Fall 1999--#10
California State University,
Bakersfield, CA93311
Phone:(661)
664-2370 (Carol Raupp)
Campus
Cats aims to spay or neuter feral (wild) cats on campus, rescue kittens
and tame adult cats and find them homes, and have any campus cats who are
seriously ill or wounded euthanized.Efforts
underway in the past several years have resulted in over 221 rescues
and the spaying or neutering of most cats remaining on campus.Unfortunately,
the campus continues to be a dumping ground for people abandoning pets.
Used
Book Sale and Raffle, DDH Hallway, Nov.4, 11 AM-6 PM
Candy Sale Soon
You've been holding
your breath for the fall book sale and candy sale, right?Well,
this Thursday, Nov. 4, you'll have your chance to stock up from a selection
of hundreds of used books in the DDH Hallway,
11 AM to 6 PM.Recently
donated books include cat mysteries!We'll
also hold a raffle of a comfy hammock bed for your kitties and a stoneware
pizza baking disc with recipe book and pizza cutter (not for your kitties).We'll
have some boxed holiday greeting cards, too.There's
something for just about everyone!But
I'm afraid you chocolate fiends will have to hold off another two weeks
for the annual See's candy sale--we're a bit slow this year.Watch
your e-mail for the candy sale announcement in November.
'Atta
Boy, Yeller!
Among those of
us in the animal rescuing biz', a favorite book is about a dog who has
repeatedly rescued cats with disabilities.Now
we have our own budding celebrity here on campus.He's
a hero!Yeller, who came to the campus
as a little orange kitten two years ago and who grew into a gorgeous and
muscular tomcat, was only gradually making friends with me over the past
year or so.But he took a hand (paw,
that is!) this summer in making sure that two recently abandoned cats found
their way to me--in fact, he escorted them personally.Molly
and LooLoo owe their rescues in part to Yeller, who made sure I found them.He
even yelled his trademark yell to make sure I saw LooLoo.Now
there will be some people who will say that cats don't rescue each other,
and that a feral cat like Yeller wouldn't go out of his way to turn another
cat over to a human.But I know
different.'Atta boy, Yeller!
And oh, yes, Yeller
finally trusted me enough this summer to make a trip of his own to the
vets to be neutered.It may not seem
like a good return for his heroism, but it should help him live a longer
and safer life here on campus.
Guardians
or Owners?
San Franciscocontinues
its leadershipin
helping animal companions, as the city considersrewording
all relevant regulations to call humans "guardians" instead of "owners".Although
local newscasters rolled their eyes when discussing this, they were right
about the intent behind the proposal.The
word "guardian" conveys the sense of responsibility humans should have
when animals become their companions."Owner"
implies that animals are disposable objects or consumer merchandise.With
research showing that most humans regard animal companions as family members,
the word "guardian" seems much more fitting for this special relationship.
Catwings
The Big Dream
I have mentioned so often in this newsletter is coming true.Campus
Cats in foster care will soon have a new home with an evocative name.Ursula
K. Le Guin, famed writer, authored two children's books that have meant
so much to me for years--Catwings and Catwings Return.They
are the stories of a family of kittens born with wings so that they can
fly to a place where they will be safe.Yesterday
I received permission from Ms. Le Guin to name the nonprofit organization
and cat shelter I am founding "Catwings."(She
sent the regards of her formerly stray cat, Zorro.)Between
Thanksgiving and Christmas remodeling will be done on the property (now
in escrow) to make the shelter comfortable and safe for the many Campus
Cats I foster.We hope to move
in by the new millennium.Catwings
will provide foster care for abandoned cats removed from CSUB.Although
Catwings will not have the resources to take in numerous cats from the
public, I hope that we can develop support services for cat guardians entering
hospice care, nursing homes or experiencing other family crises.If
you would like to donate labor, materials, or money for the new organization
and shelter, call me at -2370.
CATS
ON CAMPUS
Northern
Campus Cats** Exciting Visitations
** The Phantom and
Tucker continue to pal around together.The
three of us have had some rare but exciting visits at this feeding station
by a very beautiful wild animal.There
have also been a couple of glimpses of a newcomer tabbycat.
Western Campus
Cats** Keeping On** Tortie
Girl and the others at the western feeding station continue to bask in
the sun and greet their human friends.Off-campus,
Snaggles continues in blooming health with Katy Kessler.
Southern
Campus Cats** One Big Happy Family
** Yeller and Blossom
vie with each other to greet me when I come to feed them.Although
less frequent this fall, the summer was full of visits by the huge kit
fox family (parents and 4 pups) living nearby.
