Thrifting with the cat

To entice playtime, I circulate the toys in the kitty-toy basket to fool the resident cats into thinking there’s something new in there. Nope. I wiggle one near a face, which elicits only a half-hearted swipe or an ear quizzically folding back. So, about 50 cat toys lie forlorn because nobody will play with them.

But Long Beach resident and recently awakened cat dad Dustin Johnson has recently came up with an ingenious toy-conservation idea. Johnson’s Feline Rejection Collection (FRC) creates a new lifeline for discarded cat toys and also builds community for people who spoil their thankless cats.

“One cat's rejected toy might be another cat's favorite thing,” Johnson said. “But there isn't necessarily an easy way to connect the two households. So, I created the Feline Rejection Collection as a free, citywide exchange. Nextdoor seemed like a natural fit because it's hyperlocal — the idea is to help neighbors connect directly, particularly when we're talking about exchanging physical items. There's no selling, no required trading and no expectation that someone has to contribute before receiving something.”

Nextdoor may have more than its share of negativity and trash talk, but it also has a lot of helpful posts and community building opportunities. FRC is in the latter category. Here’s how it works:

• Access this link. If you haven’t joined Nextdoor, do that first if the link doesn’t take you there.
• Scroll through the photos and comments.
• Post a photo of your cat’s rejections. Give a brief description, including its condition (Are all the tails chewed off the cloth mice, for instance?), and the general pickup neighborhood. “Bonus points for telling us why your cat was unimpressed!” Johnson added. Then, wait for a response.
• If you see something that you think might be whisker tickling, comment or message the poster to arrange pickup.
• If, when you get the recycled item, the cat gives you the look and walks away, post it again! “There’s no obligation, but that’s how the magic happens,” Johnson wrote.
• If the recycled item turns out to be the greatest thing since chewing on the plastic window on an envelope, do post photos of the success story.

Firm house rules include no selling or trading, wear or damage must be disclosed, communicate regarding pickups, share addresses privately, and update your post when the item is claimed. Used litter boxes, opened food or treats, or items that cannot be adequately cleaned won’t be accepted. Thoroughly cleaning the items is a must, as disease and fleas can be passed through toys or beds. Most rescues and shelters, Long Beach Animal Care Services included, don’t accept used toys and beds for this reason.

Thorough cleaning is of utmost importance when it comes to pet health. If this whole idea of a cat-toy exchange sounds fun to you, I’ve included some tips from Helen Sanders CatPAWS volunteer Bev Vale, who has cleaned more toys in the kitty playroom than you could fit into a semi-truck.

Vale sanitizes hard-surface or plastic toys first by washing them twice in hot water and letting them dry. Then, she sprays Rescue on them and let them thoroughly dry again. Rescue, by the way, is a veterinary disinfectant that you can buy online, but bleach will do as well — my words, not Bev’s.

Washable toys can go into a mesh bag and run through a hot, soapy cycle. For added delight, Vale tosses the toys into a bag and adds catnip for seasoning.

“I call it the nip chamber,” Vale said. “They stay in that bag until a new toy is needed.” Fun idea, and you might wind up keeping the seasoned toys!

Vale leaves the sanitized toys in the sunlight as an additional measure but warns that there are certain bacteria that sunlight will not kill. Make sure you do the actual cleaning first.

Johnson is a recent out-of-state transplant to Long Beach. He works as an industrial-organizational psychologist and organizational effectiveness leader.

“I study how people behave at work and help organizations understand what's getting in the way of their success, whether that's how people work together, how decisions get made, or how organizations develop their talent,” he said.

He’s also a go-getter, very inventive and a great communicator. The latter quality he applies to understanding his stepcat, Orion, aka Kitty.

“Apparently, I also enjoy buying things for a cat who has made it abundantly clear that my purchasing decisions have required improvement,” Johnson said.

Johnson and his husband have a blended family that includes Johnson’s boxer/Alaskan malamute Scout and his husband’s orange tabby, Kitty.

“I quickly learned to love him, but I had some work to do if I was going to earn his affection in return,” Johnson said, referring to the cat and not the husband. “Thus began the bribery chapter of our relationship.”

Johnson said that he tried every toy, trinket and “increasingly elaborate enrichment gadget” available, with variable results.

