I'm starting this blog as a way to have a resource (that's hopefully not hard to find) so people can more easily find ways to get their cats fixed. If you know of a place where someone can get a cat fixed at a low cost (or for free), please contact me via the contact form on the right side of the page. I will try to make an alphabetized list of nationwide resources. Thanks.
UPDATE: Buster has found his Furrever home. Thank you so much to Jeanne, who fed him for the last few years, and Jim at the Homeless Cat Network for getting him fixed, and for Jenny, for being the most wonderful cat guardian a person could have ever dreamed of finding. It took us 9 months to find you, but you were well worth the wait!!! ****************************************************** Meet Buster. I first met Buster about 8 months ago my landlady, who is also a family, friend, told me about this cat that was hanging out at a property in Palo Alto, that her friend was working at. Buster would hang out with a few different cats there, so he had a few buddies. But then 2 of them were re claimed by their owner, and Buster was all alone. My landlady really liked this cat a lot, so she fed him every day. I could see why she liked him, he has a lot of personality and is super sweet and purrs a lot when you pet him! There were construction workers going in to do work on the house where Buster hung out, so my landlady asked if I could keep him at my house. I agreed, and he's been hanging out at my house for the last 4 months. But he's lonely. I think he misses his friend that he used to hang out with. Originally, my landlady and I wanted to keep him, but there's a little problem... he has a tendency to chase after my one female, cat, Nixie. He's done it twice, and when I caught him doing it the second time, I realized, ok, this is not going to work. It's a bummer he did that because like I said, I REALLY LIKE Buster. He's very sweet and purrs a lot and he also meows a good amount. He has the same personality as the best cat I ever had, Blabla (who passed away from Kidney failure in 2015). But he is even stronger than Blabla. He has very strong paws and is really muscular. I took him into 9 Lives to see if he had a microchip, and he did, but the number is disconnected and I can't find any posts of someone looking for him (craigslist, pawboost, lostmykitty, etc.) so I called the Marin Humane society (where he was adopted from) and filled out a form saying I had him. I have a feeling he was just abandoned, for whatever reason. Maybe because he meows, I don't know. But, like I said, I REALLY like this cat and wanted to keep him, but I just cannot do so if he's going to chase after my female cat (and I didn't mention I already have 4). He doesn't mess with any of the male cats. I do realize, there is a chance he may not be neutered but it would surprise me, given that he was adopted from an animal shelter. So maybe he just has a crush on my female cat, I don't know. She is very pretty : ) I think Buster would be perfect for someone who wanted two cats, and was interested in adopting another small male cat, maybe a kitten. He seems like he'd be the type to "mother" a younger cat, or be like a mentor to it. That's how my cat Blabla was. Blabla made me "a cat person" because he had very sweet, yet almost dog-like personality. He wasn't like a regular, finicky, snooty kind of cat. He just has a really easy going vibe and seems to look out for other cats. (Update 11-21-17: I just took Buster in for a vet checkup and I was told he is about 5 years old, very healthy, FIV and FeLV Negative, and he just got his distemper shot) : ) I could see Buster being a great match for someone in a situation where it was like.... say there was a guy with a girlfriend with a lonely younger cat who needed a companion, and the guy wanted to make his girlfriend or wife happy, by getting another cat, but he was resistant to being the husband or boyfriend of the crazy cat lady, or doesn't want to surrender to "the crazy cat person" lifestyle, and would prefer a cat that was more like getting a dog.
