Have you ever thought about the power you, as an individual, possess? As one person, you have the power to change your life and to affect change in the lives around you. You have the power to help anyone and anything you choose. You have the power to help that stray cat you saw this morning. That’s power.

We invite you to use it, and use it wisely.

When you harness the power of 1, you can help many. At FixNation, we believe in the power of one. It’s why we’re launching our It starts with 1 campaign.  Join us.

Click here to give just $1 to help 1 cat. Share this with a friend and have them give just $1 and ask them to also share.

Before you know it, we’ll reach one hundred, one thousand, maybe even one million.

Mark your calendar to get your grub on with FixNation at the Veggie Grill on Thursday, May 17th from 5pm-11pm!

If you’re already a VG fan, then you know how delicious this evening will be.  If you’re a Veggie Grill virgin, prepare to fall in love!  Tell your friends, carpool, run, don’t walk!  We’ll see you there.

50% of all proceeds from sales will go directly to helping feral cats.

It was a beautiful spring day in L.A. as Dali Colorado and Liz Cava from FixNation traveled to Long Beach to speak to 24 very bright and energetic young children attending a week long humane education camp at the Los Angeles SPCA Humane Education Camp, at the P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village & Education Center.

Although we can’t consider feral cats pets or companion animals, people definitely bond with their backyard stray cats, even though they can’t pick them up or pet them.  We spoke to these kids about how a feral cat colony starts in the first place and the importance of spaying/neutering their own pet cats.  We talked about how cats often get abandoned outdoors, when people lose their jobs, their homes, and move away—leaving their formerly tame pet cats to fend for themselves outdoors.

We talked about how the kittens born to these abandoned former pet cats are born “wild”, and that it can be dangerous to try to pick them up or pet them.  Wild is wild.

We talked about the humane approach of trap-neuter-return (TNR), and how this approach sterilizes the cats, thereby cutting down on the number of homeless kittens born outdoors.

We showed iPhoto and video presentations with many pictures of all the FixNation ferals our trappers have emailed to us—both before being sterilized/vaccinated/eartipped—and after.  The iPhoto presentations have specific songs linked to them.  One of the songs used in the kitten presentation was Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”.  The kids wound up stomping their feet in time to the song.  Dali was pleasantly surprised to see that many of the kids actually knew the words to this vintage Johnny Cash song and sang right along with him.  All the kids verbally ewww’d and awww’d over the kitten pics.

It was great to enlighten these bright kids about feral and stray cats.  We’re also thrilled to report that our presentation and talk was so well-received, we’ve been invited back!

If you’re interested in having FixNation educators present at your school, church, or community group, contact us today!

On Saturday, April 7th, FixNation had the opportunity to join the annual Blessing of the Animals ceremony at Olvera Street / La Placita in Downtown Los Angeles.

The ceremony is held annually, typically on Easter Sunday but also the Saturday prior, and has been a tradition since 1930.  On this beautiful and sunny Saturday, over 2000 people crowded the streets surrounding the Church and Plaza at Olvera Street to celebrate their animals and get them blessed by Cardinal Roger Mahony. This blessing, some believe, will bring their animal’s good health throughout the year.

Prior to the Blessing Ceremony, a procession traveled down Los Angeles Street and around Olvera Plaza, lead by a cow, decorated in flowers. It is said that this cow leads the procession because it is she that brings most to humanity.  A bazaar of animals followed her, including various farm animals, snakes, lizards, birds, dogs, cats and even insects!  (Be sure to check out event photos, below.)

In the main plaza area, FixNation had an outreach table alongside other local animal welfare organizations. We spent the day talking with festival goers about our mission and the importance of spay and neuter and TNR. It was a fun day had by all!

Join FixNation in spreading the word at fun, community events like the Blessing of the Animals.  Email volunteer@fixnation.org to get started!

