URGENT REQUEST HELP FOR KATIE in CA

TCS this is an URGENT appeal for help for long time TCS poster
Katie and the cats of Colonia!!

If you've read her posts you will know, Katie is faced with her feral colony being starved because she's been told she will LOSE her apartment if she continues to feed the strays. Katie has struggled to find HELP>

She suffers from health problems and depression at times (who wouldn't faced with losing her home or her beloved cats?) and isn't able to advocate as forcefully as she needs to!

PLEASE HELP if you are in the LA/CA area. There MUST be someone out there who can assist? She needs a spokesperson to talk with the gov't and/or county agencies she has to deal with.

Someone on the ground would be IDEAL. She needs help convincing the county that feeding/TNR and sheltering is the BEST solution for these cats.

I always thought LA and CA were PROGRESSIVE but this is outright regressive - threatening her with losing her home if she tries to fix this feral cat problem!!!

Where is Alley Cat Allies?? Where are the people from BEST FRIENDS???

Come on guys, there has to be ONE, just ONE person who can step up to connect Katie with sources of assistance. Surely, surely SOMEONE can do something???

I hate to think this board with all its great hearted members can't help one person - especially when she's willing to do the grunt work??

Anyway folks, this is Xmas - look in your hearts and see if you can't find time to help this woman who is doing so much for the homless hungry abandoned cats at her apartment complex.

Has she tried contacting:

http://www.laanimalservices.com/serv_felix.htm

http://www.laanimalservices.com/donation.htm

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8938543.html

I don't think that the problem is *who* but *how* to contact in this situation, HouseofCats. Katie is needing an advocate to help to speak for her and the cats because of her personal situation. I think that opilot and I were both hoping that she could find someone here in the LA area who could act as a spokesperson on her (Katie's) behalf so that these cats can get the help that they need.

None of us (I'm sure) want to see Katie lose her home or to see the cats lose their human either.

You are so sweet to do this. You are wonderful.

Northern California is very progressive. San Francisco has a wonderful program. Actually, so does San Diego. Los Angeles has a history of laid-back government though. Don't know why. We have programs, but not as good as you'd think or expect.

Don't worry about me. My cat rescue friend had someone who had helped in these situations before, call me and we talked.

We agreed that the best thing is just to continue as before. Unless a neighbor reports me, it is going to be okay. I'm pretty well-liked and have earned a reputation as the cat lady, who is kind and feeds the cats. I think most of the people are perfectly okay with it, maybe even a little proud of me.

I thank you so much. I need to feel loved right now. Depression is an awful illness because when you can't depend on your mind, you're lost. Know what my key chain says! OF ALL THE THINGS I'VE LOST I MISS MY MIND THE MOST Right now I'm pulling through I think. And I am getting a therapist to help me.

When my resident manager found me crying at home, he arranged for the therapist -- through the same group that has denied me the shelters -- isn't that ironic?

Originally Posted by katie=^..^=

We agreed that the best thing is just to continue as before. Unless a neighbor reports me, it is going to be okay. I'm pretty well-liked and have earned a reputation as the cat lady, who is kind and feeds the cats. I think most of the people are perfectly okay with it, maybe even a little proud of me.

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Oh Katie! That's WONDERFUL! I wish I'd checked this thread first, though it's hard to type with tears of happiness in my eyes!

Honey, you have *so* much courage to take the attitude that you have. Unbelievable amounts of courage and resolve to help these animals. Many people wouldn't put into them what you have, and that's something that you can be proud of. We're proud of you here, too, and you KNOW that if there's anything that we can do, we're going to do it to help you and the cats out.

I'm glad about the therapy. Hopefully it will help some. I've not had the best luck with it because I feel as though they are often trying to fix problems that I don't have (I hate those psychometric test things -- I keep coming up with problems I don't have... Like the last time I had to take one they said I was suicidal, and put me on watch -- I have no thoughts of killing myself!). Hopefully you'll get yourself a good therapist who is able to help you to work through what's on your mind. Good for you!

Are you taking any vitamins? Those also helped me apart from just increased exposure to the sunlight.

Originally Posted by ghosthunterbeck

I don't think that the problem is *who* but *how* to contact in this situation, HouseofCats. Katie is needing an advocate to help to speak for her and the cats because of her personal situation. I think that opilot and I were both hoping that she could find someone here in the LA area who could act as a spokesperson on her (Katie's) behalf so that these cats can get the help that they need.

None of us (I'm sure) want to see Katie lose her home or to see the cats lose their human either.

Click to expand...

My thoughts here were maybe someone in these groups would have a spokesperson to speak and edcuate on the benefits of TNR. The rescue group I work with has a person like this.

She does need an advocate to help out. How about getting in touch with:
ALLEY CAT ALLIES

They are the experts on Ferals cats and a wonderful and strong voice for her and her cats. A friend of mine sent this to me because I went thru the same situation as Katie. I was lucky, I was able to re-locate 3 of the ferals to another colony where my friend and her husband take care of 30 or more cats. However, it is very rare that re-location works, the cats usually run away from a new place. But we were lucky and the 3 of them are still there and that was 5 years ago. Some of the others I had to have put to sleep because I had no other options, I believed it was better to do the humane thing instead of letting them starve to death. My heart goes out to you Katie, I know how you feel, don't give up but try all the suggestions you get. Good Luck.