I have not taken him in for a checkup as of yet, so I don't know anything about his health, but he looks pretty darn healthy. I've probably been feeding him a little too much... he's gotten a little chunky since I've had him, and I feel bad because I know he's lonely in the room he's been staying in. I have been super busy and haven't had nearly as much time to give him, as he deserves. I have done lots of volunteer work for the Homeless Cat Network and other rescue organizations and will probably have him officially adopted through one of these networks so it's all "official." They can take care of the spay/neuter aspect if he needs it, and it is included in the adoption fee (which I believe is $125). Please let me know if you're interested in meeting Buster. You can call me at 650-735-1599. If I don't answer it's because I'm working, but just leave me a message and I'll call you back. I also plan to do a craigslist post, so you can email me through there. He likes to give sweet little "love bites" to my hand when I pet him a lot and he gets in a lovey mood. They are completely affectionate, and he's never "bit me" in a way where I was upset, though I do try to discourage him a bit from doing this because I can see how some people would take it the wrong way. I just think it's cute. Please note that HCN can be really picky, which is a good thing, so if you do want to adopt this guy it will be a formal type adoption, where the cat ladies would ask you questions and come do a home visit, etc., just to make sure he's going to a good place where someone can properly care for him. They want to know is that you're a good person who will do your best to give him a lot of love.
You can see some more pics and videos below... I guess I should have known better than to leave a whole package of catnip on the hamper.... he busted it open all right. Buster let out a really cute squeaky meow recently. It usually doesn't sound this high pitched. But I just thought it was so cute, I had to get it on video. Buster likes to sit on my lap while I work on my laptop, though the spot is usually reserved for my other cat, Bert. I would love to find Buster a home where he could cozy up to someone who was available to spend time with him a lot more than I can.
He is very good about using the litter box!
Love those big paws!
Update 11/21: Here are a few more recent photos and videos of Buster.
He knows his name!
Again, please call me if you're interested in meeting Buster! If you love big cats, you will love this guy : )
UPDATE: After 12 days, Bert was finally found! Thanks so much for everyone who helped me to bring my baby back home. I'm the happiest cat mom ever.
I hate to report this, but on Sunday night, April 23, 2017, my 13 year old orange tabby cat, Bert, went missing. This cat is like my baby... I've had him since he was just 2 weeks old and I had to bottle feed him. He acts like I'm his Mom, and I miss him so much!
I hesitated doing this post, feeling very embarrassed to even tell my
friends, after he'd gone missing a year ago (for 2 days), as they could
see what a wreck I was then (and I just cringed to think of people
saying, "Not again!?"). Now it's been 6 days (as of Saturday), and I was hoping I'd have found him by now... but I haven't been so lucky. My heart feels very empty right now.
On Wednesday, I had what I thought was a really good lead, when a girl called and said she had him, but she didn't leave a phone number (I have to face the fact that it was probably a prank). I feel like I was just dropped hard on my butt. I've been flyering the neighborhood, posting on Craigslist, NextDoor, Pawboost... I even did a pet amber alert.... but none of those methods has brought him home, as of yet.
I was so happy when I was reunited with him last
year, I cried. Here is a picture I took right after I got him back (with his disgruntled face after his little adventure was officially over). He showed up on someone's front door on the next block, and luckily they saw my flyers and a post my friend had done on NextDoor. I was sooo grateful to get him back.
For the last year, every time I'd look at him, I'd feel this sense of joy, and a surge in my heart, knowing I was given a second chance with him. I'd hug him a little harder and could literally feel my heart get bigger when I'd look at him. I love this cat so much. Bert is truly like my baby - I've had him since he was just about 2 weeks
old, and had to bottle feed him after his Mom ran away - so he kind of thinks of
me as his Mom. If I'm in the TV room talking to my husband, he hears my voice and runs in to sit on my lap (which kind of annoys my husband, as he is allergic and we try to keep the tv room a cat-free zone). Needless to say, this has been really devastating for me, not knowing if he's hungry, injured, scared, or even alive.
To be going through all this again, feels like a cruel joke in so many ways. I planned to spend all of Monday shooting and editing a video, that is a badly-needed part of my business. I'd even bought some materials on Sunday, to be able to make the video. My plan was to garden in the afternoon / evening on Sunday, and then go inside and write out the points I was going to cover in the video I'd shoot the next day. I've been extremely busy working on other projects and was finally at a point where I could be done with everything else, and get back to work. I was really looking forward to it!
Because of all these things I was working on, I've been neglecting a lot of other things in my life... including our front
yard. I'd been feeling pretty guilty about our hot mess of a jungle that has been growing out of control for the last few months. I was trying to explain to a friend, how bad it was, and realized...all I needed to do was send her a photo.
