St. Francis Cat Rescue
In our small Canadian town, there’s a problem with stray and abandoned cats. Many individuals who are experiencing financial hardship in this economy don't realize the responsibilty and cost of owning a pet, and the local shelter in our area has a multitude of restrictions. Our shelters policy for stray animals is to euthanize them, as they don't recognize stray cats as animals that can be rehabilitated. After rescuing and rehabilitating these animals since 1999, we know that this is simply not true.
Unfortunately, we can't adopt all of the abandoned and stray cats that end up in our backyard, but we can't let them go hungry or be left out to the elements with no shelter. We also do not want the stray population in our area to grow, so for the last 16 years we have been catching, rehabilitating, treating, spaying, neutering, and finding homes for the cats that have been left behind or born outside to abandoned mothers.
As we live in Central Ontario, winters can be very hard and many of these animals don't make it. This February, in -40 conditions, we trapped 8 of the 9 strays that found shelter in our backyard. Most have been spayed or neutered and released, but two of the females were pregnant. We have since been feeding these mothers and caring for their kittens indoors, but one litter has recently become ill. As our local vet does not work pro-bono, we have paid not only for the food for these animals, but all examination and medication costs. These sick kittens have been diagnosed with giardiasis, and we have begun weaning them. Now they need hand feeding with a special milk supplement to keep them going.
As a family, we are experiencing severe financial strain ourselves due to some unique circumstances, while caring for these animals. A lengthy legal battle with a dishonest contractor forced the resignition of one of our careers spanning over 26 years, in a small town with very few opportunities other than part time employment. The added concerns of caring for aging parents, compiled with the vet costs, special dietary supplements, medications, and every day food costs for these animals means we are severely struggling. Growing up in the countryside and always owning pets, our entire family has always loved animals, and the basic necessities of food and shelter are what every animal deserves, if they can not be domesticated and live happily in a loving home. If you are also an animal lover, and understand our struggle, please consider donating to help us cover the cost of food, vet bills, etc., or just share this with friends and family.
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