History

The Regional Animal Protection Society is a registered charity that operates the City of Richmond Animal Shelter, the RAPS Cat Sanctuary, a fostering network, social enterprise thrift stores and the full-service RAPS Animal Hospital.

RAPS is proud to be a no-kill organization, which is among the reasons we have built a strong and devoted community of animal-loving allies.

Carol Reichert founded our organization in the 1980s, when she discovered an overwhelming number of feral cats in Richmond. These cats and kittens had not been spayed or neutered, had not received veterinary care or the basic necessities of life. They would have been euthanized if they were taken to any of the municipal shelters in the Metro Vancouver area.

Carol and her dear friend and fellow cat-lover, Becky Reitman, formed a small grassroots organization. They named it Richmond Homeless Cats Society and this was the precursor to the Richmond Animal Protection Society. Richmond Homeless Cats was incorporated in 1995 and a small group of dedicated volunteers spent the next several years providing homeless cats with food, shelter, vet care and – always – spaying and neutering. These volunteers tirelessly attended to over 40 feeding stations daily. Over 1,000 cats were fixed, which made a major contribution to reducing the feral overpopulation problem. Kittens and cats were adopted whenever possible and, because the Sanctuary did not yet exist, volunteers often fostered in their homes.

In 2005, the society’s name was changed to Richmond Animal Protection Society when the decision was made to extend care to all of Richmond’s animals. Under Carol’s leadership, RAPS won the City of Richmond Animal Shelter contract, and introduced a no-kill policy to the City Shelter. After lobbying by RAPS, Richmond became the first municipality to legally require spaying and neutering for cats, and to ban the sale of puppies and dogs in pet stores.

Carol retired in 2014 after more than 20 years of rescuing and fighting for the rights of Richmond’s animals. The people and animals of RAPS are forever grateful for her extraordinary dedication, which included countless nights of feeding in the bush, trapping cats and staying up all night attempting to save ill and endangered kittens and puppies. Her hard work and fearless attitude were the driving force behind RAPS’ decades of success.

In 2017, the name was changed to the Regional Animal Protection Society, which better reflects the geographic diversity of the people and animals we serve.

Our dream is of a community where no stray cats roam the streets, and where all animals are loved, respected and have lifelong homes.