Cats come in a wide variety of breeds and colors. Homeless cats especially can be a motley sort, generally being the offspring of many different kinds of breeds all intermingling. At our morning check-in, we ask trappers to list each cat’s color and breed, as these descriptions help us keep accountability for the cat as he/she goes through our clinic for the day. Here are some common color, breed descriptions, and terms that you may hear us use.
Solid
All over solid color; no striping whatsoever. You can have solid greys (also called …

By Minoo Rahbar
June 1, 2010
Early one morning, Charlie was transported to FixNation, along with ten other feral cats from our colony. We knew he was in bad shape just by looking at him. By mid-morning, we received a phone call from the FixNation staff. We were expecting to hear that Charlie may need to be humanely euthanized. Instead, much to our surprise and absolute delight, the amazing medical team at FixNation had called to say that the abnormality on Charlie’s head was not due to a tumor or growth as …

This is one of our very favorite letters ever. It’s from a 12-year old girl who obviously has a very bright future as a trapper!

Mange is a very common issue with feral and stray cats. We frequently see cats coming into our clinic with varying degrees of mange. To the novice trapper, this skin disease can look pretty alarming. However, our seasoned veterans know this is a very treatable disease, and while it’s uncomfortable for the cat, it can get turned around with a little extra care and attention.
Mange is caused by a parasite, or a very small bug. These parasites actually live and feed on the cat, who acts as a “host”. The …

After seeing a little black tuxedo cat in an apartment parking lot for many months…hungry, thirsty, cold and battered by tenants and their dogs, Lisa Garcia decided it was high time to bring this baby in. She called FixNation to get the kitty in for a spay/neuter appointment and to get doctored up.
Lisa dropped the cat off at FixNation on her appointment day, and by late morning, the FixNation staff called Lisa informing her that the cat was already microchipped!
FixNation tried to contacting the owner but to no avail. So …

We had six very successful Best Friends Catnippers clinics in 2010, 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 sincerely.
Best Friends Catnippers dates for 2011 (all Sundays):

January 9
March 13
May 15
July 10
September 11
November 13

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 clinic without a confirmed reservation. To complete an initial Feral Cat Application, go …

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, …

What Is Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)?
By Dr. Amanda Page
What is Feline Immunodeficiency Virus?
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), also known as Feline AIDS, 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 3.5% of cats in the western United States are infected with FIV.
How does FIV cause disease?
FIV causes suppression of the immune system by attacking important cells of the cat’s immune system which protect the cat from common infectious agents (bacteria, viruses, …

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 …

The Station Fire is the largest fire southern California has seen in over 100 years. The fire raged across La Canada, Pasadena and surrounding areas north of Los Angeles in August and September of this year, and destroyed over 140,000 acres of land and hundreds of homes. Two firefighters lost their lives, and countless animals were displaced and killed during the horrific inferno. It took until mid October to fully contain the blaze.
During the period of mandatory evacuation in many of the areas, tiny little Ember was found. She was …