Recently, video of a hungry black bear nosing around in the suburban La Crescenta foothills made international news, as the bear turned a corner and startled a man texting his boss about the helicopters, police cars and general commotion outside his home. With three tranquilizer darts, the bear was subdued and released deep in the Angeles National Forest, but his excursion to La Crescenta underscores the fact that the neighborhood plays hosts to coyotes and other wildlife.

La Crescenta resident Rob Feldman knows this better than anyone. When his strictly indoor feline Miso accidentally got outside last April, the traumatized cat wouldn’t come back to its home. “She didn’t know to stay by the house, and took off. We spent a lot of time looking for her, and we thought that she’d been eaten, that she had died. We alerted the neighbors, we tried everything we could. And then a month or so later, there were sightings of her in the neighborhood.” Feldman’s three sons “were devastated.”

The family’s cat fancy had begun with a friend’s Tokinese (a stately crossbreed between a Siamese and a Burmese). “We just fell in love with it, and we bought a purebred just like it, and named him Shabu. He was our first cat,” he says. Feldman operates a video service for the law profession. “We realized that we were on the road quite a bit and Shabu needed a friend at home, so we got Miso.”

We all know that cats are wily beasts. One in three household pets in the US will get lost at least once in their lifetime; without the proper identification—microchips and ID tags—90% of lost pets never return home. Miso was microchipped, but, Feldman says, “Eventually we just decided that she wasn’t going to come back to us, and we actually got another cat we named Saki, who got along great with Shabu.”

Miso reunited

Miso welcomed home by Shabu

It’s National Pet ID Week, and Miso’s amazing journey home is purr-oof of the importance of microchipping our furry friends. No more painful to administer than a vaccination, a microchip is an affordable way to help ensure that if your cat or dog goes missing, it (and you) can be identified. Microchips are even better insurance than ID tags because they can’t fall off–in tandem, they provide pet owners with the most piece of mind.

Get your cat (or dog) microchipped at one of FixNation’s upcoming “low-cost vaccination” clinics.  Check the events calendar for dates and details.

Until now, the feral colony at St. James was a model Trap / Neuter / Release (TNR) project, but according to rescuers, in recent weeks one groundskeeper at the church hinted that the cats would be poisoned and rescuers were threatened with arrest for trespassing.

All of the cats are vaccinated for rabies and are spayed or neutered, which controls the population.

If you would like to remind the priests of the example set by St. Francis of Assisi and Pope Benedict XVI, and urge them to soften their stance, sign the petition below to email officials at St. James Church, The Archdiocese of New York and the Vatican.

UPDATE – March, 27, 2012

Your voices were heard and a tentative agreement has been reached!

The New York City Feral Cat Initiative and the Archdiocese of New York have agreed to restore daily care and feeding to eight feral cats living at the historic St. James Church in lower Manhattan as part of a spayed and neutered colony.

In a statement, NYCFCI said “The church is setting a fine example of leadership by example with this compassionate and humane consideration for these cats abandoned to the street through no fault of their own. Though not completely resolved, we are confident this will be a win-win for the cats and St. James Church.”

As part of a trial period, both parties agreed that a suitable feeding station and shelters for the cats would be placed on church property along with a litter box.  There will be an onsite meeting with the church pastor and caretakers this week to work out a routine, and the plan will be reevaluated in sixty days.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Great wine, food, music, and the company of passionate animal lovers and advocates — what more could you ask for on a Tuesday night!

FixNation. Committed to Cats. It Starts with One!

Promote Spay and Neuter Awareness by sharing this PSA including Jackson Galaxy, star of Animal Planet’s My Cat from Hell

We have cancelled extended hours on Thursday (until 6pm), due to lack of demand.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Also note that FixNation will be closed on Monday, February 20th in observance of President’s Day.  We will return on Tuesday, February 21st with normal clinic hours.

We are happy to announce that we will begin offering low-cost vaccine and testing clinics again in February, this time joining forces with 1st Care Veterinary Services.  Check the new calendar for details on this and other exciting upcoming events.