Five days after the Camp Fire broke out, our Veterinary Clinic took in 17 burned cats. The clinic operated 7 days a week for a month and a half to provide burn care until we were able to decrease those hours based on the progress of our patients. Our veterinarian, Dr. Mariana Turner, did not take a day off until December 16th (she worked 32 days in a row)! We had countless skilled veterinary professionals come to volunteer their time in helping care for the burned cats, including three techs from Washington and Dr. Brenda Motsco who came from Ohio & donated almost a week of her time to us. We also had amazing support from the San Francisco SPCA.

To this day, we have reunited 6 of our burned feline friends with their families – one of the cats was surrendered to us as the owner was unable to keep him. We are still searching for the owners of 10 of the cats. Our Clinic has only housed burned cats, while our Adoption Center (at the same location) is housing owned cats that were transferred from VCA and 27 stray cats from the Del Oro shelter due to their upcoming shut-down.

On November 14th, the Veterinary Clinic also began offering free microchips and core vaccines to those from evacuated areas. To date, we have provided 125 microchips and 296 core vaccines. The services, provided at no cost to survivors, are possible because of our very generous donors. We hope to be able to offer additional services in the future to pets who survived the fire.

If you were affected by the Camp Fire and would like to have your pet microchipped or vaccinated, please contact our Clinic today to schedule an appointment. 530.343.7917 x 202.

After the Camp Fire broke out on November 8th, Butte Humane Society wasn’t sure what role it would play in relief efforts.

On November 10th, just two days after the fire, Butte Humane Society put a call out to our supporters for pet food and supplies, and they answered. It was on that day that the BHS Pet Food & Supply Pantry was born. Our tiny warehouse was soon filled to the brim with everything you could think of for our furry friends who had survived the fire with their humans. We quickly outgrew our warehouse (thanks to the outpouring of support) and moved to a ~5,000 sq. ft. building.

Our records indicate that we have been able to help thousands of humans & their pets. In the first three weeks the pantry was open, we were assisting an average of 200 evacuees daily. Now that things have settled down, we are averaging a visit from 80 to 100 evacuees a day.

For those who don’t know, the BHS Pet Food & Supply Pantry staff is comprised mostly of volunteers. One of those volunteer, Dash, has really gone above & beyond to help make the pantry what it is today. When asked about Dash, Mandy (Pantry Manager) said, “Dash arrived on the day the pantry was moving from our Admin location to our current address on Longfellow. He quickly took charge with his positive and assertive attitude, and helped organize and move donations to our new location. Dash has been a huge help with many aspects of the pantry. As a Team Lead in the dog food section, Dash trains volunteers, keeps his section organized, and is the point person for when someone is asking for a specific type of dog food. Dash always brings a smile when he comes to volunteer. He brings us homemade goodies, and is always eager to help brighten someone’s day. When we are expecting a large donation, Dash is only a phone call away to come help us unload hundreds of dog food bags and other supplies. It is volunteers like Dash that have helped make this pantry to be as successful as it is.”

So, thank you. To our donors & supporters. To our volunteers. NONE of this would be possible without you!

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Gianna started volunteering at BHS in September as a requirement for class, but she plans to keep volunteering for as long as she lives in Chico. Her favorite part about volunteering is knowing that she is a part of something larger in the community. She said, “helping such a great organization behind the scenes is so rewarding!”

She spends most of her time volunteering in the Administration Office because there is always plenty to help with! But, nothing makes her happier than interacting and socializing with both the cats and dogs. They are always so happy to have company, and she loves getting know their personalities.

She has two dogs, Duncan and Bruce (who enjoys sleeping with his tongue out). They’re the highlight of her day, every day.

Thank you for your dedication to BHS, Gianna! We truly appreciate you!

It is often said that pets with a little extra “fluff” just makes them extra cute, but did you know that obesity in cats and dogs can lead to long term medical issues and shorter lifespans? It is estimated that 58% of cats and 53% of dogs in the U.S. are overweight! Dogs and cats that have put on some extra pounds are more likely to suffer from arthritis earlier in life. Cats in particular are also highly susceptible to diabetes, and can have difficulty grooming themselves (which is an essential trait of a healthy cat). Often, contributing factors to having overweight pets are things like over-feeding, “free feeding” (i.e. letting your pet eat as much as they want whenever they want as opposed to have a scheduled feeding time with measured amounts of food based on your pets weight/age), lack of exercise, and giving too many high calorie treats or table scraps. If you think your pet may be overweight, there are some steps you can take to help them slim back down to a healthy weight for their breed. The first step is to make an appointment with a veterinarian to determine just how overweight your pet is, and make sure that there are no underlying health problems that have been caused by their excess weight- that way a plan can be put together to get your pet back on track to a healthy weight. At home, things like increasing activity levels, cutting back on the amount of treats per day, and following a measured guideline for feeding the appropriate amount of calories for the weight your pet should be at are easy and afforadable ways to help cut back on extra pounds. Want more info? Check out this article on the AVMA website! If you would like to set up an exam to assess your pet’s weight and get them on track to better health. Please contact our clinic for an exam at 530.343.7917 x 202.