Joy Smith of FieldHaven Feline Center drove to the Stray Cat Alliance in Los Angeles to bring kitties in burn zones to a safe area. Photo courtesy of Fieldhaven Feline Center

LINCOLN, CA (MPG) – On Tuesday, Jan.  21, Joy Smith, founder of FieldHaven Feline Center, and Kathy Leonard, Board of Directors president, loaded up dozens of empty cat carriers and drove to Stray Cat Alliance in Los Angeles. The mission? To pick up nearly 50 cats and bring them back to Placer County, helping to relieve the burden of overcrowded shelters so that their focus could remain on helping cats who are found in the burn zones.

“While FieldHaven is nationally known for fire rescue and recovery, that often takes place later. However, because we wanted to help now, we transferred cats who were ready for adoption to our center instead, freeing up space for animals directly impacted by the fires,” said Smith. “We reached out to our fosters and volunteers, moving as many cats as we could from our shelter into their homes. Then, we contacted Stray Cat Alliance, who needed help, and partnered with Placer County Animals Services to bring a total of 47 cats back here to all of you!”

Animal welfare agencies in Los Angeles are transferring out animals as quickly as possible so they can actively take in victims of the fire—whether pets who were found, or those who were evacuated and now no longer have a home to return to.

“The fires are truly a tragic situation, but it’s important to know that we are not directly taking fire cats themselves—all the cats we took are ready to go home—they did not belong to someone. We are simply helping other groups make space. And interestingly, we experienced exactly what they are going through—two more fires started while we were there!” Smith exclaimed. “We had heard about it, and the winds were heavy, so everyone started getting alerts on their phones. We loaded 47 cats in 45 minutes into our transport trailer—that’s almost one cat per minute! We even had to drive through the fire to get out, which really emphasized how important it is that we are helping.”

Joy, Kathy, and the 47 cats arrived back at FieldHaven around 1 a.m. Jan. 21 to a team of staff and volunteers waiting to help set every cat up in a cozy, safe space until the daylight hours rolled around.

“In the middle of such a tragedy, good does come. We had someone send us a photo of our trailer—they saw us on the freeway! And another person started a fundraiser so that we can continue to help more cats going forward,” Smith said. “It takes a village, and the more of us who work together, the more positive outcomes we can make.”

Here’s how you can help:

• Adopt! See available cats here. Adoptions are first come first served and adoption locations are open all weekend. FieldHaven has 19 of the cats; Placer County Animal Services has 18 cats, and Pets In Need has 10.
• Donate! An incredible FieldHaven fan set up a fundraiser through their employer PG&E, who will match whatever is raised up to $10,000! Because of this amazing opportunity, if you want to donate to help cats, now or in the near future, donations must be made through this link.
• Volunteer! Whether fostering or helping care for cats in the center, volunteers are always needed. Sign up here!

FieldHaven anticipates more transfers in the near future, so for more information, follow their Facebook or Instagram, call 916-434-6022, or visit https://fieldhaven.com/.