If you've ever heard a plaintive "meow" floating from below your front steps, or up near your rafters, or an empty lot down the street, and you've felt the strong tug it gave your heart, you can consider yourself a sympathetic supporter of the feral feline.
The Kitty Bungalow Charm School for Wayward Cats absolutely is, but founder Shawn Simons couldn't simply let her involvement stop at the heart-tugging, poor-kitty stage. When she heard meowing from a shed near her home, she was inspired to work towards spaying and neutering kittens without a home as well as readying her "students" for forever families through socialization, loving contact, and sweet tending-to.
Her fetchingly named organization has done a lot of good in the realm of helping kitties not have more kitties, as well as become acclimated to human care. And that good continues on Friday, Oct. 16 at the Art District Photo Collective when the Fourth National Feral Cat Day Art Exhibit debuts.
The show, which will feature works from artists like Fubirai (you may know his stunning "Cat Island" snapshots) and photographer of beasties Susan Weingartner, will raise money for Kitty Bungalow's work with the feral cat population of South LA as well as awareness about the issues.
Bonus: There's a "Formerly Feral" amateur photo contest, with a top price of five hundred bucks, so if you have a bewitching picture of your furry little pumpkin, post-rescue, looking comfy and snug on her favorite chair, submit it.
Another bonus: The reception is free.
Another bonus: Kitty Bungalow will "announce the details of their new feral cat initiative, unveiling Trade Tech/Working Cat Program for 2016."
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Another bonus: There will be, at this art reception, "live kitten cuddling." Do we need to type that again, with italics? Live kitten cuddling. These cuddlers will be adoptable, too, if you fall in love. And let's be frank: You'll be halfway to love before you even get your paws on one of these beauties and they put their paws on you for the first time.
Truth? Let's not play games here. You're already a little in love with these cats you haven't yet met.
Although games (of the honest sort) and a raffle and other spirited doings will lend the night whiskery whimsy.
If you can't make it, and you don't have a photograph to submit to the "Formerly Feral" contest, you can always get involved in helping the feral cat population of SoCal via spaying, neutering, and forever-home-ing. Kitty Bungalow loves volunteers who can spend time socializing kitties ahead of adoption.
Where's that heart-tugging meowing coming from? Why right over here.
