The Alley Cat Allies® Recovery Center, which was made possible by Alley Cat Allies’ funding, leadership, and guidance, opens on Dec 22, 2018. The center, which will be run by the FieldHaven Feline Center will shelter the many cats and kittens who lost their home or are still being rescued from areas devastated by Northern California’s Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California’s history, in November 2018.
“There are so many cats still out there, it’s just unbelievable. Rescuers and trappers are desperately awaiting a place to bring [cats] where they will be safe and cared for,” says Joy Smith, executive director of FieldHaven Feline Center. “So many people are already banging at [The Alley Cat Allies® Recovery Center’s] door right now.”
The Alley Cat Allies® Recovery Center, located at 620 Ninth Street in Marysville, California, is open from 9:00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., seven days a week. FieldHaven also operates a mobile transfer station in Paradise, where cats will be scanned for microchips and held for several hours in case their families are nearby. Call 916-434-6022 or visit the Alley Cat Allies® Recovery Center web page for location and more details.
The Camp Fire raged across Northern California throughout November, decimating the town of Paradise, razing 14,000 homes and businesses, and leaving cats displaced from their indoor and outdoor homes. Though rescuers have helped more than 1,000 cats following the fires, it is estimated that hundreds more are still awaiting basic care, medical attention, and help to get them back with their families.
“As we’ve seen so often, the weeks after a disaster slips from the headlines are very challenging for rescue organizations such as our friends at FieldHaven,” said Alley Cat Allies President and Founder Becky Robinson. “It’s important that they’re able to open this new, critical recovery center and transfer station so residents can recover their animals. We appreciate their ongoing dedication to save animals and reunite them with their families and caregivers.”
The Alley Cat Allies® Recovery Center will act as a shelter for cats with no identified families brought in by trappers, rescuers, and residents from the areas scorched by the Camp Fire. FieldHaven’s team will care for the cats, including meeting any medical needs and providing microchip service, and help them reunite with their families or caregivers. A widespread network of volunteers is at the ready to help in the reunion efforts. FieldHaven and Alley Cat Allies will also strategize how to best help community cats, also known as feral cats, who were ripped from their colonies and outdoor homes by the fires.
“Untold numbers of community cats have been displaced or injured by the fires,” says Robinson. “We will work to find them and ensure they will receive medical treatment and ongoing care into the future.”
Alley Cat Allies and FieldHaven Feline Center have been partners in cat rescue efforts since the early days of the Camp Fire. As the flames still burned, Robinson and Alley Cat Allies staff members donned gas masks and drove carloads of supplies up to FieldHaven’s former facility, which closed on November 30. Robinson was hands-on in aiding cats at the facility, advising FieldHaven staff, providing support and funding, and listening to the harrowing stories of people who fled the fire with nothing but the clothes on their backs and their beloved animals.
Many residents could not find their cats as they raced to escape the flames, or they were not home at all when the fire threatened their properties. Alley Cat Allies and FieldHaven Feline Center plan to help those cats who were left behind, and their families, for as long as we are needed. Learn how you can support The Alley Cat Allies® Recovery Center.