Sprawled in the balmy shade of a small compound tucked at 2501 Santa Fe Ave., the grey, slender cat gives mild acknowledgment to Kay Paulino’s coos for his attention. Upon Paulino’s delivery of food, served in the torn half of a Hefty brand Styrofoam to-go container, Ringtail nips demurely at the wet, packed meat. Around them are stacked cans of Friskee, shrink-wrapped in bulk packaging, with bins of dry food, plastic jugs of fresh water and well-torn play structures. Blue and green tarps hang from the corrugated plastic roofing for shade.
For 16 years Paulino and other volunteers with Friends of Feral Cats have used this 20-foot-by-10-foot cinder enclave, originally intended for Dumpsters, as a sanctuary for felines like Ringtail.
The shelter was founded in 1995 by employees of TRW, Inc. – now Northrop Grumman Corp. – which leased the property at 2501 Santa Fe Ave. After meeting with company executives and Redondo Beach Animal Care Services to address a feral cat problem on the grounds, the coalition of employees and TRW executives agreed to the establishment of the shelter in the far reaches of one of the company’s parking lots.
Since then, Friends of Feral Cats, as the group has come to be known, has routinely cleaned the space and kept the colony slaked and fed. The cats have been immunized, spayed and neutered, with clipped ears as indication of this. The group also has a veterinarian on call for emergencies.
The cost of this maintenance adds up to over $4,000 annually, said volunteer Carol Kahler. While businesses such as Petsmart have made donations to the group, such charity is seldom seen, she said.
The group now has less than half the members it had in 1995, with only six or seven volunteers remaining. Fred White, who was a figurehead for the group, was instrumental in founding the shelter and had been active in establishing several other feral cat havens on the property since 1985. White died in 2006.
The feline colony has also dwindled from its original population of over 30 cats, with only seven remaining. Volunteers have named most of them, including Ringtail, Crybaby, Black Cat, and Scruffy (“He looks like he’s in a street fight every night,” Paulino said).
At 19 Ringtail is the oldest, while the youngest is believed to be eight years old. Because of the maturity of the colony, soliciting adopters is very difficult, said Paulino.
Feral cats are also greatly resistant to changes in their living environment. According to Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles, if a colony is moved the cats will try to work their way back to their home in what would likely be a perilous journey.
“The only way to successfully move a feral cat colony is to confine them,” said Bernstein. “You would have to envision a giant outdoor cattery.”
In 2006 an employee of Northrop filed a complaint regarding the animals, and Friends of Feral Cats once again met with executives to discuss the shelter. Upon inspection, the company was very pleased with the way the cats had been handled, Kahler said.
“The cats are allowed to remain on the condition that the property owner does not object,” said Bob Bishop, a spokesman for Northrop.
Feral colonies require ongoing care, said Bernstein, as flea treatments need to be administered monthly and clean living conditions upheld.
“This is exactly how you handle a colony,” she said of the group’s efforts. “They are doing everything right. The fact that they can even handle these cats is a testament to their persistence and caring.”
Kahler retired from TRW in 2003, after 36 years with the company. She recently adopted a nine week old kitten, bringing her family of strays at home to four. Farley, named after a Torrance police officer, is “hell on wheels,” she said.
“Why do it?” she said of volunteering. “Because it’s the human, compassionate thing to do. People can basically take care of themselves, but animals need our help to survive. It’s just part of being a good person.”
Standing in a faded blue American flag tee, camouflage capris and bright colored thongs, Paulino dotes lovingly on her grey slender companion, despite the cat’s neutral stare.
She estimates the colony will die within five to seven years.
“We just want to let our little cats pass away on their own time,” she said.
For more information on Friends of Feral Cats, visit http://hstrial-friendsofferalca.homestead.com/ ER
