Local celebration of all pets counters the ugliness of animal abuse

On Aug. 23, bring the family to the Marina Community Center in Seal Beach and celebrate with Benny and his many mentors and fans. Benny’s Birthday and Love Your Pet Party will feature activities for kids, opportunity drawings for prizes — everything from gift cards to automatic litter boxes to JetBlue tickets, vendors selling goods for humans and their pets, kittens to cuddle in a separate room, and birthday cake, of course. Benny’s also buying attendees a catered lunch.

This year, Benny’s Birthday & Love Your Pet Party celebrates companion animals everywhere.

“We wanted to extend the celebration of Benny’s surviving and thriving to the message he reminds us of: to treat all our companion animal friends with the care, love and compassion they deserve,” said Deborah Felin-Magaldi, cofounder of Helen Sanders CatPAWS, which hosts the annual event.

Buy your tickets here! Proceeds from the party will help pay for medical care and spay/neuter procedures for the cats and kittens that CatPAWS pulls from shelters like Long Beach Animal Care Services and finds them forever homes. Funds will also pay for the veterinarians and staff in their spay/neuter mobile and brick-and-mortar spay/neuter clinics.

Benny may be springing for lunch, but it’s a miracle that he can spring at all. If you look closely at his face, you might notice that the features are slightly skewed. That’s nothing to how it looked when he was a kitten and a family member sneaked him out of the house to the shelter. You can read Benny’s story here — he had an ugly start, but now, that he’s living the life thanks to his rescue mom, Bev, and to CatPAWS, who paid for his surgery.

Benny’s one of the relatively lucky ones, though. Happy endings aren’t the norm for animal-abuse cases.

“[Abuse] is a topic worth reminding people about,” Felin-Magaldi said. “Often, people in domestic abuse situations don’t leave because they’re afraid their animal will be harmed or killed. And they’re often sadly right.”

Animal abuse is as ugly and cowardly as you think

In the past couple of months, two instances of animal abuse sparked anger and action among the animal community in Long Beach. In April, a dog was repeatedly slammed into the ground by her owner; earlier this month, another dog was stabbed when she lunged at a man brandishing a knife at her humans. Luckily, both dogs survived the attack — the dog in the first instance was taken in by Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS), was renamed Rue, was fostered and then adopted. Mazzlyn, the second dog, was initially treated by police officers and then by an emergency clinic through Friends of Long Beach Animals. She got further surgery at Fix Long Beach, where she’s now being carefully monitored. According to the Long Beach Police Department’s Public Information Officer, detectives are actively pursuing all leads in the ongoing investigation.

Other animals aren’t as lucky. Since Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman was sworn in on Dec. 3, 2024, his office has filed 89 animal cruelty cases, Those are just the ones that are reported and have enough evidence to prosecute.

A May 6 press release from DA Hochman’s office reported 25 animal cruelty cases, including 18 felonies, filed during the six weeks previous. In at least one case, an animal had illegal drugs in its system, “further heightening the severity of the abuse,” according to the press release. (A warning before you click the link: each case is described in horrid detail, and I couldn’t get past the first couple.)

“Let me be clear: If you harm an animal in our community, we are watching you — and we will find you,” DA Hochman stated in the press release. “Animal cruelty is a serious crime. It’s also a red flag for possible future violence, and we treat it exactly as it should be treated — with zero tolerance and aggressive prosecution.”

The DA’s office evaluates the evidence in each case; federal sentences are set by the state legislature.

The office of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) stated that although there isn’t a national database to track animal-cruelty statistics, their national field response has rescued “more than 35,000 animal victims of cruelty and natural disasters across 38 states in the past 12 years.” That’s a big number, but it’s over 10 years. Furthermore, no one can know how many unreported cases exist.

“Most animal welfare organizations agree that animal abuse is significantly underreported,” said Katie Campbell, president and CEO of RedRover. “This is likely due to a variety of factors, including inconsistent animal cruelty laws, unclear reporting processes, and insufficient data tracking by law enforcement. Additionally, animal cruelty often co-occurs with other types of family violence, so other members of the household may avoid reporting it out of fear of retaliation.”

RedRover’s mission is to keep animals with their humans through crisis, and this includes domestic abuse. Just a thumbs-up: RedRover has been an active participant at Benny’s birthday parties.

As many reasons for abusing animals as there are people, but what matter are the victims and survivors

A therapist I know said that people abuse animals — and children, and elderly people, and anyone powerless — for as many reasons as there are people: picking on someone who can't fight back, hurting a pet to cause pain by proxy to another human being, not valuing their lives, mental illness. Or just because they’re horrible creeps.

Whatever the reason, the constant is the suffering and possible murder of innocent, voiceless creatures.

The ASPCA urges anyone witnessing or suspecting animal abuse to report it to local law enforcement or to animal control.

“Law enforcement partnerships are important,” read an email from ASPCA. “As part of its multifaceted efforts to protect animals across the country, the ASPCA works closely with local law enforcement and animal shelters on suspected animal cruelty investigations and non-criminal rescue operations.”

The police response to the incident of the dog who was repeatedly kicked and slammed into the ground was quick, thanks to public involvement. The abuser was convicted and received a prison sentence of five years.

“This type of cruelty has no place in our community,” LBPD Chief Wally Hebeish said in a statement regarding the case. That holds true for a lot of people who live in Long Beach.

The LA District Attorney’s office has published an animal cruelty brochure with information such as what constitutes animal cruelty in California, how to report if, and legal codes for each category. The latter is helpful in case a law officer isn’t aware that there’s a law being broken — not that unawareness happens all the time, but just sayin’. (Did you know that selling or giving away animals in public is illegal in California?)

