'We are in the presence of a saint': A homeless man's mission to feed L.A.'s cats and birds

Augustine Hurtado slept in because, as usual, he'd been up for two hours in the middle of the night feeding neighborhood cats.

He popped his head out of his tent at about 10 a.m., and his Chihuahua mix Sparky appeared a moment later, both of them ready for another day of service.

Hurtado, 65, is something of a modern-day St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. He believes his purpose is to feed and look after as many as he can. Especially cats, pigeons and seagulls.

"I didn't choose this. I grew up with it in my heart," Hurtado told me, saying it must be God's will.

Hurtado, homeless for about three years, pitches his tent against the wall of a warehouse several blocks south of the 10 Freeway and west of San Pedro Street. His first order of business the day I met him was to peel back the tarps that conceal many large bags of grains, cat food and dog food. He needed 10 pounds of grain to take to