Scratch This | Pets are domestic violence survivors, too: Nonprofit helps humans in crisis stay with their pets
Plus, meet four adoptable cats and dogs that need loving homes.
Next Saturday, Aug. 24, Helen Sanders CatPAWS will host a fundraiser to honor a little cat named Benny (see Tail Waggin’ and Nose Boopin’ events below). Benny is celebrating his seventh birthday — few people thought that he’d even make it to his first.
A family member sneaked him into Long Beach Animal Care Services when he was barely alive. A veterinary exam showed broken ribs and a hip and a broken neck, jaw, nose and skull — a child in the home said that their mother’s live-in boyfriend had smashed the cat’s head against the wall. The kitten was only 4 months old at the time.
The cat was held as evidence for 10 months, but there was no conviction. Without explanation, although some suspected coercion, the child had taken back their description of abuse. Meanwhile, animal advocate Bev Leifer had fallen hard for the kitten and decided to adopt him as soon as he became available. She named him Benny, after a relative.
“Benny’s resilience and sweet nature lured me in, and I wanted to give him a better life and a safe and loving home without fear or pain,” Bev said. “He also made me want to help people escape abuse and keep their animal family members with them.”
Thanks to the shelter veterinarians and financial help from CatPAWS, Benny made it through surgeries and medication. He retains a wonky walk and a skewed face, but he’s living an enviable life. He’s also become the poster cat for raising awareness of the link between animal abuse and domestic violence.
“Research shows abusers often have a pattern of violence towards all members of the household — including children and pets,” said Katie Campbell, president and CEO of RedRover, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing animals out of crisis and bringing their humans with them as well. “When domestic violence survivors seek to flee an abuser, many are faced with the challenge of finding shelter for themselves, their children and their pets. Sadly, many survivors stay with an abuser for fear that the mistreatment of their animals will escalate if they're left behind.
Under California’s Family Code (Section 6320), a person experiencing domestic violence can request a restraining order against their abuser and pets can be included in the order. Campbell cited the Animal Welfare Institute’s helpful resource, Pets in Domestic Violence Protection Orders in California, in a statement that abuse of a person’s pet is considered domestic violence and can be used as evidence against the person. This could have helped the people in Benny’s situation. A judge can also award custody of the pet to the petitioner and order the abuser to stay away from the animal.
More urgently, both humans and animals need to find safe harbor. It's difficult for a domestic violence survivor fleeing an abusive situation to bring a pet along with them. Campbell said that only 19% of domestic violence shelters in the nation currently welcome animals. RedRover reports that 71% of domestic abuse survivors said that their partners hurt, killed or threatened their pet and that 48% of people experiencing domestic abuse remain in the situation out of worry for their animals. Some live in their cars rather than go to a shelter without the pet. RedRover is looking to fix that.
RedRover’s mission is to bring animals and their humans “from crisis to care.” A lot of effort is packed into that brief statement: disaster relief services, education, financial assistance, emergency sheltering. RedRover and its volunteers know that seeking shelter from domestic abuse comprises an emergency for both human and animal.
RedRover and other efforts such as spcaLA’s Animal Safety Net program offer assisted searches to find domestic violence shelters that also accept pets. A few domestic violence shelters either accept pets or arrange for boarding; Safe Havens for Pets and Domestic Shelters.org have a search function for area-specific shelters that accept pets or boarding options if there’s no onsite facilities for them. RedRover and Animal Safety Net secure funding for temporary boarding for pets, which usually ends when the humans find transitional housing. Applications are made by the survivor’s advocate or caseworker.
RedRover also offers a great number of classes, articles, information and resources to help animals and their humans in abusive situations: Safe Escape grants, which the person’s domestic violence advocate can apply for if their client’s shelter doesn’t accept pets; Safe Housing grants of up to $60,000 that domestic violence shelters can apply for to build pet-friendly programs; the Purple Leash Project grants cosponsored by Purina, an extension of Safe Housing grants created to raise awareness of the lack of pet-friendly shelters and to provide grants and resources to create them; and Don't Forget the Pets, a collaborative project with Greater Good Charities that offers free workshops, one-on-one coaching and forums to help shelters for domestic violence, unhoused people and animals create pet-friendly programs for their communities.
RedRover and Greater Good also launched the 25 by 2025 benchmark campaign in 2023. The project is a national initiative created to help increase the number of pet-friendly domestic violence shelters from 19% to 25% by 2025. The campaign is powered by PetSmart Charities and supported by Purina.
Many people who have escaped domestic violence situations and have access to their pets often say that the animals have helped them heal. And pets who escape abusive situations are survivors, too, and also deserve to heal. Consider Benny, who bears painful reminders of his treatment despite his six-plus years of an otherwise great life.
