Neighborhood Cat Advocates

08/02/2024

Neighborhood Cat Advocates would like to thank EcoShell, the makers of Naturally Fresh Cat Litter for their generous donation of cat litter last month! We use this litter for our cat and kitten foster program. Without support like this, we could not do what we do!

Thank you, EcoShell!! Our kitties love your cat litter, and we love YOU!

www.EcoShell.com

07/22/2024

We have a very specific ask. Do you, or anyone you know, have any fleece fabric laying around? That's right, fleece. You may be asking ... why fleece?

Well, trap covers, of course! We use fleece because:

1. It's lightweight in the summer and cozy in the winter
2. It dries very quickly!

To cover a trap, it needs to be a minimum of 32" x 52". If you have large pieces of fleece but don't feel like cutting it, that's fine! We just need the fleece. We don't care about colors or patterns either.

If your pieces are smaller, that's okay too. We can still use small pieces to keep cats warm and cozy while they recover from spays/neuters at PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic.

Please drop off fleece donations at PawPrints Thrift Boutique at 1360 E. 1st Ave.

Thank you!!

07/02/2024

Neighborhood Cat Advocates is looking to grow our foster program! We mainly work at feral cat colonies but one of the things we encounter a lot is ... kittens! 🐈

Sometimes these kittens are spicy 🌶️
Sometimes they are small and need room to grow 🐾
Sometimes they just need to get out of the situation they are in 😿

We are hoping to grow our small foster network into a bigger group of dedicated individuals who can be there for these kittens when they need them the most!

We supply everything they need, including things like formula and bottles if they small, or food and litter if they are big.

Toys? You got it.
Potty pads for mishaps? Yep.
Litter boxes for when they are perfect little angels? Absolutely.

All the kittens need from you is time, and love. Easy! If you're interested in joining our foster network, fill out our online application here: https://form.jotform.com/240184219045047

We hope to hear from you! MEOW!

Please click the link to complete this form.

07/02/2024

UPDATE: Foster homes have been found! Good luck, little ones! See you on graduation day!

We need these five scared kittens from Comanche Creek to enter NCA's Reluctant Affection College and graduate with a 4.0 GPA (Good Purr Average).

EVERYTHING will be supplied to you. Food, litter, beer pong, oops we mean cat toys. All you need to do for them is give them all the Affection they need to graduate.

Are you that special person to guide these 8-10 week olds through their college years and onto graduation? Please let us know! You can fill out our foster application here:

https://form.jotform.com/240184219045047

We hope to hear from you!

06/21/2024

UPDATE: The temporary housing is actually needed until July 8th. So a little over two weeks. From there, once they are around 10 weeks of age or so, they can be transferred to FUR-Friends United in Rescue, Inc if they are socialized enough.

We have an urgent (yet temporary) need for a foster home for five kittens! We have someone else that can foster them after this weekend but we need someone to hang onto them for now. We will supply everything you need; food, litter, litter boxes, etc. They will get treated for fleas and receive vaccines.

They will need some socialization but it should be an easy task for the right person. They are eating wet food so they are not bottle babies. If you're interested in helping them out, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Thank you!

06/18/2024

Neighborhood Cat Advocates Volunteer Spotlight: Carole Foley

Carole has been a volunteer trapper with NCA for the last 3+ years. Since she lives in Oroville, anyone that fills out our online form for the Oroville area is sent Carole's way.

Carole has never once complained, or said "no", or hemmed and hawed about anything. If we send Carole a submission from Oroville, she jumps on it. And she doesn't just TNR cats at that location, either. She pulls kittens out and fosters them, works with FUR-Friends United in Rescue, Inc with adoption and placement, and spends countless hours working on that colony until every single cat is spayed/neutered and vaccinated.

Carole doesn't know this, but we secretly nominated her for the Samuel J. Norris Award for Excellence that is issued once a year by the City of Oroville. Unfortunately she was not selected as this year's winner, but to us, she is the biggest winner of them all.

If Carole has helped you or has helped someone you know, give her a shout-out here! She is one in a million, and we are so grateful for everything she has done and continues to do on behalf of the cats.

