What is safe-purr at home?
In March 2020, a worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 began resulting in reduced staffing and even less daily care for our shelter animals making them at higher risk of euthanasia. In response to this emergency, The Little Lion Foundation launched a campaign to rally our beautiful community of Long Beach to get each and every feline at City of Long Beach Animal Care Services into the safety of a foster home. While our community was put under strict Safer At Home orders, it was the perfect time to get people fostering an animal in need!
On March 23rd, we put out the call to join us in this mission and the response we received was outstanding. By April 8th, all of the cat kennels were empty!
Since launching this project, we have pulled 26 kitties to safety - many of whom have unforeseen medical needs that we are currently providing. From blind Bear who required an appointment with our eye specialist to Llama who was healing from crush injuries and a broken jaw, our team took it all without hesitation and ensured their needs were met.
While donations are still needed to help us fully cover the cost of medical and daily supplies for the kitties’ ongoing care, this project would not have been possible without the financial help from our friends at FOLBA and a very generous private donor.
Day 1 of SPAH: 7 kitties are leaving the shelter to meet their new foster families!
Day 14 of SPAH: Empty cat kennels lined up outside for disinfection with no cats to fill them!
meet the sAFE-PURR AT HOME kitties:
BEAR, 4Y
Bear is a big boy who is 100% blind due to an overdose of medication during a surgery. It took us some time, but we have worked tirelessly to find the perfect foster home that understands Bear and his needs and he has finally settled in! Bear is currently looking for his forever home! Apply to adopt him here!
LILLY, 2Y
Lilly was brought into the shelter as a heavily pregnant stray. Within days of her arrival to the shelter, her babies were unfortunately aborted and she was slated to be re-released to the outdoor location that she came from. Lilly is shy at first meet, but quickly warms up with a little playtime and fun toys! Lilly is thriving in foster care and is now looking for her a family to call her own! Apply to adopt her here!
SKEETER, 8Y
Skeeter was picked up in the field as a scared and injured stray. He came to the shelter with a severely infected and necrotic wound across his abdomen and hind leg resulting in immediate surgery. He has been healing in foster care and is now stitch free! Skeeter is looking for his forever home now! Apply to adopt him here!
MAYBELINE, 1Y
Maybeline was brought into the shelter as a stray alongside 2 other kitties and was having a very difficult time acclimating to the shelter life. Terrified and alone in her kennel, she did her very best to scare everyone away. After seeing the fear in her eyes, our team knew there was a lovable house cat in there somewhere and were able to place her with an experienced foster home. Within days of being in a home environment surrounded by love, Maybeline has transformed into a cuddly lap cat that craves constant affection. She is ready for her forever family! Apply to adopt her here!
MCCALLISTER, 5Y
McCallister is one of those kitties that is just so misunderstood. Abandoned by his family of 5 years, he is learning to trust again and requires a very gentle and kind hand. After being labelled as fractious and feral at the shelter, we knew finding him the right foster home was imperative to his progress. For the first 3 days in his foster home, all he did was hide, but quickly decided to give his new life a try and has since discovered that humans aren’t so bad! As of now, McCallister is big cuddle bug and will happily lounge with you all day. He is looking for his truly forever home now! Apply to adopt him here!
TONY, 10M
Tony was brought to the shelter with severe matts in his fur and a pretty bad upper respiratory infection. Hidden away in ISO and at risk of euthanasia, he was placed in a foster home almost immediately and has since made a full recovery! Tony is now looking for his forever family! Apply to adopt him here.
ASHLYN, 1Y
Ashlyn was rescued after 6 long months in a shelter kennel. Overcoming ringworm and the constant fear of euthanasia looming, she never lost her sweet disposition and gentle spirit. Since coming to rescue on March 23rd, Ashlyn is now happy in her forever home!
GINGERBREAD, 2Y
Gingerbread was rescued after 7 months in a shelter kennel. Within that time, this girl gave birth and lost all of her kittens. Gingerbread is still looking for her forever home through Helen Woodward Animal Center!
JETT, 2Y
Jett was rescued straight from the ISO room at the shelter. He had come in with severe dermatitis and was suffering from an upper respiratory infection. Jett is still looking for his forever home through Helen Woodward Animal Center.
SPICOLI, 5Y
Spicoli came to the shelter with a severe case of mange and spent 5 weeks in the ISO room undergoing treatment. Living in a shelter kennel is hard and Spicoli a very misunderstood boy. He craves attention and is an affectionate boy - which he rarely received due to the giant “Caution” sign that was taped to his kennel door. Spicoli is looking for a special adopter that is willing to give him the space and time that he needs to learn to trust again. He is available for adoption now! Apply to adopt him here.
TAMMY, 4Y
Tammy was picked up in the field in mid-February and came into the shelter with a severe skin allergy. Tammy is all healed up now and ready to find her forever home! Apply to adopt Tammy now!
ESMERALDA & JUJU, 7Y
This bonded pair were owner surrendered to the shelter after 7 long years in the place they called home. Shut down at the shelter, our team worked tirelessly to find a wonderful foster home for them where they can stay together. They are now available for adoption through Helen Woodward Animal Center.
BARNEY, 8Y
Barney was brought into the shelter as an FIV+/FELV+ kitty who was also suffering from a severe case of lice. We found him an amazing foster home with no other kitties and he immediately turned into a lovebug! Barney is currently on a trial adoption!
MERDOCK, 1Y
Merdock was rescued straight out of the shelter’s feral room and he is anything but feral. Labelled as fractious and aggressive, this boy was slated to be re-released to the outdoor location where he originally came from. With a gentle hand and a caring voice, Merdock quickly realized humans = love! He is now happily in his forever home!
LUNA, 12Y
Luna was amongst a select few that just really wrecked our hearts. She was owner surrendered to the shelter after 12 years in the only home she’d ever known. She was deteriorating in the shelter and had quit eating. Our team got her to safety and she came out of her shell almost instantly! She is now available for adoption through Helen Woodward Animal Center.
BELLA, 10Y
Sweet Bella was owner surrendered to the shelter with necrotic and cancerous ears. She received immediate surgery to remove the cancerous tissue and was stuck in the feral room. When we pulled her out of the shelter and took to the vets at Milo’s Sanctuary, it was discovered that she was now suffering from severe inner ear infections and needs another surgery to remove the rest of the cancerous masses. Bella is still in rescue and will be looking for her truly forever home soon!
PEBBLES, 1Y
Pebbles was brought to the shelter as a stray and had been kenneled with another kitty that made life miserable as they did not get along. Scared and cornered, Pebbles began shutting down in the shelter environment. She is now on trial adoption and has been settling into her new home beautifully!
LLAMA, 1Y
Llama was picked up in the field as an injured stray. She had somehow become stuck between a wall and an automatic gate - essentially crushing her tiny body. She spent a week at the emergency vet, undergoing multiple surgeries to fix her many wounds. With multiple crush injuries and a fractured jaw, we were all shocked to see her make it out alive! Llama has since made a full recovery and is happily in her forever home!
BEAN, 1Y
Bean is a very shy girl that wasn’t handling life in a shelter kennel well. She is a shy girl that requires lots of patience and a loving hand, but once she knows you, she is a sweetheart! Bean is looking for her forever family now! Apply to adopt her here.
LOOSEY GOOSEY, 1Y
Loosey Goosey was brought to the shelter as a stray with some injuries to her ears. She was pulled into the shelter’s onsite adoption center at Pet Food Express where she stayed for about a month. Loosey Goosey has now been adopted into a wonderful forever family!