FieldHaven Hosts Fundraiser to Honor Firefighters

This past Saturday FieldHaven volunteers rolled out the red carpet for the community! I am, once again, in awe of the dedication and energy of this group of people. Led by volunteer, foster mom and "drill sargeant" Penny Dougherty, the volunteers had FieldHaven ready for a party in first class style.

The gardens surrounding the Cat Trailer were flourishing, the Cat Trailer itself was spotless, the kitties content and well-groomed, the food scrumptious, the information booths welcoming and the grounds organized for a great party! You are all inspiring, generous souls. Thank you so much.

Here is a link to photos of the event: http://albums.phanfare.com/5299533/2846916

And, here is an article submitted to the local media:

Friends and Neighbors of FieldHaven Honor Firefighters

In spite of the cool, windy weather about 200 people attended a community fundraiser at FieldHaven in rural Lincoln on Saturday evening. The event, organized by the volunteers of FieldHaven Feline Rescue honored the firefighters and other emergency personnel who fought the Gladding Fire on Labor Day September 1.

The fire began near Gladding Road and, fueled by strong winds, quickly covered 5 miles of Lincoln before being brought under control near Virginiatown Road, just east of FieldHaven. Approximately 960 acres were burned, destroying or damaging 16 homes and outbuildings.

Helen and Harley Hutchinson, who lost their home, attended the fundraiser on Saturday evening.

Special guest, Lindsey Bostick Duerst, daughter of Fire Captain, Warren Bostick, sang the national anthem.

More than $3500 was raised at the event on Saturday evening. Ongoing donations are being accepted in a special account for the Gladding Fire Fund set up at River City Bank in Lincoln.

Firefighters from several Placer County agencies attended the event and received accolades from everyone for their diligence and hard work to bring the fire under control. Without their dedication and expertise the fire could have easily been a much larger disaster.

Placer County Animal Services also attended to educate attendees on disaster preparedness for pets and livestock. Because of the rural location of the fire, many animals were affected and PCAS coordinated the efforts to evacuate and shelter the 4 legged victims.

A special animal guest was Flame, an orange tabby cat found near Gladding Road several days after the fire. He was taken into custody by PCAS and was hospitalized for nearly a week with severely burned feet and an eye injury. To date no one has come forward to claim Flame. He is now completely recovered and, as of Saturday, has been transferred to FieldHaven where he is available for adoption.

Please visit http://www.fieldhaven.com/ for more information.

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Joy Smith
joy@fieldhaven.com
916-434-6122

Big Red - Through the Fire!!

This morning I received a glorious call from Helen – one of her kitties, Big Red had returned and she was able to secure him in a carrier!

She brought him over to FieldHaven where a quick exam revealed a very healthy kitty who came through the fire with just some minor burns on the pads of his feet and a very dirty, smokey smelling coat. After a bath, Big Red was looking and smelling a whole lot cleaner. Helen and I thought maybe we should rename him Flame!

Big Red is going to need to stay at FieldHaven for awhile because he has no place to live. He was an outdoor cat at Helen and Harley’s ranch but all of his habitats – sheds, the back porch to the house, Helen’s kitty house – had all been leveled by the fire along with the main house.

Helen has sighted at least one other kitty and we are confident the others are nearby. Just too scared or disoriented to show their whiskers just yet. After all, everything they know has been burned beyond recognition. There aren’t even any familiar smells to reassure them.

Helen and Harley have moved a small travel trailer onto the property while decide what to do about replacing their house. But, there’s no place for the outdoor kitties.

Sooo, what we need to do is have an old-fashioned Barn …make that Cattery…Raising for Helen’s kitties!

So, folks, we need to coordinate a plan to get this project going…. Are you in? If you are, here’s some ideas for getting this project off the ground:

• Does anyone have a contact to see if we can get a Tuff Shed or similar pre-fabricated shed donated?
  



• Can someone contact Lowe’s and Home Depot to see about getting some building supplies donated:
  · Lumber
  · Hardware
  · Chicken wire (for an outdoor habitat area)
  · What else??



• Supplies for the kitties – beds, litter pans, cat trees, etc



• We need some people with building skills to help construct the habitat once we have all the supplies.
  
  Helen is so touched by everyone’s willingness to help. She has so many things to deal with right now – let’s take this one little worry of where to put her kitties off her “plate”.