The BC SPCA is preparing to take more than 200 cats and kittens into its care from a single home in Houston, BC Despite the Society’s extensive experience and unique position within the province to be able to support large animal intakes, one of this size and nature is exceptional and will draw extensively on all the organization’s resources to care for these animals in need.
“There is so much coordination and resource allocation that goes into caring for a number of cats this significant, especially given that many of them are very young kittens,” explains Eileen Drever, senior officer, protection and stakeholder relations for the BC SPCA. “The last time I remember us being involved in a single intake of kittens this large was back in the late 1990s.”
Drever explains that the BC SPCA is still working to understand the full scope of the situation but received a request for assistance from the animals’ current guardian through the Animal Helpline. “What we understand right now from the owner is that people started dumping ‘stray’ cats in his yard several years ago, but he has since become completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of them, especially considering most of the kittens and their mothers are living inside the home.”
The BC SPCA has already visited the property with food, supplies, and litter to help support the animals’ needs while coordination efforts are underway to bring the cats and kittens into the Society’s care.
“When we initially attended, our team were quite surprised to see how well the animals had been taken care of, all things considered, but without a quick intervention the chance of their welfare suffering was very high. The cats mostly appear to be in good shape and seem quite social.”
Although the animals appear to be healthy, they will still require a considerable amount of veterinary care to ensure each animal receives appropriate assessments, vaccinations, a spay or neuter surgery, and tailored medical treatment as required. This is in addition to the cost of supplies, transportation for the animals and the staffing needs to oversee the intake through to the animals’ eventual adoptions. The BC SPCA is currently exploring the possibility of renting a large indoor space as a temporary measure to house the animals until they can be safely transported to BC SPCA animal centers across the province.