“I have never seen so many cats!” Linda Co-hen said when she pulled up in front of a trailer on 20 acres in rural Nipomo. Linda, one of our trappers, was responding to a call from residents who indi-cated there were about 70 cats and kittens on their property and they wanted them all gone. “Every piece of lawn was covered by a kitten or a cat.” She was told that four or five unfixed stray cats showed up about two years ago. Unfortunately, that is all the time it takes for a situation to get com-pletely out of hand. Our foster homes were already full with kittens when we received this call. We knew we had to remove the kittens right away in order to trap the adults since the kittens would go in the traps first, making the adults cats wary and therefore difficult, if not impossible, to trap. We needed to do this prompt-ly before there were second litters. We contacted Woods Humane Society and

asked for help. Dani McKinsey, their intake coordinator, came out to evaluate the situation and ended up taking 10 sick kittens with her back to the

The Feline Network A Kindhearted Approach to Feline Overpopulation

P.O. Box 526, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 (805) 549-9228

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“Every Piece of Lawn was Covered by a Kitten or a Cat.”

Woods facility. She said they would take the rest lat-er. Almost all of the kittens were malnourished and sick, with runny eyes and other symptoms of respira-

tory illness. They were very underweight, laden with fleas and worm-ridden. Some were in-fested with lice and oth-ers had diarrhea. Fortu-nately, most of the kit-tens were friendly and could be picked up, since a man who lived on the property cared about them and had been inter-acting with them. The rest of the kittens were picked up and temporari-ly housed with one of our volunteers, who gen-erously volunteered to set them up in cages in her garage until Woods

could receive them. They have taken in 25 kittens so far. Subsequently, more kittens seemed to come out of the woodwork, and they are now in our foster system. Anna Stewart, who is skilled at treating sick kittens, is fostering the sickest ones. About 25 adult cats have been spayed or neutered and returned to the site. We explained to the residents that there was no place to take 30 or 40 cats and they needed to be returned. We offered to help provide cat food, and a feeding station was set up on the property. Some of the returned cats are friendly and we hope they can be taken to Woods. Linda is still trying to trap the remaining adult cats, including a pregnant female, and is rescuing kittens that keep showing up. It often takes a long time to trap the last cats. We applaud her for her dedication, hard work and the many hours she is spending trying to right this situation.

A lucky kitten waiting to go to Woods Humane Society.

These very sick kittens were saved in the nick of time by Anna Stewart.

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Up on the Roof

Mama cats sometimes go to great lengths to hide their babies to keep them safe from predators and from the elements. One mama went to great heights when she climbed on top of a two-story home in April and hid her litter in a cubbyhole

under chimney flashing. The litter was not noticed until neighbor Tom saw her carrying food to the roof from his yard across the street where he was feeding her. The homeowners saw her carry dead rodents to feed the kittens. They wanted the kittens gone, but the kittens would run into the hole every time someone got on the roof. They reluctantly al-lowed Linda Cohen to set traps on the roof. Four of the five kittens were trapped when they were about six weeks old and placed in foster homes. The last kitten showed up in Tom’s yard the third week of June, but he was so wily it took until August 2 to entice him into a trap.

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Foster Dogs It seems doubtful that stray cats have been adher-ing to social distancing guidelines, judging by the number of kittens in our foster homes. Fortunately, some dogs have jumped in to help and have taken on the heroic role of playing “mommy” for some very lucky little kittens. Billie takes her job of preparing foster kittens for their future purrrfect homes very, very seriously. Sue Dai-ley fostered Billie (Feline Network’s first foster ca-nine ever!), and was smit-ten with her. Billie has turned out to be a perfect addition to the Dailey family, helping foster the many litters of kittens that pass through their home.

Ramsey was adopted by Deannie Greenelsh 11 years ago. She was told Ramsey did not like cats. That did not turn out to be the case for kittens! Ramsey loves foster kittens, the tinier the better. He cleans them, sleeps with them and even begrudgingly lets them knead and suck on him. He is doing a great job preparing the

kittens for their forever homes! Finley is a rela-tive newcomer to the Greenelsh home and is only a year old, but he is learning the ropes from Ramsey. Although he isn’t likely to bury him-self in kittens like his brother, he is very gentle with them and allows them to lay next to him.

Valerie Koos’ dog Walter thinks heroism is a bit overrated and doesn’t think it quite dignified to be “mommy,” but he is very gentle with the kit-tens and enjoys cuddling with them…providing them with just the sociali-zation they need!

Waiting for mama to delivery their tasty takeout meal.

“Trap me if you can,” says the wily kitten.