Eastern Campus
Cats** Huge-O Disappears **Huge-O,
world’s largest cat, disappeared in May.We
can only hope he left for a safe place.Although
I miss him, the other east-side cats seem rather relieved to be able to
be out and about without getting chased.
RewardCarol
Raupp is offering a $1000 reward for information leading to the successful
arrest and prosecution of any person(s) abandoning cats on campus.This
cruel crime must stop!Helpful information
includes time, date, exact location, description of person and vehicle,
license number, and description of the cat(s).
CATS
WAITING FOR HOMES
Pictures
of some of these cats can be seen on our bulletin board across from DDH
D113.Cats have their vaccinations
and are spayed/neutered if old enough.Contact
Carol for details.
Mabel,1
-2 years old, female, short-hair gray and white tuxedo cat whose gray fur
shimmers like pewter--she is smart and playful and would like a home with
someone who can appreciate her cat jokes
LooLoo,
1 1/2 years old, female, short-hair black--she loves kittens and is proud
of her frayed lavender collar, which she thinks of as a chic feather boa
Kew,
9 months, female, short-hair orange tabby--though she has the young heart
of a kitten, Kew is very serene and ever so grateful for attention
Gizmo,
male white and black short-hair cat, 18 months old, gets along very well
with other cats unless they try to mooch his food--he likes to do the usual
kitten things, including wrestle with Jack--he’s liking lap sitting more
and more as time goes by and is now nick-named Buddha Boy for his roly-poly
appearance and good nature
Jack,
male black short-hair, 14 months old, gets along very well with other cats--Jack
is not a Campus Cat but is looking for a home, after being “found” last
Halloween and taken in to keep him safe
Dora
(9 months) and 4 kittens (6 months)--not Campus Cats--beautiful
and friendly
RESCUE
and RELOCATION LOG
Thanks to all
the staff members who have helped the many cats dumped on campus this summer
and fall.
Mabel--On June
4, Perry Eggleston (Public Safety police officer) let me know there was
a very hungry cat at the Athletics Building.Mabel,
a gorgeous gray and white tuxedo cat, was located that night and rescued.Thanks
to Public Safety staff who let me into the Athletics Building that night
and for several nights afterward (looking for possible kittens).Mabel
was probably abandoned here when her so-called "owners" realized she was
pregnant.This serene beauty is now
waiting for a home.
Molly--On June
5, I spotted a young black cat near Athletics.I
saw her once more in the following week, and on June 11 saw that she had
joined Yeller near the recycling bins.The
next night they were still together, and I was able to trap Molly.She
started off acting very wild for a few weeks but is now friendly with me,
though not enough so to qualify for adoption.
LooLoo--On June
29, Gretchen Eastwood reported seeing a friendly young black cat in the
Health Center parking lot.She was
clearly abandoned--seemed hungry, and kept trying to make friends with
anyone coming into the parking lot--even trying to get into cars.Late
the night of the 29th I located LooLoo behind the Health Center,
escorted by Yeller.Like Mabel, she
was probably abandoned here because irresponsible "owners" decided that
was a solution to letting their cat get pregnant.She
is now waiting for a home.
Yeller--On September
15, Yeller, a big feral guy who'd lived on campus since his kittenhood
two years ago, finally let me pick him up and pop him into a carrier. I
felt terribly guilty that the first time he trusted me I took him to the
vet to be neutered, but after I returned him to campus he even increased
his friendly behavior and now most nights he climbs onto my lap for some
petting when I come to feed him.
Kew--On October
20, Gretchen Eastwood let me know that yet another abandoned cat was hiding
behind the Athletics Building.First
spotted by Henry Yniguez, Kew received food and bedding from Gretchen.When
I went looking for Kew, Marsha Oden helped me locate and catch her.Kew
was especially lucky to have so many people acting upon their concern--not
only was Kew desperate for food and unspayed, but she had an abscess on
one leg.This sweet cat is all
fixed up now and waiting for a home.
Cat at Facilities
Management--On October 26, Facilities Management staff Kelly Sawyer and
Phyllis Gentry found a young adult male who was probably abandoned here
(maybe with Kew?).This friendly
calico-tabby was very lucky--not only was he rescued but Kelly immediately
found her an adopter, Theresa Robertson (Science Stockroom staff).There
may be a surprise ending to this already great story, though--there is
a good chance that the original guardian of this cat has been found.Looks
as if a nasty neighbor dumped the cat out here.We'll
let you know how this turns out in the next issue.
ADOPTIONS--LUCKY
KITTIES!
We need adopters!Only
the cat rescued Oct. 26 has found a home so far.
