Dozens more cats arrive from Alberta
Partnering with other agencies allows us to save and improve even more lives!
For the second time in the last three months, RAPS has made the epic day trip from Richmond to Vernon and back again to assist our friends at Canadian Animal Task Force.
CATF is an Alberta-based registered charity that partners with communities who request guidance, support and help managing their companion animal population. In June, RAPS was among a number of different rescues CATF called on to take in cats and kittens from an overcrowding situation. On that fateful day in early June, we took 43 cats and kittens into our care. Many of these cats and kittens were adopted into loving homes and some, whose personalities we are still getting to know, are thriving at the RAPS Cat Sanctuary. Staff will determine if any of the Sanctuary kitties would make wonderful house pets, while those who prefer the comforts of kitty companionship as opposed to human, will live beautiful lives at the Sanctuary.
A week ago, RAPS staff loaded up on energy drinks and coffee and departed Richmond bright and early. A mall parking lot in Vernon was the designated meeting spot with the CATF volunteer who departed Calgary that same morning with a truck full of cats and kittens. On arrival, we were greeted with lots of meows coming from cats and kittens of all shapes, sizes and colors, crated and understandably leery of the strange situation they found themselves in. This time, 29 were transferred into our care.
We quickly loaded all the crates into our vehicle and started the drive back to Richmond. At 7:40 p.m., we arrived at the RAPS Cat Sanctuary, where two of the Leukemia-positive adult cats were dropped off, as well as four other cats CATF told us were feral. Sanctuary staff welcomed the new arrivals and placed them into their awaiting enclosures, complete with comfy beds and a hearty meal.
From the RAPS Cat Sanctuary, we continued with the remaining 22 cats and kittens to the RAPS Adoption Centre. There, they were placed in awaiting cages with yummy food and plush bedding and left to settle in for the night. One of our staff members took three of the more frightened kittens home, where they are now receiving lots of love and learning to become human-trusting kitties. They are doing incredibly well and will no doubt be social kittens ready for adoption in the coming weeks.
Four more kitten litters, ranging in age from 12 to 16 weeks, were picked up by amazing fosterers the next day and these babies will also receive lots of TLC to help them become trusting of humans and adoption-ready in the near future.
All of the kittens are making great strides in their foster homes. The remaining adults are being cared for at the Adoption Centre and, for the most part, are friendly and social. A few of the cats are a little more frightened but our staff and volunteers are doing a wonderful job helping them learn that humans aren’t so scary after all. These cats are not feral, rather just understandably shy and scared.
We are thrilled to partner with great animal rescues so that, together, we can continue to save and improve the lives of even more animals!
