CatPAWS’ Fifth Annual Soirée

Over a hundred people gathered in Cypress to back a cat rescue that started with Helen Sanders feeding cats on the rocks along the Seal Beach jetty.

This past Saturday night, over a hundred people filled the ballroom at Navy Golf Course in Cypress for the fifth annual Le Chic Chat Soirée. The evening was the yearly fundraiser for Helen Sanders CatPAWS, the rescue carrying on its late founder's work, and its theme celebrated everyday heroes.

CatPAWS grew out of one woman’s commitment to cats living along the Seal Beach jetty. Helen Sanders fed close to 200 “jetty cats” on the rocks and arranged to have them spayed or neutered and vaccinated.

After Helen died, Annelle Baum and Deborah Felin-Magaldi carried that work forward. Since 2010, the nonprofit has pulled at-risk cats from shelters, placed them with fosters and adopters, supported spay-and-neuter services, and provided kitten care kits to people who find litters.

The work reaches beyond finding cats new homes. It includes helping vulnerable kittens survive, providing medical care and reducing the number of unwanted litters.

Behind that work are CatPAWS staff, veterinary partners and volunteers who rescue cats, foster them and help community cats through trap-neuter-return, or TNR. Their efforts earned a thank-you from Michelson Found Animals, which recognized CatPAWS as a partner in a broader spay-and-neuter effort across Greater Los Angeles. Together, the organizations involved have helped sterilize thousands of animals since 2023.

Hope Shows What the Donations Can Do

Hope has Manx syndrome, a condition in which her spine did not fully develop. Her case is relatively mild, but she has difficulty moving her rear legs. Her foster parents are taking her to physical therapy to help her cope with the condition.

The Setting With a MISSION

The evening began outside the ballroom, where guests checked in and gathered around tables of silent-auction offerings. There was time to enjoy cheese snacks, catch up with one another and place bids before the ballroom doors opened.

Inside, elegantly decorated tables dressed in white welcomed guests, with bottles of wine and thoughtfully designed thank-you bags adding to the setting. As people found their seats, the gathering moved from conversation and browsing to a shared evening in support of CatPAWS’ rescue mission.

Care Beyond the Clinic

Guests enjoyed a dinner of pasta and vegetables as the program unfolded, featuring Dr. Kwane Stewart, CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year. Through personal stories and video, the veterinarian explored the bond between people and their pets and how a small act of kindness can change both lives.

Worn down by his work at a county shelter and considering resigning, Stewart found renewed purpose after treating a homeless man’s dog for fleas. The man’s gratitude was as much about being noticed as it was about his dog’s recovery. That encounter helped set Stewart on a path of providing veterinary care on the streets.

That spirit continued in the story of Richard, a veteran whose dog needed surgery. Stewart helped raise money for the treatment, and Richard asked that the remaining donations help others afford care for their pets.

Stewart also invited guests to close their eyes and remember a beloved pet. The moment brought his message back to a connection many in the room understood, and to the local rescue organizations, including CatPAWS, working to turn that compassion into care.

Turning Compassion Into Care

The evening’s appeal gave guests a chance to turn their support for CatPAWS into care for more cats. This time, there was no bidding against one another. Guests raised their paddles to pledge a donation at the level they chose.

An anonymous donor had offered to match every donation that night, dollar for dollar, with no limit, the host announced. A $10,000 gift could help pay to spay or neuter 100 cats; with the match, that support could help 200 cats.

The host kept the mood playful, returning to the evening’s theme of the happiness kittens bring. With kittens in the room, he joked, “there’s no chart that can even hold the serotonin.”

Giving at Every Level

The pledges began at $10,000 and moved down through the giving levels. A paddle went up at the opening amount. At $7,500, guests were invited to fund 50 physical therapy sessions, care like the therapy Hope receives.

A $5,000 pledge drew cheers for vaccines that could cover 400 cats with the match. Then there were other examples of what gifts could support, including surgery for a rescued cat, DIY Kitten Care Kits and the care needed to prepare a cat for adoption.

By the time it hit the $100 level for formula and kitten food, the host changed tactics, moving around the room to collect paddles himself.

“I’m going to get a workout in too,” he joked. Then came a surprise: someone had written “$5,000 donation” on theirs.

He wrapped up with, “Any last words before I fall over?”

The Mission in Their Arms

Beyond the pledges, the evening gave guests a chance to meet the kittens their support could help.

“Please turn your attention to our team of professional kitten cuddlers,” came the introduction as caregivers entered the ballroom carrying dozens of kittens in their arms.

With music playing, they made their way among the guests, who could reach out to pet the kittens nestled in their caregivers’ arms. The little faces invited a closer look, a gentle touch and that familiar wish to take one home.

Here was the rescue mission within reach. Behind the pledges and the stories were small lives depending on people willing to care for them. The evening celebrated those people while inviting others to become part of the work.

Helen Sanders CatPAWS

Phone: (562) 489-9268

Mailing address: 1198 East Pacific Coast Highway, Suite D-227, Seal Beach, CA 90740

Website: www.HelenSandersCatPAWS.com

CatPAWS is foster-based. This is a mailing address, not a walk-in shelter.