Congratulations to Mindy Norris who won a free outdoor shelter for their colony cats and a bottle of Feral Flower Essence from FixNation board member Jackson Galaxy's Spirit Essences line through FixNation’s National Feral Cat Day story competition! My neighbor and I trap and release the community cats in the ELMM (Ed, Laura, Mindy, Melissa) colony located in northeast Pasadena, California. Our very first attempt resulted in trapping Bobbie, the "queen mom" as we call her. She was quickly lured with tuna and we got her! However, we realized she was pregnant and, not being very experienced trappers at the time, [...]

Congratulations to Karen Paton who won a free outdoor shelter for their colony cats and a bottle of Feral Flower Essence from FixNation board member Jackson Galaxy's Spirit Essences line through FixNation’s National Feral Cat Day story competition! Over twenty years ago my mother began her dedication to loving and caring for her feral colony outside her home. My mother will turn 91 years old this April and has advanced dementia. She however reminds me when it is time to feed her fur babies outside. I believe she knows each one of them and sits in her chair and waits [...]

How did black cats come to be associated with Halloween? It may date back to the ancient Egyptians, who worshipped black cats and considered them sacred (something cats have to this day never forgotten). Cats were so highly revered by the Egyptians, in fact, that killing one was punishable by death and temple priests interpreted their every move as a prophecy. The Egyptians also had a cat-headed goddess named Bastet who ruled the night, and many Egyptian households kept black cats as pets to gain her favor. In more modern times, Pope Gregory IX issued a papal bull in 1232 [...]

As anyone acquainted with a black cat knows, our ebony feline friends are truly wonderful and loving creatures. But did you know that pure black cats are very rare? Most have a few white hairs somewhere on their body. Here are some more fun facts about black cats: Fishermen and sailors traditionally believed that having a black cat onboard ensured a safe journey home. (Bonus: fewer rats, too!) English sailors in particular believed that keeping their onboard cat happy would ensure good weather at sea, and would watch how the cat groomed himself to foretell the weather. 18th-century pirates had [...]

Close your eyes and imagine it: A colony of feral cats living in your neighborhood. Day after day they appear, malnourished, breeding and uncared for. A compassionate person notices them; a person with a tender heart. She knows they are souls with heartbeats, and that these kitties matter, but she doesn’t quite know what to do about them. Now open your eyes and look at this picture. There must have been close to 16 community cats residing in Debbie and John Parish’s yard and neighborhood. After being trained at FixNation, they decided to try to help this colony and do some [...]