Latest news with #PasadenaHumane
Newsweek
12-06-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Cat Returned to Shelter for Being Too Needy—Then Everything Changed
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A 7-year-old cat named Art has finally found his forever home after being returned to shelter for being "too needy." Art first arrived at the shelter in California after being found alone in Altadena following the Eaton Fire in January, a spokesperson for the Pasadena Humane, Kevin McManus, told Newsweek. "We suspected that he was an outdoor community cat, but no one came forward to reclaim him. While he was here, he interacted with our volunteers positively, but would occasionally give indications that he was a little nervous with people," McManus said. Art was eventually adopted by an experienced cat owner seeking a chilled-out lap companion, and although the cat did show his sweet side to her, she couldn't deal with his behavior when overstimulated, and decided to take him back to shelter. "He would sometimes play bite or swat at the adopter. She was concerned that she was not the right person for him, and, quite frankly, this was a wise decision as he ultimately (accidentally) bit her to the point of drawing blood," McManus said. So Pasadena Humane took to Facebook to help Art find a better match for his affectionate and playful energy. "If you're looking for a Velcro kitty who always wants to be the center of attention (and will show off his perfectly fluffy belly to make sure that happens), seven-year-old Art is probably the cat for you!" Pasadena Humane said in a post shared on Friday. After the message went viral, Art the cat was quickly adopted by another very experienced family looking to add a new feline to their home. "[They] had a feisty cat previously, so his behavior did not faze them," McManus said. While Art was lucky enough to find a family willing to give him a chance, for many other felines in shelter things don't always go this way. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says that, of the 2.9 million cats that entered U.S. shelters in 2024, about 2.2 million were adopted, 362,000 were returned to their owner or the field, 369,000 were transferred to other organizations, and 273,000 were euthanized. The majority of animals in shelter, about 60 percent, enter as stray; however, almost 30 percent are surrendered by owners who can no longer care for them. An image shared by Pasadena Humane shows Art lying on a bed of towels. An image shared by Pasadena Humane shows Art lying on a bed of towels. @pasadenahumane The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 21,000 likes and 1,900 comments on the platform. One user, Myra Austin Cochran, commented: "Who turns in a cat for 'being too needy?" Lakin Danielle Sizemore posted: "How could a person return him for being too needy? THEY ARE NOT A TRUE CAT PERSON! Because … I beg for my cats to come snuggle with me and they ignore me." Tina Banks added: "A pet that loves you, and loves to be near you and show affection? how hard that must have been for them. Maybe they should just get a pet rock instead." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
CBS News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Cat severely burned in Eaton Fire returns home after four-month hospital stay
Lounging by the window in her cat condo, Skinny Minnie has a new lease on life after the Eaton Fire nearly killed her. "All four legs were insanely, badly burned," owner Mark Pastor said. Her pet parents Pastor and Lisa De Lange said their other cat Bo woke them up meowing at 2:30 a.m. on the night the deadly wildfire started. When they saw the flames burning the back of their home, they realized they had minutes to evacuate, but couldn't find Skinny Minnie. The Eaton Fire destroyed their West Altadena home. For two weeks, the pair worried about their beloved cat's fate. But when their friend sent an unbelievable social media post from the Pasadena Humane Society, their fears vanished when they saw Skinny Minnie in the hands of a celebrity. "It was a picture from Pasadena Humane that Adrien Brody visited the shelter and he was holding her," Pastor said. "And I turned around and I'm going 'Lisa! Lisa!'" They got to the shelter the next morning and reunited with their injured cat. "She was laying there and she actually reached out, like to say 'Mom, look at my booboos," Pastor said. Skinny Minnie had severe burns on her little face, ears, belly, legs and tail. Her paws were so badly burned that they no longer had pads. More than 30 people at the Pasadena Humane Society took care of the injured cat and after four months, she got to come home. "We just can't thank all of them enough," Pastor said. From the veterinarians to the volunteers who comforted Skinny Minnie, the whole team from the humane society sent them home with a card. Pastor and De Lange are thankful for the kindness and while they are heartbroken for the families who lost loved ones, they hope their cat's story of survival helps people persevere through the rebuilding process. "That she's here to help make other people feel better about what happened and see hope," De Lange said. "That's the only thing we can think of cause nobody should go through what she went through." The Pasadena Humane Society said donations form the community are the only reason that Skinny Minnie had a chance to survive.
