20 Nov 2024

Why We Charge to Come In

by | posted in: General Updates | 0

A question we occasionally hear: “Why do I have to pay just to see the cats?”

We offer an experience of being among cats. Like going to a zoo, Disneyland, or the movies, guests pay for the experience of being around our group of cats. Unlike city or county shelters, we are not funded through taxes. We are an independent nonprofit organization.

“But I’m interested in adopting.”

People who end up adopting get their visit fees credited toward their adoption fee. But yes, we do ask people who are in the market to adopt to pay the entrance fee.

“You charge per person?”

Yes. We limit how many people can be in the lounge at once to minimize the stress on the cats and keep the experience more enjoyable for visitors.

“Don’t you want to adopt out the cats?”

We do. If our entry fee is a barrier to adoption we kindly point potential adopters to other locations including the county shelter.

14 Nov 2024

Thanksgiving Hours

by | posted in: General Updates | 0

Please note the following schedule changes for the week of Thanksgiving:

We will be closed Wednesday – Saturday (November 27-30).
We will be open our usual hours on Sunday, December 1st (12-4pm).

Our volunteers will be caring for the cats and enjoying some time with family and friends!

30 Sep 2024

July – September Check-In

by | posted in: Adoptions, General Updates, Spay and Neuter, Volunteers | 0

The first half of the year has officially passed and we are looking forward to fall/winter. We wanted to share a few highlights from the third quarter of 2024.

Adoptions: 23 cats and kittens have found their forever homes so far this year, bringing our overall total since opening in June 2021 to 166 adoptions as of September 30th.

Current Residents: We have 12 cats living in the lounge right now: Braeburn, Cici, Dotty, Fuji, Mollie, Noah, Pepper, Princess, Raven, Sizzle, Sophie, and Spice. Our three newest cats joined us from the Apple Valley shelter. They were taking in animals from Big Bear and Devore during the fires so we pulled three cats from them to help free up some space in their shelter.

Lounge Improvements: We replaced the screens in two of the screen doors and will be replacing one more screen in one of the hallway doors.

Medical Expenses: We had four kittens spayed/neutered, microchipped, and tested for FIV and FeLV. The humane society in Ojai is so helpful to us with these procedures. We took care of Princess’ dental needs which included 10 extractions. She is feeling SO much better now and we are grateful to Dr. Moore and her staff for her expertise and care. Noah, Spice, and Sizzle had routine vet exams and got their vaccinations updated.

Volunteers: We have roughly 19 dedicated volunteers, including many who volunteer multiple times each week! Thanks to Jackie, Al, Robin, Brian, Shannon, Donna, Kay, Dani, Barbara, Laura, Jennifer R., Jen F., Karla, Veaya, Marnae, Maddy, Beverly, Lizzie, and Claire.

Food and Litter Donations: We have had over $5000 worth of food and litter donated so far this year! These donations help immensely and allow us to use the money the lounge brings in to cover rent, utilities, Internet, insurance, security, and vet bills.

TNR Support: Through front desk jar donations we have raised $280 so far this year to help local volunteer trappers with the crucial work they are doing to help curb the overpopulation of cats and reduce suffering. We have also donated dry and wet food for them to use when trapping and share with the kind-hearted people who will continue to feed the feral cats on their property.

20 Jul 2024

April – June Check In

by | posted in: Adoptions, Education, Fostering, General Updates, Spay and Neuter, Volunteers | 0

The next three months of the year have officially come and gone and summer is here! We wanted to share a few highlights from the second quarter of 2024.

Adoptions: 17 cats and kittens have found their forever homes so far this year, bringing our overall total since opening in June 2021 to 160 adoptions as of June 30th.

Current Residents: We have 12 cats living in the lounge right now: Cici, Dotty, Finn, Jake, Noah, Pepper, Princess, Raven, Sizzle, Sophie, Spencer, and Spice. Princess has been with us the longest (17 months) and is also our oldest kitty (around 14 years old). We have 2 kittens in foster who we brought in from friends of a rescue in Bakersfield: Chandler and Monica. They are roughly 12 weeks old and will be spayed/neutered on July 31st at HSVC in Ojai. They are not yet available for adoption.

Lounge Improvements: We purchased a new catio to give our shyest cats a safe space to call home. The catio’s footprint is roughly 56 square feet and is currently home to Pepper and Sizzle. Already we are seeing a huge improvement in their levels of calm and security. We hope this will help them finally get adopted since they are very nice cats who need a much quieter and more predictable home.

Medical Expenses: We had five kittens spayed/neutered, microchipped, and tested for FIV and FeLV. The humane society in Ojai is so helpful to us with these procedures.

Volunteers: We have roughly 18 dedicated volunteers, including many who volunteer multiple times each week! Thanks to Jackie, Al, Robin, Brian, Shannon, Donna, Kay, Dani, Barbara, Laura, Jennifer R., Jen F., Karla, Veaya, Marnae, Maddy, Beverly, and Claire.

Food and Litter Donations: We have had roughly $3994 worth of food and litter donated so far this year! These donations help immensely and allow us to use the money the lounge brings in to cover rent, utilities, Internet, insurance, security, and vet bills.

TNR Support: Through front desk jar donations we have raised $280 so far this year to help local volunteer trappers with the crucial work they are doing to help curb the overpopulation of cats and reduce suffering. We have also donated dry and wet food for them to use when trapping and share with the kind-hearted people who will continue to feed the feral cats on their property.