Well, on Sunday, I finally had some time to spend a few hours pulling some weeds, and decided to commit the late afternoon to finally cleaning up the yard. I felt really good about how many weeds I was able to get rid of. It was soo bad!
Sunday was a beautiful day, and as I have many times in the past, I set to work in the yard with my kitties hanging out in the area. I've always enjoyed having the cats hang out with me while I work outside... especially because I haven't had time to work outside for such a long time. And I haven't had a lot of time to spend with them, so this way I was killing 2 birds with one stone.
I felt pretty safe with Bert hanging out in the front of the house for a few hours, as I've been letting him out on the front porch every morning since he craves
being
in the sun. He will always gravitate towards any spot that is sunny. After the cats would finish eating and I'd
clean their
litterbox, I'd call him: "Bertie... C'mere, baby!" and he'd scurry with me
towards our front door. I have a small bench and chair set up on the
porch for him, and I rearrange them according to what the weather is
like, trying to put him in the sunniest spot possible.
After I lost him for 48 hours last year, I made sure to get Bert microchipped, and to
also make sure he is always wearing a collar with a nametag.
Now I
realize that, I had made way too much of an assumption that having these
things meant that he would be safe in the front of the house. Just
because he's friendly, and he always hangs out in front with no problem,
and I've gotten him back before... I shouldn't have had that false
sense of security, that if he ever wandered again... I could get him
right back.
At some point during my gardening, a woman from the dog rescue
organization told me that something got mixed up when she was editing the dog rescue blog I created (I finally decided to make other people administrators because I just can't keep up with it myself). Some of the tabs got linked to the wrong pages, and this needed to be fixed since I knew people
would be looking at the blog that day (we've been sharing the links on
Craigslist, Facebook, and Next Door regularly). So I went inside and I ended up working on
the blog for an hour, to try to fix the issues and make some updates. By the time I got back outside, it was getting close to 8, and the sun had already set. I don't recall whether I saw Bert when I went back out, but I'm pretty sure I did, because I think I would have noticed his absence and started looking for him. I regularly walk out to the street to make sure the cats are staying off the road.
I usually keep weeding until I have a completely full yard scraps bin (or two, if my neighbors lend me theirs). And this sometimes means I am still working in the dark. My thoughtful husband came outside and brought me his headlamp that he uses for hiking, and it worked great.
At some point, I looked down the sidewalk and it appeared that Bert and our other cat, Milo, had wandered down to my friend Laurie's house. I had shined my headlamp down the sidewalk and saw two set of cat eyes shining back at me, and assumed it was Bert and Milo. Now that I think of it, I realize there is a
chance one could have been my other cat Nixie, but actually do think it probably was
Bert (I would still guess it was him, but will never know for sure).
I called them to come back, and they appeared to be headed my way, so I went back to work. I have a tendency to listen to business-related educational tapes the
whole time I'm working, so I suppose I was a little distracted. Milo, who is completely miserable being indoors (he was a solo cat in the past who loathes having roommates) is like the neighborhood mascot and wanders a little (just down a few houses and back these days). While I don't like the idea that it is more risky for him to spend so much time outdoors, it's a risk I've had to weigh over the years, with the amount of happiness he clearly gets from being a mostly-outdoor cat.
I filled up the yard scraps bin, pulled it behind the gate, went inside (probably around 930 pm) and then called the cats in for dinner.... but Bert never showed up. So, I went down the sidewalk to look for him. I have taught my cats to associate the sound of a tambourine with food, so when I shake it, they all come inside. But for whatever reason... Bert never came.
I circled the block a few times, looking for him, shaking a tambourine, calling his name, shaking a can of cat food... but again, he was nowhere to be found.
