Feral Paws Rescue
........Saving Feral Cats (TNR)
When the tea is brought at five o'clock,
and all the neat curtains are drawn with care,
the little black cat with bright green eyes
is suddenly purring there.
At first she pretends, having nothing to do,
she has come in to merely blink at the gate,
but though tea may be late or the milk may be sour,
she is never late.
And presently her agate eyes
take a soft large milky haze,
and in her independent casual glance
becomes a stiff, hard gaze.
Then she stamps her claws or lifts her ears
or twists her tail and begins to stir,
till suddenly all her little body becomes
one breathing, trembling purr.
The children eat and wriggle and laugh;
the two old ladies stroke their silk:
But the cat is grown small and thin with desire,
transformed to a creeping lust for milk.
The white saucer like some full moon descends
at last from the cloud of the table above;
she sighs and dreams and thrills and glows,
transfigured with love.
She nestles over the shining rim,
buries her chin in the creamy sea;
her tail hangs loose; each drowsy paw
is doubled under each bending knee.
A long dim ecstasy holds her life;
her world is an infinite shapeless white,
till her tongue has curled the last holy drop;
then she sinks back into the night.
Draws and dips her body to heap
her sleepy nerves in the great arm-chair,
lies defeated and buried deep
three or four hours unconscious there.
Harold Munro (1879-1932)
Welcome To Our Page Of Loving Memory's
This has to be the hardest page of the website for me to put together. For over the years of the cat program at Avenal State Prison. I have been apart of this cat program from the start. Working with prison officals to get a TNR program started. I have worked with hand and hand so many of the staff and inmates at the prison. So many of the feral cats have been tamed by inmates and staff at the prison. Then placed into loving homes. I recieve phone calls daily asking to adpot one of the prison cats. They become apart of the family that takes them into their homes. They touch the hearts of the loving humans they come in contact with. They have so much love to give to their new human owners. Some of these stories posted on this web page is just heart breaking in their own words that have been sent to me on updates of the special cats they have adpoted.
We try to keep in touch with many of the cats that have been placed into loving homes to live out their lifes. Some over the years we lose contact with. But yet many we still keep in touch. We have decated this page to the loving feral cats that have been rescued from Avenal State Prison to be placed into loving homes and have pass on to the Rainbow Bridge in the Sky. They will wait until the loving humans that loved them so dearly comes to them to love & hold them once again. 
Many of the stories you many read on this web page is from staff that adpoted some of the feral cats at Avenal State Prison or just a stranger that stepped up to adpot one of the special feral cats from Avenal State Prison. Over the years of the feral cat program at Avenal State Prison we have adpoted out 100's of kittens and adult cats feral and non feral to loving homes.
We personally thank each and every one of you that have supported our fight to save the feral cats at Avenal State Prison.
Send Us Your Story!
If you h
ave a cat that has been rescued from Avenal State Prison & has sadly passed away.
Please email me your story and a photo and we will post it on
our web page of In Loving Memory
Email your story to feralpawsrescue@worldnet.att.net
In Loving Memory Of (CBM) Crooked Back Momma
I am sorry to have to tell you,
but CBM passed away last night in her sleep.
May 4, 2007 I am glad that she was
able to spend the last of her life in safety and peace
with me. 
She was getting older and had a very hard life
at the prison. Too many litters of kittens, poor diet
and such. She had not suffered any trauma or shown
any sign of illness. She just seemed to relax and she
even got more friendly. Gregg and I both could just sit
there and pet her. I think that she felt that she was
safe and did not have to be on guard 24/7. She peacefully
passed over in her sleep. Gregg found her this morning.
He had told me that she was getting slower and he
felt that she might leave us. We are both happy that we
could let her spend what little time we could give her in
safety and comfort.
CBM (Crooked Back Momma)
On November 19, 2006 CBM (Crooked Back Momma)
was adopted into a loving home. In fact CBM
was well known at Avenal State Prison.
She lived on Facility Two. She is totally Feral.
Staff & Inmates always looked out for her. For
she was crippled in her back area. She had a very
strange walk to her. That caused her to walk very
slowly and she was always by her self. Never seen
with other cats. As if they knew she was crippled and
didn't want anything to do with her. Medical staff always
went out to her and made sure she was fed daily. So many
wanted to take her home. But she was trap smart and to trap
her was just something that wasn't going to happen.
When the TNR stopped at the prison in February of 2006 .
