The Okanagan Humane Society (OHS) has taken in 21 cats after they were rescued from a property in Lone Butte, a small community in B.C.’s Cariboo region.
“They are very scared because they don’t know us yet,” said OHS executive director Romany Runnalls.
The large rescue is just the latest example of a troubling trend.
“We’re seeing more and more animals being dumped outside, left behind in houses or apartments,” Runnalls said.
“We’re getting calls to homes where there are 20, 30 animals in a home.”
This latest case involved an elderly man, who was trying to care for the cats but moved away.
“They weren’t his animals,” Runnalls said. “He was doing the best he could to just keep them alive, and of course, they will breed.”
It started last winter when according to Tara Daley, a neighbour, a handful of cats started coming around the man’s house.
Daley says it was last month when she saw her neighbour leaving for good.
Daley said the man told her he had fed the cats for the last time.
Concerned and curious, Daley said she went over to check on the animals a short time later and was surprised to see how many there were.
“The first night, there were 16 cats that showed up and I thought, OK, this is wild,” Daley told Global News. “I went over the next morning and then I counted them again and it was 19 and then within three more days, the two toms showed up.”
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Daley said that’s when she jumped into action to try and get help rescuing the large group of felines.
But after a few calls to animal rescue organizations, she said she was disheartened to hear many, if not all, would likely be put down.
“The response to that was not what I wanted, ” Daley said. “So I was in desperate search for something different, so they could live their lives and not succumb to euthanasia and death.”
She managed to connect with OHS, which assured her it would take the cats into care.
“I’m looking for a no-kill solution to help these poor animals, so that they don’t just meet their demise,” Runnalls said when describing Daley’s plea for help.
Runnalls said the Lone Butte case is just the latest example of too many animals dying or being killed unnecessarily because they are not spayed or neutered.
“We have a very big overpopulation problem, pet overpopulation problem,” Runnalls said. “We’re seeing it with cats one week but we see it with dogs and puppies another week and every single day.”
Runnalls said affordability is a big contributing factor and she urges people to consider the costs involved with owning and caring for a pet.
“There is no such thing as a free kitten or a free puppy,” Runnalls said. “They come with extreme expense, veterinary costs, food costs, etc., so really, people need to think about that before they’re getting pets.”
OHS does offer a pet assistance program to help with spay and neuter costs for those facing financial challenges but keeping the program running is not cheap.
“Our vet costs and food expenses are essentially average about $300, $350 per animal, so it doesn’t take long to do the math if we’re doing 4,500 animals per year or rescuing and helping with spay neuter of 4,500 animals a year,” Runnalls said.
OHS is currently running its Angels for Animals campaign until the end of the year, with donations critical in helping cover the costs.
“We have three angel donors who have offered to put up a match, so for every dollar raised up to $150,000, those funds will be matched, so that funds are going twice as far,” Runnalls said.
The campaign aims to prevent an unfortunate demise for cats like those from Lone Butte.
“These animals need to be fixed so that they’re not just breeding and dying and contributing to this problem throughout our region,” Runnalls said.
Daley said she’s relieved the cats are now safe, adding it was worth the toll it took on her.
“I didn’t know what I was taking on,” Daley said. “It’s been very exhausting but I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
The 21 cats will be assessed by veterinarians before being put up for adoption.
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