CBS News
06-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Pasadena Humane hosts Wiggle Waggle Walk & Run to support pets and raise vital funds
Excitement filled the air as the 27th annual Wiggle Waggle Walk & Run kicked off in Pasadena, with thousands of participants and their furry companions bringing an infectious energy to the event. Hosted by Pasadena Humane , the event had already raised an impressive $350,000, with more than 2,000 participants expected to gather at Brookside Park, located at 360 N Arroyo Boulevard, at the Rose Bowl. One of the day's highlights was the highly anticipated doggy costume contest. Registration opens at 8 a.m. on Sunday, with the walk scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. A mobile adoption unit was also on-site, featuring five or six dogs available for adoption right at the event. "There's a lot of dogs and people and a lot of volunteers," said Kristin Sullivan, a volunteer. "There is so much energy, there is so much excitement." For Pasadena Humane, the event is one of their largest annual fundraisers, supporting vital programs like foster care, a kitten nursery, animal ICU, wildlife care, and more, all aimed at saving the lives of animals in the community. "Animals are expensive to care for in kennel. And we have a fantastic community. We have an amazing support group. We are still getting in a number of strays. We are occasionally getting in some custody dogs. The fundraisers are vital to the mission," Sullivan added. The event is of particular importance this year due to the aftermath of the Eaton fire, with Pasadena Humane playing a key role in caring for lost pets. "We are still caring for about 140 animals whose families just don't have a home to go back to. We are doing that at no charge to them, of course, but that is only possible because of the generosity of our community," said Kevin McManus, a spokesperson for Pasadena Humane. "We have participants from all over. We have adopters from all over. We have supporters from all over . . . it is a really fun day, I am so excited."
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bandages removed from paws of bobcat burned in Eaton Fire
A bobcat found dehydrated and burned on all four paws during the Eaton Fire in January has made several steps forward in its recovery, officials said recently. The female bobcat was found in Sierra Madre as the deadly and destructive wildfire raged through the hillsides and nearby communities. 'Our veterinary and wildlife teams cared for her over the coming weeks, changing the bandages on her paws regularly (under sedation) and nursing her back to health,' a Facebook post by Pasadena Human stated last week. Staff minimized their contact with the injured animal while keeping up treatments and allowing the wounds to heal. 'We are so proud of our staff for providing top-notch care while keeping wildlife wild,' the post read. After showing the ability to walk comfortably without the bandages, the bobcat was placed at the California Wildlife Center to continue its recovery in an outdoor space before hopefully being returned to the wild. 'The Eaton Fire had a devastating impact on wild animals, but being a part of their recovery gives us hope for the future of our local ecosystem,' Pasadena Humane stated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
26-03-2025
- General
- Forbes
Shelter Reunites Families With Pets Displaced By L.A. Wildfires
Pasadena Humane took in over 1,500 pets displaced by the Eaton fire that started the evening of ... More January 7, 2025. Now the shelter staff delights in happy reunions and adoptions. As flames from the Eaton fire engulfed a neighborhood in Altadena, California, earlier this year, a family frantically loaded their beloved cat and dog into their car. Suddenly, a neighbor's propane tank exploded — startling Canelo, a pit bull, who jumped out of the vehicle and ran off. His family couldn't find him and had to flee for their lives. A day or two later, someone found Canelo wandering around the burn zone and brought him to Pasadena Humane, a nonprofit animal shelter that serves Altadena, Pasadena and other parts of the San Gabriel Valley devasted by the wildfire. 'He was burned pretty badly,' says Kevin McManus, public relations and communications manager at Pasadena Humane. 'Thankfully, he survived.' Canelo wasn't wearing a collar or microchipped, but the shelter snapped a photo and shared it on the 'found pets' section of their Eaton fire emergency page and got him veterinary care. 'We have an animal ICU here on site, and five full-time veterinarians who work here,' he says. Canelo suffered burns during the Eaton Fire that destroyed his home in Altadena, California. Thanks to the photo, Canelo's family learned he was at Pasadena Humane and came to see him. They'd lost their home to the fire, so the shelter continued to care for Canelo and treat his burned paws and other injuries for nearly a month. When he was ready to leave, the shelter shared a touching reunion video on social media. 