Dave was hit by a car and left paraylzed and bleeding internally.

Regina Cat Rescue (RCR) volunteers work hard every day to help stray and homeless cats get a better life. Many of the cats we rescue have had a rough start in life and they need vet care and TLC to help get them on their way to forever homes. It's incredibly gratifying to see our rescues get adopted by loving families.

Sadly, not every rescue gets that chance. Sometimes, we get to a cat too late and all we can do is help to ease their suffering at the end and provide a peaceful passing.

Recently, we were notified about "Dave" (black and white) when a citizen noticed him lying in her yard and contacted us for help. He'd been hit by a car and suffered catastrophic injuries including paralysis and internal bleeding. The only option was humane euthanization. We are grateful to the dedicated RCR volunteer who went to rescue Dave and stayed with him to provide comfort at the end.

Fancy Feet found kindness from a stranger in her last few days.

Fancy Feet (black) showed up on the deck of a kind lady who feeds neighbourhood strays and who immediately knew that Fancy Feet had been stray for a long time, as she was skinny, dirty and stinky. But she also recognized that Fancy Feet was a very sweet and loving cat who once had a home (she had a faded tattoo). We were optimistic that Fancy Feet would be an RCR success story and go up for adoption after some TLC in foster care, but it wasn't to be. Upon examination, it was discovered that she had dangerously low body temperature, a large tumour in her abdomen and was in significant distress. All volunteers could do was ease her passing.

Even though these cats didn't get happy endings, they still got help and knew kind words and a soft touch in their last moments. Sometimes it's all we can do. We are very grateful to the compassionate and caring people who intervened so that these cats didn't lie slowly dying in the cold.

Please keep in mind that RCR is run entirely by volunteers so we aren't always able to respond to emergency requests for help. If you come across an injured animal, please contact Animal Protection at 306-777-7700. They have staff on call 24/7 to assist with animal emergencies. Even if the animal doesn't make it, it's better than a slow painful death on the street.

-Alanna