Sunny Aris
575magazine.com
The big day arrived Saturday.
It was time for the “Victims No More!” adoptathon, and for volunteers at Kato Foundation’s Kitty City and foster parents to jockey cats from locations in Ruidoso, Tularosa, Alamogordo and the no-kill cat shelter in La Luz, “Kitty City.”
Still dark outside as the 5 o’clock hour arrived, wire crates and loaded cat-carriers were arranged by Kitty City rescuers and volunteers into cars, trucks and vans.
These cats, all ages and breeds, had recently been rescued from animal-abuse cases in Lincoln and Otero counties (see 575 Magazine's Obscured in Oscura and Behind Closed Doors). Mere weeks later, it was “show-time” for these lucky felines, some of whom had not been in homes until just 3 weeks prior to this event.
Some had been living in filthy locations with up to 50 cats. One cat, living inside a filthy and debris-strewn La Luz trailer, was even reportedly killed by a rattlesnake — and not all animals, dogs or cats, were alive at the time of rescue.
This morning, the surviving and adoptable 36 healthy and bathed house-cats were on the road again, to the boldest house-cat adoptathon effort ever undertaken in New Mexico (see 575 Magazine's Victims no More).
In a large open space generously offered by the White Sands Mall, volunteers and cats arrived at 9:30 a.m. in front of GNC, and began reassembling crates, arranging clean litter boxes and water, and gently extricating cats from carriers into crates, to hopefully be admired by many visitors to the event.
“Whew, this is a lot of work!,” exclaimed Norma Griffith, as she unloaded feisty feline senior citizen “Zebra,” an energetic grey tabby with a whorled coat. Norma is the “good Samarian” who recently asked for Kitty City’s help with the hoarding case in La Luz, on Section Road. This case involved a woman whose previous home had burned with live animals inside, and who now was keeping more than 30 cats and dogs in again life-endangering conditions.
In that case, one cat was killed inside the trailer by a rattlesnake, another died without treatment, one died horribly emaciated the day before Kitty City was given access to the animals, and a dog died the night before, in a pen outside the trailer.
“I want to cry, seeing these cats looking so great now, so clean, and that they’ve put on weight already! Zebra is my favorite, he’s about 13 years old and I wish I had his energy!
“Kitty City paid to have all his rotted teeth removed, and he’s only got one left, but he’s put on so much weight in just 3 weeks it’s unbelievable what they’ve done for him! I hope he gets a good home today.”
Norma Griffith rounded up animal-loving co-workers from Alamogordo’s Pre-Check, Mia Mallory and Linda Lovering, volunteers who also helped introduce kitties to interested potential guardians, which by the end of the day numbered well over 250 people — some who came from as far as Lincoln and Las Cruces to attend the event.
Lisa Pennie has one older cat who doesn't like to play, and adopted 9-month old Kiko as a playmate for her playful younger cat. "He's so lovable, I couldn't help it...Kiko pulled out all the stops, rolled over, put his paw out...he really picked ME!" explained Lisa, who was there for over an hour making the decision.
Petsense donated gifts for adopters and sent cat-lovers and Petsense Alamogordo’s assistant manager, Cathy Gerowski, to help with the event.
Store manager Jim Magers said Petsense is dedicated to helping rescued animals find homes “in any way we can.”
Gerowski said she was happy to help.
“Any time I can be around animals is when I’m happiest, too,” she said. “ I am so thrilled to see all these cats getting homes!”
And getting homes they were, as by the end of the day almost half of the kitties who had recently been rescued were now in, or on their way, to forever homes.
One pair of brothers, “Gambler” and “Gunslinger,” were adopted together by an Alamogordo couple.
“Now we each have a cat for our laps, and they are so sweet!” the woman said. “I can’t believe they were born in a wooden box in a junkyard and were there for a year! They will be treasured, we guarantee it, and if they go out, they will be on leashes, we’ll protect them.”
The Wallins of Alamogordo have one baby for each lap now, after adopting Gambler and Gunslinger during the huge adoptathon held at the White Sands Mall. The two one-year old cats were born and kept in a wooden box in an Oscura junkyard.
Referring to Kitty City’s “inside only” policy of adoptions, she reassured volunteers and directors that the one-year old brothers from the recent Oscura abuse case would now be safe from harm, in a loving home.
Also adopted as a pair were “Nikki,” and “Rumpy,” two manx cats from the La Luz trailer hoarding.
Kitty City Director Ed Denton said Nikki is a “rumpy riser.”
“A rumpy riser is a cat who has a tiny tail, but Rumpy, our buff-colored boy from La Luz, is a rumpy, because he has no tail at all,” Denton said. “People really get excited about manx cats and we seem to get quite a few.
