Join this free community event, with food, shopping, kids’ activities, a walkathon and prizes 

By Midge Raymond

One of the goals of Rogue Community Cat Rescue is to “build a community base around animals and people,” says president and executive director Amanda Linnehan.

The organization’s June 28 Miles for Meows walkathon and community event aims at doing just that.

“We wanted a way to get the community more involved in what we’re doing, which is not just cat rescue,” Linnehan says. “The long-term goal of what we’re doing at Rogue Community Cat Rescue is building a tight-knit community so that instead of just single entities, we have a community of rescuers and the ability to reach a bigger audience with education. My goal is to get our entire community of rescue working together so that we make a big impact.” 

Miles for Meows will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, at Fichtner-Mainwaring Park in Medford. With a title sponsorship by Rogue Valley Veterinary Emergency, the event will raise funds for Rogue Community Cat Rescue, which saves feline lives via trap-neuter-return (TNR); rescuing stray, sick and injured cats and kittens; and fostering and adoption, which includes spay/neuter, microchipping and vaccines. The organization also has a community food bank available to anyone struggling to feed their pets or caring for outdoor cat colonies. 

The family-friendly community event is free and open to everyone. In addition to registering for the walk — those who walk can create a team, and cat costumes are welcome — participants can shop, eat and simply enjoy the festivities. 

“Have fun, be outside and get to know each other,” Linnehan says.

Miles for Meows is taking place in the midst of a particularly overwhelming kitten season.

“Kitten season is brutal this year,” says Linnehan, who has 135 cats in her care, with fosters and at her Medford clinic. “It seems to be bigger than last year. The needs seem greater. We field a minimum of 20 phone calls or texts a day, people asking for help. And we just continuously have to reiterate: we are a volunteer organization, and this is not our full-time job. We don’t have the money or the resources to help everybody.”

This is where education and the help of the entire community comes in.

“The more education we have out there, the more people will feel like they can actually do something themselves instead of just handing it off. Half of those calls are for babies, and there are not enough people in any rescue or any organization that can take on the amount of bottle babies that are being ‘found’.”

Linnehan puts the word “found” in quotes because few people realize that even when it seems as though kittens need rescuing, what’s usually best for kittens is to stay with their mothers — even if they’re strays.

“People see these kittens, and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, kittens, I have to save them,’ and they go grab them. But there are not enough bottle feeders in the world for the amount of kittens that need to be bottle fed if everyone scoops up kittens that they find.”

Educating the community about how best to handle stray kittens will go a long way toward taking the pressure off of rescue groups.

“The best thing you can do to help,” Linnehan says, “is leave them with their mom and start socializing them and start trap-training mom so that you can get her fixed before she has another litter.”

Click here for more information on what to do when encountering stray or feral kittens. 

Those attending the June 28 event will have the chance to learn from many local rescues, including SNYP, Friends of the Animals (FOTAS), and Rogue Valley Street Dogs. 

“We’ve invited all of the rescues to be there,” Linnehan says. “I’m hoping that all of the rescues will have a place so we can show a united community gathering.”

Registration for the walkathon begins at 10:30, and the walk starts at 11. A designated route will be marked, and participants can walk as much or as little as they’d like. Click here to sign up to walk, create a team and support other walkers. 

Prizes will be awarded to top fundraising teams, and every registered participant will get a ticket entry for prize drawings. The first 30 people to pre-register for the walkathon will be entered into a Human Bean swag-bag giveaway, and participants can also earn an entry by bringing unopened bags of cat food.

For walkers and non-walkers alike, there will be plenty of food to enjoy, including offerings from Two Feathers Fry Bread, Katz Crepes, Jupiter Cafe, Gobi’s Coffee Bar, Moca’s Birria and Vintage Vibes soda shop, among others. Vendors include Animal Snackers pet treats and other local artists and businesses. Family fun will include games and activities such as water balloons, face-painting and press-on tattoos. 

And save the date for Rogue Community Cat Rescue’s next community event, coming up on September 20. This event will include a “fixathon” for feral cats as well as spay/neuter services for the most vulnerable cat guardians in the community, including those with low incomes or who are unhoused. 

Ashland resident Midge Raymond is co-founder of Ashland Creek Press and author of the novels “Floreana” and “My Last Continent” and co-author of “Devils Island.” Email suggestions and questions for Catty Corner to her at [email protected].