My heart aches as I write this, and I've been crying all week. My eyes are dry to the point where it's been hard to see clearly. When a pet goes missing, you get this really awful sensation in your heart and chest... like a deep, hollow, cold feeling - that is almost worse than physical pain. It's kind of like having a toothache, in that I feel like I would do anything to make this pain go away. It is a constant, nagging, overwhelming emptiness that never leaves. I can't sleep, I have no appetite, and I feel like I have almost no control over the cure. I feel like, knowing where Bert is, and that he's safe, is the only thing I can think of, that would take this pain away. I've spent the last week looking for him, getting up early every morning to put up flyers all over the neighborhood... but I know it's still no guarantee he will ever come home.
Again, this cat is like my child, and I feel responsible for his welfare. He seemed to think I was his Mom, since his real mom ran off as soon as she got the chance (she didn't understand why she'd been trapped and probably thought she was going to be killed).
I am kicking myself for that false sense of assurance I apparently had, that Bert wouldn't wander, or that I must live on a safe street and nobody would ever try to take him. I wanted to believe there are good people on our street, and there could never be any bad people who could try to come and take him. If and when I ever lucky enough to get him back again, I will be keeping him in the BACK of the house (unless we have some kind of fence installed in the front). I liked letting him in the front. He loved the sun, and I know my neighbor Carol really liked seeing him when she'd pull up in the driveway. She'd talk to him and say hi to him, an he kind of became a staple there. Many small children have enjoyed strolling by and pointing at our friendly orange cat, and petting him on occasion.
The part that is hardest for me to deal with is, not knowing what happened to him. I am glad that he got a microchip, at least, because when he went missing last year without one, I couldn't bear the thought that he could wind up hundreds of miles in any direction and I'd have no way to ever track where he was.
After I got Bert back last year, I made this video, talking about the importance of having a microchip. In the video, I say I've had Bert since he was 3 weeks old, but I just realized, he was more like 2 weeks old. I recently saw some kittens that I was told were just 2 weeks old, and Bert looked just like that when I got him. He couldn't even walk yet. In this video, I said I didn't know how he got out. I later realized that he'd snuck outside while I was doing our taxes. I kind of hate looking at this video because I look so haggard... what you look like when you're crying for 2 days and barely eat or sleep.
If I ever get the chance to do another video, with him in it, it will be about this
experience, and the dangers of letting your cats stay outside for too
long. Yes, I know, it's not recommended. Sooo many animal rescue groups
say you shouldn't let your cats outside. I guess I did it not only
because the cats enjoyed it, but because I felt very overwhelmed having
4-6 cats in the house at a time (especially while my husband is allergic). But I
guess I had a false sense of security that just because nothing really
bad had happened to him in the past.. then it wouldn't in the future.
And apparently I had wrongly assumed that just because he had a collar
with an address... that meant someone would bring him to my front door
if they found him.
The last time I saw Bert in the daylight, he was prancing towards a small white butterfly. I don't fully remember if this was before or after I went
inside... it may have been before. I do try to check in on them and make
sure they're all within view, but I've had a lot on my mind lately, and realize I didn't do this as much as I could have... especially since it had gotten dark.
Ironically, I've been having a lot of conversations with my new friends in dog rescue, about how we might be able to get some laws passed, that would enable us to have less animals in shelters. I am really passionate about this, because now that I'm in dog rescue, and can see that the people are just as stressed out and overworked as the people who are in cat rescue... I really feel like we need to address the source of the problem. Rescuing is a very noble and rewarding thing to do, but if we don't fix the deeper issue - rampant breeding and selling animals online with no accountability - then this problem is just going to keep getting worse.
The day that Bert went missing, I'd actually gotten up early to be able to film some of the dog rescue people in action. I wanted to show what they do... getting up early, driving lots of animals to get fixed, rescued, and receive medical care. And I also wanted to film some of the hardships like having to clean up lots of dog and cat pee and poop. When you have lots of rescue animals, it can be really hard, and really time consuming, to keep your house clean.
Bert was a rescue - like every cat I've ever had in my life. He was born in my landlady's backyard (one of two litters we found there), because she didn't know how to trap a feral siamese cat and also a black burmese cat that had wandered into her yard. While I am soo happy to have had Bert for all these years, I still really want to try to push for more county services that would help people to get cats fixed. And laws that would require a person to get a license (that costs $500 to $1000) if they plan to sell animals. Because $500 is NOTHING to the amount of money it will cost other people down the line, to take care of all the other animals that will wind up in shelters, beacause of their actions (or inactions).
