cards for people struggling during the crisis to buy food for their pets. The CatPAWS Spay/Neuter Fund, also privately funded, has vouchers available for anyone not able to go to the shelter for them. They also accept donations.

Pets of the Homeless‘ home page gives a self-description as the only organization focusing only on providing food and care for pets belonging to homeless people. Businesses and other organizations across the country receive in-kind donations of food and other needs that the dogs and cats’ human families can pick up at outreach locations. The following Long Beach businesses will accept your donations:

Trendi Pawz, 3726 E. Seventh St.

Belmont Heights Animal Hospital, 255 Redondo Ave.

Paw Shoppe Pet Center, Inc., 6416 E. Spring St.

Food and supplies are available at Beacon for Him Ministries, 1535 Gundry Ave., Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m.; and at Christian Outreach in Action, 515 E. Third St., Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m. Donations will be gratefully accepted at these locations as well.

Adopt, adopt, adopt

a group of people, some shelter volunteers and staff, stand in front of a man and a woman who have just adopted a tan pit bull
The ultimate outcome. Photo courtesy of Long Beach Animal Care Services.

 

Pet Food Express Cat Adoption Center: weekdays and Saturday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, adoption fees apply.

This adoption center is a much-needed satellite operation of Long Beach Animal Care Services. Julie and her team pull adoptable cats—”adoptable,” to these guys, means any cat in a shelter kennel! The team socializes the kitties until they’re adopted, which takes less time than you could imagine!

Helen Sanders CatPAWS adoption center: viewable daily during store hours, PetSmart, 12341 Seal Beach Blvd., Seal Beach, adoption fees apply.

Window-shopping’s a neat pastime and likely has become more common during the pandemic. Helen Sanders CatPAWS has applied window-shopping to cat adoption; you can peer at several of the fine felines through the windows of the PetSmart adoption center in Seal Beach. Sadly, no ear scratching or chin rubs at this time, but volunteers can answer questions and provide you with adoption information! Be sure to wear a mask. You can find adoption applications and all the kitties here.

Links to loveables

The following pet-related businesses regularly feature cat, dog and rabbit adoptions, but as of now, adoptions are mainly by appointment. Click on the links for each rescue in case of updates or changes. These organizations operate through donations and grants, and anything you can give would be welcome. Please suggest any Long Beach-area rescues to add to the list.