’Tain’t nothin’ but sorrow, ’tain’t nothin’ but loss.”

Horsefeathers.

Those lines from Nancy Byrd Turner’s 1926 poem mirror a similar misguided attitude toward black cats—at worst, evil harbingers of bad luck, and at best, less than desirable as a choice for a kitty. David Markland, the lurker behind the threshold of this year’s scarefest, “Midsummer Scream” (see “Boo-ya: Meet David Markland, the Hollywood Resident Behind Long Beach’s Midsummer Scream”) and a connoisseur of creepy, says boo to that as well.

“Once you’re holding a kitten, it doesn’t matter what color it is—you’re going to love it no matter what,” Markland said.

Fans of horror and the occult, he said, constitute a crowd full of animal lovers. “We love the black cat—it’s a black sheep, like all of us,” he said.

This year’s “Midsummer Scream” will feature a Black Cat Lounge, which will in turn feature adoptable black cats and, in the spirit of diversity, other colors and patterns, too. The Lounge will effectively belong to the kitties—they’ll roam around, jump on laps, and generally make people giggle.

Some may still have concerns about adopting out the cats to members of this particular group of event-goers, but Markland isn’t, and I’m not, either. Enthusiasts of the eldritch and eerie, he said, are subject to misconceptions similar to those regarding black cats—I can personally vouch for this—and any rumor of atrocities involving harming cats is attributed to either urban legend or an act of cruelty by a bent, nasty person, sectarian or otherwise. Refusal of some shelters to adopt out black cats on Halloween, Markland said, is in several cases motivated by the same practice that people indulge in regarding rabbits and Easter: hundreds of bunnies are dumped a few months after the holiday following the realization of the amount of care that rabbits need to thrive. Same with black cats—after the party’s over and the living Halloween decoration doesn’t fit into the household, they get abandoned or given up, too.

Anyway, it would be folly to cheese off a bunch of animal-loving spell casters and creepers in the dark by harming an animal. And even in the minuscule chance that there’s a potential adopter at the event who shouldn’t own a cat, the all-volunteer Kitten Rescue Los Angeles isn’t about to let him or her take home one of the cats who’ll be at the event—the nonprofit has a strict screening process followed by a home visit or a home delivery. And that’s as it should be.

Kitten Rescue will feature half-off adoption fees at the event: $60 for one kitten, $100 for two. There will be a kindle of 20 cats and kittens at the event; all of them have been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, treated for fleas, tested for FeLV and FIV, and microchipped.

If you like any of these candidates or want to contact Kitten Rescue, email [email protected]. Adoption questionnaires are available at this link.

Meet Spatz, 3 months old and a formal little tuxedo fella. He’s a very busy, playful boy who also enjoys being held. He’s very adventurous and smart, and definitely gives his littermates a run for their money.

Spatz was born in foster care and had really blossomed from a shy little boy into an outgoing young man. He’s also chatty and enjoys telling you about his day. Because he’s so young, he does need a friend. His littermates—Porridge, Dapper, Piccolo and Finch—are also available for adoption.

Aemon, 5 months old, is a shy little mama’s boy. He loves to curl up in tiny places for naps. He’s given his foster mom a couple of heart attacks this way! While he does love to join in the fun with his siblings, he’s the most cautious of the bunch. He tends not to roughhouse as much. He’s quite the explorer, though, and is he first to jump to new heights out of the bunch.

Because he’s more of a quiet old soul, Aemon would do best with an older adult cat that would be a mentor to him, or with one of his siblings—Arya, Theon, Sam or Yara.

And here’s Aemon’s brudder, Sam, also 5 months old. Sam has the cutest face, with little tufts of white in his ears. His favorite time of day is feeding time, and boy, does he let his foster mom know it! He herds her toward the food in the morning and again at night. When the treat bag comes out, he’s beside himself with joy. He takes a minute to warm up to you, but when he does, he wants nothing more than to play. Feather toys are his favorite, followed by hugs and grooming—from him.

Because Sam is young and likes to play, he’d love a friend. Maybe check out one of his siblings——Arya, Aemon, Theon or Yara?

