A Vehicle for Saving Kitties

Hello to all the feline fanciers and animal lovers of all kinds Everywhere! My name is Karen (but please don’t hold that against me!) I live in Lancaster California, Lancaster is a city in the high desert area of Los Angeles County known as the Antelope Valley. While we in Lancaster and the other surrounding communities don’t see too many Antelope anymore we do see a lot of cats. We have a huge cat population but the cats I’m talking about are not the ones fortunate enough to have a home and family. No I am speaking of the stray, abandoned and feral cats who make their homes in alley ways, trailer parks, motel grounds, vacant lots, parking lots, near grocery stores, gas stations and fast food joints.

For the last five years I have found my true calling as an active participant in the Trap Neuter and Return efforts for the Antelope Valley. I was first introduced to TNR work by a woman considered to be somewhat of a legend for her work with homeless cats and she taught me everything I needed to know about TNR and it’s value with regards to the well being of both the community cats and the well being of the community. Her name was Tammy Lance and we became friends and roommates and TNR partners. Hundreds of cats were trapped and fixed as well as vaccinated against rabies and other deadly feline viruses. Then sadly, in early March of 2020, Tammy was diagnosed with colon cancer and by August of 2021 she was reunited with many cats who were anxiously awaiting her arrival at the Rainbow Bridge.

In an effort to see the work she and I both felt so strongly about continue, Tammy left me her 2000 Ford Expedition and I joyfully continued with my TNR Work. I also began transporting cats and kittens to the clinic on behalf of a few cat rescues I’d become friendly with. That then led to me being called in the middle of the night to pick up orphaned kittens or to deliver needed supplies like formula, baby bottles blankets cat litter etc. to foster families. Some of the fosters are old pros but some are nervous new comers who need a few tips and instructions on bottle feeding, bathing, clearing stuffy noses or emotional support when the unthinkable happens and we lose one. I could always be counted on for all of these things. But all of my efforts to offer some small measure of relief to the homeless cats and kittens of the Antelope Valley, cats who struggle daily to stay alive through extreme heat and cold, hunger, dehydration, illness, injury, predators like coyotes, owls, hawks, dogs, automobiles and people who would shoot, poison, or otherwise cause them harm, have recently come to a screeching halt. The expedition has died a noisy death and I am forced to sit idly by while more and more sweet faced kittens are born in bushes, woodpiles, under dumpsters, trailers and mobile homes. Without a vehicle I am a lame duck with a broken heart! So I have come here today to ask for your help. I know things are tight these days but even the smallest donations add up. I just need a decent used car able to safely fit 10 humane traps so that I can continue to lose sleep and not do my dishes because I am too busy following my heart and the love it holds for these beautiful innocent animals. My soul compels me to help them, I just hope I’ve compelled enough of you to help me! Thank you for taking the time to read and consider my request! May the new year see you and yours well!