O C Small Paws Inc
PROGRAMS
Cat Rescue - Shelters
OCSP Cat Rescue rescues approximately 10% of our cats from high-kill shelters in Orange and Los Angeles counties (90% of our cats are obtained as owner-surrenders or as strays found by members of the community). Almost all cats pulled from these shelters are sick, either with simple illnesses like upper respiratory infections, or major medical issues such as entropion (an eyelid condition), benign tumors, cancer, life-changing orthopedic injuries, and even dog bites. While we would like to pull each and every cat and give them a second chance at a forever home, we must be realistic and pull those cats for whom we have funds. We have committed more than 88% of our budget to the medical care of the cats we rescue. We now have three vet clinics which care for our cats; limiting that number has provided a truly personal relationship with the staff in those offices. Our vets are instructing us daily on how to make practical, humane choices in medical care.
Ideally, the municipal shelter system in California would change from a high-kill situation to a medically-based euthanasia system. If municipal shelters had funds to devote to medical treatment of adoptable cats BEFORE they were pulled by animal rescue groups, we could donate the majority of our funds to general care, fosters, and marketing. Our ideal state would be to spend 25% or less on medical bills and 75-80% on general care, kennel care, and fosters.
Community Awareness - Education
Our group is committed to raising awareness and educating the public about the risks and cruelty associated with declawing.
When declawing becomes illegal in the United States, this program will be a success. Until then, our group provides information to each and every adopter regarding the cruel practice of declawing. We educate people on ways that they can curb unwanted behavior in cats rather than resort to a cruel surgery that can scar a cat for life.
Volunteer / Donor Networking
Volunteers are the backbone of OCSP Cat Rescue. Approximately half of the time our current volunteers donate to the group is dedicated to expanding our network of volunteers and donors. Each and every volunteer gives us the means to save more cats from high-kill shelters environments, as each one brings a skill-set to our group and increases our visibility in the community.
We believe that there are never too many volunteers. Long-term success for our program would be to have so many people volunteer for and fall in love with cat rescue that there would no longer be a need for cat rescue. Ideally, each current volunteer would not only give of their time, but encourage others to do so and therefore increase our number.
Cat Foster
The goal of our Cat Foster Program is to create a network of informed volunteers who open their homes and hearts to homeless cats, socializing them and creating friendly, adoptable pets.
We would like to maintain an even larger foster base than we currently have; that would allow us to immediately serve the needs of owners who need to surrender their pets as well as cats set up for euthanasia in high-kill shelters. Ideally, we would have enough fosters that would always be available to only handle as many fosters as they choose and not feel overwhelmed to take more simply because there is no one else available. A best-case scenario would be to have fosters with no cats already in the home, ready and willing to take on the next homeless cat.
CONTACT
O C Small Paws Inc
17870 Newhope Street
Suite 104-138
Fountain Valley, CA 92708