Those ears and the eyeliner! 
Howâs the flatulent kitty doing?
Iâm so upset that a shelter would knowingly release house pets. Thatâs one of the cruelest things Iâve heard. Itâs not surprising that the volunteers are protesting. 
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They stopped doing Return to Field (RtF) but they also stopped doing ANY TnR, or supporting local trappers, or taking in ANY found adult cats. They will intake an owner surrender, if the owner pays a $100 fee (for cat - I think its higher for dog)
This notice is from their website: " FRIENDLY REMINDER: Currently due to COVID-19, (shelter) is
only accepting injured or sick animals, underage kittens and stray dogs. (shelter) is not taking in healthy stray cats at this time. If you have a trapped cat you must return it where it was found."
So when I called them saying that I knew of 2 very pregnant feral cats that are ready to pop with kittens. This shelter told me to DO NOTHING. Apparently pregnant does not constitute as âsick or injured.â If I was not determined to help these poor mamas and make sure there were no gutter kittens, they could have had a sad fate and the staff of this shelter could care less. Fortunately I found a rescue that helped me trap them and I fostered the mamas and their kittens, but it was a long process of having to reach out to over 15 rescues before I found one that could help.
Iâve emailed the shelter director saying that if you wont do TnR, at least offer low/no cost vouchers for people in the community, do a feral fix day, or partner with trappers and rescues so we can get more cats fixed. Her only response is that TnR is illegal (its not). WIth their 23.5 million a year operating budget, you would think they could do more to support local populations, but I guess that is what you get when the director has zero animal care experience and came from another countyâs HR department. Shameful.
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I think I would be contacting local news media and pressing them to do some investigative reporting on where 23.5 million is going every year and how the director qualified for the position. Contacting Congressional representatives also wouldnât be out of line.
Iâm sorry you have to witness this. Thanks for looking out for the animals. Youâre doing a terrific job where you can.
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I agree! This is the kind of story an investigative reporter (or even one of the local âconsumer watchdogâ reporters) would love to be made aware of.
A little public shame can go a long way toward righting questionable policies or misconduct.
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Iâd be calling the media, too! People are going to want to know that millions of dollars of tax money are going for NOTHING.
Itâs the height of cruelty to dump non-feral cats and leave them to fend for themselves. Why waste the money to alter them if theyâre just going to die a horrible death by car, poison, freezing, or starving?
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Trust me we are trying! some smaller news outlets/ newspapers have covered it. One county supervisor looked into it and just believed all the rubbish that she was told by the director and her staff.
Here in Southern California, there is always a bigger problem or news story, so its hard to get attention. Here is a story that took comment from one of my friends, but its a small, independent local news blog.
There was a news story on our local > ABC news which focused on ANOTHER issue which is that adoptions are by an âappointment onlyâ system - meaning you look through photos of animals and select which ones you want to see based only off of one photograph so you cant see if you make a connection with a shy dog that maybe does not photograph well. My main concern is that the general public can no longer walk through the kennels, and rooms, which allowing for more neglect behind closed doors.
Anyway, we are continuing to push and fight & educate.
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New pictures! The babies got spayed! Here are pictures of their shaved bellies, Sassy in her beloved fly mask, and one where there are two (yes, two!) inside a cat tree box!
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Thatâs horrible! And irresponsible. And a risk for spreading rabies, distemper, killing even more local wildlifeâŠwhat exactly is the function of this âshelterâ? Most are licensed by the state and part of their charter is to reduce the spread of disease among humans and domestic pets. One vaccine ainât going to do it. Do they have a plan to catch those cats and give boosters? Do they plan to revaccinate next year? No, and no. Violation of their charter right there.
The fluffy tail!! 
It looks like they came out of their surgeries really well. I love how much they are thriving with you.
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Just some updated pictures. Meecy remains very long, very vocal and still loves Ramsey! Sassy is as individual as she first was - doesnât need anyone or anything! Sheâs still smaller than Meecy.
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Love the updates! Thank you for sharing!
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@BatCoach Friend adopted a kitten from a shelter they were calling Brimstone due to his Xtra stinky farts.
He grew out of it & into a handsome Russian Blue-esque cat.
Howâs your little Bat Ears doing?
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Little Bat Ears, who I took to calling Simon, was adopted quite quickly from a non-local shelter. I miss the little booger, but I hope he is happy in his new home. I wish I could have kept him 
but if I kept them all Iâd have like 15 cats by now.
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Bat CoachâŠ.and the problem isâŠâŠ.? 
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Trust me I would see no problem with it, if I had the means and the space I would have a dedicated foster room. Right now my only option to keep fosters or street younginâs in the house is in the garage or my spare bathroom, neither of which is ideal for socializing. I have 2 senior kitties that I wonât risk exposure to un-vaccinated cats (not to mention fleas!).
SO also has a strict rule that we are a 4-cat max household.He loves our cats, but has no ambitions to be a kitty hostel operator like I do 
I think when we have a bit more space I can spread my kitty caretaker wings.
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Update for anyone following! The babies have grown so much! Now, instead of places where both could fit, only one can! Sassy is getting into the rhythm of being a housecat! She has become very fond of my husband (she is so flirty with the boys!) and really puts on a show to get his attention. Me, not so much, lol! Meecy remains very cautious. We are working with her very slowly on petting. She is not a fan at this point, but I believe she will come around. She is my best friend when it comes time for treats or playing! She is very vocal and emotional, and lets me know when she needs something from me! Sassy is very independent and curious. She wants to be where anything is happening! She also loves to push the envelope, and get into trouble, especially when it comes to Momma! Ramsey remains their favorite boy. He canât do anything without a kitten attached to him! Momma remains an island of her own. She loves her peeps, tolerates Ramsey, and hates the kittens! There is a rare picture of all four together. Usually, itâs the three musketeers and the trio go everywhere together!
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Happy New Year!
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Such pretty girls! Happy 2023!
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Look at those faces - all innocence. (whereâs the kitty with a halo icon when you need it.)
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