Here is the nomination letter we sent to the City of Oroville:

To Whom it May Concern:

On behalf of Companion Animal Welfare Alliance and Neighborhood Cat Advocates in Chico, CA, we would like to formally and proudly nominate Carole Foley of Oroville, CA for the Samuel J. Norris Award for Excellence.

Carole has been a volunteer trapper for us for the last three years. Since then, she has been responsible for the spaying and neutering of well over 2,500 stray and feral cats. This may not seem like a remarkable achievement at first glance. We can quantify this by breaking it down in numbers.

For example, a single unaltered female cat can have three litters per year, with an average of 4-6 kittens per litter. That’s 12-18 kittens born from one single cat each year. If each one of her offspring produces the same number of kittens each year, and those offspring produce the same number of kittens each year, and so on, in that one female adults’ lifetime she can be responsible for producing around 400,000 kittens.

Carole’s spaying and neutering of over 2,500 adult cats (assuming half of them are female) has resulted in the prevention of over 500,000,000 kittens from being born. That means local rescue groups are that much less overwhelmed, there are less calls to animal control, and there are less animals suffering outdoors. We think this is an achievement that should not be ignored!

We call Carole ‘our Oroville angel’ because she is truly that; she takes on all of the calls we receive for help in Oroville, and then some. Her name and phone number are posted at the PAWS of Oroville clinic because they know (and we know) she is reliable, hard-working, and she never says no. Carole goes above and beyond for the cats and kittens that call Oroville their home, and we are so proud to work with her on what others would call an impossible calling.

Please consider our nomination for ‘our Oroville angel’, Carole Foley.

Thank you,

Sarah Downs
President,
Companion Animal Welfare Alliance

06/12/2024

The lovely folks at PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic could use some volunteers!

PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic is a program under the Companion Animal Welfare Alliance non-profit umbrella. Other programs included are: Neighborhood Cat Advocates PawPrints Thrift Boutique...

06/10/2024

Some of you may have seen this post in the 530 Cody Alert group. Someone asked for help with this cat that clearly needed help! After a few weeks of trying, the finder, Adilene, was able to capture this boy so we could get him seen.

He was treated by the loving staff at PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic on Sunday. As you can see, his wound is quite large but was already in the process of healing. The vet was only able to stitch it halfway because the wound was too big to close all the way. He received a Convenia injection, something for pain, and his back nails trimmed so he can't scratch it! And, of course, a neuter, vaccines, flea treatment, and a microchip.

He's now in the loving hands of our amazing Oroville trapper, Carole Foley, while he recovers. Next weekend he'll be seen again to hopefully close the wound a little more and give him some more TLC before he's returns to the great outdoors.

Big props to Adilene for being diligent and trapping him, to the fabulous staff at PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic, and to Carole for taking him in while he mends. Truly a team effort!

06/05/2024

Graphic photos but ... happy tails!

We became aware of this kitty in Orland that was very clearly pr*****ed. Our volunteer trapper, Alane Allison, connected with the person that reported this cat (Kathryn) and immediately jumped in to help!

The kitty was successfully trapped and seen by a vet today. He was neutered and his prolapse was repaired. It was originally reported that he had a flea collar on but it turns out it was actually a plastic ring around his neck! Poor kiddo!

He is recovering at Alane's house and will be available for adoption soon. If you're interested, please let us know!

Thank you for the kindness of Kathryn, who took the time to trap him, and for Alane for making sure he was/is well taken care of. We just love happy endings!

05/23/2024

Update:

Our little ladybird is in her foster home, receiving all the food, snuggles, and love her little heart desires. (Don't worry, she was eating out of a bowl before these pictures were taken!)

We'll be getting her in to see a regular vet as soon as we can, but for now we are eternally grateful she has a bed to snuggle in and a person to purr for. ❤️

Heather Ann Van Alstyne - thank you. ❤️

P.S. We are trying to come up with a name for her, but it needs to be perfect. We would love your ideas!

05/20/2024

This sweet old ladybird was abandoned when her people moved away. She (and three others) lived in an apartment complex on Nord. This gal needed urgent help and a rescuer was able to get her into a crate. No one, as far as we know, is even bothering to feed these abandoned cats. And this poor gal is incredibly underweight. We'll be working on getting the other ones taken care of as soon as we can.

