Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Snyder.
Hi Robert, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Pet Assistance Foundation has been around for almost 60 years and has branches throughout SoCal, including Palos Verdes. We were at the PV farmers market in 2012 and wandered into Petco to pick up supplies for our own cat. PAF was there for an adoption event when someone walked in with four orphaned kittens. We offered to foster them, and from there continued to increase our involvement.
Our organization promotes spay and neuter activities to reduce pet overpopulation through policy and other initiatives. I am currently running the PV Peninsula/South Bay branch rescue and adoption activities. As a Petco partner, we have a small number of habitats at the Rolling Hills store and weekly adoption events there, but most of our rescues are placed with foster families. We have a strong volunteer core that maintains the habitats and looks after the cats. Many of our volunteers are students from PV high schools.
We receive wonderful support from the rest of the community and are grateful to the support we receive from our many friends on the Hill.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There have been ups and downs. One of the main difficulties is the unpredictable aspect of animal rescue. Some weeks might be very calm, but then others it seems as if the sky is falling. What a lot of people don’t realize is that rescue animals, even if they are coming from a home, often come with a lot of health issues, and this is especially true of kittens, which can be quite fragile until they get stronger and develop a good immune system. Cats on the street face a whole host of obstacles: fleas, parasites, cars, coyotes, food, other cats, etc. Fortunately, most of these problems are fairly easily treatable, and we have a lot of experience doing it.
Everyone who we interact with, be it someone who finds a stray, or is looking to adopt, has different needs, preferences and abilities, so we try to be as accommodating as possible while sticking to our own objectives and best practices.
Today, our most limiting resource is the availability of spay/neuter appointments. A recent survey by a top veterinary medical school listed California as needing 15% more vets than we currently have. All rescue groups feel the pinch, and it was just made a whole lot worse by the pandemic which shut down clinics for a while, and then we were unable to take in cats and get them fixed, with the result that we’ve had a bigger than normal surge in kittens this year. Not that kitten season has ever been truly “normal”.
Our second challenge is getting more cats adopted out. During the height of the pandemic, we saw a lot of adoptions but it’s come down significantly since then. We’re hoping that folks who read this will be inspired to become first-time pet owners or to add to their existing pet family. Contrary to popular belief, cats are quite social and often benefit from a feline friend, but there has to be a good match. This is why we do not split up bonded pairs, which as the name implies are pairs (or sometimes triplets) of cats who really get along and depend on each other for comfort and play.
On the other hand, it’s so rewarding when we’re able to rescue a kitty, nurse him or her back to health, socialize and then give them a forever home with a loving pet parent. Everybody comes out so much happier!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Well, we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. Some of our folks are retired, some are not otherwise conventionally employed, others have regular full-time jobs. I myself am an electrical engineer designing satellites for Northrop Grumman. It’s not an easy balancing act. Especially with the cats, it seems there’s always more to do. But what impresses me is the absolute dedication of everyone involved.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I was extremely fortunate to be mentored by the woman who ran our chapter before me. She had just a tremendous wealth of knowledge about cat care, especially critical care for kittens. She really showed me the ropes about the whole adoption process, and I’m extremely grateful for that.
Nobody wakes up one morning and says, “I’m going to spend all my free time rescuing cats for the rest of my life”. If you’re interested in becoming involved, one of the best ways is to become a foster parent. I would recommend contacting any local rescue group such as ours, I’m sure they would be more than happy to have your help and to teach you as much as you want.
Especially for high school students looking to get into animal care, working through a rescue group is a great way to get experience and is also an excellent reference. One of our volunteers recently won a scholarship to study vet sciences at Cal Poly Pomona, and her work as a foster was one of the key factors in her award.
Contact Info:
- Email: General inquiries: [email protected];
Palos Verdes chapter: [email protected] - Website: Our organization website is petassistancefoundation.org and the PV chapter has its own website, pvcats.org
