Kitty Bungalow & Covid-19
Covid-19 has affected us all. Even before the safe-at-home orders, Kitty Bungalow's Executive Director & Board of Directors decided that it was time to temporarily rethink how we would move through these unprecedented time, as our staff and volunteers are of the utmost importance to us. Since Covid-19 began, we have been very busy trying to find the safest and most responsible way to continue our lifesaving work. Covid-19 might be keeping the humans at bay but not the cats - and the kittens keep coming!
Our signature Trap Neuter Return. (TNR) program is back up and running! Kitty Bungalow has anywhere from 30-70 spay/neuter spots for community cats thanks to Michelson Found Animals, Spay 4 LA, and Pasadena Humane. TNR remains our most important program and focus. Covid-19 temporarily slowed the program but we are making up for lost time.
Kitty Bungalow's Working Cat program has been operating at full capacity throughout Covid. This program can easily observe social distancing rules, keeping staff safe while still saving the lives of our beloved community cats. This program will continue for as long as there are feral at the city shelters to rehome.
The city shelters are currently practicing limited intake so we can continue to expect to see an increase of new enrollees coming in from community members who need our help. All students are being cared for in foster care, and receiving consistent veterinary care. Adoptions have moved to a digital platform and are in full force. Kitty Bungalow's adoption counselors are working harder than ever to accommodate the increased number of interested parties. This is good news for our cats & kittens, as they keep coming, we have hopeful homes for them.
It seems like almost overnight we had to shift our operational strategy, moving most cats off-site and into foster for the safety of our team. But thanks to an outstanding response from staff, volunteers, board members, and the community, Kitty Bungalow is still going strong.
We are still struggling. We had to cancel our largest fundraising events this year, even celebrating our 10th birthday as a non-profit Your financial gifts mean the absolute world to our survival. Our mission is to provide quality care, socialization, and placement for LA's most vulnerable felines and, while Covid-19 has temporarily changed how we do that, we haven't deviated from that mission. It is through continued collaboration and compassion that we will see this through as a community and come out as a stronger organization on the other side. Thank you for your support and for sticking with us through thick and thin. You can expect to see updates as we progress through these unprecedented times.
With Gratitude,
Melanie Wagner, PhD, CPDT-KA (featuring FIP survivor & warrior, Honey)
Executive Director "The Dean"
Kitty Bungalow Charm School for Wayward Cats