In the meantime, this lady is somewhere between 12-16 years old, spayed, and has seen better days. But the person in contact with the rescuer (who is the same person running this page, Sarah) is an ol' softie for the old ones and really wants to do right by her when she has been done so wrong by others.

As you can see, her head is a lil lopsided because of a mass or an infection on the side of her head. She was seen at PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic today and given Convenia, fluids, flea treatment, a B vitamin injection, and a haircut. We are hoping to get her in for some labs as soon as the infection calms down (there is pus oozing so we know there is an infection - the cause of it is still unknown).

We would love to get her into a foster home ASAP. We will provide everything she needs until we determine what her best treatment options are. If you are able to open your home to her, we would be forever grateful. And you would change her life, forever. ❤️

Please share. Thanks!

05/19/2024

Ever seen a drop trap in action?

You may have seen one of these contraptions on other TNR or feral cat rescue pages. Or in cartoons.

In this case, the person recording the video is the same person doing the dropping of the trap, so the video isn't great. But the end result is getting this little kitty some much needed TLC.

05/13/2024

If trapping isn't your thing, consider becoming a foster!

Fill out our online foster application form here: https://form.jotform.com/240184219045047

05/10/2024

UPDATE!

05/09/2024

We often hear from people who don't want their neighborhood stray or feral cat ear tipped. We think a lot of this is related to lack of education on the subject, so we came up with this handy guide explaining the process and the why behind it!

Long story short - ear tipping saves lives!

05/06/2024

Update: Someone saw this post and stepped up to foster her! We're pretty sure this is a foster-to-adopt scenario though and we couldn't be happier. 😻

This sweet little female was dumped out at Scotty's Landing (12609 River Rd, Chico). Her rescuer (longtime trapper with Neighborhood Cat Advocates) just happened to be out there when he spotted her. He went to his truck to grab a carrier and she followed him to his truck. That's how trusting and friendly this sweet girl is.

No microchip, not spayed - she appears to have been nursing recently. No kittens found at Scotty's. We think she was separated from her kittens and then dumped.

We are looking for someone to foster here while we try to figure out options. It's unlikely she's a neighborhood cat and was cat-napped and dumped, but sharing here just in case she looks familiar to someone.

If you're interested in fostering her, please reach out to Neighborhood Cat Advocates at [email protected]. Please also share so we can do our very best to help this sweet girl.

04/23/2024

Hooray!!

We have some exciting news to share ...

We applied for the California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Pet Lover's License Plate Program grant, and we were one of SEVEN organizations selected to receive this year's grant!!

This means that our Clinic will be able to help more individuals spay/neuter free-roaming cats in our local communities. This gives us even more opportunity to keep costs down in a time when vet costs are going nowhere but up. We know people are struggling right now, and the last thing we want to do is turn someone away because they can't afford to spay or neuter a stray cat. We want less kittens, not more!

We are so excited and so grateful for the opportunity to spay and neuter more cats. This is HUGE for us.

If you're interested in obtaining your own Pet Lover's License Plate, visit http://petloversplate.com/.

For more information about the grant, visit https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/SpayNeuter/.

Big props to Armeda Ferrini for her hard work on this grant.

03/27/2024

See a dirty cat? Do something! Don't ignore them. Read the post for more information.

Meow!

Copied

Friends…. This information is very important to know!! When you see a dirty cat.. This is important information to know, why cats look dirty.

🔺 Cats can resist hunger for up to a week on average, but no more than 2-3 days in case of thirst.

🔺 Cats are usually very clean, they groom them selves several times a day, if you see a cat that is not clean, it is DEHYDRATED and has been so for many days. Or has mouth wounds or infected teeth, etc.

Their saliva glands are not functioning properly, because they require moisture.!!!

🔺 Please, if you see a stray kitten, apparently dirty, do not run or look at it with disgust, it has already had difficult days.. In which it probably hasn’t eaten or drank any water for a long time!!

