Touring Best Friends Animal Society – Los Angeles #NKLA

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with Samantha Bell DiGenova, the Cat Behavior & Enrichment Lead for Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles, and tour their impressive facility.

I met Samantha through volunteering with the Jackson Galaxy Foundation’s Cat Pawsitive initiative (she as a trainer-mentor to shelters and me as a writer) and asked her if I could drive up for a visit. Being the fabulous person that she is, Samantha immediately agreed, and she gave me a personal tour of the Los Angeles facility, which I’m happy to share with you today.

Two black kittens at Best Friends - Los Angeles
Two black kittens at Best Friends in Los Angeles.

Continue reading “Touring Best Friends Animal Society – Los Angeles #NKLA”

Lakes Animal Friendship Society & “Nobody’s Cats”

Founded by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff in 2008, Lakes Animal Friendship Society (LAFS) is based in Burns Lake, British Columbia in Canada. The group is run by the husband and wife team and recently became a non-profit charity.

Valerie and Alistair also authored a children’s book called Nobody’s Cats, which is how I learned about the rescue group. Fellow blogger Cori of Three Irish Cats wrote about the children’s book, and I promptly ordered it, finding it to be a great educational book that teaches children about trap-neuter-return (TNR) and the importance of caring for community cats. Continue reading “Lakes Animal Friendship Society & “Nobody’s Cats””

A Cat Named Bruce Inspires a Sanctuary

Cat rescues and sanctuaries each have their unique way of getting started. Today, we learn about a small cat rescue in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, fittingly named Bruce’s Legacy.

Rose Goodwine, founder and president, started the rescue in 2014 with the mission to place rescued cats and kittens into loving, permanent homes. The 501(c)3 group also wants to prevent pet overpopulation through spaying and neutering, and to educate the public about responsible pet ownership.

tabby cat from Bruce's Legacy

How Bruce’s Legacy Came to Be

By Rose L. Goodwine
Founder and President

In 2005, shortly after my husband and I returned home from our Hurricane Katrina evacuation, two feral cats who had somehow survived the storm appeared on our back porch looking for food. We started to feed them and named them, although we were unable to make personal contact for quite some time. We named the brown and black tabby Bruce, and we named the orange tabby Rocky, mainly because he often showed up beaten and bruised. We also noticed that Bruce seemed to watch over and take care of Rocky, despite the obvious beatings he took from time to time.

Continue reading “A Cat Named Bruce Inspires a Sanctuary”

TNR of Warren

In honor of the upcoming National Feral Cat Day, today we continue with highlighting people and groups who are doing their part to help feral and community cats. TNR of Warren, a group that was founded in September 2008, started “as a vision of what can be accomplished when a Trap-Neuter-Return organization, veterinarians and the community work together for the good of stray and feral cats.”

TNR of Warren, a 501(c)3 organization, is located in Warren, Ohio. They are not a shelter and they do not take in cats from the public for adoption. The group is strictly a trap-neuter-return organization.

Corky, who runs TNR of Warren, has been with the group since January 2009. In the past, Corky has volunteered at shelters, rescued cats and been on the boards of various rescues. But when Corky was adopted by a group of free roamers in her yard, she knew what her life’s mission was… “to help the unwanted cats of the shadows.”

To date, TNR of Warren has spayed and neutered close to 9,000 cats!

TNR of Warren, carriers lined up Continue reading “TNR of Warren”

OC Shelter Partners – Helping People Keep Their Pets

The car comes to a stop, the back door opens and in reaches a woman’s shaking hand to pick up the carrier that’s buckled in on the back seat. Inside, a kitty meows and scratches at the carrier door, unsure of what is happening. Tears fill the woman’s eyes as she turns and faces the shelter, ashamed, but uncertain of what else to do.

Enter OC Shelter Partners, an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit that works to keep pets with their people. Founded in November 2015, the group has already kept over 1,000 animals from entering the shelter. Continue reading “OC Shelter Partners – Helping People Keep Their Pets”

Nine Lives Greece – Οι Εφτάψυχες

Cordelia Madden-Kanellopoulou is one of the co-founders of Nine Lives Greece – Οι Εφτάψυχες, which is a group of like-minded volunteers with experience in animal welfare, who decided to start the rescue organization due to the lack of any other charity in Athens focused on the well-being of the city’s innumerable stray cats. Nine Lives Greece started in 2006 and became an officially recognized charity in 2008.

Mission Statement: To promote cat welfare through neutering, education and enhanced relations between humans and cats in Greece. Continue reading “Nine Lives Greece – Οι Εφτάψυχες”

Let’s Shine a Light for #RememberMeThursday

Remember Me Thursday takes place this year on September 22, 2016. It is a day to remember that there are orphan pets in shelters and rescues who are waiting for their forever homes – and also to remember those who never made it out of the shelters.

Here at Three Chatty Cats, we strive to promote and support cat rescues and adoptions by highlighting rescue groups, sharing adoption stories, and showcasing individuals who do their part to help cats in need. So, we want to do our part in supporting this special day, Remember Me Thursday, by continuing to bring attention to shelter cats waiting for their forever homes. Now, let’s learn more about Remember Me Thursday! Continue reading “Let’s Shine a Light for #RememberMeThursday”

Catching Up with Foster Parent Cori

Today we meet a fellow blogger and foster parent. Cori, who blogs at Three Irish Cats, has been fostering for Rescue Angels of Southern Maryland since December 2015. Cori also handles the PR, social media, and marketing for the rescue group.

A Conversation with Cori

How did you get into fostering?
We got into fostering in late 2015 after we trapped five cats that were living in our backyard. We were able to find homes for two of the kittens, but we learned the hard way that ferals don’t stand a chance at the shelter. Two of the cats were killed because they were thought to be feral; the third was euthanized because he had severe injuries. We were heartbroken, so we turned to Rescue Angels to learn more about TNR (trap-neuter-return). From there, we started fostering. Continue reading “Catching Up with Foster Parent Cori”

Pitties and Kitties

Pitties and Kitties is a new foster-based rescue group located in Lee’s Summit, Missouri that focuses on…you guessed it, pit bulls and cats!

Started just five months ago in March 2016, their mission statement is as follows: Pitties and Kitties is a 501(c)3 non-profit rescue dedicated to changing the lives of both pit bull type dogs and feral/stray cats in our community. We aim to alter the misconceptions of the pit bull breed and provide dogs in need a second chance by working with local rescues and pulling from high kill shelters. In addition, we will Continue reading “Pitties and Kitties”

Little Cats Helping Big Cats (and giveaway!)

I’ve always thought that Dexter is a lion in the body of a little house cat (but don’t tell him that). When he stretches or yawns – or stands just so, I can see him at home in the Pride Lands, ruling his domain. Don’t you agree?

2016-07-25_Treats_Dexter.jpg

So, when I found out about the Little Cats Helping Big Cats campaign, I of course thought of my little Dexter and that he would love to help big cats. Really, it’s a perfect marriage of feline partnership, small and large joining forces. And I can’t be the only cat mom who feels this way about her house cats. Am I right? Aren’t they just little cats, but big at heart? Continue reading “Little Cats Helping Big Cats (and giveaway!)”