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Jameson Humane’s Grand Re-opening of Ella’s Cathouse & Adoption Center

Article by Jeff Richard, Jameson Humane Volunteer

For the past 10 years, Jameson Humane has taken in, nurtured, and facilitated adoption of cats in need of rehoming, while also addressing feline overpopulation issues. The hub of Jameson’s feline program has always been its operation of Ella’s Cathouse & Adoption Center located at the original rescue ranch site in the Carneros area. During the past decade, Ella’s Cathouse has cared for hundreds of surrendered and abandoned cats.  Jameson’s staff and volunteers spent lots of time with the cats to make sure they were properly socialized and ready for adoption.

The Cathouse was named in memory of Ella, the beloved cat of Vanessa Conlin MW (Jameson Humane Board Member and annual WineaPAWlooza Auction Chair). Ella crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in 2016. Vanessa responded to Jameson’s commemoration of Ella’s life:

“I am so touched and honored to have Ella’s Cathouse & Adoption Center named after my sweet little friend. She was a rescue herself—a feral kitten born on the neighbor’s porch—but she rescued everyone she met. She had an instinct for knowing when I was under the weather or having a hard time, and she would stay by my side. She was truly beautiful, inside and out, and she would have been so proud that Jameson Humane chose her as the face of this adoption center for other kitties like her!"

As part of Jameson Humane’s ongoing commitment to supporting humans and animals alike, Jameson has relocated Ella’s Cathouse to a more accessible location for Napa residents in the Food City Shopping Center located at 1855 Old Sonoma Road, Napa, CA 94559.  The official Re-Opening Day was May 30, 2025.  From now on, the Cathouse will be open to the public from Friday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. As before, the Cathouse will be a cage-free, no-kill adoption center allowing people the chance to interact with the cats available for adoption in a safe and comfortable atmosphere.  The Cathouse has a very homey feel and allows visitors to relax in comfortable chairs and couches as they get to know the kitties.  

The mission statement of Ella’s Cathouse and Adoption Center sums up its admirably ambitious and achievable goals:

“Due to high overpopulation and the surrendered cat rate locally, Ella's exists first and foremost to serve the Napa community. Our mission is to provide a safe sanctuary for unwanted healthy cats in a cage-free environment and to find happy, loving forever homes for adoptable cats. Ella’s Cathouse & Adoption Center will also serve as an educational center for responsible pet guardianship and to extend the Jameson Humane mission to prevent overpopulation through support for spay and neuter.”

Things to Know About Visiting Ella’s Cathouse and the Adoption Process

• Ella’s Cathouse has two sections in which its feline guests reside: one for Senior Cats (generally ages __ and up) and one for Younger Cats.
• Visits are limited to one hour per person or group.
• Entry into the Cathouse is limited to four guests in the Cathouse at one time.
• A maximum of two children are allowed per group, and they must be accompanied by an adult.
• Home checks for adoptions are required.
• Adoptions are limited to the Bay Area.
• Adoption applications are available by going here:

https://www.jamesonanimalrescueranch.org/adopt

Interested in Volunteering or Donating?

Ella’s Cathouse & Adoption Center is always on the lookout for great volunteers.  Volunteers have a choice of ways to help, including feeding of cats or spending time to socialize with the cats to prepare them for foster homes or forever homes.  Jameson would be grateful for your help. Please contact jennifer@jamesonhumane.org to volunteer or to ask for more details.

To contribute to the success of Jameson Humane’s goals and to help animals in need, you can donate by using one of the donation methods linked here:   https://www.jamesonanimalrescueranch.org/donate/donation

Jameson Humane’s Effort to Control the Rampant Growth of Community Cat Populations

Jameson Humane has played a vital role in the effort to control feline overpopulation. In particular, Jameson has actively supported Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) programs to control the rapidly growing population of community cats. The term “community cats” is used in the animal care field to encompass two broad categories of unowned cats whose welfare is the responsibility of society as a whole: (1) feral cats who were born in the wild or who have lived apart from human society too long to have any realistic chance of again being socialized and living with humans, and (2) stray, lost or abandoned cats with a history of socialization.

The fact is that the population of community cats is growing exponentially. In turn, such rampant growth is exacerbating the negative impacts on local residents and their pets and on the ecological balance of the territories the cats inhabit. But the most heart-rending reality of over-population is that too many community kittens are suffering from being born into unlivable conditions. 

TNR is a sensible, humane solution to the over-population of community cats. In the TNR process, community cats are humanely trapped (with box traps), brought to a qualified professional (e.g., a private veterinary clinic or a non-profit spay/neuter service provider) to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped and then returned to their territories.

Community cats, like all cats, are hunters by nature and their colonies establish territories just as big cats do in the wild. Accordingly, after having been trapped and neutered, it is critical to the survival of community cats that they be released within a short distance (preferably within one block or so) from where they were trapped so that they may rejoin their colony and its support system.

Several years ago, Jameson Humane set up a Community Cat Care program to care for and oversee feral communities on the property of a popular resort in Napa Valley. In addition to providing the cats with access to nutritious food, Jameson team members would trap the cats to assess any medical needs, including whether they had been spayed or neutered. They would scan each cat for a microchip to determine whether it had gone missing from its home. In this way, they determined whether each cat might be a candidate for socialization and adoption, or whether it should be returned to its community cat colony.

Regionally, Jameson continues to work with rescues, shelters, and independent community cat caregivers in a six-county radius to assist with provision of spay/neuter services and other veterinary resources for community cats. Additionally, with the initiation of the Jameson Humane Vet Mobile in late 2021, Jameson helped meet the need for TNR services.

It is important to note that vital TNR services and resources are also provided by the Napa County Animal Shelter and by the Napa Humane organization.  The County Animal Shelter offers traps to members of the public for TNR purposes and provides vouchers for presentation to the clinic to defray the cost of spaying and neutering. 

 https://www.countyofnapa.org/3163/SpayNeuter-Voucher-Program

And the excellent Napa Humane TNR Program is described on its website here:

https://napahumane.org/our-work/community-cats/spayneuter-our-services/

Article by Jeff Richard, Jameson Humane Volunteer