Cat numbers high at shelter
The cats at a Langley shelter need good homes, and volunteers are looking to the community for help.
Matthew Claxton
Langley Advance Britsh Columbiahttp://www.canada.com/langleyadvance/news/story.html?id=1c210569-d96c-4db2-b2e8-a288e75a57fe&k=4961
Friday, August 24, 2007
Diane Louie hopes to find a good home for Sarah, one of more than 80 cats currently housed at the CARES shelter.
CREDIT: Matthew Claxton/Langley Advance
Diane Louie hopes to find a good home for Sarah, one of more than 80 cats currently housed at the CARES shelter.
Getting cats to make kittens has never been hard.
Finding good homes for unwanted kittens and for full-grown cats is a tougher job.
Adoptions at the CARES cat shelter have dropped, and the shelter and its volunteer foster parents are stretched to the limit, caring for more than 80 cats.
CARES is a volunteer-run shelter that has rescued and re-socialized cats for adoption in Langley since 1994.
Last year, it took in 520 cats and sent 510 to new homes.
"We had a really good year of adoptions," said Diane Louie, one of the volunteers who cares for the animals.
Since February, however, numbers of adoptions have dropped from more than 20 per month. In some months, just 14 cats have found new homes.
"And of course, we're getting lots more in than out the door," said Louie.
That means an increasingly crowded shelter. It's built to hold between 55 and 60 cats at its maximum capacity, but now there are more than 80 cats living in the buildings.
That is in addition to 10 cats living at PetsMart, which hosts some of CARES cats for adoption, and a number of kittens being fostered with volunteers.
"It's very stressful to have so many [cats at the shelter]," Louie said.
Right now, CARES needs people who can provide a good home to adopt some of their cats. A few more volunteers to shoulder the load wouldn't hurt, either.
Every cat at the no-kill shelter comes with a story, sometimes of hardship and abandonment.
Sarah, a 10-month-old cat, was found by the side of the road after being hit by a car. Despite having one leg encased in a cast, the small cat is extremely friendly to everyone who comes into the shelter, said Louie. Other current residents have been found living wild in parking lots, on rural properties, or outright abandoned by their former owners.
More than a few cats have come to CARES in bad shape and left to live a life of feline luxury.
A long-haired cat called Syder was found in rural south Langley, where he was most likely abandoned by his previous owners.
A Good Samaritan spotted Syder, emaciated and with his fur badly knotted, and pulled over to find the cat trying to pull food out of a garbage bag.
She returned with some dog food, and Syder devoured the meal and then jumped in her car.
After being taken to CARES, it was found that Syder weighted just six pounds, about three pounds lighter than a cat his size should.
After being nursed back to health, he was adopted by the owner of a penthouse condo in White Rock.
A surprising number of cats are simply dumped, said Louie.
"It's amazing," said Louie. "People will move out of their house or apartment and just leave the cat there."
At CARES, incoming cats are spayed or neutered to prevent a further increase in the pet population. Volunteers feed them and clean the entire building daily, and more volunteers help in the afternoons by socializing the strays.
New cat owners should be willing to take up the responsibility of adopting a pet.
"Once you get an animal, it's a commitment," said Louie.
There are too many cats at CARES that were adopted once already, only to be brought back by owners who couldn't deal with them, she said.
To adopt a cat, call CARES and leave a message at 604-532-5632, or visit PetsMart between 7 and 9 p.m. on weekdays, or noon to 4 p.m. when volunteers are present to help in adoptions.
The website at www.langleycares.com also has information on cats up for adoption.
mclaxton@langleyadvance.com
© Langley Advance 2007