By JENNIFER MCMILLAN
Founder, Cats of Salt Spring Rescue Society
Support the Cats of Salt Spring Rescue Society’s fourth annual year-end Matching Fundraising Campaign and help us continue our work with the community cat population here on Salt Spring Island.
We are thrilled to have two individuals supporting our campaign this year, both offering to match donations received as part of our year-end fundraising event. The first donor, who has pledged a matching donation of up to $3,000, has been our matching donor for our first three year-end campaigns. We are so grateful that a second supporter has stepped forward, pledging a matching donation of up to $2,000. This means that with your support we can raise up to $10,000 to help cats in need here on Salt Spring Island.
We have continued our work trapping feral cat colonies this year. Whereas our work in 2023 centred around a large colony of approximately 40 cats, this year, we have assisted with management of many smaller colonies. For example, we brought in eight adult cats from one location, with eight kittens born from two of the trapped females within just a few days. We also brought into care several young female cats (less than a year old), each with kittens of their own. All of these young mom cats came from different locations on Salt Spring, and were physically depleted and frightened, requiring four to six months of socialization in foster care before placement in permanent homes. We currently have four “kitten moms” within our foster network.
In 2024, we have taken in a greater number of adult cats, particularly older adult cats, with significant medical requirements (e.g., hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, diabetes). Some of these cats were surrendered to us by Salt Spring residents, while others were found stray. These adult cats, particularly the senior cats, tend to stay in our care for longer periods of time, incurring greater veterinary costs (e.g., diagnostic testing).
We are very proud of our “Lifetime Foster” program. Cats placed through this program live in approved long-term foster homes where they receive love and care from their foster families, while their medical needs are provided for through the rescue. The benefits of this program are twofold:
• Homes are provided for cats/kittens which, due to their ages or underlying medical conditions, would not otherwise be “adoptable.”
• Companion animals are provided for individuals or families who might not otherwise be able to afford pet ownership or to coordinate veterinary care on their own.
Consistent with the increased intake of older cats in 2024, the number of cats placed through our Lifetime Foster program has increased this year. We currently have 10 cats placed in the program.
We need your support. Cats of Salt Spring Rescue Society does not receive funding from any organization or government. We rely solely on donations and monies that we fundraise (e.g., through our bottle drives, Country Grocer Save-a-Tape box) to support our programs. We charge adoption fees for our kitten and social adult cat adoptions. However, these adoption fees do not cover even our veterinary and food costs.
We are a completely volunteer-run, foster-based organization. We do not have any overhead or staffing costs, meaning that all funds received go directly toward assisting cats in our community.
We are a registered Canadian charity, issuing tax receipts for all donations of at least $20 received.
We are very proud to highlight some of our accomplishments for the first 11 months of 2024:
• Total number of cats and kittens assisted by our rescue: 122
• Cats surrendered by owners/ caretakers to our rescue: 52
• Stray cats/trapped cats or kittens born in care: 34
• Number of cats and kittens adopted to date in 2024: 99
• Cats/kittens provided with spay/neuter, vaccinations or other medical services as part of our TNR/Community Care program: 10
• Cats currently in care as part of our Lifetime Foster Program: 10
Donations to Cats of Salt Spring Rescue Society can be made in several ways. See catsofsaltspring.com/support-our-work for the options.
