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Calendar of
Events / Information
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Castro Valley Fall Festival Sept 13th and 14th from 10am to 5pm.
Stop by the FOFAS booth located on the Blvd. to view adoptable
animals, visit with volunteers, and purchase FOFAS memorabilia.
FOFAS volunteers will be on hand to answer your questions and hand
out free spay/neuter certificates to area residents.
Saturday Sept 27 from 11am to 4pm "Cross My Path" Black Cat
Adoptathon Pet Food Express 3385 Castro Valley Blvd Castro Valley,
CA 94546. Help spread the word - black cats are NOT bad luck, and
they're NOT just for Halloween! Whether you're looking to adopt a
sable feline (or two!) or would just like to show your support
against feline racism, please stop by and say hello! We will de-bunk
all those old wives tales about black cats - and tell you how they
originally came about. Coffee and Goodies will be served, and there
will be a "wall of fame" for our black cat alumni!
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Computer Software and Hardware Needed
Friends of the Fairmont Animal Shelter
(FOFAS) needs the publics help to update our
computer software and hardware. FOFAS
currently operates on systems reaching 5
years of age and we are in need of a
serious upgrade! If you would like to help us out
by donating a current configuration
desktop computer with an Intel Pentium 4 processor
(or AMD equivalent), XP Pro Software,
512mb DDR (1024mb DDR2 preferred), a 1gb hard
drive, Norton Antivirus protection,
and a 14" screen please contact Paige Bennett at
our financials and maintain our
mailing and donation lists. Donations are fully tax deductible and you will
receive a written letter for tax purposes. FOFAS is hoping to obtain two new
systems to keep us working well into
the future for the animals within our community.
Kittens adopted at the expense of black cats
“Kitten season,” that time of year when cats begin reproducing at
astonishing rates, has begun. If you live in an area populated with
unaltered, homeless cats, you already know this.
While baby kittens are irresistible and adopted quickly, every shelter
worker in the East Bay offers a big “sigh” when asked about kitten season.
The demand on our resources, and the impact on the adoption opportunities
for our existing cats are considerable. It nearly always includes sad
endings for all the older cats that don’t make it as the shelters fill up.
At the top of the list of cats pushed aside are those eponymously named
black cats like “Stormy,” “Blackie,” or “Midnight” and the tuxedo cats
called “Mittens,” “Jeeves,” and “Socks.” Black and white are dominant colors
in the feline world, so these cats are often over represented in shelters
where the offspring of homeless cats end up.
Black cats are sleek and mysterious. Black cats are considered to be
friendly and unflappable characters. Cat aficionados even swear that black
cats are healthier than other cats because of the heartiness of their genes.
“Tuxedo” cats are affectionate lovers of people and other cats alike. They
are always properly dressed for the occasion. The black cat with white
mittens loves to show off his moves just like a conductor leading a
symphony. The bibbed white cat looks like she is ready for a good meal.
No one really knows if these things are true or not, but nearly everybody
carries with them the memory of a special all black or tuxedo cat they have
known.
But when you look into the cat rooms of nearly every shelter in the country,
you may see cage after cage of black or mostly black and white cats. In
fact, they are hard to tell apart from one another to the casual eye.
That is why from April 10th-17th, most of the public and private shelters
across the East Bay are hosting special “black and white” promotions to
encourage adoptions of black, and black and white cats. You may walk into a
shelter this week and find volunteers wearing formal wear, or kennels
decorated with black and white streamers, or adoption gifts accompanying
black and white cat adoptions. You might even score a bottle of bubbly or
sparkling cider.
We figure the audience for the black or black and white cat is the more
discerning pet owner. This would be the person who looks beyond a common
coat to that unique personality that every cat has. If cat ownership
required a license, a fancy-looking cat might be for beginners. This would
be the people who haven’t yet begun to think like a cat, but are in awe of
flashy fur.
But a cat who makes his distinctiveness evident by his one-of-kind
personality, while visually blending in the background with the rest of the
crowd due to his color, is the cat for the caretaker with experience.
The black cat provides a challenge because you have to get to know him
first. You don’t get a read on him just from sight. Like the plain people of
the world, black and black and white cats don’t get an automatic “pass”
based on their looks. Their beauty is relative, dependent on the goodness,
or mischievousness, of their soul.
It is the cat who can even fit in any décor – who can’t accommodate a black
and white accessory in even the most orchestrated living room?
You have a lot of choices this week if you are embarking on your search for
the perfect black or black and white cat. Over ten shelters or rescues will
be showcasing their black, and black and white cats and will be offering
special adoption gifts. You can find them at Alameda City Animal Control,
Berkeley Animal Care and Services, Berkeley East Bay Humane Society, Contra
Costa CountyAnimal Services, East Bay SPCA (in both Oakland and Tri-Valley),
East County Animal Services, Friends of Fairmont Animal Shelter, Hayward
Animal Services, Oakland Animal Services, Tri-City Animal Shelter and
Tri-Valley Animal Rescue. More information is available at eastbayspca.org/events
You might find yourself ready for the next level of advanced cat caretaking.
Blankets Needed
THE FAIRMONT ANIMAL SHELTER IS IN NEED OF BLANKETS (FLEECE PREFERRED),
TOWELS, AND NEWSPAPER TO KEEP KEEP OUR DOGS AND CATS WARM AND
COMFY. DONATIONS MAY BE DROPPED OFF AT THE FAIRMONT ANIMAL SHELTER
MONDAY-SUNDAY 11:30 AM - 5:30 PM.
For additional information visit the Friends of Fairmont Animal
Shelter's web site
Click here >
Have Comments?
If you have any specific concerns or questions on pet care or behavior,
we are happy to hear about them and hope that your concerns will help us
shape articles that are of interest to you (and your pets!) So, please
email your pet questions to us at:
Info@Mycastrovalley.com,
and we will try to focus on those areas of concern to you in future
articles.
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