Obituaries:Momcat,
the Mother of Many, and Others
We started taking
cats from the campus into foster care almost ten years ago.That
means that the first waves of cats taken in are now getting old.This
fall's obituaries include three of the cats rescued long ago.On
June 15, Mouse died of kidney failure.He
was as shy and sweet as his name.Tasher
died July 26 when urinary blockage recurred--he was so feral that treatment
the first time could not be carried out successfully.On
August 27, Momcat died of respiratory failure.She
was the first cat I began feeding on campus, back when she was a kitten.She
had umpteen litters of kittens of her own before I realized the need for
spaying and neutering.Most recently,
Exxie died on October 21.A tuxedo
cat with an exclamation point mark on his nose, he liked to rub foreheads
and chew my hair.
She was not a
Campus Cat, but my first and most-loved cat, Iris May Residue 13, The Poof-Puff
Princess, Box Kitty, and Claw of Doom, died June 21, age 18.Her
patience over the years as the house was invaded by more and more cats
from CSUB was amazing--nothing stirred her serenity.
You
Can Help Feral Cats in your Neighborhood
If you feed a
colony of feral (wild) cats or have cats in your neighborhood that you
consider to be wild, you'll be glad to know that several local veterinarians
are participating in a statewide program to provide FREE spaying and neutering
for FERAL cats.Maddie's Fund has
made an initial $1 million grant, with more pending.Call
your vet to find out about participating--as of late September 11 local
vets were in the program.To qualify,
a cat must not accept handling by humans, must be trapped and delivered
in the trap to the vets, must have one ear tipped by the vet to mark the
cat clearly as spayed or neutered, and must be returned to his/her original
habitat after surgery.(If you decide
to have testing, vaccinating, or other medical treatment done, you would
pay for this yourself.)This program
is not intended for cats with homes, but if you have abandoned and feral
cats in your neighborhood, this is your chance to do something really important--help
these cats who have no one--just for the cost of renting a trap.
Spay/Neuter
Coupons Available
Free discount
coupons worth $10 toward spaying and neutering cats and dogs are available.Kern
County Animal Control funds the program.You
can come by DDH D113 to pick up coupons for cats, or call 664-2370.Leave
your phone number, full name (the name that will be used on the account
at the veterinarian’s), full mailing address including zip code, your cat’s
name, cat’s sex, and cat’s approximate age and a coupon will be left at
DDH D113 within 24 hours for you to pick up.Off-campus
callers may have coupons mailed, upon request.Each
household may get up to three coupons, one per cat (leave information about
each cat for whom a coupon is needed).Coupons
are not transferable.For dog coupons,
contact Kern Humane Society.
If you cannot
afford to spay or neuter your cat even with the discount, and believe you
may income qualify, contact the Cat People for an application for Spay
Today (327-4706) which covers all costs for those eligible.Do
it now--processing applications takes several weeks, as funds become available.If
you adopted a kitten last year, it’s past time to spay or neuter.And
if your cat has had kittens, be sure to spay her before Round 2.
Thanks
for Helping
Thanks for books
for our next book sale from Jackie Kegley, Steve Haas, and Doris Hall.Jackie
regularly turns over her books on tape and Steve and Doris did some house
and office cleanup that yielded boxes of books.
Jackie Kegley,
Katy Kessler, Phil Whitney, and Jeff Spencer have been keeping the east-side
cats on campus fed.
As always, Southwest
Vets have regularly assisted the campus cats and those in foster care.
The Golden Cat
company has donated several more tons of cat litter to the local Colony
Assistance Program, and they’ve passed a whole lot of it on to cats in
foster care--thanks to Golden Cat, CAP, Smurfit Recycling (transport),
and Kern County Food Bank (storage).
The cats do flips
over all this generosity!
DONATIONS
NEEDED--
If
you haven’t contributed yet this year, now’s the time.
Please
help if you can!Send tax-deductible
donations to the Foundation, specifying the Campus Cats account (#3010-471)
or send them via Carol Raupp in Psychology.Donations
make you a Campus Cats member.
Campus
Cats’ wish list also includes the following-- cat food contributors, substitute
feeders for cats on campus, and of course, adopters.Former
Campus Cats in foster care off-campus could use cat food, Q-tips (for cleaning
ears), food or water dishes that hold 1 quart or more, 13-gallon trash
bags, and used towels or blankets for bedding.
******************************************************************************************
DONATION FORM--Return to C. Raupp,
Psychology, DDH D113
Name, campus
phone & campus address
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Membership/donation$_______(Checks
to “CSUB Foundation”, #3010-471)
(Any amount
is welcome--suggested donations are $5 students, $6 staff, $7 faculty)
Thanks
to Southwest Vets for all their help!
This
newsletter is not printed at state expense.