Cat Colony
Linda East, 54, with a cat she calls “Grandpa Tom” at the county-owned Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey. More than 150 feral cats are on the property. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Although L.A. County is at least a year away from starting construction on a high-tech data center at the site, officials have been meeting with Linda East and other cat feeders since last fall about what to do with the animals. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Linda East first noticed the cats about four years ago. She and her husband, David, live nearby. After they started putting out kibble and fresh water, they met other feeders. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
“We’re trying to get these cats placed in local barns and equestrian environments, where hay storage makes rats a problem, said Michelle Roche, deputy director of the county’s Department of Animal Services and Control. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Few buildings on the campus are in use today. Vagrants passing through the campus have left graffiti, broken windows and kicked-in doors in their wake. Vacant buildings have been stripped of copper wiring and anything else of value. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
