Camp Fire Recovery Centre Opens for Rescued Cats in California

Last month, the Camp Fire (named for its origin point in Camp Creek Road, California) destroyed over 14,000 homes in the towns of Paradise, Magalia, and surrounding areas. This has forced many families to flee their homes, and in many cases the urgency of these circumstances prevented pet owners from bringing their beloved animals with them. As of last week, 1000 cats have been rescued from the fire, with the estimate of cats still in need of rescue in the hundreds.

In a valiant effort to rescue cats in need, a recovery centre has been opened by FieldHaven Feline Center through funding and support from the international organization Alley Cat Allies.

“The black kitty is CF110 whom we just found out is Sage. She went home with our family a couple of hours ago. We knew without a doubt that this is Sage. When her family walked into the room and started talking she immediately started talking back to them. A relative saw her picture online when we posted it.” – Joy Smith, Executive Director, FieldHaven Feline Center

The Alley Cat Allies Recovery Center, located in Marysville, California, is meant to help the many feline victims of the Camp Fire that have been rescued from burn areas. Open from 9:00am to 6:00pm seven days a week, this recovery centre works not only to reunite families with their cats through scanning microchips and enlisting a network of volunteers, but is also caring for the untold numbers of community cats that have been injured or displaced due to the Camp Fire. Trappers rescuing cats who are unable to identify their owners can bring them to the recovery centre where they will receive shelter and medical attention.

“This is a charming neutered male trapped on Pacific Drive in Paradise on 12/17 by our trapper Thomas Reeves. In spite of him very obviously being someone’s beloved cat, we have not yet located his owner. Friday morning he received a complimentary spa day. I haven’t seen him yet but am told it took 4 baths to get all the ash and soot off him.” – Joy Smith, Executive Director, FieldHaven Feline Center

“By opening The Alley Cat Allies Recovery Center in Marysville, we have a location that’s out of the disaster zone yet close enough to locations such as Paradise and throughout Butte County that it will be convenient for pet owners to come to the center and reunite with lost pets,” said Joy Smith, executive director of the FieldHaven Feline Center. “Additionally, our temporary transfer station for cats in Paradise will be even closer to affected residents, and we encourage them to check for their cats there before making the drive to Marysville.”

You can contact The Alley Cat Allies Recovery Center by calling 916-434-6022 or visit FieldHaven’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FieldHaven/ for location and more details.

Image Credit: All images courtesy of Alley Cat Allies.