“My efforts to win Kitty over taught me pretty quickly that cats have their own ideas about what constitutes a good time, and they're under no obligation to share those ideas with us. The result was a small collection of perfectly good toys and gadgets that Kitty had deemed unworthy of his attention.”

Johnson got to understand Kitty enough to realize that he wasn’t the only hypercritical cat in the clowder. He leaped onto Nextdoor faster than a kitten after a moth and created FRC.

“I started with an inflatable water mat with a little floating fish inside,” Johnson said. “To this day, I'm not sure Kitty ever even acknowledged its existence. But I posted it, and another neighbor took it home to try with their cat. I'm still hoping they'll report back!”

FRC is only a couple of weeks old, but Johnson hopes that it will soon take on a life of its own.

“I'd love to see someone post about a toy their cat unexpectedly adores, another neighbor chime in that theirs absolutely hates it, and a third person discover that the unwanted toy is exactly what they've been looking for,” he said. “That's the part I'm most excited about: not just moving unused things between households, but creating conversations that lead to discoveries and exchanges nobody necessarily planned.”

Creating FRC combined with the insight Johnson has gained about his cat has changed how he thinks about buying new toys for him.

“If something doesn't work out, it doesn't necessarily have to be wasted,” he said. “And if we share what worked and what didn't, maybe we'll all get a little smarter about our purchases. It's also encouraged me to experiment with some stranger enrichment products, if only because the results might make an entertaining post. The biggest surprise has been a large mesh ball that zips around Kitty so he can safely explore outside. I was convinced he'd hate it. Instead, he loves it so much that he now climbs inside it while we're in the house to let us know he'd like to go outdoors. He spends his outdoor time stalking bugs trying to catch them through the mesh.”

Johnson said that anyone who doesn’t want to join Nextdoor can contact him at LinkedIn or wash the toys as instructed and donate them to Goodwill. Again, shelters and rescues likely won’t accept them.

“Professionally, I spend a lot of time thinking about how organizations can make better use of the knowledge, resources and capabilities they already have,” Johnson said. “The collection is a rather ridiculous little expression of that same curiosity. Sometimes the challenge isn't that we need more resources; it's that we haven't found an easy way to connect what we already have. I started this whole adventure trying to bribe my way into Kitty's affections. It turns out the trick wasn't finding the most impressive toy. It was figuring out what allowed him to find his own happy. And now, I'm hoping the Feline Rejection Collection helps other people make a few discoveries of their own.”

YOURS DROOLY

A subset of the rescue community comprises TNVR (trap/neuter-spay/vaccinate/return) volunteers. These pawsoldiers set countless humane traps and monitor them day and night until the unsuspecting targets — unaltered male and female stray cats — investigate the smelly food in the traps and lock themselves in. The trappers, stinking of sardines, then schlep the kitties off to a safe place at home and drive their prisoners to previously made spay/neuter appointments the following day.

When the cats recover from their surgeries, most of the adults are returned to where they were trapped, never to birth an unwanted litter again. Then it’s shower, rinse, repeat.

Kittens born to a stray mom are often able to socialize well enough to be adoptable. Long Beach Animal Care Services and other compassionate shelters will accept them, and from there, they’ll go to adoptive homes or to rescues. Some of the adult cats turn out to be social — they may have been abandoned outdoors to survive as best they can. But sadly, adult cats don’t tickle potential adopters’ fancy as often as kittens do. Sometimes, the trapper takes in friendly adult cats to foster and hopefully find a home with someone who doesn’t want to deal with kitten madness.

Ewa Enrique is one of these trappers. She’s been doing TNVR for years — by her estimate, she’s trapped and fixed over 1,000 cats, 222 of them since January. A few of them are staying in her home. To help Ewa and the cats and honor all TNVR volunteers, Scratch This! wants you to meet a couple of favorites waiting for a forever home. To inquire about either or both, email ewae@hotmail.com. While you’re at it, ask Ewa if she needs any trapping supplies.

