The cats are
all our babies
so I think of them
as our family members,
as our babies.
We go in and talk with them
and touch them.
Enlightened viewers,
welcome to today’s
Animal World:
Our Co-Inhabitants
featuring the non-profit
animal sanctuary
Last Hope Cat Kingdom,
the only no-kill
animal shelter
in California, USA’s
Merced County.
Unlike typical pounds
and shelters which
euthanize animals if they
have not been adopted
after a set period, residents
of a no-kill shelter
can stay for life.
Our primary goal is
to get animals adopted.
And we do several hundred
adoptions a year.
But if the animal is
for whatever reason
not adopted,
they will live out their life
here with us.
I just love animals;
that’s why I love
Last Hope Cat Kingdom.
For my birthday
I asked for a donation for
Last Hope Cat Kingdom,
instead of presents.
I collected
more than US$600 for
Last Hope Cat Kingdom.
Cats are treasured friends
and beloved companions
to countless people,
and studies have shown
that caring for a feline
has a constructive effect
on one’s health
and well-being.
Cats are very smart
and they can get you;
they figure you out.
And they figure out
if you like them or not.
If they know
that you like them,
they’ll be around you.
And we can see
differences in the kitties.
You know, sometimes cats,
they look after you
the way a human being
looks after you.
But often,
I look in the cat’s eyes,
I say, “My gosh,”
it’s almost like a person
is in front of you.
Co-founded in 2001
by Atwater resident
Renate Schmitz
and her kindhearted
daughter Mona,
Last Hope Cat Kingdom
rescues, cares for
and finds loving homes
for cats, dogs
and other animals.
From the time
she was a child,
Mona was always
concerned about abused,
neglected and homeless
animals of all kinds,
and wished to have
a large space where she
could look after animals
and give them a good life.
Mona’s dream began to
take shape in 2002 when
she and her mother found
a seven-hectare parcel
of land in Atwater
that could be turned
into a splendid home
for animals.
First we lived
in Winton (California),
and my daughter worked
in a veterinary clinic
where they put
so many animals down
who were healthy.
People didn’t want them.
She brought a cat home,
and finally
we had over 10 cats.
And she said we have to
get a big place.
She said, “Mama,
we have to get a big place
to save the animals.”
She said,
“And it’s so troubling
every day to see
how many animals
get put down because
people have no space.”
And it took us four years
before we finally had
a place for the animals
where cats can move in.
Mona passed away
in 2008.
In her memory
and to fulfill her dream,
Ms. Schmitz,
along with a group of
dedicated volunteers, has
continued and expanded
on her daughter's plan
to create a large haven
for animals.
It began as a cat rescue
when Mona started, but
she started taking in dogs
as well.
And we have horses
and goats and a pig
and some turtles.
And really any kind of
domesticated animals
that are in need
are welcome.
All animals are welcome.
And our place
filled up very fast,
because the community
called constantly …
a woman dies,
she has three cats,
can you take them?
Otherwise
they have to be put down.
Or a gentleman’s
getting sick, and they say,
“I cannot take care of
my animals anymore, but
they’re my best friends.”
And my daughter
was always (saying)
that animals are
our friends, our family.
So we helped the
elderly people first here.
That was always
our priority.
So, that’s how we filled up
our shelter very quick.
We had up to 200 cats.
And pretty soon, it started
that people called us
and said, “You know,
we don’t have the money.
My cat has a broken leg.
Can you help us?”
So what my daughter did,
she took the animals
to the clinic
where she worked and
she took care (of them).
And it felt good
for us to help the cat,
that the cat survived,
and is doing so well.
Feral cats are different
from stray cats
as they have no contact
with humans.
Ferals are born to cats
who once had a home,
but then were abandoned
or are the offspring
of other feral cats.
The feral cats actually
were something
very special that
my daughter took care of.
She started to trap the cats
and she actually got
our volunteers involved,
and sometimes in a day
we had 20 cat traps set.
In one year, my daughter
trapped 800 feral cats.
She made sure that
the animals all got spayed,
that they all
got their shots,
including rabies shots.
And in some places
we released them,
but in other places
we couldn’t release them,
so we found some farmers,
who took some animals in
and we made sure
that they fed them.
And right now our dream
is, it was my daughter’s
dream; we have 18 acres,
and it was
my daughter’s dream to
have everything fenced;
the 18 acres so that
we can have from the
whole (Merced) County
the feral cats when
people don’t want them.
Can you imagine
what a difference
that will make?