(Continued on page 4)

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TO Honor and Remember

In Loving Memory of Marie Davis, by James Davis. Gene Haddock, by Janice Oldfield.

"In memory of Dad." Don Hartley, by Debbie Kraft. Barbara Mori and Saki, by Judy Saltzman-

Saveker. Irma Powell, by Rhoda and Howard Backer. Irma Powell, by C.W. Bill Brashier. Irma Powell, by Mary Hudson. Charlie, by Jodie Wakefield. Kay Von Acker, by Don Van Acker. Kitty and Kitty Kitty, “my two wonderful cats,”

by Linda Burris. “I always read your newslet-ter with joy and sometimes tears. The

stories of rescue are heartwarming.” Leo, by Valerie Levulett. Margarita the Queen of the Cat’s Nest, by Debby and Herb Holt. Margarita, by Martha and John Murphy. “To hon-

or her long life and the cherished memories she has left in the hearts of Carolee and Emi-lee Hunt of The Cat’s Nest.”

Mermaid, “our beautiful rescue who is now forev-er near the sea,” by C.M. Powers.

Rocky, “Theresa’s beloved dog,” by Beth Wyatt. “Theresa said of Rocky that he touched her life, her heart and her soul in countless ways, and that his memory will live on forever, tucked away in her heart.”

Sky & Ranger, by Juliet and Robert Franzen. Sneak, by Lois G. George. Stella Fella, by Heather Montoya, “the world’s

coolest rescue cat, who took care of a great family in Arroyo Grande for 15 years.”

In Honor of Roxanne Bohn, by Linda Maher. “Love her!” Elaine Genasci, by Marie Tomasini. Elaine Genasci, by Joan Muir. Claire Silver, by Nicole Piccetti. Buffy, Tuxedo and Muchachito, by Lannie Erick-

son In Appreciation of Roxanne Bohn, by Sue Girard, “in appreciation of

Roxanne’s help finding a permanent home for a sweet stray kitty.”

Elaine Genasci, by Diane and Herb Filipponi, “in appreciation of all the hard work and travel that Elaine does to help the cats. She is the best!”

Elaine Genasci & the Feline Network, by Keith Dunham. “Thank you for everything you are doing for us. Elaine is amazing. We appreci-ate all the help and coordination. Amazing organization from top to bottom.”

Linda Cohen & all the wonderful Feline Network Volunteers, by Cheri Briskey.

“Thank you again for taking in our four kit-tens and cats from our front yard (Buffi & her group of three gray kittens).”

Lynette Crane & the Feline Network by Chris Capuano. “Lynette was a wonderful

support to me in placing a stray cat that des-perately needed a loving home. I am touched by how kind your organization is and the vol-unteer work that all provide to help these ani-mals. Thank you.”

by Marilyn and Bill Hornung. “Many thanks to Lynette Crane and to ‘Belle’s’ foster care home. We are so grateful for all you do, eve-ryone, to care for and save the cats.”

The Feline Network by Suellen Aalto. “From Mitzi: She thanks you for finding her a forever home. We luv our lit-tle clown.” by Mary Clark, “for all your help and support with my situation with Baxter, a cat that was dis-carded and brought to my life briefly. He has a loving home with people who value him now.” by Gay Groomes, “to celebrate 3 years since I adopted Charles Dickens – one very handsome lad! Thank you for all you do!” by Gail E. Perez. “Thank you for all the important work ya’ll do! I loved my two tux-edos that found me!” by Bette & Thom-as Jenkins. “Thank you! The cats have been named Kube and Beebee by our daugh-ter. They watch us cautiously from their hideout and wait for the redhead to bring them wet food.”

Charles Dickens

4

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PAID SAN LUIS OBISPO,

CA PERMIT NO. 472

Return Service Requested

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93406 (805) 549-9228

Anna Stewart’s rescue dog Bella has always loved kittens. Apparently, when Bella was in a pet store as a puppy, her brother was adopt-ed and she was so depressed they put her in an enclosure with the kittens! She has so-cialized hundreds of kittens in the past12 years and is happy to be able to help out again this year.

And last but not least… Nick Furry! Whoops! Nick is not a dog! Nick is Bonnie Louwerens’ big, one-eyed male cat! Nick knows kittens need to be cleaned up after they eat, and he takes his job very seriously. He insists on cleaning them af-ter every meal. These kittens have just had their after-breakfast baths.

(Continued from page 2)

Foster Dogs

Linda Cohen has been trapping for the Feline Network for over two years. She adopted Tiggy from us two and a half years ago. She was grateful to volunteers for rescuing and fostering Tiggy and wanted to do the same for other cats. “After rescuing a few kit-tens, it became more about giving cats a better life.”