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Cats become homeless for a variety
of reasons.
Some are abandoned when their
owners move away and leave them behind. "They just drive off with the
contents of their house, and the cat sits in the driveway and watches his
family leave," says Gail Churchill, a volunteer with Island Cat Resources
and Adoption, which rescues homeless kitties in Alameda, Oakland and San
Leandro.
Some are simply dumped on the
street, where they scrounge for food and have multiple litters because their
former owner couldn't be bothered with spaying or neutering their cat.
Some kittens fall into sidewalk
storm drains, where ICRA volunteers find ways to lift the manhole covers and
climb in to retrieve these babies.
In the case of my two cats, Pepe
and Sally, they were rescued in a rough part of West Oakland by an ICRA
volunteer named Ronald Spann, who spotted some kids throwing rocks at something
in the bushes. That "something" turned out to be Pepe and Sally.
ICRA operates on a shoestring
budget, which means it doesn't have a shelter.
But, paradoxically, that turns out
to be a good thing because the cats never see the inside of a cage. Instead,
they're put in foster homes, where they're socialized until they're totally
people-friendly.
Pepe and Sally were fostered in a
home with a dog, so if ever I want to adopt a dog, I won't have to worry about
it freaking them out. Other ICRA foster families have kids, so their cats will
fit right in with homes with children.
ICRA was founded 20 years ago by four
or five people in Alameda. It didn't take them long to figure out that the real
answer to the out-of-control feral cat population was an aggressive spay/neuter
policy.
So they help people humanely trap
feral cats and whisk them to local vets for spay/neuter surgery and
vaccinations.
Those that are too wild to be
adopted are returned to their feral colonies, where they are fed and monitored by
volunteers for the rest of their lives.
But most of the rescues, like my
girls, are young enough to be socialized and placed in new "forever"
homes, where they live happily ever after.
If you're interested in a new cat –
or, better yet, two cats, so they can keep each other company – visit ICRA's
website at icraeastbay.org. You'll see some adorable cats and kittens,
including 13 that were being fostered by a longtime ICRA volunteer named Lynne
Fone until she died from a sudden stroke a few weeks ago.
"She was totally invested in
each little life she saved and wanted to make sure it got the best home
possible," says Churchill.
ICRA's big fundraiser is an annual
silent auction at the Alameda Elks Lodge, 2255 Santa Clara Avenue. This year's
auction will be June 7 from 7-10 p.m.; and it's always a great party featuring wine,
champagne, live music and vegetarian munchies. Suggested donation is $35, or
$20 with a new bag of cat food or a case of canned food.
And if you can't make it to the
party, you can still donate to this very worthy cause at icraeastbay.org.
Happy birthday, ICRA. And happy
birthday to Sally and Pepe, who are celebrating their second birthday today.
How time flies! But it's been fun.
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