Dear friends of RAPS!

It’s an unusual time, for sure! We hope that you and your loved ones are well and taking this time to reflect on what is most important in our lives. 
We want to take a moment of your time to update you about what is happening at RAPS.

In this UPDATE:

• Thanks to Frontline Staff
• Rescued Cats
• Volunteer of the Month
• COVID-19 Protocols

Special Thanks!

This emergency has really demonstrated that people whose work is too often taken for granted are the genuine heroes of our society. Every night at 7 p.m., we take to our balconies and doorsteps to shout and cheer our first responders. They are literally keeping us safe, well and alive!

We also cheer for grocery store employees, service workers, plumbers, electricians, repair people, delivery personnel, bus drivers, restaurant workers, vehicle service personnel, and other people whose essential roles we rely on, but may not have adequately appreciated until this pandemic struck. If we missed your profession, we are sorry and we thank you ALL.

Closest to home, we thank the frontline staff and incredibly dedicated volunteers who are ensuring uninterrupted individualized care for all of the animals at the RAPS Animal Hospital, RAPS Cat Sanctuary, the RAPS City of Richmond Animal Shelter, in our vast fostering network and throughout the community. While most RAPS facilities (except the RAPS Animal Hospital; see details, below) are closed to the public, the animals still need and expect our dedicated attention! These people show up every day to feed, clean and medicate (where necessary) animals that cannot care for themselves. RAPS has over 500 animals in our care that need the love, attention and devotion of these amazing staff and volunteers.

RAPS Rescues Dozens of Cats

What a spring surprise! At the end of March and first days of April, RAPS rescued 30 adult cats and 20 kittens from a situation in Richmond. Several of the cats are (or were) pregnant, so that number – 50! – is about to soar.

This challenging situation comes at a time when RAPS is facing reduced revenues and increased demand!

Here’s our latest update on these extraordinary kittens and cats, as well as some recent news coverage from the CBC, Richmond News and The Province.

We depend on your support to help animals like these unexpected gifts! Please consider a contribution to ensure that we can continue our vital work!

So, for our RAPS family across all of our facilities, from our community and all who love animals – THANK YOU! When we cheer for our heroes, we cheer for you!

Volunteer of the Month

There is something extra special about recognizing RAPS volunteers right now. As we mention above, the people on the frontlines caring for animals are true heroes. Here’s one of the greatest!

Congratulations to our RAPS Volunteer of the Month for April, Daphne Jorgensen. Daphne has been volunteering at the RAPS Cat Sanctuary since spring of last year. Daphne fell quickly in love with several (well, all really) resident cats and realized that volunteering once a week just wasn’t enough. She increased her weekly volunteer days because waiting an entire week to see her loves proved impossible. Daphne has been a tremendous help at the Sanctuary since the pandemic started and staff and felines alike are so grateful for the extra help. One of the many things the humans at the Sanctuary love about Daphne are the funny observational stories she writes featuring Sanctuary cats as characters. Heartfelt thanks Daphne for all you do for the kitties!

Responding to COVID-19

RAPS continues to demonstrate best practices in social distancing and keeping staff, volunteers and the public safe and well while continuing to save and improve the lives of animals.

To recap briefly:

RAPS Animal Hospital:

The RAPS Animal Hospital remains open as an essential service to the public, for any of your veterinary needs, with special protocols in place to minimize human-to-human interactions. Find out more and book your appointment at https://www.rapsanimalhospital.com/.

We also have measures to help people facing financial challenges due to COVID-19 (or for any other reason), as well as value-added gift cards for sale and home delivery of pet food and supplies. These programs will help you and your friends while helping RAPS.

RAPS Cat Sanctuary & Thrift Stores:

The RAPS Cat Sanctuary and the RAPS Thrift Stores are closed to the public. Please check back regularly for updated information. When the Thrift Stores do eventually open, we will be having a HUGE parking lot sale that will be amazing.

RAPS City of Richmond Animal Shelter:

Emergency services to the public through the RAPS Animal Shelter continue uninterrupted.

Special request: As social distancing has required us to operate with limited staffing, we want to devote as much personal attention to the animals as possible, so we ask that you please not call the Animal Shelter except in cases of emergency. Instead, please contact us through the following:

Adoption applications and further information are available online. You can email us at: info@rapsbc.com.

For more complete details about how we are keeping our promise to animals and their people during the pandemic, check out our blog post on the subject.

PLEASE SUPPORT RAPS