Scratch This: A calendar of Howl-o-ween havoc
Now that we've passed through the autumnal equinox, it's time for spooky season with the floof community.
We’ve just passed through the autumnal equinox and are now at the portal to the holiday season with the attending parties, events and celebrations. Halloween decorations have been on display in the stores and on dwellings since late August, and Christmas stuff promises to show up before Halloween is actually here.
The floof community is likewise getting an early start, providing a plethora of pet parties and presentations. Rather than fill up the Events section (there’s still one ongoing one there), we’re using the main part of the column for the fun stuff. This will also make room for the neat graphics that the organizers have cooked up. Bookmark this Scratch This! for the next few weeks.
Friends of Long Beach Animals is celebrating its 35th year on Friday, Oct. 11as the city’s most venerable animal-advocacy organization. FOLBA has been helping people with their pets and the pets themselves since a lot of you were puppies and kittens or maybe weren’t even part of a litter yet. Celebrate an anniversary with this wonderful bunch of people — dance to live music, dine and drink, and meet special guest TV actor Tom Kiesche (“Breaking Bad,” “Third Rock from the Sun”) and a bunch of four-legged attendees. Date, time, location and other details are on graphic. Buy your tickets here!
Pit bulls have to dress up or get into costume for Pit Bull Appreciation Day, hosted by the nonprofit Blockhead Brigade. They can attend this event in all their glorious goofiness, and so can any breed or mix! Pit Bull Appreciation Day will feature adoptions, skills like urban herding and scent work, community resources, and all kinds of fun, games and prizes. The event is free, but ticket purchases will help support community members who are struggling with housing, medical or behavior issues with their dogs. For the safety of everyone’s dog, 10 feet of space minimum is required between dogs, and leashes must be six feet or shorter (no retractables). Event takes place Saturday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Marina Vista Park, 5355 E Eliot St., Long Beach. Click the link for all information and ticket sales.
What’s the harvest season without a fair? The Long Beach Pet Fair promises a bumper crop of everything good for our BFFFs (best fuzzy friends forever): a full weekend (Oct. 19 and 20) of adoptions, vendors, raffle items, and contests for you and your buddy! Free to attend, thanks to generous sponsorships! Date, time, location and other details are on graphic.; access link for details.
No one throws a party like the gang at Sparky and the Gang, and the one they’ll pitch on Oct. 26 promises to be a real howl! In fact, it’s called the Back to the 80s Howl-o-ween Gala! The party isn’t for dogs to attend — it’s for their lovin’ humans — but the funds raised through tickets will help the bowsers in Sparky fosters and in the parvo emergency clinic at Fix Long Beach. Dress up in your fave-rave 80s outfits, dance to the platters the DJ spins, and have a ball. Date, time, location and other details are on graphic; scan the graphic for tickets.
A weekend of wooo! and weow! are awaiting at Feline Good Social Club! Punk Rawk Yoga, 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27, is an oxymoron of relaxation with the raw sounds of groups like Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Come in costume, and let the kitties walk all over you! Meowloween Nights runs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 25 to Sunday, Oct. 27. This time, you dress up like a cat and win some winsome prizes! The kitties will be there, too, probably dressed as people. Feline Good Social Club is located at 301 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach. Access the link to make reservations for the events and see de-tails!
Not that we need any reminder that cats are strange, but not even Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft — OK, maybe Lovecraft — can show their inner weirdness like the artists at the Monster Cats Art Show. The show runs through Oct. 31, Halloween, Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., at the Cool Cat Collective gallery, 2741 E 4th St., C, Long Beach. While you’re there, check out the concurrent CCLAWS art show, and don’t dare ignore the adoptable rescues from Tipped Ears Rescue. If you’re attracted by all the weirdness, you can have an oddling of your own.
On Nov. 23, Helen Sanders CatPAWS will present a fête that will lead in beautifully to the festive winter-season holidays. Le Chic Chat Soirée will begin with hosted cocktails and continue with auction items, trapping demonstrations, a chops-licking buffet dinner and — special guest Hannah Shaw, the Kitten Lady! Meee-yow! Plus, you’ll meet some of the lucky little recipients of CatPAWS’ spay/neuter efforts, medical attention and plain old love! Date, time, location and other details are on graphic; get tickets at this link.
Yours drooly
Book a session at Feline Good Social Club, and you’ll be surrounded by cats climbing over you during yoga and batting at your crochet needles or paintbrushes. Oh, you’ll think as you cuddle your favorite, if only I could take this one home.
Well, you can, you know. See all the stars of the show on this page, and find out the adoption process. Here are a couple of characters to check out — come meet them in (can’t avoid it) purr-son.
Uncle, 3 years old, was the courageous protector of his little family, and he had the wounds to prove it. As a result, Uncle is always cautious, but when he trusts you, he loves chin scritches and belly rubs. In fact, he’s now the sweetest fur baby. He loves window perches and food (yes, he needs to lose some weight, and his forever home will be the place for that to happen. Uncle is FIV+, which means that his immune system is compromised. He’ll have to remain in a safe situation — indoors only, with no aggressive cats around. There’s lots of info about FIV online and at your vet!
Aren’t they sweet? It’s been a bit of a journey for Lexi, 2 years old, and her son, Brody, also almost 2. Yes, Lexi was just a few months old, living in the bushes, when she delivered Brody. Even after they were rescued, it was obvious how much Lexi loved and doted on her little son, and so, they’ll need to find a forever home where they can stay together. Lexi is sweet, with a tiny meow. She loves petting, but can be timid at times. Brody has also been cautious, but he’s opening up to people more and more. You’ll often find the two of them playing together or nesting in the tunnels for a nap.
Forever Baby started out as a little kitten who became the best friend of his senior human dad. He thought he was so sweet that he wanted to keep him forever as his baby — hence, the name. But five years later, the good times came to an end when Dad got sick and Baby lost both his human and his home. He was put in a scary, loud place and was so terrified that he was put on death row. The cat rescue community found out about Forever Baby’s plight and put out a distress call. Now, the Feline Good Social Club feels fortunate to have this loving fellow. Baby’s eye was damaged when he was a kitten, but a rescue helped it improve. Now, he awaits happy home number two!
Tail-waggin’ and nose-boopin’ events
Helen Sanders CatPAWS annual Show Us Your Kitties calendar contest
Time to submit your favorite photos of your favorite pointy-eared people so that they can live on in purr-petuity, or at least through 2025! Helen Sanders CatPAWS’ annual contest raises funds for medical bills and food for CatPAWS rescues, and it also helps power the rescue’s spay/neuter mobile van. This year, the goal is to reach $10,000, which will be used to continue the lifesaving work they do in our community and beyond. Follow the instructions on the link to enter your cat. The top three submissions will be offered a personal sketch of their photo! Because every dollar counts and to encourage people to share their beloved kitty photos, CatPAWS has waived the entry fee this year! The organization will strive to put every photo on the calendar, whether they’re top 12 or not. You can even reserve a special day for a thumbnail on your calendar: a birthday, a “gotcha” day, or a memorial to a beloved cat for $15 a space. So go ahead — show us those kitties! We know you want to!
Follow this link for instructions to enter the Show Us Your Kitties calendar contest. Entries may be submitted until 11:59 p.m. PDT on Monday, Sept. 30. Voting ends Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 9:00 p.m. PDT.
Need a low-cost veterinarian, information about trapping community cats, places to volunteer — anything pet related? Follow this link for resources. Please add your own ideas in the Comments section.