“We have 3 who have actually been adopted lately from folks in Montana, New York, and Arizona. We have one right now at Kitty City, named ‘Milagro.’ He’s a stunning-looking tuxedo kitten with one eye, a rumpy from Hondo. He’s magnificent and very loving.”
Nancy Berg, another director of Kitty City, had nothing but glowing thanks for those who broadcast news of the event in advance.
“The support was so overwhelming,” said Berg, flashing a hundred-watt smile, with happy tears glistening in her blue eyes. “We received calls about our new spay-neuter program even before our interview was finished with Burt Broadcasting’s ‘K-TALK!’”
Burt Broadcasting provides a live community forum during the Friday noon hour, direct from Lowe’s in Alamogordo, available to local organizations for help in getting the word out about events.
“And we can’t say enough about the support we received from 575magazine.com, and from the Alamogordo Daily News,” Berg added. “Mike Johnson wrote a stupendous article in the paper, and even generously included the link to the ‘Where the Fur Flies’ videos showing where these cats came from, on 575magazine.com.
“As the result of that cooperation on the part of the Alamogordo Daily News and 575magazine.com, many people who came to the event had already seen the nightmares these cats had survived, and were excited to give them a normal, loving, forever home.”
Pat Cathcart, who adopted “Rose,” a cat who became so depressed when abandoned by her previous guardian that she refused for months to eat on her own, brought Rose to the adoptathon, to show everyone from Kitty City how well she’s doing.
“Rose is my girl, and she’s put on even more weight since we adopted her at Petsense,” said Pat, while holding the green-eyed pastel calico. “It’s great to adopt from Kitty City, because you get all the vet records, they know the cats really well, and test them.
“I love that they give the adopter the important insights one needs, so that there are really no surprises when they get to their new home. I finally went out there the other day and is that place darling or what! I love that the cats don’t live in cages and are free to socialize in those great fenced outdoor play areas. They’re huge!”
"Jewel" has a new home with Monica Clark. Jewel is now in her new loving home after Saturday's hugely successful adoptathon- during which almost half of the dozens of rescued cats were adopted!
Petsense in Alamogordo showcases 9 cats daily from Kitty City, in their “SavAPet” center in the store. As cats are adopted to loving indoor homes, more are brought in from Kitty City, spayed or neutered, vaccinated and if those who adopt them provide e-mail addresses, protected by one month of health insurance, free.
And as each cat leaves for Petsense or for their new homes when adopted directly from the shelter, more spaces are freed at Kitty City, where normally about a hundred cats are housed (more seem to cause stress and “caterwauling” according to Kitty City staff).
As she left the event, Norma Griffith was so happy, she cried on her way to deliver supplies back to Kitty City.
“I wanted to see Zebra, especially, get a great home — and he did!” she said. “His new mom and dad borrowed a crate to bring him home, and when they brought it back, they told us that he already took over their bedroom, and was taking a nap on the bed.
Feisty 13-year old senior citizen "Zebra," a quirky and friendly tabby, is held by Jeffery Williams. Zebra, adopted Saturday, was later reported to have taken over the Williams' master bedroom.
“Now that made my day, and made the whole nightmare worth it for me! I think I’ll have a good cry tonight when this all hits me.
“It was very emotional seeing all those cats from the trailer, happy and healthy and in clean surroundings today,” she added. “And to see so many of them adopted in one day .. .” Words failed Norma at that point, but the results were visible, as volunteers took stock of now-empty crates, I.D. cards still hanging — but cats now safely adopted.
Vincent Elizondo was holding his newly adopted friend “Dusty,” a snowshoe cat rescue from the La Luz hoarding case.
“It was horrifying to see where he came from,” he said.. “It’s heartbreaking, really, but he’s going to have a good life with me, and I’m going to take care of him forever. He’ll never be in a situation like that again.”
Vincent Elizondo holds new best friend "Dusty," adopted Saturday during "Victims No More" cat adoptathon at White Sands Mall.
Vincent was probably eloquently expressing the feelings of all who attended the Victims No More adoptathon.
Even those who were unable to adopt were there to support Kitty City with donations and purchases of merchandise featuring cats from the shelter. Like Vincent Elizondo and Pat Cathcart, new guardians, all visitors and volunteers share one hope and passion: to ensure that Kitty City — a little painted frontier town where the townspeople just happen to be cats — continues to thrive and save lives of endangered house-cats.
Donations and information about Kitty City can be found by visiting www.kittycitynm.com. Or telephone the shelter at 56 Danley Ranch Road in La Luz, at 575-430-6013.