MEOW...

I have been in California for officially a week now. It was been amazing so far. I have learned so much this first week. Before I tell you what I have been doing, I would like to share about where I am interning at.

I am currently in Ramona, California at The Fund For Animals Wildlife Center. The Fund For Animals was founded by Cleveland Armory in 1967. The Wildlife Center was donated to The Fund For Animals in 1984 and in 2005 They joined The Humane Society of  the United States. The center rehabilitates many native species, and is also a sanctuary to several animals including two mountain lions, a hippo, and several bobcats. The center has seven full time staff and many volunteers. There are currently seven interns working at the center. Each of us not only works, but we must complete an independent project during internship.

For the first week as an intern, you work with the Centers feral cat colony.  Five years ago, the Humane Society of the United States and The Fund For Animals Wildlife Center rescued the cats off of San Nicholas island, 60 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. Forty  feral cats were brought to the center, and a cattery was constructed for them. The cattery consists of four runs and each one has a shelter. The runs have trees for the cats to climb and bushes for them to hide under.

Run 2 in the Cattery

This is where I spent the majority of my time this past week. When I worked with the cats, I would grab the key from the main office and walk down the dirt road. I would first unlock the cat house. This is where we store cat food, toys, medications, enrichment items, dishes, log books, and cleaning supplies. I would check the previous days log to see if there were any issues. Then I would unlock the cattery and go say hi to the cats who were waiting for me at the door. There are currently 38 cats living in the cattery. Once I had said hi to my favorite cats, I would shake out all the outdoor bedding and replace them if necessary. Then it usually was meal time. 

In the mornings, the cats got two cans of wet food. The wet food was placed on about ten plastic plates and dispersed throughout the cattery. They would also get six cups of dry food that was placed in puzzle feeders in each run.

In order to get food, the cats must use their paws to remove the kibble from the holes on the sides. After feeding was done, it was time to clean the litter boxes. During each shift, all the litter boxes in the runs are scooped out. Then depending on which day it is, the litter boxes in a specific run are replaced with clean ones. We also walk each run looking for poop and pick it up with a scooper. Next, we replace all the water bowls with fresh water and do the dishes. Once all the daily chores are done, it is interaction and medication time.

There are five cats that are currently receiving medications. There names are Phoebe, Rocket, Faye, Lady, and Doug. Phoebe has cryptococcus, which is caused by a fungus. She is currently on a treatment and is doing well. Rocket has an injured shoulder. Faye has a tumor on her shoulder and is being watched daily for any changes. Lady and Doug have kidney disease and are on medication.

This is Lady.

This is Doug. He is my favorite cat.

During interaction time, we have a box of treats and we give them to the cats. We also attempt to pet and hold cats that will allow us to. There are a handful of cats that love to interact with the volunteers and will swarm them for treats. Here are some pictures of these cats.

Tau, Nancy, and Red

Nick, Nancy, and Tau

Also during interaction time, we do our daily focus group. This is a way for volunteers to make notes and observations about individual cats. Each day, there is a focus group consisting of five cats. We attempt to find all five cats and make notes about how they are doing and anything unusual we see. It is quite challenging actually because several of the cats look like each other. This is the way that volunteers learn to recognize each individual cat. Here are some more pictures of the cats.

This is red. He loves treats and people

Hiding from the sun

Sleepy  cat

 Today, I had my day off so I went on a hike up Mt. Woodson to Potatoe Chip Rock. The hike is about two miles up a fire service road to the amazing rock. The weather was nice and the scenery was beautiful. It took me about an hour to reach the top.

The trail starts here!

Just in case you get lost

Mt Woodson

The top

View of the valley

How did those rock get like that

Looks like a nose

This is what the mountains look like

Natural Archway

 Once I made it to the top, I made my way down the other side to Potatoe Chip rock. It is quite popular and you have to wait in line to get a photo on the rock.

Potatoe Chip Rock

On the Rock

Hiking Selfie