Hello, my name is Storm. I am a calico female, about 2 ½ years old. I was roaming the streets of Long Beach when I was trapped for TNVR. It was determined at the clinic that I was already spayed and had a bad case of stomatitis. I received all necessary vaccinations, and my human friends decided that my place was no longer on the streets. I got my dental surgery and am now living with my foster mom and three boy cats. We play and get along. I am extremely food motivated — I eat mostly wet, since my dental health is still fragile. I like to stay by my foster mom. I’m not very keen to be picked up, but I love pets and careful scritches. I’ll be a perfect companion to other animals— I will decide the boundaries. I’m a bit guarded with kids — my mouth is still a little sore and I need gentleness. If you’ve ever had a toothache, you’ll understand! I don't understand why my previous family abandoned me, but no worries — I have been taken care of, and I’m ready to forget about my tough past. I’m dreaming about my own bed, my own bowl of food and my own family. Love and hope to see you soon.

My name is Miso. I’m a 2-year-old little boy who has been through more than anyone should have to at such a young age. I was found wandering around a shopping center, most likely abandoned by the people I once thought were my family. I don’t know how long I had been out there or what my life was like before. When I was found, I was only 4 pounds — just a tiny, fragile boy trying to survive on my own. Someone began feeding me, and within a week, I learned to trust her. I was TNVR’d and returned outside. Eventually, my friend noticed that it wasn’t just the food I wanted but also attention. I would sit under a car, sometimes waiting for her for 12 hours a day, watching and hoping she would come back. I was trying to tell her that I didn’t want to live outside anymore. When I was finally introduced to my foster mom, I slowly came out of my shell, and that’s when everyone realized that underneath all my fear was the sweetest little boy who had simply been waiting for someone to love him. My foster mom took me in, and for the first time I had a safe place to sleep, regular meals, and someone who cared if I was okay. With food, love and care, I’ve gone from 4 pounds to 7 pounds, and I’m finally healthy enough to start looking for my forever family. My nose is all healed up from rubbing against the bars in the trap. I love cuddles, attention, and being close to my humans. I’m safe now, I’m loved, and I’m waiting patiently for the person who will finally give me the happy ending I’ve been waiting for.

TAIL-WAGGIN' AND NOSE-BOOPIN' EVENTS

Calendars are here!

Dog only knows what 2027 will bring. But whether you’re a dog lover or a cat person, each page in these calendars are catalysts for comfort and a couple of cackles. The SoCal Bulldog Rescue 2027 calendars are available here, and you can purchase the Helen Sanders CatPAWS Show Us Your Kitties here. All proceeds help pay the rescues’ medical and food bills and make sure that every pet in their patronage is well, happy and adoptable.

Whiskers in Wonderland Gala

November is the month for festive, glittery events, and animals have their share of galas in their honor! Little Lion Foundation’s Whiskers in Wonderland Gala is such an event — an evening dedicated to celebrating the nonprofit’s rescue and veterinary programs that save the lives of cats and kittens. It’s a heck of a fun way to fundraise for them, too! Guests will enjoy casino games, a DJ and dancing, a sit-down dinner, a silent auction and a raffle. And kittens, too, of course! If you can’t make it, there’s an online silent auction to help support the event! Herd some cat people and come celebrate!

Whiskers in Wonderland takes place Sunday, Nov. 15., 5 p.m. at The Reef on the Water, 880 S. Harbor Scenic Dr., Long Beach. Buy tickets here.

Pet Loss and Illness Support Group monthly meeting

If you’re grieving the death of a pet or are feeling anticipatory grief for one who’s ill, Helen Sanders Cat Paws invites you to a safe space to share your grief. Here, CatPAWS’ cofounder Deborah Felin-Magaldi describes her connection with grief over the loss of a pet whose life she shared:

“Does anyone remember the song ‘Mr. Bojangles’? A line from it hit me even when I was young when I first heard it and already knew the loss of a childhood cat. It has stayed with me ever since: ‘He spoke with tears of 15 years how his dog and him traveled about. His dog up and died, He up and died. After 20 years, he still grieves.'”

On the third Saturday of each month, you can share your grief over your loved pets in any way that feels right: tell stories, show photos, even laugh at funny memories. This support group is a safe place for you — everyone in the group has been there and may still be there.

This month’s Pet Loss and Illness Support Group takes place Saturday, Nov. 21, 11 a.m.–noon at the Bayshore Church, 5100 E. The Toledo, Long Beach.

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