What Is Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)?
By Dr. Amanda Page

What is Feline Leukemia Virus?
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) is a serious viral disease that affects ONLY CATS. Fortunately, there are many ways we can protect our cats from exposure to this disease. It is estimated that 2.3% of cats in the western United States are infected with FeLV.
How does FeLV cause disease?
The Feline Leukemia Virus can cause bone marrow suppression. One of the functions of bone marrow is to produce the cells of the immune system that fight off infection. Therefore, …

We are often asked about what kind of traps we recommend for purchase. We are huge fans of Tomahawk live traps. They are fantastic traps that are safe, reliable, easy to use and above all, they are humane so they do not harm cats!
Tomahawk was kind enough to create a custom model just for FixNation. We encourage anyone interested in purchasing their own trap to check out this model. It will last you for years to come, and for trappers of all experience levels, it’s truly a great choice.
Prices start …

FixNation wants you to know about an important development in Los Angeles concerning TNR. Last month a local judge issued a ruling in response to a lawsuit filed against the City of LA by wild bird groups, ordering that the City of Los Angeles is suspended in supporting and promoting Trap-Neuter-Return as a means to help homeless cats.

TNR is a community-based, humane approach to controlling homeless cat overpopulation. It involves concerned citizens humanely trapping feral cats, getting them spayed and neutered (at clinics like FixNation), and then returning them to …

Do you have homeless cats in your neighborhood that you would like to get fixed? Do you have a friendly stray cat that you are concerned about? Have you noticed litters of kittens springing up left and right? Or are you a responsible pet owner and would like to get your cat spayed or neutered? (Or maybe you want to, but you can’t really afford to?)

FixNation is a non-profit organization providing free spay/neuter services for homeless, stray and feral cats, as well as reduced rate spay/neuter services for tame cats. …

Some cats don’t seem to want to go into the trap, no matter how hard you try Here are a few tips and tricks we’ve collected over the years that may help you nab your wily kitty.

Don’t feed – You may need to withhold food for a night or two. Sometimes a cat needs to be really hungry to have incentive to go into the trap. Make sure your neighbors aren’t feeding the cat either; if they tell you it’s not “nice to withhold food, tell them it’s a lot …

FixNation loans out humane traps, carriers and equipment free of charge to the public.
The traps we loan out are humane traps that won’t harm the cats. While the traps may look intimidating, they are actually very safe. Using a humane trap is the safest solution to catch a feral cat – safer for both the cat and for you. It’s also the best way to temporarily house and transport them. Furthermore, it’s safer and easier for our vet techs to anesthetize the cat through a trap, as well as monitor …

FixNation clinic is featured in the recent Best Friends Magazine, 25th anniversary edition. The article is titled “Caring for Community Cats in California” and highlights our East Valley Outreach Project.
Click here to read the entire article.
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2009 issue of Best Friends Magazine. Reprinted with permission from Best Friends Animal Society.

We had six very successful Best Friends Catnippers clinics in 2009, fixing nearly 700 cats in total throughout the year. Way to go Catnippers vets and volunteers! We couldn’t have done it without you, so thank you!

The Best Friends Catnippers clinic schedule for next year, 2010, will be on the following Sundays:

January 10, 2010
March 14, 2010
May 16, 2010
July 11, 2010
September 12, 2010
November 14, 2010

All clinics will be held at FixNation, 7680 Clybourn Ave., L.A., 91352.

An initial application and reservations are required in advance. Please do not bring cats to the …

A feral cat is an outdoor, free-roaming cat who has never been socialized to humans and is living in a “wild” state. This could be a formerly domestic cat who has been abandoned and has reverted back to a “wild” state, or a cat who has been born on the streets and has never had any contact or interaction with humans. (Even though feral cats are wild, they should not be confused with “wildcats” like lynx or bobcats, who are not domestic animals.)

Feral cats are unhandleable. They look like regular …