Homeless animals
are exposed
to the heat and cold,
receive no medical care,
and do not have
a steady source of food.
To eliminate suffering,
it is important
to be a loving caregiver
and ensure
one’s animal companion
does not have babies
unless all offspring will
be placed in caring homes.
Spay and neuter
Is the key and not
abandoning your animals,
because a single cat can
have many thousands
of kittens, or be the sire
of many thousands
of kittens in his lifetime.
So abandoning
one non-spayed cat can
lead to many thousands
of lives that will be brutal
and short out
on the streets.
So spaying and neutering
and taking care of
your animals is…
the main thing here,
that’s the key.
In addition to
animal rescue,
Last Hope Cat Kingdom
is helping to develop
an innovative community
program which protects
animal companions
and aids young people
coping with
challenging family issues.
Last Hope is involved
in a program….
and it’s in very early stages.
We’re working with
University
of California- Merced
and with Merced County
to create a program
that’s called “Break
the Cycle of Violence.”
And Last Hope’s part
in that is that
we will take in animals
that come from domestic
violence situations,
so that they will be
safely housed here
rather than going to
the pound to be put to sleep.
And then the families
who have been disrupted,
and especially the children,
can come out here and
visit with the animals.
And also they will work
with social workers
and such out here, so…
working with animals
has been proven to help
children learn empathy,
and help them to think of
others besides themselves
and we hope
that this program will
make a big difference
in the county.
What kind of feedback
does the Cat Kingdom
receive from those who
adopt new feline friends
from them?
And we have a lot of people,
they come back
and show us the kitty
or write us the stories,
what the kitty is doing,
and you can see a lot of
people are really in love
with the animals.
And they’re
not only an animal,
they are a family member.
And a lot of people when
they lose their animals,
we meet them too, and
see how sad they are,
because they lost
almost a piece of them.
So, it feels very, very good
when we adopt
an animal out, every time.
It doesn’t matter
if we adopt 10 out, or if
we adopt one in a week.
Every one,
we feel wonderful
that they got a new home,
and a safe home.
In the early morning
hours of Friday,
December 31, 2010,
a fire at
Last Hope Cat Kingdom
that started due to
an electrical failure
caused extensive damage
as firefighters raced to
rescue the feline residents.
All the cat rooms
at the facility
had been thoughtfully
fitted with doors
leading outside, and of
the 150 cats living there,
approximately 80
were saved, but over 60,
many of them seniors,
were too quickly overcome
to escape on their own
and sadly perished.
Upon hearing of
this unfortunate event,
Supreme Master Ching Hai
sent a contribution
of US$10,000
to support the rebuilding
of the sanctuary,
thus helping
Last Hope Cat Kingdom
continue its wonderful work.
On Supreme Master
Ching Hai’s behalf,
our local
Association members
presented the check
to Renate Schmitz.
They also provided
a delicious vegan lunch
to the sanctuary staff.
Supreme Master Ching Hai,
thank you so much
for this check
for the US$10,000.
It will make
a big, big difference here
in our animals’ lives.
We will make more fencing,
so that we can
save more animals’ lives.
We will have more homes
for feral cats here.
Thank you.
If you could be here,
I would hug you
and thank you..
We have around 50 animals
in foster homes now.
So as soon as we recover
with everything and rebuild
we will be open again
for the community;
people when they cannot
keep the animals and that.
We’ll be open again
to take the animals in.
It means the world to us
to have this gift from you,
Supreme Master
Ching Hai.
We appreciate it
so deeply. Thank you.
Thank you
Supreme Master Ching Hai!
To express
their gratefulness
for the support,
Last Hope Cat Kingdom
created
a beautiful certificate
of appreciation for
Supreme Master Ching Hai.
We have (a certificate
of) appreciation from
Last Hope Cat Kingdom to
Supreme Master Ching Hai.
And thank you so much
a thousand times.
With sincerest gratitude
to the Supreme Master
Ching Hai
International Association
for your compassionate
gift to the animals of the
Last Hope Cat Kingdom,
January 2011,
Atwater, California.
Renate Schmitz and
Last Hope Cat Kingdom
staff, thank you
for all you are doing
for vulnerable cats
and other animals
in Merced County.
May the sanctuary
always be aided in
its life-protecting mission
through the blessings
of Heaven.
For more details on
Last Hope Cat Kingdom,
please visit:
Noble viewers, thank you
for joining us today on
Animal World:
Our Co-Inhabitants.
Coming up next is
Enlightening Entertainment,
after Noteworthy News.
May Divine love
forever shine on all lives.