'I got to witness when his family came to pick him up to take him home,' McManus says. 'It was just the sweetest. There was not a dry eye in the room. Canelo's whole body was wagging and he was licking the guy's face. The owner said, 'I can buy new things. I can rebuild my home, but I can't buy another Canelo. I can't find another dog like this.' I still get choked up thinking about it.' Canelo is one of over 1,500 pets who landed at Pasadena Humane during the catastrophic Eaton fire, which killed at least 17 people and destroyed more than 9,400 buildings. Pasadena Humane always offers emergency boarding for pets — free of charge — so some animals were temporarily surrendered by evacuees without access to a pet-friendly place to stay. Many others were rescued by firefighters and animal control officers. When the fire erupted on the evening of January 7, shelters throughout the state helped Pasadena Humane make space for an influx of displaced pets by taking around 150 dogs, 50 cats and other pets, like rabbits. The shelter created an emergency hotline for people to report lost, found and left-behind pets, and essentially became a command post to care for displaced pets, with help from other shelters and organizations, including American Humane, K9 Youth Alliance, Marin Humane, ASPCA, Santa Barbara Humane, San Diego Humane Society, Banfield Foundation and VCA Animal Hospitals. Hundreds of volunteers — 'too many to count' — helped sort donations for people affected by the wildfires, clean laundry, direct traffic and do anything that needed to be done to allow shelter staff to focus on caring for the animals coming in, according to McManus. 'We've never taken in that number of animals,' he says. 'All day long, we were just taking in animals, taking in animals, taking in animals. And it was emotionally difficult, but also logistically difficult. We had cats in offices and dogs in crates in our training room, and we were using all the kennels we have in our spay/neuter clinic for housing. We had to be really creative and put animals basically anywhere we could.' So when pets started being reunited with their families, Pasadena Humane would share the good news with the team, which helped boost morale. 'Every time that happened, it was like, 'OK, we're getting closer to getting to some kind of normalcy getting through this crisis,'' he says. 'It was pretty special.' Oreo and Mr. Butter head home with their family after evacuation from the Eaton fire. Like Canelo, many displaced pets suffered burns from the blaze. One cat, Skinny Minnie, was a community cat being fed by a couple hoping to integrate her into their family, which includes two indoor cats. When they had to evacuate, they couldn't find her and had to leave without her. When someone brought Skinny Minnie to Pasadena Humane, she was in such bad shape that she was 'unrecognizable,' according to McManus. 'We had her in an oxygen chamber for a couple of days because she had such bad smoke inhalation,' he recalls. 'She couldn't open her eyes. She had burns on her paws.' Over the course of the next month, whenever Skinny Minnie would get a little better, the shelter would post a new photo of her on its 'found' page. Oscar winner Adrien Brody cuddled the bitty kitty while volunteering, which reportedly helped her relax during her ordeal. Oscar-winner Adrien Brody holds Skinny Minnie at Pasadena Humane earlier this year. Eventually, she'd healed enough that her family could recognize her. 'They had pictures, and she really responded to them,' McManus says. Skinny Minnie is still at the shelter because she's going to need multiple surgeries. 'We're just going to keep doing that until she's as healthy as we can get her,' he says. 'They're such a sweet couple. They come and visit her at least three or four or five times a week and just hang out with her. I'm excited for them to finally be able to take her home.' Skinny Minnie is reunited with her family at Pasadena Humane. Pasadena Humane is still caring for around 150 animals like Skinny Minnie whose families lost their homes. 'Obviously we are not charging people for this,' McManus says. 'This is just something that we do for our community.' So Pasadena Humane welcomes financial donations to help offset costs, as well as volunteers, fosters and adopters. Adopting a shelter dog frees up kennel space for other pets in need. He's incredibly grateful to all the people who have stepped up to help both pets and people affected by the Eaton Fire. It means the world to McManus and the Pasadena Humane team every time there's a happy pet reunion at the shelter. 'It was such a terrible situation and something that we never thought we would have to face on such a scale, so it's a reminder of why we all come to work every day and why we're here for our community,' he says. 'We can't do much about the fire or rebuild people's homes, but we can at least assure people that their animals are in good hands while they're with us, and we're just as excited to see them go home as the people are to get them.'
