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Kitten crusade
By Erin Kelley-Gedischk
Esquimalt News
Aug 02 2006
The muffled cries of five newborn kittens bellowed from a sealed cardboard box. Cars whizzed past mere inches away.
Not all the kittens died of dehydration and malnutrition that sweltering summer’s day.
Greater Victoria Animal Crusaders vice president Pamela Saddler nursed a fluffy creamy-orange-coloured kitten named Duke back to life and found the orphan a loving home.
Duke is just one of hundreds of abused and abandoned animals that pass through the GVAC’s doors each year.
To help raise funds to cover the non-profit society’s operating costs, the GVAC will host Dine for Duke Day Sunday (Aug. 6).
One dollar from every regular-priced entree purchased at Charters (5109 Cordova Bay Rd.), Boston Pizza (Saanich Plaza) and Blethering Place (2250 Oak Bay Ave.) will help GCAC with over costs to spay and neuter animals.
From April until the end of October – kitten season – the society will find homes for more than 100 unwanted cats. The society also assists low-income families cover the costs to spay or neuter their pets.
The GVAC receives an average 40 calls a day from people who hope that the GVAC can help.
Saddler, an Esquimalt resident, says the group gets frequent calls about abandoned or abused kittens.
“I have a gazillion sad stories, but thank God we can help most of them. I found kittens in dumpsters, ditches and locked in a house when people move. This stuff happens and it happens all the time,” Saddler said.
People often refer to Saddler as “the cat lady.” Up to 20 cats and kittens that are awaiting adoption adorn her quaint Esquimalt home.
“People think, ‘Oh I’ll just have one litter of kittens,’ but every time a kitten is born an adult cat is going to have to be euthanized because there isn’t enough homes for them all,” she said.
The Capital Region’s feral colony of cats is also multiplying at record rates.
“If it’s not addressed soon, then there is going to be thousands of feral cats out there,” she said.
The hardest part for the society is the continual search for funds.
“We’ve been around for 30 years and a lot of people still don’t know about us,” she said.
To find out more about GVAC, to or to get involved go online to www.members.shaw.ca/gvac.
For more information on adoption call 474-5581 or email gvac@island.net
Send tax-deductible donations to Greater Victoria Animal Crusaders, P.O. box 5541 Station B, Victoria B.C., V8R 6S4.
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