Celebrities can be effective advocates for not only human rights, but animal rights as well. With the ability to put their fame and fortune towards great causes, they can help change the world. This celebrity is doing just that, making the world a better place for all the cool cats and kittens in her community.
Kitten Rescue’s Angel Award Goes To…
Photo by Miranda Cosgrove/Pinterest.
Miranda Cosgrove! For those of you not familiar with her, Cosgrove remains one of the biggest Nickelodeon teen idols. She was the star of iCarly from 2007 to 2012, Jake’s little sister Megan on Drake and Josh, and in Zoey 101. Recently, iCarly won a Kid’s Choice Award at the 2022 Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards, which Cosgrove co-hosted.
Now? She recently finished up her voice acting work on the Despicable Me franchise while continuing her work with animal activism for many years. In 2017, Cosgrove took the initiative with 50 other science and business leaders to defend the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Her focus in the past five years also turned to our favorite feline friends. She’s an active foster mama and helps with the adoption of pets in the LA area.
Cosgrove adopted a cat named Lucy in 2019. Image via Celebrity Pets
Cosgrove and TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) in Los Angeles
In the video below, Cosgrove talks about how she got into kitten rescue and doing TNR (trap, neuter, return) of cats with rescuers.
“Trap, Neuter, Return is the key to combatting the cat overpopulation crisis in LA,” said Cosgrove.
One of the cats Cosgrove rescued was a pregnant mother cat who had kittens in her home. Then, everyone got to watch the kittens, dubbed the iCarly family, on the kitten cam at Kitten Rescue, Los Angeles.
iCarly mama and kittens via YouTube
Kitten Rescue LA’s 2022 Angel Award
So what’s the rescue she helps with? Well, that’s easy. Cosgrove helps with Kitten Rescue Los Angeles. Kitten Rescue was founded in 1997 and has been a staple of the LA community ever since. They are non-profit, volunteer-run, and have placed over 21,000 cats in new loving homes.
Thanks to her activism and years of commitment to Kitten Rescue Los Angeles, Cosgrove was awarded the 2022 Angel Award. Kitten Rescue recently made a Facebook post honoring Cosgrove and announcing the prestigious award.
“Miranda’s dedicated hands-on work over the years to save the vulnerable cats in her community is already inspiring the next generation of animal rescue activism and we honor her for her commitment,” the rescue shared.
Miranda Cosgrove by Walt Disney Television via Flickr, (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Fur Ball at the Skirball
Cosgrove received her award at the “Fur Ball at the Skirball Gala” on October 8. The gala took place at the Skirball Center, the first in-person ball since the pandemic, and just in time for the 25th anniversary of the rescue.
The event had many celebrity attendees, including Nathan the Cat Lady and Jackson Galaxy.
At the gala, Cosgrove appeared on screen talking about her rescued kitten named Sewer Sam and three orange kittens she fostered, Finn, Mr. Mustard, and JoJo.
Cosgrove with JoJo via YouTube/KittenRescueLA
Cosgrove: ‘I Think Everybody Should Try Fostering Animals’
When she took in the kittens, they were scared and “vicious,” but they came to become little love bugs who love affection now.
“I think everybody should try fostering animals, fostering a cat. See how it makes you feel,” she said. “Just give it a shot because I [had never] done that until five years ago, and now it’s a huge part of my life.”
“It feels so good when you see the animals in a home and you know they’re going to have a great life, and that you had something to do with it,” she continued, encouraging people to donate and volunteer.
“Please help these cats. They have such amazing, pure hearts, and I think that’s the really cool thing about animals in general: They keep you in the moment and they just make you realize how great life can be.”
How Miranda Cosgrove Started ‘Helping’ Cats as a Child
As she accepted the award, Cosgrove shared a personal anecdote of wanting to help animals as a child. She planned to convert a tree house into a shelter, but then she couldn’t find animals that needed help in her neighborhood.
“I couldn’t find any, so after a couple of weeks, I just started taking people’s cats, and I just started bringing them to my tree house,” she said. “And then, at night, I would take them back.”
From these humble and funny beginnings, she is proud to be helping animals with the LA rescue.
Screenshot via YouTube/KittenRescueLA
You can watch a live feed of the rescued kittens playing on their huge kitty tower below. Some may be the very same kittens Cosgrove fosters.
25 Years of Saving Cats in LA!
Kitten Rescue LA is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year! You can learn more about their founder Sue Romaine, who started volunteering at shelters below. One day, she saved a kitten in a crumpled bag named Jackpot. After saving the kitten, she started smuggling kittens out of the shelter to save them. From there, she began working with others to rescue pets, and it grew from there.
The kindness of this one person has had such an amazing rippled effect in the world!
Kitten Rescue LA, founder Sue Romaine via YouTube