Reporting suspected animal abuse, cruelty and neglect

Both cases cited in this article came about because of videos that went viral, and when it comes to waking up the bear in an animal-loving public, there are few more effective pokes. The videos also serve as evidence for proof beyond reasonable doubt.

“If it is safe to do so, we encourage anyone who witnesses animal abuse to capture it on video and share it with law enforcement,” the Office of the District Attorney stated.

• If serious abuse is in progress, call 911. Otherwise, call Long Beach Animal Care Services at 562-570-7387 or Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) at 323-730-5300 or 888-spcaLA1.
• Access animal-cruelty information at LBACS, spcaLA or ASPCA.
• RedRover suggested The National Link Coalition, which has a state-by-state national directory for reporting animal abuse or neglect. You can click a state on the map, and it will direct you to state and county resources for reporting abuse or neglect:
• Call spcaLA’s Animal Safety Net at 323-733-0219 if you are about to enter a shelter and your pet needs a safe haven, too. Access RedRover’s Domestic Violence and Pets page for detailed descriptions of their programs to keep survivors' pets safe.

Benny, Rue and Mazzlyn, shown below with her favorite toy, a gift from an admirer, have physical and mental scars, but they also have good lives, thanks to the activism, compassion and anger of humans. After all the party pooping information you just read, go celebrate their lives at a relatively poop-free party (there will be dogs from LBACS and litterboxes for the kittens, but so what?). Share a little cake with Benny on his birthday on Aug. 23!

YOURS DROOLY

If you attend Benny’s Birthday Party, you’ll meet a lot of the kittens who were pulled by Helen Sanders CatPAWS from shelters, LBACS in particular, and have been passing idyllic weeks with foster parents as they receive medical attention and spay/neuter procedures. In time, they’ll graduate to forever homes — it’s a lot like an actual graduation because the foster parents bid them farewell with tears in their eyes, lumps in their throats and fur on the armchairs. They don’t face empty-nest syndrome for long, though, because there are always more kittens who’ll come in and fill the gap.

CatPAWS isn’t just kittens, though. They foster adult cats, too. Kittens can do their own publicity quite well, thank you, and are generally comfy in enclosed playpens while interacting with the public. That’s not usually so with adult cats.

To give these beauties their chance at a home, too, we’re introducing three fine, grownup felines. To adopt anyone, follow this link. Spay/neuter, vaccinations and microchips included in adoption fees.

Juliett is a hoot! She is an active 2-year-old beauty who is as smart as they come. She loved running on her cat wheel in her former home with her brother. She came back to CatPAWS when her family had a new baby, and two cats were too many. She would love a home where she can follow her person around and “help” them with their day. She will bond with you, and it won’t be long for her to show off her many tricks!

Flame is a 3-year-old social kitty who thrives with human companionship. He is gentle and sweet natured, and he’ll make someone the perfect companion. Flame was adopted as a tiny kitten and returned to CatPAWS when the adopter could not afford to keep him. Flame has a food allergy and requires a diet based on a single protein source. He thrives on his diet and has an incredible sleek, soft coat. This young guy would love a new person to care for him always.

Jake, a 2-year-old soulful, sweet tuxedo fellow, is a lover! He was adopted from CatPAWS as a kitten and was loved very much in his home, with another cat for company. Sadly, Jake’s person passed away, and he came back to CatPAWS. Jake is playful and loves his toys, but what he loves most of all is to be petted. He was cherished by his first human, and he’d sure love to be someone’s bestie again.

TAIL-WAGGIN' AND NOSE-BOOPIN' EVENTS

August is Clear the Shelters Month

A shelter is no place for a pet, even one as good as Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS). LBACS staff and volunteers work hard at getting its residents into forever homes, with such programs as fostering, Fido Field Trips and pet literacy. This month, LBACS is participating in Clear the Shelters, a nationwide pet-adoption program sponsored by NBCUniversal Local that takes place in August.

The program’s website states that a million pets have found homes through the program since 2015. Help increase the number by adopting a cat, dog or bunny from LBACS this month. See graphic for details — application requirements apply, as with all adoptions.

Show Me Your Kitties Cabaret for Charity

After a day of feline fun, spend an evening at a cabaret show and help cats while you enjoy yourself! Dress in evening garb with your best cat ears, and wear your purrrrls to clutch! A full slate of cat-themed performers will bring oooohs, aaaaahs and definitely catcalls from the audience, and raffles, cocktails and other surprises will complement the evening.

Not included but surely tempting are a full bar, a limited menu from the Carvery, and a prize wheel. Get ready for a night of feline-filled fun and fabulousness! All money raised from ticket sales will be donated directly to Little Lion Foundation to fund their kitten nursery and their new on-site spay-and-neuter clinic for community cats. De-tails and tickets available here.

Show Me Your Kitties Cabaret takes place Saturday, Aug. 23, 5:30 p.m., at The Top, 105 W. Broadway, Long Beach. Tickets are $42.75 for a single ticket, $72 for two tickets, and $118 for an Evening for 2 Bundle, including two dinners and two prize spins.

August events at Cool Cat Collective

Cats are quirky and do their own thing. So does the Cool Cat Collective. Follow this link for this month’s events, which include an art show by sisters Priscilla Moreno and Heidi Moreno and a 50% adoption fee discount on Aug. 24 for all cats in the Collective, in observation of Clear the Shelters Month.

Need a low-cost veterinarian, information about trapping community cats, places to volunteer, rescues and shelters to adopt from — anything pet related? Follow this link for resources. Please add your own ideas in the Comments section.