Running to Save Homeless Kittens

I will run so they can live ...
They never gave up
and neither will I!

Hello everyone! For those of you who do not know me, my name is Desiree Holton. I grew up in a small town in Ohio. I've always had animals in my life; cats specifically, since I was 1 year old. I was very active in 4-H and even took my cat, Poochie, to the county fair. When I graduated college and moved to Los Angeles with my boyfriend, my constant contact with animals ground to a halt.

As we worked to find footing in our film industry careers, as much as we wanted a pet, we knew that getting one wouldn't be the smartest decision for us or the animal. I then, via social media, found out about the Stray Cat Alliance. I started volunteering and fundraising for them, visiting the cats they had at their main office to assist in socializing them. After about a year of living in LA, we were finally stable enough in our careers/housing that we felt comfortable enough to reach out and offer to foster. I did stipulate that we could only care for one kitten, not an entire litter.

One day, out of the blue, the director of Stray Cat Alliance called me and said that there was a little black kitten that needed saved - he was on a kill list at a shelter in South LA. I called my boyfriend and told him, "we're getting a kitten!". I immediately rushed to the shelter to pick up the kitten, Cupcake, but unfortunately he was too sick to take home (Cupcake went to the vet instead and now has a wonderful forever home). SCA, knowing my disappointment in not being able to bring home Cupcake, said, "don't worry, we have another black kitten, found in a bush with no litter ... her name is Winona."

@winonagoround

Although I had always loved animals and rescued many strays growing up, adopting Winona lit a fire in me. How could an animal so full of personality and love have been abandoned in a bush! How many other lives were out there ... needing medical attention, something to eat, a place to sleep? I feverishly began sharing posts, urging people to foster or donate if they could. I'd seen exactly where the resources were going and knew it was a just cause. I started asking myself how I could do more.

Then, we met Waverly McTinyBeans on Instagram. She was paralyzed as a kitten, but with a lot of hard work and support from her meowmy and her friends at Kitten Rescue L.A., she is now cruising around on her own and doing great! Nick and I had the chance to meet Waverly and her humans at Cat Con. They knew us from Instagram and told us about how they run in the LA Marathon with Team Kitten Rescue and that we should join. Running?!, I thought? Oh ... I could never do that.

You see ... less than a year after adopting Winona, my father passed away unexpectedly. That experience changed me completely. My mental and physical health spiraled out of control and I had no motivation to take hold of the reins. I felt trapped in a shell of myself. Where was that happy, driven, positive person I was before ...

So, I was mulling over the idea of participating in the LA Marathon. What an exciting way to raise money for an organization that does such wonderful work for the cat community and a no-nonsense way to whip myself into physical shape. It seemed like such a win-win! I was hesitant to sign up because I had never even walked for charity, much less ran a marathon!

I reached out to my cousin, who had completed many half marathons. I asked her if she thought it was doable. She said, "A full marathon? Yeah, anything is possible. You will just have to train".

Then I thought about Cupcake and Waverly. Despite all of the insurmountable odds they faced ... they never gave up. They held onto life, fighting for their survival and their happiness. Thinking of them and many others like them, made me realize that I was standing with my hand on the doorknob of an opportunity to better myself and I was failing to even turn the knob.

Today, I open the door.

I choose life; to run for myself, to be healthier than I've ever been and of course, to run for the forgotten felines of LA, by raising funds for their rescues. I can visualize myself running crossing the finish line in Santa Monica, 26.2 miles from Dodger Stadium and 23 weeks away from the person I want to be.

I encourage you to support my personal goals by:
1. sending me supportive messages,
2. checking in to keep me accountable.

I challenge you to make a difference in the life of a kitten by:
1. joining Team Kitten Rescue by participating in The Skechers Performance Marathon, The Charity Challenge or The LA Big 5k,
2. making a tax deductible donation, of whatever amount you can, to my fundraiser (my goal is $1,000 by March 2019),
3. if you cannot do either of these options; please share my story & cause so that it may reach others!

REMEMBER: EVERY DONATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

$5.00 will microchip a kitty
$15.00 will pay for a series of vaccines, worming and flea meds for a kitten
$20.00 will provide antibiotics for a sick kitty
$25.00 will pay for a health certificate for a transport kitty
$40.00 will pay for an FeLV/FIV combo test
$50.00 will spay or neuter a kitty
$150.00 will SAVE A KITTY