Meet Our Cats Ace Angel #9: Janice, Fortuna’s Feral Guardian
Sometimes becoming a Cat Angel starts with a single moment when you decide not to keep driving.
For Janice in Fortuna, that moment happened on a quiet rural road lined with redwood trees in Humboldt County.
Every day, she drove past a barn and saw them.
Seventeen or more kittens.
Tiny bodies scattered across the property. No plan. No protection. No future.
People said the man who owned the barn was mean. Most would have kept driving.
Janice did not.
The Deal That Changed Everything
One day, she stopped.
She walked up and asked, “What are you going to do with all those kittens?”
His response: “Kittens? What kittens?”
Instead of arguing, Janice made a deal.
He would pay to have all the adult cats spayed and neutered.
She would take all the kittens.
That one conversation became the beginning of everything.
From that day forward, her work with feral cats only grew.
Seventy Cats. Every Day.
Today, Janice feeds around 70 feral cats daily.
Most live in colonies scattered across the rural landscape of Fortuna. A few live on their own, tucked into quiet corners of the countryside.
Every single one has been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and checked on daily.
She feeds them once a day, every day, making sure each cat is healthy and accounted for.
Because in a place as rural as Humboldt County, survival is not guaranteed.
They Are Not Just “Ferals” They Have Names
Janice does not just feed a colony.
She knows them.
Mr Gray, Cee Cee, Chester, Little One, Mary, Torti,Kitten, Sphinx, Buddy, Gray Ghost
And the two oldest still remaining in the colonies, Baby Girl and Salt and Pepper.
Each name represents a life that could have been forgotten.
Each name means someone is watching out for them.
In a world that often sees feral cats as invisible, Janice sees individuals.
And that changes everything.
The Ranch That Became a Refuge
Janice also rescues kittens from the colonies and stray cats found nearby.
Those who cannot find homes stay with her on the ranch.
There are about 30 permanent residents, many of them there because someone decided to drop off their cat along the roadside and drive away.
Instead of abandoning them again, Janice gave them permanence.
They have all been spayed and neutered.
They hunt rats.
They are fed daily.
They are safe.
This is not a rescue facility.
It is simply her home.
And she shares it.
The Reality of Rural Rescue
Living in Fortuna means beautiful redwood trees, open land, and quiet roads.
It also means limited resources.
Janice’s biggest challenge is simple and constant.
Cat food.
Wet and dry food, every single day, for 70 colony cats plus the 30 on her ranch.
That is not occasional help.
That is a daily commitment.
Rain or shine.
Hot summers or damp coastal winters.
No breaks.
Cats Ace Angel #9: Fortuna’s Feral Guardian
Janice says people just call her “the cat lady.”
But to the cats scattered across barns, ranch land, and redwood lined roads in Humboldt County, she is far more than that.
She is the one who stopped the car.
The one who made the deal.
The one who feeds them every day.
The one who made sure they were fixed.
The one who gave them names.
We call her a Cat Angel.
How You Can Help Janice
If you are local to Fortuna or Humboldt County and can assist with:
Cat food donations
Low cost spay and neuter resources
Colony support
Financial contributions for supplies
Janice and her feral colonies would deeply appreciate the support.
You can also support our growing Cats Ace Angels community by:
Becoming a Cat Angel
Sharing Janice’s story
Shopping from our store where 33 percent of proceeds go directly to caregivers like her
Because the people who feed 70 cats a day
Should never feel like they are doing it alone. 🐾💛