🔺 For humanity, empathy, and love for your neighbor, bring food and above all a container with WATER. It's not easy being thirsty and hungry and not being able to say a word! 💔🥺

“Helping a disadvantaged being, is the opportunity that life gives you to be a better person.”.

**Copied**

03/26/2024

If you're in the Redding area and want assistance with ferals, check this out!

Meow!

🐱 Don't miss out on our Feral Fiesta Spay/Neuter Day this Thursday! 😸

Got unaltered feral cats? Bring them to Haven bright and early Thursday morning for our well-loved Feral Fiesta Day. Limit: 5 cats per household. Remember, they MUST be in a wire cat trap.

➡️ Get all the details here: https://www.havenhumane.org/trap-neuter-release-program
📞 Call us at (530) 241-1658

03/25/2024

03/22/2024

This is a good *reference*. Ideally, mama would be captured, kept with kittens safe until they are weaned, spayed, and returned outside if feral or adopted out if friendly. In an ideal world.

But if you see kittens and they appear healthy, mama is probably out getting a meal and will return. Read the graphic for more info.

Meow!

02/22/2024

We don't usually receive messages like this when we reach out to people who have contacted us for help. Most people are kind, gracious, and understanding. We are very behind on our list of people needing help but this isn't for lack of trying.

All of us are volunteers, some of whom work full time or have other life obligations. But being a human being aside, we have had many obstacles over the last year. Our vet died. It took months to reopen our Clinic. During that time, we were getting a very limited amount of appointments from local vets. Yes, it is taking us months to catch up. But we are TRYING. And we are reaching out to each and every one of you, one at a time.

Additionally, when someone fills out our form, they get an immediate email response explaining our situation, as well as tips for getting the animals spayed/neutered in the meantime. We provide phone numbers to other organizations that do low-cost spays/neuters, and even offer to loan out traps to someone wanting to get the cat(s) they reported done sooner rather than later. This person was given options but didn't use them.

All that aside - it is NEVER OKAY, and NEVER ACCEPTABLE to talk to one of our volunteers like this. If you have a lot of negative things going on in your life, like it seems this person has in theirs, how about just refrain from responding at all? This response is so over the top and so uncalled for. This hurts us so much.

All we can do is just keep chipping away at the list, and hope and pray that the next person we reach out to has a little more kindness to offer.

As for this person, we hope you find peace.

02/13/2024

We're hiring at PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic - please share!

02/12/2024

Let's help find this boy!

Guiseppe was recently adopted and has gotten out in Chico between 5th and 6th Aves and Spruce. Neutered male about a year old. He is microchipped.

02/11/2024

Please share! Thank you North Valley Community Foundation !!

Our community is fortunate to have so many groups supporting and caring for animals. Our newest fund here at NVCF answers the very important call of maintaining animal population, specifically among neighborhood cats. The Neighborhood Cat Advocates Support Fund supports this group in their mission to effectively practice trap-neuter-return (TNR) as a humane way to minimize the overpopulation of stray and feral cats in our community. To learn more or make a donation go to nvcf.org/funds/neighborhood-cat-advocates-support-fund.

01/16/2024

Happy tails! One of our vet assistants sent us this update about the cat she trapped and brought to the Clinic for TNR.

"Meet Felipe! I live in a neighborhood that, thankfully, has had all the strays fixed. In my tens years here, all have been ear tipped and fed until Felipe showed up about 6 months ago.

Felipe was a pretty good sized cat despite being a bit thin; he also sprayed constantly and frequently fought with the other 2 fixed males who I help feed. On top of this, he was VERY trap savvy; after evading traditional traps for over a month, I was able to borrow a drop trap and caught him in my first try! Felipe then was fixed, had vaccines updated and was treated for fleas and is now microchipped by the amazing Neighborhood Cat Advocates.

This was about 4 months ago and Felipe comes by twice daily for food still, has probably put on another pound, has completely stopped spraying and is so much better around the other fixed cats and, most importantly, there will be no more unplanned litters.

Thank you NCA for helping all our local community cats. And for anyone looking to help this great cause, reach out to donate or shop at PawPrints Thrift Boutique in Chico!! Here are some pictures of Felipe living the good life after getting snipped 😻"

- Breanne Begay

Thank you, Breanne, for sharing his story and for what you do for the kitties at PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic!

