Two tiny, black kittens were recently paroled to the San Francisco SPCA from their home in a California Department of Corrections facility! Siblings Sing Sing and Folsom were born at the Vallecito Conservation Camp, a minimum-security prison outside Angels' Camp in Calaveras County. A number of kittens at the Camp are being cared for and socialized by some of the approximately 100 inmates at the facillity.
Cindy Garringer, a long-time volunteer at the Calaveras Humane Society who is currently in charge of its cat program, was contacted four months ago by Roland, a state employee from Sacramento. Roland had been sent down to the Vallecito Conservation Camp to deal with a problem of feral cats at the prison. With Cindy's help and advice, Roland initiated a plan to resolve the issue; he now visits the Conservation Camp once a month to supervise the trapping of adult cats, 99% of whom are black because of the particular gene pool of cats at the Camp. These adults are then spayed or neutered and returned to their home at the prison. At the same time, the kittens are removed from their moms and go to live with inmates in their cells for a period of socialization, while kittens that have already been socialized and are old enough to be adopted, are transferred to Cindy at the Humane Society. "I'm so grateful that Roland and the prison make the effort," says Cindy. "We're now hoping to expand the program."
Cindy has already found homes for 10 of the prison kitties, but Sing Sing and Folsom are the first to come to The SF/SPCA. "If the prisoners can work with the kittens they can socialize them and prevent them from becoming feral," explains Cindy. "Some of the prisoners come with Roland when he brings the kittens to me. They're all smiles - they love the program. They feel like they're making a difference."
The love and attention that Sing Sing and Folsom received from their foster-dad at the Vallecito Conservation Camp was apparent when they arrived at The SF/SPCA. Both kittens were relaxed, sweet and friendly. The siblings were briefly fostered with a member of staff so that Sing Sing could catch up with Folsom in the weight department - kittens must be 2 lbs before they can be adopted. As soon as she had put on the extra weight, both kittens were altered, put up for adoption and quickly found new, loving homes.
The Vallecito Conservation Camp/Calaveras Humane Society feral cat program is changing the lives of kittens and inmates alike. It's a win-win situation that proves that love knows no boundaries.
