Barrie animal rescue group finding forever homes in weekend-long 'adopt-a-thon'
A Barrie-based animal shelter says its weekend-long 'adoptathon' proved successful but says more work still needs to be done.
Furry Friends Animal Shelter held its 'Kittens in Mittens Adoptathon' this weekend. Held in partnership with Petsmart Charities of Canada at the store location on Mapleview Drive, 27 cats or kittens had been adopted by the end of day Saturday.
"Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome cats and kittens," says Sherri Helsdingen, a volunteer with Furry Friends.
While pleased that 27 of the shelter's cats have found their forever home, the rescue group is one of many seeing an influx of cats in recent years. Since January, they've had close to 500 cats come into their care and have completed approximately 450 adoptions.
"The numbers in the last couple of years have climbed," Helsdingen says. "We're trying to determine our patterns now, but I think we've shown that we will do anything, anything to save these cats and to make their lives as good as they can be, to give them that second chance."
In October, more than 50 cats or kittens were placed into their system, with Helsdingen saying they typically have 60 felines in their care at any given time. But they take action to try to control the cat population.
"In addition to rescuing cats and kittens off the streets, we spay and neuter every single cat in our care, so we are controlling the cat population," Helsdingen says. "We also have a very thorough vaccination program, so everyone's vaccinated against rabies, treated against parasites, so it's a real health for the animals and for the community as well."
With the temperatures quickly dropping, they've received an increase in calls recently from concerned citizens on cats who appear to be homeless.
Helsdingen says they rely on support and information from the community to rescue and help cats or kittens in need.
"Often, when we are doing cat rescue, it's about people rescue," she says. "People are unable to care for their cats in some cases sadly it breaks our hearts when people abandon their cats. So people see cats in apartments that have been evacuated, people see cats in their neighbourhoods coming to their porches or patios, begging for food."
As a non-profit, the group relies on community support to carry out its mission. The three primary sources of help they need are foster families or those willing to adopt, financial support to help cover medical costs and calls from the public when they see a cat or kitten on the street.
"These are not wild animals. These are domestic animals. They can manage on their own but not well," Helsdingen says. "I like to think about in terms of adoptions is we are giving kitties not just a home, but we're giving them health, hope, happiness."
For more information on how you can help, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.