A cat or a dog is a huge responsibility, and I am fully aware that, over the years, I have not been fully equipped to take care of all the cats that have come into my life. But I couldn't bear to take them to the pound, knowing that they would be euthanized, OR that if they weren't euthanized, then some other cat that was there, would be.
I am that person who just fell into cat rescue. I had considered myself much more of a dog person. But when I got my cats, one by one, I really fell in love with each one of them, and their unique personalities. I love every one of my cats as if they're my own kids, and I know that, although I never planned or wanted to be a cat lady to begin with, I can't deny how much they've made my heart feel full, having been given an opportunity to make a real difference in their lives.
When we first got Bert, my roommate Christian said that he was the most affectionate cat he'd ever known. I would agree with that. He's always wanted to cuddle and sit on my lap. He has been such a joy for me to have him all these years, and without him my heart has an enormous hole in it. I am praying every day that he will be returned safely to me somehow, and although every day is looking darker, I have to have faith that he is somehow in a good place. I have to believe that whoever has him will find it in their heart to let him somehow come back to me.
I will continue to look for Bert, and am still hopeful that he will be found. Please, whoever is reading this, send some good vibes our way. I would give anything for him to come home safe.
Here is a great list of resources I got from Daphna in Redwood City (I just learned she volunteers for the Homeless Cat Network, and I have too!). This is what Daphna said to me in an email:
-----------------------------
I suggest signing up for the Craiglist's "found cat" emails. Some days I get a lot of them, unfortunately they tend to be "lost cat" and I rarely see lost/found cat from Redwood City. Nonetheless, it's worth signing up for it! You never know, maybe some day... I also get email from Pet Harbor but they are pretty much always the same results and the places are very far. The emails from Pet Harbor are short term. You need to keep signing up with them to continue getting the results.
Do not post flyers at Red Morton park's edges without asking the park and recreation's dept permission. I forgot to ask for it. I recommend you go to the Police Headquarter to make sure you aren't doing anything illegally. That's what I did. Please, do not rely on my notes regarding the city's rules. I has been nearly a year since I first posted and things may have changed since then.
I STRONGLY advice to post in Spanish too. Use a good quality paper with bright neon colors. I used standard glossy papers at FedEx Office Print & Ship Center (Kinko). Make flyers that are attention getting, not plain white with a picture and words. It's too generic and people in general tend not to pay attention to or remember them. Make sure the photo is in color and isn't showing the cat's or dog's full markers to avoid scams.
Pet stores - They keep the flyers for several few months. The only pet store that didn't like posting flyers is Petco on Woodside Rd. (Note from Laura: I do not get this!)
Obviously, I don't know of every single place that let you post flyers, but these are places that accepted my flyers. Don't forget to always ask for a permission first.
1) Round Table Pizza, 128 Woodside Rd, Redwood City. Next to Michaels. They have a cork board.
2) Donut King, 3123 Jefferson Ave X Alameda De Las Pulgas, Redwood City. They have a cork board.
3) Valero gas station, 503 Whipple Ave X Veterans Blvd, Redwood City.
4) VCA Holly Street Animal hospital , VCA San Carlos Animal Hospital (San Carlos)l, Sequoia Veterinary Hospital (San Carlos), Alta-Wood Animal Hospital (Redwood City), Whipple Avenue Pet Hospital (Redwood City), Belmont Pet Hospital (Belmont).
5) Franklin Street Caffe,1053 El Camino Real, Redwood City, at the Sequoia Station.
6) Starbuck 490 El Camino X Whipple. They have a cork board.
7) 5th Quarter Pizza, 976 Woodside, Redwood City.
8) Teaquation Cafe, 1036 El Camino Real, Redwood City (across Max's).
9) Lucky supermarket, 200 Woodside Plaza, Redwood City (on the column).
10) Breaker's Cafe, 270 Woodside Plaza, Redwood City (on the column).
