People for Animals needs help with cats too
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Casey MacLeod, Leader-Post
Published: June 26, 2008
REGINA -- Take a walk in Regina's North Central area and chances are you'll notice a stray cat or two along the way.
"This summer we've discovered that there's a huge (stray cat) problem in North Central especially," said Sarah Pump, a board member of People for Animals.
"There's specific city blocks in North Central that are just over-run with cats. Our volunteers go for a walk down the street and they find six-week-old kittens just wandering down the street alone."
People for Animals - a local, non-profit, volunteer-run organization -rescues, rehabilitates and provides necessary veterinary care for stray, abandoned and abused cats. The organization provides its services for Regina and surrounding areas.
All cats rescued by People for Animals are sterilized and vaccinated. Those deemed suitable for adoption are sent to foster homes until they are adopted.
According to Pump, the 15 adult cats and 25 kittens that People for Animals are currently caring for are putting a strain on its modest resources.
"We have a network of foster homes which are invaluable to us," Pump said. "But we are in desperate need of more foster homes. Right now our foster homes are just stressed to the breaking point."
Any cats that are too feral to be domesticated are released after being sterilized, usually into one of the organization's cat colonies.
"Cats kind of naturally find places that are good for them to congregate, that they feel is safe and where there is a supply of food," explained Pump.
"If we feel that there's enough of them, and that they do need help, we'll set up a feeding station. That often progresses to setting up cat houses for them and officially call them a cat colony."
Pump added that People for Animals tries to keep the population of these colonies as stable as possible.
"We trap, neuter and release and try to keep the population down as much as we can," she said. "Unfortunately because we are entirely volunteer-run, entirely run on donations, we're often limited by the cost of sterilization."
Using humane traps, volunteers also try to catch kittens from feral mothers when they are still young enough to be socialized and eventually adopted out.
Pump said besides more adopters People for Animals is in desperate need of new foster homes, volunteers and donations of money or cat food.
"I see every day the effects of people not sterilizing their animals. This is one small way that we can try to make a dent in it, but sometimes it just feels like we're never going to overcome it," she said.
Those people interested in adopting a cat or kitten can check out People for Animals ads at www.usedregina.com or www.regina.kijiji.ca.
"We do screen all adoption applicants, usually over the phone. Simply because most of the cats we are adopting out have had a bad start in life and so we do try to ensure that they're going to a home," Pump explained.
The organization also asks for a donation with each adoption. According to Pump the amount will vary depending on the amount of veterinary and foster care the animal has received.
Pump encouraged anyone interested in adoption, volunteering or donation to contact People for Animals at pfasask@gmail.com
cmacleod@leaderpost.canwest.com
© Leader-Post 2008
Published: June 26, 2008
REGINA -- Take a walk in Regina's North Central area and chances are you'll notice a stray cat or two along the way.
"This summer we've discovered that there's a huge (stray cat) problem in North Central especially," said Sarah Pump, a board member of People for Animals.
"There's specific city blocks in North Central that are just over-run with cats. Our volunteers go for a walk down the street and they find six-week-old kittens just wandering down the street alone."
People for Animals - a local, non-profit, volunteer-run organization -rescues, rehabilitates and provides necessary veterinary care for stray, abandoned and abused cats. The organization provides its services for Regina and surrounding areas.
All cats rescued by People for Animals are sterilized and vaccinated. Those deemed suitable for adoption are sent to foster homes until they are adopted.
According to Pump, the 15 adult cats and 25 kittens that People for Animals are currently caring for are putting a strain on its modest resources.
"We have a network of foster homes which are invaluable to us," Pump said. "But we are in desperate need of more foster homes. Right now our foster homes are just stressed to the breaking point."
Any cats that are too feral to be domesticated are released after being sterilized, usually into one of the organization's cat colonies.
"Cats kind of naturally find places that are good for them to congregate, that they feel is safe and where there is a supply of food," explained Pump.
"If we feel that there's enough of them, and that they do need help, we'll set up a feeding station. That often progresses to setting up cat houses for them and officially call them a cat colony."
Pump added that People for Animals tries to keep the population of these colonies as stable as possible.
"We trap, neuter and release and try to keep the population down as much as we can," she said. "Unfortunately because we are entirely volunteer-run, entirely run on donations, we're often limited by the cost of sterilization."
Using humane traps, volunteers also try to catch kittens from feral mothers when they are still young enough to be socialized and eventually adopted out.
Pump said besides more adopters People for Animals is in desperate need of new foster homes, volunteers and donations of money or cat food.
"I see every day the effects of people not sterilizing their animals. This is one small way that we can try to make a dent in it, but sometimes it just feels like we're never going to overcome it," she said.
Those people interested in adopting a cat or kitten can check out People for Animals ads at www.usedregina.com or www.regina.kijiji.ca.
"We do screen all adoption applicants, usually over the phone. Simply because most of the cats we are adopting out have had a bad start in life and so we do try to ensure that they're going to a home," Pump explained.
The organization also asks for a donation with each adoption. According to Pump the amount will vary depending on the amount of veterinary and foster care the animal has received.
Pump encouraged anyone interested in adoption, volunteering or donation to contact People for Animals at pfasask@gmail.com
cmacleod@leaderpost.canwest.com
© Leader-Post 2008
