By Janet McAfee
It was late Fall in 2023 when yet another phone call came in to Loving All Animals, the charity I work with, about a kitten in need. A senior animal lover called desperately seeking a rescue to take a small grey Tuxedo kitten in her care. The kitten had belonged to a friend of her caretaker who found the little animal as a stray and was threatened to let her loose outside. The caller agreed to take the kitten out of concern for its safety. However, the kitten was extremely active and tried to climb up and scratch her cane. She told LAA she was on blood thinners and couldn’t risk getting scratched. During this time of crisis could not find a rescue with space for one more. The kitten needed veterinary care including vaccinations, spaying and eventually a forever home.
Luck was with adorable kitten Heidi. Wonderful kitten foster parents, Selva Christina Hurtado and Brad Wilson, recently signed up to foster kittens for Loving All Animals. The couple is very experienced with caring for felines and have a special room in their home designed to be the “kitten room” for fosters. They also know how to bottle feed tiny neonatal kittens. They quickly said “Yes” to caring for Heidi.
Selva reported, “Heidi is very active and full of fun! She has the most unique soft little purr that sounds like a soothing opera. After cuddling with us she quickly resumes playing.” Selva took the lovely photo below of Heidi which helped promote her for adoption on social media. Tuxedo cats like Heidi are known being very talkative and active.
David Chandler and Heidi Hoferichter learned about Loving All Animals at an open house event for the El Paseo Animal Hospital. The couple was looking for a second cat to keep their black Tuxedo cat Bootsy company. The enchanting Heidi won them over during the meet and greet in November. The attached photo shows the happy ending with Selva being part of the adoption process. They renamed her “Gracie” so as not to confuse her with her new human Mom. Gracie now entertains everyone racing down the hallway with her sweet soprano meowing.
What would have been Heidi’s fate had she been tossed outside to fend for herself? The Coachella Valley, like most communities, has thousands of homeless cats who multiply rapidly. These animals suffer from disease, predators, car accidents and hunger. Volunteers bravely conduct Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) which obviously includes spaying. The animals are released back into the area where they were trapped and become “community cats”, usually feral and unadoptable. In 2024, the overpopulation for cats and dogs is at a crisis level beyond precious years. During the pandemic, spaying & neutering were not considered essential services, and animals born then now give birth to more creatures than there are available homes. Some local vet clinics were closed due to staff illness and staff reluctant to enter crowded workplaces.
Good Samaritans finding kittens in their backyards or nearby fields desperately try to help, some not realizing that their mother may be off hunting nearby and will return. When someone takes neonatal kittens to a public shelter there is no staff to do the around the clock needed bottle feedings. The animals may tragically be euthanized unless there is a bottle feeding foster available. Kittens old enough to eat kitten food fare better, but there is never enough space as public and private shelters are now at full capacity.
LIFE SAVING KITTEN FOSTER HOMES ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED! Can you help? Kittens are relatively easy to care for. They don’t require walks on a leash outside and they quickly learn to use a litter box. They don’t bark disturbing neighbors if you are in an apartment. Fosters are needed for bottle feeding tiny kittens and older kittens like Heidi who will entertain you with their antics. If you would like to learn the art of bottle feeding, Selva will come to Loving All Animals on a Saturday to train you. Loving All Animals provides all the supplies you need including food. We have arrangements with local veterinarians to provide needed medical care and our staff can provide vaccinations. A “back up” foster will be arranged with sufficient notice should you have a scheduled vacation.
Contact Loving All Animals at their shelter in Coachella at (760) 834-7000 with questions. You can complete their volunteer form at www.lovingallanimals.org and indicate you want to foster kittens. Someone will soon contact you for a convenient 1-hour orientation via Zoom.
Be part of a happy ending!