11) Yat Fat restaurant, 38 Woodside Rd, Redwood City across Woodside Plaza ( on column).
12) Key Market, 1063 Upton Son, Redwood City. They were more than happy to accommodate me. They help me post two flyers on the window behind the cashiers.
13) Avenue Liquor, 2122 Roosevelt Avenue, Redwood City near Summit Cafe The owner is awesome aside for posting it on the busy window, he asked for another one flyer to put under the counter glass near the cashing machine!
14) Rite Aid 2150 Roosevelt Avenue, Redwood City across Key Market. But the columns are terrible. Not recommended.
15) Kennedy Auto Body 1026 El Camino Real, Redwood City. They said to post it on the fence across Sequoia high school. Fence's surface is very difficult to post on. Not recommended.
16) Red Morton Community Center 1120 Roosevelt Avenue, Redwood City. They have a cork board.
17) Happy Donuts, 1330 El Camino Real X Madison Avenue, Redwood City.
18) Antique Unlimited, 1128 El Camino Real, San Carlos. Between Brittan Ave and Howard Ave.
19) Antique & More, 1148 El Camino Real, San Carlos. Between Brittan Ave and Howard Ave.
20) Antique Then & Now, 1121 Industrial Rd, San Carlos across Office Depot.
21) Cafe La Tartine, 830 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City (across Cinemark movie theater)
21) Jiffy Lube, 640 Whipple Ave X Industrial Way, Redwood City.
*Safeway used to have a cork board across the bathroom but no more. I don't know if you can post on the wall.
* I can't remember if Home Depot, Office Depot and REI also accepted them. You may want to ask.
* light poles in RWC. No trees!!!
If the pet has been missing for several months, put new flyers with
minor adjustment to the date it went missing. For example, if it says "missing since may 21" change it to "still missing since may 21". This is what the PHS advised me to do. I also changed the colors, this way it won't look as if the original flyers have been sitting there forever.
(UPDATE: AFTER 12 DAYS, BERT WAS FOUND!! Thanks so much to everyone who helped me to look for him) : ) I've been looking for my cat, Bert, since about 9pm on Sunday night, 4/23. This cat is like my baby (as you will see from the pictures) and I've had him since he was 2 weeks old, so I feel really responsible for his welfare and will do just about anything to get him back.
I was gardening in the front yard on Sunday evening when he wandered about 2 houses down to a friend's house, which he has done before, but he always comes right back. I think either something must have spooked him or he got locked in someone's garage. The only time he ever wandered before was a year ago when he snuck outside and was out all night without us knowing it.
He is a very friendly, sweet boy, about 13 years old, with a purple collar that is frayed. It does have our address on it, but the phone number is outdated (he was only wearing it because he lost his newer collar and nametag with his most current phone # so this was just temporary till I could get him a new nametag). If you think you may have seen him, please let me know.
I have circled the block and the surrounding area several times by foot, and by car, looking for him, and am just at a loss for where he could have gone. Again, he is very friendly (though he may be timid with people he doesn't know). Any information you can provide about Bert's whereabouts would be immensely appreciated!
Thank you, Laura 650-735-1599
Again, if you have any information at all, please call 650-735-1599. Thank you!!!
I first met Buster about 8 months ago my landlady, who is also a family, friend, told me about this cat that was hanging out at a property in Palo Alto, that her friend was working at.
It's a bummer he did that because like I said, I REALLY LIKE Buster. He's very sweet and purrs a lot and he also meows a good amount. He has the same personality as the best cat I ever had, Blabla (who passed away from Kidney failure in 2015). But he is even stronger than Blabla. He has very strong paws and is really muscular.
I think Buster would be perfect for someone who wanted two cats, and was interested in adopting another small male cat, maybe a kitten. He seems like he'd be the type to "mother" a younger cat, or be like a mentor to it. That's how my cat Blabla was. Blabla made me "a cat person" because he had very sweet, yet almost dog-like personality. He wasn't like a regular, finicky, snooty kind of cat. He just has a really easy going vibe and seems to look out for other cats.