I may be misunderstanding the problem, and Katie is, of course, welcome to correct me if I'm wrong here, but I thought she was having difficulty finding the courage to contact the organizations that could help her with the cats' plight?

Yes, Katie needs a "voice" - to help her explain what she wants to do, to help her get "permission". My thought is/was that Alley Cat Allies and other groups that preach about TNR could send someone LOCAL to help out.

Basically, the gov't / county what have you, needs to understand
the VALUE of what Katie is doing, and why she should be encouraged.

If Katie has the backing of an animal welfare group, she might have
better odds at being able to place shelters for the cats, maybe
even work on taming and getting homes for friendly ones like Alfie.

Also, getting medical care. And someone should point out the benefits to the RESIDENTS these cats provide. Muliple and many studies showing how
cats help with stress, alienation and lonliness...

There just seems to be so much good to work with here ... I can't see how they could turn Katie down, if she had someone who could advocate and put the case eloquently, persistantly, and also marshall statistics from other ONGOING projects in the LA/CA area near here. There must be some that Alley Cat Allies and/or rescue groups in the area know of??

So what we are seeking is someone on the ground, to help Katie make contact and pursuade people of the value of her work.

This seems like an ideal job for the groups that preach about TNR. Time to put the money where the mouth is if you will.

Katie is NOT going to quit feeding her cats, despite all. And I think she's right. She was depressed because her efforts to REALLY help stalled out, and it can be very discouraging and dispiriting to hit this kind of "wall".

I've been there too. Lucky for my colony, the managment said okay to my efforts.

I am working on neat wooden painted and presentable shelters now, rather than the cheap tupperwear. But its an incredible effort, and only those who do this can know what joy it brings, and how difficult it can be sometimes.

I am careful to clean up any food messes (cans, dishes etc.)
and I'm slowly getting ready to get these cats taken on "officially"
but someone there at the Hall.

This has taken me, a single woman in realtively good health with a wonderful cooperative animal loving BF almost 1.5 years to do!!

So, imagine if you will how much more difficult it is for Katie, to consistently apply time and energy to the issue?

Anyway, all we think Katie deserves is someone to assist her with speaking to the various levels of gov't and to help her navigate the "hoops" they make you jump through. A group with a history and some "name brand recognition" like Best Friends would be ideal. Hard to turn them down, when they can bring "pressure" to bear in PR and public opinion. Easy to ignore Katie though - one voice often can't turn the tide...

Okay, enough, back to work! All, please see what you can do for this wonderful woman. She isn't asking for alot of help, and I have faith this
can be addressed!




and straw I have down for winter.

Awwww, I would help if I could

Sending many vibes for Katie though How scary!

You are right, I am frightened.

The right people could make a big difference because this is L.A. County that we are talking about. Evidently the animal control department isn't really set up to help with feral care. If the CDC that manages this place, could take a different attitude, then all the sites could change.

On the other hand, it feels much safer to me to just not rock the boat right now.

Thank you, guys, you are surprising me.

Hi Katie (and everyone!),

I only just read these threads last night and this afternoon. What an ordeal you have been through! If I were you, I too would feel lonely and with the weight of the world, needing to care for all those kitties.

It sounds like you have some neighbors who are sympathetic and you might be able to slowly organize them over time (with some pumpkin bread bribes and good cheer LOL) into helping with the kitties or at least subbing when you are sick or not able to be there. But those are seeds to plant slowly. For now it is good to just breathe easy!

I agree with you in this particular situation that you ran into a fussy bureaucrat with a thorn in his/her paw, and it is best to let it die down and wish everyone a happy holiday.

On the other stuff, it is ideal to find someone with a voice to help advocate. I think the world of kitty rescue is still pretty much each person or small group scraping for small victories, with the larger groups advocating legislation. I don't know a lot of individual advocates in the field.

Around here, or I should say, in my network of kitty friends, a lot of stuff is done by email chains where rescue groups send each other chain emails on behalf of X or Y cause or situation with instructions on how to impact the situation.

It sounds like we need a Nathan Winograd in each community to help speak for those who do not have the political moxie. And if a crisis seems to be brewing, maybe his group can get involved. http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehom...onwinograd.cfm

I would suggest to contact a local TNR group and see if they have a spokesperson that will help educate these people on the benefits of TNR vs. euthanizing.

Where I work there are several ferals that they were trapping and taking to the humane society. I organized a meeting with our Management, Health/Safety and Environmental and had a spokesperson from our local TNR group, AzCATs, come and speak to this group. She brought all kinds of literature, explained the benefits, and knew how to talk and deal with people. Now I have feeding stations set-up and we TNR where I work. Because of this we were asked to be on a local radio station, have had customers compliment our Company for doing this, and have cut the population down. It takes an expert speaker, and the first start is contacting every organization possible to see if they have one. You could start with the ones locally and if they can't help then go to Alley Cat Allies to see if they know of anyone in your area that does this.

We have also done this at our City park were we have been caring for several feral colonies for around 9 years now. Good luck to you and thank you for caring so much.