The Last Hope Cat Kingdom in Atwater, Calif. is still reeling from the devastating electrical fire on December 31 that took the lives of 69 of its precious cats. But the sanctuary says it is overwhelmed by the generosity of individuals and rescue groups from around the world that have sent support.
As just one example, this past Saturday two carloads of food, litter, blankets, towels and medication made their way from the San Francisco Bay Area to the sanctuary, about 120 miles away. The Homeless Cat Network of San Mateo spearheaded the drive, which was so appreciated even local KFSN TV came out to cover the generous effort. In addition to the supplies, one HCN volunteer has raised over $1500 for the sanctuary so far.
Last Hope Cat Kingdom is a much beloved local organization. The sanctuary was established by Renate Schmitz and her daughter Ramona four years ago. Ramona devoted her life to helping abused, neglected, and homeless animals of all kinds. Tragically, two years ago Ramona was shot to death. That left Schmitz with two grandchildren to raise and a determination to continue her daughter’s dream to save animals.
Today the Last Hope Cat Kingdom is the only no-kill shelter in Merced County, which is in the heart of California’s agricultural Central Valley. Last year, the sanctuary through its ambitious adoption program placed 600 cats. If not for Last Hope most of these cats would have no chance. California's Central Valley is one of the country's hardest hit by the economic downturn. Of the 500,000 cats and dogs California euthanizes every year, many of them come from this area.
At this time, many of the remaining cats – there were 140 in total – are in foster care and some are still at local vet offices recovering from smoke inhalation. Some cats and dogs, which the sanctuary also rescues, remain on the property while volunteers are in the process of cleaning up the debris and getting ready to rebuild. The fire was actually contained to one room, the office, but the smoke travelled to four other rooms through the ventilation system. None of the cats who died were burned; they all perished from smoke inhalation.
If you want to donate to this wonderful organization to them get back on its feet and continue saving lives, go to: www.lasthopesanctuary.org/.
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