“Benny’s abuse injuries have a permanent impact on him,” Bev Leifer said. “He got arthritis due to his abuse — I built ‘steps’ for him with my furniture so he can get up high on cat trees. He now receives monthly injections of a medication just for cats, which I call a miracle drug because he can jump higher now.”
Like most survivors of domestic abuse, not all Benny’s wounds are physical.
“Benny still has nightmares when in a deep sleep,” Bev said. “He’ll thrash around and fall out of his bed. I’ll pet him and speak to him, to let him know he’s safe.”
If you or someone you know is in an abusive situation, call the WomanShelter of Long Beach hotline at 562-437-4663. 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.
Donate to RedRover here and to spcaLA’s Animal Safety Net Program here.
Yours drooly
This week, we’re featuring spcaLA’s adoptables. SpcaLA is a privately funded shelter located in the same building as Long Beach Animal Care Services, our municipal shelter. It can be confusing as to who is where, but here goes: the shelter pets are accessed through the “Animal Admissions: City of Long Beach Bureau of Animal Control” sign, and spcaLA is through the “spcaLA Adoption Center” sign. Some of the pets found at the spcaLA center were pulled from LBACS, which is one way to ease the overcrowding.
Clear the Shelters month is offering special adoption rates for pets through Sept. 10. To adopt one of these pets, click the link highlighting their name. Access this link to see all the animals. Visit spcaLA and Long Beach Animal Care Services at 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach at the entrance to El Dorado Park (no parking fee for shelter visitors). Click the links to each shelter for hours of operation.
Meet Duncan! This 1-year-old Doberman is looking for his Friends for Life! Duncan still has puppy energy and would love to find a home where he can continue to learn and train. His favorite activities include long walks, eating treats out of Kongs, and learning how to play fetch with his favorite squeaky ball! Duncan would do well in almost any home! Could he be the perfect fit for you?
Say hi to Bonnie! This 3-year-old pit mix is sweet and very social! As a Friends for Life Summer Camp dog, Bonnie has positive experiences with kids and would be a great addition to almost any family. This pretty pittie is treat motivated, knows her basic commands, and loves to lie in the shade and take naps. Could she be the right fit for your home?
Squeeeee — a brown tabby! Meet Duchess! This 4-month-old girl is looking for her new home. She is friendly, affectionate and playful! She has positive experiences with other cats, so she could do well in a home that already has a feline companion. Duchess enjoys eating wet food and taking long naps on top of her cat tree. Could she reign as the new Duchess of your home?
Meet Diamond! This beautiful 2-year-old feline is independent but loves affection. She is very quiet and enjoys eating dry food and taking naps in the sun. Diamond will bring lots of sparkle to your life! Come meet her today!
Tail-waggin’ and nose-boopin’ events
TNR Action, Education and Awareness Group meeting
Do you do TNR (trap/spay-neuter-vaccinate-microchip-release of stray cats) with a passion but want to share resources with and get support from an equally engaged community? Are momcats having kittens in your neighborhood, and are dadcats yowling at them to make more? Are you on your last shred of yarn trying to figure out what you can do?
Get some answers at this grassroots meeting, the first in Long Beach to focus on combining forces to humanely stop the birthing of unwanted kittens in the urban wild. Speakers will include rescues, experienced trappers, and Long Beach Animal Care Services staff members, in particular LBACS cat coordinator Lindsie Merrick.
The group meeting will take place Saturday, Aug. 17, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Education Center at Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach, at the entrance to El Dorado Park. No parking fee for shelter guests.
Benny the Cat’s seventh birthday party fundraiser
You are invited to a party to celebrate the good life of a good kitty! Benny might not have had any life at all if he hadn’t been rescued — he was horribly abused as a kitten and nearly died from injuries that his owners left him with. Today, he’s living the life that any cat would envy. Nonprofit cat rescue Helen Sanders CatPaws is once more putting on a family-friendly fundraiser in Benny’s honor. The party will help give every cat a happy-ever-after and also raise awareness of domestic abuse. Attendees can enjoy a vendor fair, games and prizes, arts and crafts, face painting, a raffle, and of course, birthday cake! Lunch is included, too! You’ll meet adorable, adoptable kittens, who, like Benny, are hoping to find their own loving families. The shelter at Long Beach Animal Care Services will bring their Adoption Waggin’, and partygoers can tour CatPAWS’ spay/neuter mobile clinic, which the party will also help fund. All funds will go to CatPAWS. Of course, Benny will be there! Hope you will be, too!
Benny’s Birthday Party will take place Saturday, Aug. 24, 11 p.m.–3 p.m. at Marina Community Center, 151 Marina Drive, Seal Beach. Tickets are $20, free for kids 10 and under. Buy tickets here or at the door.
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.
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