01/15/2024

Look at this big (nearly 15 lbs!) male tomcat that got neutered today!

01/04/2024

We created a page specifically for our spay/neuter clinic! Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/pawprintsclinic/

There we will share pictures of clinic days, total number of cats done, and of course, pictures of cats in traps!

This page for Neighborhood Cat Advocates will continue to share updates on our organization and the hard work we do.

Give PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic a like and a follow!

Meow!

PawPrints Spay/Neuter Clinic is designated for free-roaming cats (stray/feral/community) only.

01/04/2024

Click on the link to read the full story behind this film - inspiring!

When the film is available on YouTube we'll be sure to share it here.

Here is the trailer in the meantime! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz4XsO2PULA

Meow!

I recently had an interview with filmmaker Josh Carter about the his documentary, "The Kitty CrusAIDe.” Initially driven by a concern for the impact of outdoor cats on wildlife, Carter stumbled upon an impressive cat rescue organization, The Kitty CrusAIDe, which altered the course of his film entirely.

Carter's journey began over a year ago during his birdwatching expeditions, where he observed the hunting behaviors of feral cats. His initial intention was to shed light on how cats affect bird populations, but a chance encounter with The Kitty CrusAIDe and one of it's co-founders, Dani, reshaped the narrative. The documentary transformed into a captivating exploration of humane efforts to manage feral cat populations through trapping, neutering, and releasing—a process known as TNR.

“I was amazed by their story” said Carter. “I started following Dani, one of the co-founders, as she trapped, neutered, and released cats. I ended up filming more than I ever expected and was so inspired, I totally changed the direction of my film and I am so happy where it ended up.”

The documentary captures the essence of The Kitty CrusAIDe's mission and the inspiring stories of volunteers working tirelessly to make a difference.

“I really enjoyed getting to see every part of the cat rescue world. I love cats, so it was fun getting to see so many. I'm very proud of how this film turned out and I really enjoy the final product!”

For Carter, a wildlife enthusiast, the motivation behind his filmmaking is rooted in the passion for protecting and conserving innocent creatures. He hopes that "The Kitty CrusAIDe" will not only educate viewers about the issue but also inspire them to get involved in cat welfare initiatives. Carter's dedication to wildlife conservation is evident in his commitment to creating films that ignite positive change.

As with any filmmaking journey, challenges and heartbreaks are inevitable. Carter revealed that the most difficult part of making the documentary was witnessing the euthanasia of a cat with no quality of life—an experience that highlighted the emotional toll of cat rescue.

“This had to happen to one particular cat I was following, and it was hard to say goodbye. Dani has to deal with this often, and it was hard to learn her struggles.”

Despite these challenges, Carter is proud of the final product and emphasizes the joy he found in exploring the cat rescue world.

Looking ahead, Carter plans to release "The Kitty CrusAIDe" on his YouTube channel for free, following its festival run. Audiences can stay updated on his future projects by visiting his website or subscribing to his YouTube channel. With graduation on the horizon, Carter anticipates new opportunities on the horizon for his burgeoning career in filmmaking.

Kitty CrusAIDe

01/03/2024

While we are very excited about having our own spay and neuter clinic, we need to share a reminder that this clinic is designated for stray and feral cats ONLY.

We acknowledge there is a backlog with vets in the area, some having a waitlist of a few months. We also know that costs have gone up quite a bit since the pandemic.

However, we too have a backlog of people waiting. Some have been waiting since May 2023 to get their feral cats fixed.

To put it simply: We have 130 people waiting, and over 600 cats on our list. Yikes!

While we wish we could help those of you with owned cats who need a spay or neuter, we simply are not set up for it, and we need to help those who have been waiting the last few months for us to help them with their stray and feral cats.

(And, if you're one of those folks that filled out our form months ago, we promise - we'll get to you!)

Please get yourselves on waitlists with other vets and just keep making calls. You might also try other vets outside of Butte County to see who can get you in sooner (and maybe cheaper!) than local vets.

In the meantime, we'll be focusing on our mission of Trap-Neuter-Return.

Thank you for your support!