Huge THANK YOU to everybody who helped SOKS in 2025. It was our best year so far! Here are the highlights:
· 937 cats spayed/neutered. Amazing!
· SOKS volunteers did educational outreach: we loaned traps to residents teaching them how to safely and humanly catch stray and feral cats; we also taught a community class about the trap-neuter-release process.
· SOKS volunteers helped with transportation to veterinary clinics when people could not take the cats themselves because of health or work-related issues.
· We found foster homes for cats recovering from medical treatments or kittens too young for adoption. In many cases, SOKS volunteers took the animals into their own homes!
Of course, none of that would be possible without donations which paid for vet fees, medicine, food, gas, equipment, etc. Thank you to our faithful donors: Adrienne, Dogwood Animal Rescue Project, Dolores, Fund 54, Michael, Nancy, Paula, Robert, Thomas, Vicky, Whiskers & Meows.
We are also grateful for help provided by the following organizations:
· Stockton Animal Shelter
· Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
· Animal Protection League
· Abandoned Cat Team
Last but not least, I am grateful for a wonderful group of SOKS core trappers: Barbara, Judy, Vicky, Jeanann, Elizabeth, Tammy, Silvia, Kelly and Monica. I wouldn't be able to do it without you!
Thank you to the many volunteers who took it upon themselves to care for and feed the feral cat colonies in our communities.
You all make a difference. Thank you!
When Katie found Han on the side of a highway in Hawaii, he was a small, wet and dirty kitten. She gave Han a loving home and care.
Because Katie was a responsible pet owner, she took her new cat to a vet where Han got examined and vaccinated. He was also neutered and microchipped.
After a few years in Hawaii, Katie and Han moved to Stockton where her mother lived near the Pacific campus. They stayed there for one year until Katie found her own place in the Quail Lakes neighborhood. The moving date was set for the 4th of July.
They had just arrived at the new apartment, when the Independence Day celebrations started. Han did not care for the loud firework sounds. He got scared and ran in panic!
Katie spent hours searching for Han, but he was nowhere to be found. The next day and for many days after, she kept searching hanging posters in the neighborhood and posting on social media.
She was not giving up. Whenever she would drive to work or to visit family, she was always on the lookout hoping to see Han and bring him back home.
Years passed.
Recently, a friend of mine, who is a cat owner and who helps with TNR and cat adoptions in our community, noticed a beautiful stray cat in her Stockton neighborhood. She made a connection with the animal by feeding it for few days. Eventually, my friend was able to trap the stray and check if it had a microchip. The chip was there, and a quick scan revealed that the cat's name was Han and how to contact his owner.
After four years, Katie and Han were reunited!
There were many tears of relief and joy. Han was back safe with his family which now included Katie's son and a couple other cats. All ended well.
Han’s story is a powerful example of how important it is to microchip your cats and dogs. You can do that at the Stockton Animal Shelter or at special events in and around Stockton.