25 Kittens Were Airlifted to Walnut Creek From Orange County’s Chemical Crisis. Many Are Still Waiting for Homes.
When Orange County’s chemical emergency forced widespread evacuations last month, the ripple effects stretched far beyond the people asked to leave their homes.
Animal shelters were suddenly under added pressure, too.
Now, 25 kittens that were moved north from Southern California during the emergency are settling into life at Joybound People & Pets in Walnut Creek — and a Joybound rep confirmed to Bay Area Telegraph this morning that five are still waiting to find permanent homes.
The kittens arrived at Joybound’s Walnut Creek campus as part of a coordinated effort involving the ASPCA, Orange County Animal Care, and local shelter partners. The goal was not to evacuate the kittens themselves from immediate danger, but to free up desperately needed space at Southern California shelters for pets displaced by the Orange County crisis.
The emergency centered on an overheating chemical tank at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove, where officials feared a possible explosion and ordered tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. Even after the immediate threat eased, local animal shelters were left managing the added strain of caring for pets affected by the disruption.
Joybound stepped in by accepting 25 kittens from Southern California shelters.
Upon arriving in Walnut Creek, the kittens received veterinary exams, vaccinations, deworming treatment, and spay or neuter procedures as needed. Joybound also evaluated and treated any medical concerns identified after intake.
The rescue effort was part of a larger request for help involving more than 100 cats and kittens that needed placement as Orange County shelters worked through capacity challenges.
The good news: most of the kittens have already been adopted!
But as of June 22, Joybound still had five from the transfer in its care. For East Bay families considering a new feline roommate, the timing could be perfect.
Joybound updates its adoptable-animal listings daily, and its Walnut Creek campus at 2890 Mitchell Drive is open for adoptions from noon to 7 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Kittens under six months old have a $175 adoption fee, though adopting two kittens together costs the same.
The kittens may have arrived in Walnut Creek because of a crisis hundreds of miles away. Now, their next chapter could begin much closer to home.
Note: The kittens in the photos above are from the initial batch of 25. The 5 kittens currently available to adopt from that group may not necessarily be the ones in the photos.
