A blog by April
Bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes to rescues. One example is The Little Lion Foundation in Long Beach, CA. Since 2016 they have grown and partnered with local businesses and agencies to expand services for owned and community cats. They offer low-cost wellness services for owned cats and FREE Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return for community cats. Here is some information from their website “littlelionfoundation.org”:
The Little Lion Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2016. We are dedicated to saving the lives of orphaned, underaged kittens that would other wise be killed at our local shelters. Our Mission: To stop the needless killing of underaged kittens at our local shelter and to educate our community on how they can help save an innocent life. The Little Lion Foundation is an all-volunteer run non-profit dedicated to saving and improving the lives of cats through targeted programs, education and partnerships, with a focus on eliminating euthanasia of healthy, at risk and/or treatable cat and kittens in public shelters. Our team is committed to providing quality care to every animal we help, and volunteers work tirelessly to help make the world a better place for cats in need.
Why Kittens? A popular belief about our shelter system is that those adorable, tiny kittens or stray unowned cats will be safe, taken care of and adopted out if taken to an animal shelter.. and unfortunately, that is not the case. In fact, most kittens under 8 weeks of age are euthanized upon intake or on the same day and the shelters do not have the ability to care for the amount of animals that end up in shelters. The Little Lion Foundation is trying to change that!
What is a Community Cat? A community free-roaming cat is a cat that lives outdoors and has no single owner but is cared for by the community. These cats may be feral (unsocialized to humans), semi-feral, or friendly strays that rely on food, shelter, and care provided by residents, businesses, or dedicated caregivers. Community free-roaming cats are often part of established colonies and may have been abandoned, lost, or born outside.
Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) Many of these cats are managed through TNVR programs, where they are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their outdoor homes. A fixed community cat will have an ear tip—a small, painless removal of the tip of one ear—which serves as a universal sign that the cat has been sterilized and does not need to be trapped again. TNVR helps stabilize the population, improves the health of the cats, and reduces behaviors associated with mating, such as fighting and yowling. By supporting community free-roaming cats through TNVR, ongoing care, and responsible colony management, we can create a more humane and sustainable solution for outdoor cats while preventing overpopulation and protecting local wildlife.
Kitten Prevention Program “KPP” was officially formed in 2021 to aid The Little Lion Foundation’s mission of eliminating euthanasia of healthy, at risk and/or treatable cats and kittens in public shelters by addressing the source of the problem — the overpopulation of cats and kittens on the streets.
KPP practices targeted TNVR — a program in which cats living outside in the community are humanely trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, and released back to their outdoor homes. In an effort to make the biggest impact for cats and kittens in need, we focus our TNVR efforts on areas which have data showing the greatest need of sterilization services. LLF pulls data from local shelters to determine which neighborhoods have the highest number of cat/kitten intakes or deceased cats picked up by animal control. Targeting these “Hot Spot” areas allows us to directly reduce shelter intake and, in turn, reduce needless euthanasia at the shelter. Targeted TNVR also allows us to reduce the spread of deadly feline disease and allows us to measure the impact of our TNVR work in the community.
Join the Pride! At The Little Lion Foundation, they know none of their rescue efforts are possible without volunteers and they are always excited to welcome new members to the team! Come down to the Kitten Nursery to care for and socialize kittens while they await their foster or forever home. Or lend a hand right from the comfort of your home by assisting with data entry — volunteer opportunities are endless! With a variety of different programs to choose from, anyone can become a Little Lion Warrior!