ARTHUR – The volunteer-based group Arthur Animal Rescue is urging locals to adopt as it is “overflowing” with cats and kittens.
The group currently has 151 cats in its care, with at least three pregnant cats due any day, Arthur Animal Rescue social media coordinator Kirsten Henley stated.
With no facility to house the cats the rescue group relies on 80 active foster homes.
“We have quite the group of community that’s helping us,” she said.
Spreading 151 cats over 80 homes poses a challenge in itself, but with even more cats needing help, Henley and the other volunteers are concerned.
“We can’t keep rescuing more until they find homes,” added Henley.
The group helps cats who need it the most first, with a triage process.
Even at full capacity, she told the Advertiser, “If there is a cat in dire distress … we’re never going to turn them away.”
Vet bills have been an issue in the past for the rescue group, but with the help of Riverside Animal Hospital in Guelph, it no longer has the added stress of paying immediately.
Most of the group’s revenue comes from kitten adoptions.
This cat named Snoop Dogg has been with the rescue group since the beginning of the year. He currently stays at the Alley Cat Cafe in Stratford until he finds his new home. Submitted photo
“We normally try to adopt out our kittens after 12 weeks of age when they’re spayed and neutered,” she said.
But with funds running low, sometimes those surgeries get pushed back, creating “backlogging problems.”
This can reduce a kitten’s likelihood of getting adopted, stated Henley.
“Our adoption fees help pay for the older, sicker cats that come off the streets that need more medical attention,” she added.
Henley said people often bring home free animals from barn owners or unplanned litters without understanding the costs of “free” kittens.
Although the volunteers believe all animals deserve a “safe and loving home,” it is also “vital” to understand the medical needs attached.
This includes deworming and defleaing, providing all the necessary vaccines, microchipping, spaying or neutering, and providing any other essential vet care.
Basic vet bills for an unfixed and unvaccinated kitten will total around $800 to $1,300, or more, stated officials.
That cost is just for the first visit – animals will need at least two more appointments to finish the proper vaccinations.
“Adopting a kitten from a reputable rescue can cost anywhere from $200 to $400 plus,” officials said.
“While this may seem like quite the investment, it’s nothing in comparison to fully vetting a kitten yourself.”
Henley specifically mentioned two of the 44 adoptable cats waiting for their forever homes: Snoop Dogg and Duncan.
Snoop Dogg resides at the Alley Cat Café in Stratford.
“He’s getting lots of love and he’s really coming out of his shell there,” she said.
Duncan is a younger cat who has bowel incontinence and wears a diaper.
“All his siblings have been adopted which is fantastic, but poor little Duncan is waiting on his home,” Henley said.
The group anticipates that because of his medical condition, Duncan will be with them for an extended period of time.
Arthur Animal Rescue currently has two satellite locations in addition to foster homes: Alley Cat Café in Stratford and Dreamland Pet in Elora, both locations one can visit in order to adopt.
Those interested in meeting adoptable cats and kittens can fill out an adoption application on the website at arthuranimalrescue.com/adoptables.
“We are in constant need of fundraising money or just donations in general,” said Henley.
The website also has an Amazon wish list for items needed, such as dry kitten food, canned pate, cat litter and kitten milk replacers.