The prison was starving her to death. When I got CBM in a trap
in August 2006. She was half dead. She is a older cat that has lived
her life at the prison. I was contacted by one of the staff at the prison that
cared for her. On November 16, 2006. They just learned that I had her.
They wanted to Adopt her.
I explained that she was near death when I got her from the prison.
She had went under care of Dr. LeBeuf at Kings Canyon Veterinary Hospital.
She had to have alot of her hair shaved for it was a mess. She was then spayed
and put on medication. She was so starved, and dehirated. She needed much
care. I am so happy to say she was placed with a staff member from
Avenal State Prison on November 19, 2006.
This is the place she belongs! To live her life with someone that cared so
much about her. When I drove up and gave her to this person. They just cried
couldn't believe that they were getting to adopt her. This is a very happy story
or a very special cat.
In Loving Memory Of Snarley
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I would like to express to all that stood beside me during the very hard and tuff times I was going through with my loving cat Snarley,. That I rescured from Avenal State Prison Cat Program over 5 years ago. Snarley became very ill he's liver started to shut down that caused many other medical issues for him about 2 months ago. It was a battle in working with Dr. Holm at Abby Vet in Fresno. To understand why Snarley so healthly all a sudden became weak and ill. I have the up most respect for Dr. Holm's caring for Snarley. He always made Snarley feel special in his care. During Snarleys last month Snarley would see Dr. Holm every week. Dr. Holm would call and ckeck on Snarley as well during the week. Snarley was full of fight and spunk up to the day he passed away in my arms. Snarley would roll over when asked and would give kisses when you asked for one.When Dr Holm was checking him Snarley thought it was play time and would keep rolling over for Dr. Holms He always showed Dr. Holm's his fight and roll over tricks at every visit with Dr. Holm. Even his last visit with Dr. Holm's just two days before he passed away. Snarley wanted to play games in his check up with Dr. Holm's. He had a sprit that was unreal. Many of you got to know Snarley and could see his fight for life and joker he was. On March 12, 2006 Snalrey took his last breath in my arms at 2:30am. It was one of the tuffest times I have had to face. Was having to let go of this special little guy. But now Snarley is in the rainbow bridge in the sky to run and play with all the speical cats. One day our paths will cross again. But until then Snarley will always be in my heart and throughts. Thank you for all that knew Snarley and helped me through this tuff time. Most of all I Thank Dr. Holm for all that he did for Snarley and the respect he gave to Snarley. |
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In Loving Memory Of Freddie
Freddie past away about a month ago. It was really hard on Marc because his father past away about a week before. Marc had come home from his fathers passing. He had boarded Freddie for the week he was gone. He picked Freddie up and brought him home. He said that Freddie was glad to be home. He walked around the house played with his favorite toys and then went to his favorite place to take a nap and never woke up. Marc checked with the place where he boarded him. They said Freddie showed no signs of not feeling well and Marc never saw it either when he brought him home. The boarder said that Freddie was loving and playful the whole time. It was sad for all of us. Freddie had a great life both at the prison and at home. He was a great lucky cat.
This is a very sad story of one of the cats from the prison. That belonged to inmates was hand raised by the inmates from a kitten. In this photo Freddie is laying on a house the inmates made him to stay in when they were not in the area. It was a two story house they built for Freddie. He was one of the first cats to be fixed. Lived at the prison for years. When Warden Kathy Mendoza-Powers stopped the program a Freddie was adopted to a loving new home. About a year ago. Freddie was a inside cat when he was taken home from the prison.In Loving Memory of Shy
It is so sad to tell you we lost Shy last nite. Our hearts are so broken she was such a happy cat. Always playing with the other cats. Always up to some thing to get into trouble. She was a bundle of joy in our home. We will miss her so much. Every one that got to know Shy just though she was the cutest little black bundle of joy. She will never be forgotten in our home.
In Loving Memory of Toula
Toula was a very loving cat. He w
as rescued from Avenal State Prison in August of 2000. He was totally feral when he was removed from the prison. He went to a loving home that worked with him and tamed him. Toula was a inside cat from that point on. On July 19, 2005 when Toula's owner came home from work. They found Toula had passed away in his sleep on the bed next to his toy!
When taken to the vet to see why Toula had passed away. It was found that Toula's heart just gave out. No other health problems were found.
Toula was laid to rest at the Fresno Pet Cemtery 