Baklava, 4 months old, is the orange sheep—or more accurately, orange crush—of this glossy little group. He and his littermates were rescued from the South LA City Shelter when they were just one week old. They were bottle-fed, making them incredibly affectionate, outgoing and confident kittens. They are incredibly playful and energetic, and must be adopted either with a playmate or to a home with a high-energy companion kitty.

Baklava is a boisterous boy who loves to romp and wrestle just as much as he loves to cuddle. He purrs up a storm and is always busy pouncing on his siblings! He can’t get enough playtime, but if you manage to wear him out, he’s all snuggles. Baklava is a rough-and-tumble kitten who won’t take no for an answer—when he wants to play, everyone else just has to put up with him!

He needs a high-energy playmate and would love to be adopted with one of his siblings— Cannoli, Linzer and Potica. He’ll play until he is panting, so if you’re looking for a big, burly ball of energy, Baklava is your guy!

Mark Your Calendars (the People Way)

Helen Sanders CatPAWS “Show Us Your Kitties” Calendar Fund-Raiser

To September 1 at this link

$5 donation per initial entry, $1 donation for each subsequent vote

Hey, CatPAWS Community and all fellow Cat Lovers! It is time for you to…Show Us Your Kitties! CatPAWS’ annual Calendar Contest Fund-Raiser has begun! Submit photos of your beautiful cats and kittens for a chance to be featured in the 2018 Show Us Your Kitties Calendar! It’s simple—submit an entry photo of your cat or every cat that has touched your heart. The 12 cats that raise the most donations in the form of votes will have their photos featured as one of the months in the calendar, and the cat or kitten with the most total votes will be featured on the cover. All donations will cover CatPAWS’s rescue efforts and medical bills. Let’s honor all those cats or kittens we’ve been privileged to love and raise money for those who haven’t had the chance yet. Submit your photos here and start voting today!

Drag Queen Bingo Fund-Raiser for Fix Long Beach

Sunday, July 30, 4:00PM, Paradise Bar and Restaurant, 1800 East Broadway, Long Beach

No cover; donation for Bingo cards

Sunday can be a real drag, and that’s a good thing for pets and their owners! Long Beach Pride 2017 Imperial Court Empress Mia Farrow and her entourage will be calling numbers and awarding prizes both silly and sweet. The funds from the event will go toward Fix Long Beach to help people who can’t afford to spay or neuter their cats and dogs. They offer free spay/neuter projects, low-cost vaccines, free microchips and education, which is also free. Drag Queen Bingo offers a lot of fun in the process!

Summer Events with Shelter Pets!

Monday, July 28–Thursday, August 24, Band events’ van arrival at approximately 4:30PM, Movies in the Park’s van arrival at approximately 6:00PM. See schedule for locations.

Events are free; adoption fees apply (senior pets are discounted at $20!)

Don’t you love previews of coming attractions? At this year’s Summer Events at our parks and beaches, you can preview our pets and make room for some of them in your home! ACS’s new mobile vehicle will be attending all of these events before they start and leave when they begin. A heads-up—and a tails up—for you!

Municipal Band events start at 6:30-Van will arrive around 4:30-5:00pm

Movies in the Park start at Dusk (approximately 8:00pm)-Van will arrive around 6-6:30pm

Van is estimated to leave when the event starts.

July Events

7/28—Friday—Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Avenue, Long Beach (Movie in the Park)

7/31—Monday—Ernie McBride Park, 1550 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, (Movie in the Park)

August Events

8/1—Tuesday—Signal Hill, 2175 Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill (National Night Out)

8/4—Friday—El Dorado Park, 2800 N Studebaker Road, Long Beach (Muni Band)

8/10—Thursday—Bixby Park, 130 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach (Movie in the Park)

8/18—Friday—Silverado Park, 1545 W 31st Street, Long Beach (Movie in the Park)

8/24—Scherer Park, 430 E 49th Street, Long Beach (Movie in the Park)

‘Guys and Dolls’ Fund-Raiser for FOLBA

Thursday, July 27, 6:30PM–approximately 11:00PM, Long Beach Playhouse,5021 East Anaheim Street, Long Beach

