Scratch This: Long Beach animal community, I love you one and all

This is going to be brief — I spent a good part of this week and last in Salt Lake City at a conference, where I caught some kind of bronchial blecch. So, I’m writing through a haze of antihistamine, expectorant, bronchodilators and fever. Excuse any delirium talk.

Before the symptoms went into full overdrive, though, I got to spend time with the local fauna. SLC seemed to be as canine happy as we are — I was continually giving palm-sniff hellos to four legged doggies and one tripod pug. For some not-up-so-close encounters of the furred (and feathered) kind, I went on a tour of the Great Salt Lake because hey, I was there and so was the lake. It is salty, by the way, even more than the ocean.

Among other birds, insects and mammals, I met:

I saw no cats until I got home to the ones at my house, two of whom were still speaking to me. It was also back to this wonderful city of animal lovers, many of whom go the distance and if they don’t have a GPS, they ask the rest of us for guidance. This time, it was a close friend with a tender heart. A kitten was yowling on his garage roof, and he called me for advice. I did my best.

My friend was afraid to touch the kitten in case the scent of a human would put Mom off — he thought he might be a newborn. He wasn’t too far off, it turned out, but I figured that the cat might be a little older if he was yowling. I told him to put food up there — a little plain yogurt, maybe, and watch for Mom.

My friend and his partner watched all day, but no mom. It got late again, so he went to an animal hospital that stayed open late. They told him that they didn’t see kittens, although my friend was ready to pay.

I kept telling him to call Long Beach Animal Care Services, which would’ve taken in the helpless kitten and possibly make it available to a rescue, but my friend wanted to try other stuff. I sent him to Pet Food Express before they closed to get kitten food and supplies — he went and pronounced them great. The kitten returned to his Airbnb on top of the garage, well fed this time, and in the morning went to my friend’s personal vet.

The vet said that the cat, who looked to be at most two weeks old, wasn’t in good shape, but they gave care and good advice. My friend found a foster who had experience with bottle-feeding kittens. I told my friend to contact people he knew who might want to give the little guy a forever home because my friend and his partner said that they couldn’t adopt a cat – there’s a dog, they have travels, and everything you hear.

Of course, you know what quickly happened: “We’re going to adopt him when he’s ready.”

I have to go find a gotcha gift.

I’m glad to be home again. Long Beach has a caring, loving and often ferocious animal community. They wear themselves out trying to rescue and fix every pet, and some, like my friend, do it one by one. Every success is a model for the next person. Meanwhile, this is a good point to segue into a plug for kitten season. Here’s a Scratch This! about how to prep for it and be part of the solution in whatever way you can.

See you next week. I’m making a hot toddy and taking a cat nap.

YOURS DROOLY

Last Friday’s Scratch This! gave the most recent details about the legal dispute over the city of Long Beach’s eviction procedures for the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (spcaLA) from the P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village and Education Center. Last week’s Yours drooly featured three dogs from Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS). This week, three dogs from spcaLA will strut their stuff. This is balanced journalism, but really, all pets need the chance at a forever home no matter which side you support.

For adoption information for any of these dogs or any of spcaLA’s adoptable pets, follow this link or any individual pet’s link.

We'll start with the handsome boy at the top of this column: Kristoff is a 7-month-old mastiff mix looking for his Friends for Life! Kristoff is 70 pounds of pure puppy love. He enjoys meeting new people and eating snacks. He would love a home with a family that has experience with large breeds and patience for a puppy. He is treat motivated and would be a great candidate for spcaLA’s Magical Manners training class. Come meet Kristoff!

Meet Nemo! This 2-year-old Husky is a sweet, affectionate boy who enjoys long walks, trying out new snacks, and cuddling with staff and volunteers. He is treat motivated, which makes him an excellent candidate for training. Nemo would do great in almost any home. Could he be your new Friend for Life?

Romeo is a happy shepherd mix who yearns for a home to call his own. He knows sit and is working on his basic manners while he’s waiting for his new Friends for Life. He loves to exit his kennel and has proved to be a good on-leash walker. His favorite game is fetch, but he’ll gladly drop the ball for another ball or a treat. The way to his heart is some scratches on his back and the base of his tail. He is a lover, as his name implies!

TAIL-WAGGIN' AND NOSE-BOOPIN' EVENTS

Long Beach Animal Care Services at the Eggstravaganza Spring Festival!

Our shelter’s pets and wonderful volunteers will bunny-hop over to Gumbiner Park for a springtime family event. They hope that they will get to be part of your family, too! Stop by to meet them, and learn all about adopting, fostering and volunteering with LBACS! Make sure that you enjoy all the games, egg hunt and photo opps with His Honor the Easter Bunny! Brought to you by Councilmember Mary Zendejas and the City of Long Beach.

Eggstravaganza Spring Festival takes place Saturday, April 19, noon–2 p.m. at Gumbiner Park, 880 E. 7^th St., Long Beach. Free family event.

Get $50 off a spay/neuter or dental procedure!

Such a deal! Fix Long Beach Pets and Animals offer a nip out of the price of a fix or a dental visit until April 18! Click here for appointments and price lists, and put the code "Sherrisays" in the notes area. You can also call 562-337-8268 and speak the code when you leave the message.

Fix Long Beach is located at 1749 Magnolia Ave., Long Beach. Hours by appointment only.

Low-cost vaccine clinics

Every pet deserves to be healthy and happy, and so Long Beach Animal Care Services and Community Animal Medicine Project are teaming up every Monday for low-cost vaccine clinics. No appointments; the clinic is open to the first 60 pets. You don’t have to be a resident of Long Beach or LBACS’ contract cities (Signal Hill, Los Alamitos or Cerritos) to participate. Please bring all past vaccine records. Dogs must be on leashes and cats must be in carriers.

Clinics are held 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. on Mondays in LBACS’ parking lot, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach, at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors. For a list of prices, services and CAMP’s full clinic schedule, please click here.

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.