MEET THE TINY PAWS TORRANCE ORGANIZATION
Words By
ED SOLT
Some people talk about making a difference. These women just started doing it.
The Tiny Paws Torrance Organization was founded in 2022 by Jessica Rivello and Viviana Garcia, a couple of animal lovers who met working at Plaza de Loma Animal Hospital in Torrance. What began as an informal response to the steady stream of kittens being dropped off at the vet has grown into a full-on rescue operation — cats, dogs, rabbits, and, yes, even a pelican they once rescued in San Pedro.
“We just love animals,” Rivello said. “We feel like they deserve more than most people do. They don’t have a voice.”
Now they do.
The bulk of their work involves cats, and in California that means year-round kitten season. Messages come in constantly — kittens in yards, kittens on streets, kittens just about everywhere. Each one gets pulled in, bottle-fed if needed, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, microchipped, dewormed, and placed into a foster home until they’re ready for adoption. On top of Kitty Season, the founders run a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Program for feral cats.
“Some cats are just too feral for adoption,” Garcia said. “We are trying to stop the spread of feral and unwanted cats.”
The founders do most of this out of pocket. There are no big corporate sponsors, no giant fundraising galas — just two hardworking and animal-passionate women who decided animals in need were worth their time, energy, and money.
“We have to pay all the vet bills, spay and neuter, vaccinations, food, litter,” Rivello explained. “It just comes out of our pocket.”
Plaza de Loma Animal Hospital has been a key partner, offering discounted services that help stretch every dollar.
Adoption events pop up when the foster network gets full — which is often. In this case, The Tiny Paws Torrance Organization will throw an adoption event at one of their key sponsors, the Beach Hut in Torrance.
“Sometimes people scroll past animals online for weeks and then meet one in person and immediately know. That’s the magic of it,” said Angie Romero, the owner of Beach Hut. “We are proud to help make this happen.”
Tiny Paws’ Instagram is where the day-to-day action lives: new rescues, foster updates, animals in need of homes. The website gives you the full picture — and their donation link, which they’ll tell you is very much appreciated.
If you’ve got an animal in need, or you’re ready to open your home to one, these are your people.
Follow The Tiny Paws Torrance Organization on Instagram or visit their website to adopt, foster, or donate. @TinyPawsTorrance or TinyPawsTorrance.org