$30; includes play and reception

We’re willing to gamble that you’ll enjoy yourself at this production of the Tony Award-winning musical Guys and Dolls! Talk about a winning trifecta: a reception with tasty “paw food” and Ralph Brunson’s expert tickles of the ivories; a production of the classic musical based on Damon Runyon’s tales of mugs, hot tomatoes and playing the ponies; and the Dine Out Raffle and Silent Auction and door prize drawing by FOLBA canine volunteer Ruthless McKenzie. All that lettuce from the proceeds goes to FOLBA, Long Beach’s most venerable animal-welfare charity! It’s no sucker’s bet that you’ll have a whoopee of a time!

Pet Adoption Event at PFE

Saturday, August 5, 11:00AM–3:00PM, Pet Food Express, 4220 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach

Adoption fees apply

Find your new BFF and everything that he or she could ever want or need, in one place. Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) and other rescues will be bringing some wonderful dogs ready to go home with their new people. Everything is high quality at Pet Food Express, and that includes the adoptive pets! Check out the Cat Adoption Center, featuring fine felines from Long Beach Animal Care Services and Stray Cat Alliance.

Third Annual Kitty Hall Adoption Event

Friday, August 11, 11:00AM–3:00pm, City Hall, 333 West Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach

Free to greet kitties; adoption fees apply

A full slate of aye votes for the kitties! Mayor Robert Garcia will be hosting Long Beach Animal Care Services’ most successful adoption event! Cast your vote for the best cat (or plural cat) for your loving, forever home!

Fix Long Beach Free Spay/Neuter Clinic

Saturday, August 12, 7:30AM–4:00PM, Houghton Park, 6500 Atlantic Avenue (near Jordan High), Long Beach

Free to qualifying residents; free microchips; low-cost shots ($10 each); $10 flea med doses

The grassroots free spay/neuter organization Fix Long Beach invites you to make an appointment for your unfixed dog, or get vouchers for free procedures for your dog or cat! These clinics are generously sponsored through Hope for Paws and Eldad Hagar.

Visit this link for qualifications and an application for your appointment. There is also a donation button to help Fix Long Beach continue their efforts. Click the organization’s Amazon Wish List link to donate items, or bring them to the event if you find a better deal!

Let’s continue to help make Long Beach no kill, one pet at a time!

Saving Kittens Workshop and “Kitten Shower”

Monday, August 14, 6:00PM–8:00PM, Veterans Park Community Center, 101 East 28th Street, Long Beach

Tickets $10, available at the Kitten Lady website and the Eventbrite link

The Little Lion Foundation, Helen Sanders CatPAWS and City of Long Beach Animal Care Services are teaming up to hold a two-hour information-packed Saving Kittens Workshop with Hannah Shaw, the orphaned-kitten warrior from Kitten Lady. Kitten Season pretty much runs all year long here in Long Beach, and it’s in full swing now—the shelter and rescues are full, and we need people to save the lives of some of the most helpless but promising creatures in the world—neonatal kittens who may have been born just hours before they’ve reached decent human contact. You will learn everything there is to know about saving kittens’ lives in this fun, interactive event! Our friends at Pet Food Express will be there, too! We hope that this event will find lots of fosters hyped and ready to save more tiny lives!

This will also be a Kitten Shower, so please feel free to bring kitten donations such as KMR, bottles you’re your pet-store employee to point out the ones that are used for neonatal kittens), Nulo brand chicken and turkey canned food, baby blankets, and kitten toys! We have 175 seats to fill, and they’ll likely fill up quickly, so claim them now! See event heading for website.

Let’s save some tiny but mighty lives because every cat deserves to roar!

