Monica called us after no other agency seemed to be able to help. Her grandmother had died and left 19 kittens and five adult cats, none of them fixed. The "kittens" were about five and seven months old. Monica took 14 kittens and the five adults; her sister took five older kittens. Monica has a disability, and her only income is SSI; nevertheless, using vouchers, she managed to get the adults all spayed and neutered.

Monica and her boyfriend Jack live in one room (concrete floor with a bed, second mattress and TV) with access to a toilet in an unheated storage area. Rent is $400 a month. Monica and Jack cared for all the cats in this room, allowing them to go outside for 45 minute breaks during the day, then back inside, and making sure all cats were safe inside overnight, sleeping mattress or bed. Monica told us all cats were healthy, and that she'd treated one kitten for an eye infection and one with an antibiotic for a cough. At the time she called, all cats were symptom free. Monic also worked to be sure all cats were socialized. She knew each cat by name and had a very good sense of the personality and habits of each.

When two older teenagers went into heat, she sequestered them inside part of another trailer so they wouldn't become pregnant.

We assessed our foster space and agreed to take the 14 teenagers. Monica offered to donate $100 to Feline Rescue and would try to donate more in the future from her SSI checks. This was truly an amazing gesture, one we gently declined, asking Monica to use any extra money for the adults she was keeping.

Judy Brown and Mary Foster drove to get what we thought were 14 cats, unaware Monica had just taken the additional five from her sister, who had just been evicted. With the help of Monica and Jack, we packed all 19 in carriers, sometimes four to a large carrier and drove them to Judy's home for assessment. The cats were obviously a little stressed from the drive and from being in a new place, but they all did well, seemed extremely healthy, very friendly... many purred immediately. Cats were larger than we expected, but I believe Monica's age assessment was quite accurate, as she used their tooth development to determine age.

Judy and I had all 19 in her sewing room, trying to sort and name and make a health record for each.

John Brown helped vaccinate and treat each with Advantage and Pyrantel. Barb and Mike Gray arrived to drive some cats to foster homes in Novato and Santa Rosa; other cats stayed north.

Thanks very much to Judy Brown who is always up for a road trip and to Barb Gray for helping find places for these kits to land!

But, the real hero here, in my opinion, is Monica. With very, very limited means, she saved these cats, kept them healthy and socialized and worked persistently until she found help.

Feline Rescue partners with Bennett Valley Pets (Santa Rosa) and Debbie's Pet Boutique (Windsor) where a few of our adoptable cats/kittens stay for a week or two so they can "meet the public." In addition, we hold special mobile adoption events at these two pet shops. We are grateful to the staff at Bennett Valley and Debbie's for giving our rescued cats so much love and attention. And, we appreciate the special events we sponsor together.

Feline Rescue foster mentor Meagan Nelson with three of our
"Opera Kittens" - Pavarotti, Caruso and Sofie - and Santa
himself at a Bennett Valley adoption event December 18.

Feline Rescue held is second annual "Wine Country Cats" Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction at the Geyserville Inn on September 18, 2010. Over 150 guests gathered to celebrate Feline Rescue's three years of rescue work and honor Dr. David McCrystle and Dr. Jessica Klein of the Healdsburg Veterinary Hospital. These veterinarians donated spay/neuter surgeries for over 100 cats and kittens in 2009/2010!

Our silent auction featured artwork from the Erickson Fine Art Gallery in Healdsburg, painter Joe Draegert and his wife jeweler Beth Largen, glass from Valerie Adams and beautiful wood bowls from Paul Maurer.

Our guest wineries were deLorimier Winery, Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery, Sausal Winery, Sbragia Family Winery, and Claude Thomas Wines / Standley Ranch.

The net proceeds from this event were enough to cover approximately one fourth of our veterinary expenses for 2010. Thank you very much to everyone who contributed to this effort!

150 guests dined "under the stars," enjoying
the culinary creations of Chef Danny Nooris.

The Healdsburg High School Jazz Combo
added a wonderful note to the evening.

Drs. Jessica Klein and David McCrystle
were our guests of honor.

Dr. David McCrystle (left) visits with our
2009 award recipient Dr. Edward Biery.

Thomas and Laurel Standley represented their
winery and visited with Madeline Wallace (right).

"It's a dirty job, but somebody has got to do it!" Feline Rescue's emergency response team, Dino & Shay House, received a call about two tiny kittens living in the two foot high crawlspace under a house. The owners of the house had been able to coax one kitten out but the second kitten was unable to find it's way to the opening. Dino tried the first rescue attempt but could not fit through the maze of pipes below the house. Shay, pictured below, was just small enough to squeeze through the pipes and rescue the second kitten. Both kittens are now being nursed back to health by John & Judy Brown, also pictured below, each holding one of the rescued kittens.

The Cloverdale Lions Club hosted an abalone dinner fundraiser for Feline Rescue on November 11, 2009. On January 7, Paul Maurer, chair of the dinner, presented a check to Mary Braem Foster, president, Feline Rescue. The net proceeds from the dinner will be used to spay and neuter approximately 100 cats, an amazing result. Feline Rescue is grateful to the Lions for this very generous donation.