Feral Cat Warriors assist Los Angeles shelters amid wildfires
Jeni Henderson
Kingman Miner Jan 15, 2025
KINGMAN — Feral Cat Warriors, a dedicated nonprofit animal rescue organization based in Kingman deployed a team of eight people to Los Angeles Jan. 12 to assist local animal shelters who have found themselves overwhelmed with displaced and injured animals due to the ongoing devastating wildfires.
“In times of such unprecedented disasters, it is crucial for communities to come together to support those in need, including our four-legged friends.” Emily Black, President and Co-founder of Feral Cat Warriors said in a Jan. 10 press release. “By assisting Los Angeles shelters, we not only help the animals but also support the shelter staff and emergency services working tirelessly on the ground. We are calling on our community and supporters to help us make a significant impact during this critical time.”
The organization helped alleviate overcrowded shelters by transferring cats and dogs, providing them with a safe haven and the necessary care, freeing up resources and space in local shelters for animals directly affected by the fires.
Black along with her husband Charles Black, Co-founder Jody Parnell and one volunteer left in the early morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 12 with a personal vehicle and a transport van loaned to them by the Humane Society of Mohave County.
“We met up with two individuals from the Western Arizona Humane Society who were driving the WAHS transport van at the LHC (Lake Havasu City) exit,” Charles said.
Two additional Feral Cat Warriors volunteers were picked up in Needles, California. They then began the nearly five hour drive to Best Friends Adoption Center in L.A.
All the animals from all seven of the L.A. County Animal Services, Pasadena Humane, Angel City Pit Bulls, and other rescues in the L.A. area were brought to Best Friends Adoption Center, Charles said.
Arrangements were made through several emails late in the evening of Jan. 9 with Best Friends Adoption Center. The original plan, he said, was to pick up 75-80 animals (50 plus cats and 26 dogs).
“By 10 p.m. Saturday night, Best Friends only had two cats that needed to be transferred out. A late night call and arrangements were made to come and get approximately 30 cats,” he said. “Those numbers again changed by the time we got to L.A. and we ended up with a total of 48 cats that needed to be transferred.”
Twenty of the cats, some needing special medical attention, stayed with Feral Cat Warriors, eight cats went to the Mohave County Animal Shelter in Kingman and 20 cats went to the Western Arizona Humane Society in Lake Havasu City.
“This is the first time Feral Cat Warriors has been involved in disaster response,” said Charles, who stepped in to take charge of the transfer.
Charles has personally been involved in several disaster responses for animal rescue to include Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Hurricane Maria in 2018, in addition to helping coordinate the transfer of animals from the Maui wildfires.
“I have done it in the past and know how things can rapidly change,” he said.
Feral Cat Warriors has set up an emergency response fund at feralcatwarriors.org/la-wildfires where donors can contribute directly to the animals in their care from the wildfires.
Feral Cat Warriors began in October 2019 as a community T-N-R (Trap – Neuter – Return) program for feral cats in Kingman. FCW became a nonprofit animal rescue in February 2021 and has expanded to all Mohave County and into Laughlin, Nevada and Needles.
According to statistics provided by Feral Cat Warriors, 838 cats were rescued in 2021; 1,716 cats and dogs were rescued in 2022; 1,903 cats and 17 dogs rescued in 2023; and 1,927 cats and dogs were rescued in 2024.
For more information, visit feralcatwarriors.org, email info@feralcatwarriors.org or visit their Facebook at facebook.com/FeralCatWarriorsKingman.