Friends of El Dorado Dog Park Holiday Bone-anza and Calendar Contest

Sunday, November 19, 10AM–4:00PM (Calendar Contest Entry Deadline September 30), El Dorado Dog Park, 7550 East Spring Street, Long Beach

Calendar Contest free to enter: Bone-anza free to attend

Friends of El Dorado Dog Park is announcing its third-nnual Pet Photo Calendar Contest and fundraiser. The top winner will be on the cover page, and the next 12 winners will each have their own calendar month. The Calendar Contest winners will be announced at 11:00AM at the Holiday Bone-Anza. The 2018 calendar will be available to purchase for $20 at the event. Even if your entry isn’t selected as a winner, every dog entered will be spotlighted in the calendar. Application is available here.

This year’s Bone-anza will be a fun-filled event featuring food trucks, vendors for your holiday shopping, contests, a DJ featuring Christmas sounds, elves, your doggie’s photo with Santa, and a silent auction and raffle featuring great gifts from our sponsors.

All proceeds from both the calendar and the event will go to support enhancements of the El Dorado Dog Park.

Ongoing

Free Pet Food Distributions

Papa, a big “teddy bear’ of a dog, sits with his human in Ashlee’s Pet Care station at Beacon for Him.

Beacon for Him has extended an outreach for people experiencing homelessness and their pets. Pet food, primarily dog food, is available at their facility at 439 West Anaheim Street, Mondays from 9:00AM to noon and Saturdays from noon to 3:00PM. A dog-washing station with a stainless-steel tub is also available onsite at these hours. Donations and supplies such as shampoo, flea control and, of course, pet food are always gratefully accepted.

The Pet Food Bank is sponsored by Christian Outreach in Action. COA is located at 515 E 3rd St, Long Beach. Hours are Thursday from 9:00AM to 11:00AM.

Shelter-Enrichment Supplies Needed for ACS Dogs!

Drop-off: Wednesdays through Fridays, 10:00AM–5:30PM and Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00AM–4:00PM, 7700 East Spring Street, Long Beach

Individual donations requested

ACS is continuing our kennel enrichment activities for our canine guests here and could use so more donations (there are plenty for the cats!). Here is what’s needed:

creamy peanut butter

yogurt

beef broth (canned or in the box)

chicken broth (canned or in the box)

incense

carabiner clips (heavy duty)

ice cube trays

Donations are tax deductible. Our pups say thanks so much!

IndieGoGo Fundraiser for Trots Dogs Incorporated

Until beginning of September

Individual donations

Long Beach resident Johanna “JoJo” Stanford started Trots Dogs Inc. in 2009 after being inspired by Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. Stanford says that her goal is “to provide Long Beach with a dog-training facility with structured daycare and boarding that accepts all dogs regardless of temperament or behavior by educating staff, dogs and owners. Our mission is to create a community of people who understand their dogs and want to have a loving, balanced relationship.”

Stanford’s group is looking to purchase about 10,000 square feet of warehouse space with a potty area and are partnering with a design group. Click on the link in the header to find out all the details of this enterprise.

“You’ll be helping us fund a model that could turn a ‘dog-friendly city’ into a city of friendly dogs,” Stanford said. “Imagine the possibilities of having an entire city of balanced dogs who are happy, obedient, well behaved and pay attention.”

spcaLA Friends for Life Summer Camp™ Registration!

Begins April 17, 10:00AM on this link

$350 for each camper

spcaLA Friends for Life Summer Camp is for kids 8 to 13. At camp, kids learn the basics of pet care and responsibility, respect for all animals, and the beginnings of dog training, all while making new friends! There are eight Monday through Friday sessions, running June through August.

Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) Information for Low-Cost Vaccinations and Spay/Neuter Clinics

7700 East Spring Street at entrance to El Dorado Park (no fee for shelter visitors), Long Beach

Prices vary

Vouchers that take a big bite, so to speak, out of the cost of spay/neuter procedures are available at ACS during their public hours. Visit this link for information on clinics that accept the vouchers and for other spay/neuter assistance.

For low-cost vaccines, visit this link. Note that pet owners must be 18 years or older, all pets must be on leashes or in carriers, and only healthy and non-pregnant animals will be vaccinated. Please bring prior vaccination information with you to the clinic. Vaccination and microchip services are provided for pets residing in any city. Licensing is provided for residents within our jurisdiction at Saturday clinics; please bring your renewal notice and rabies certificate with you.