It’s been less than a week since the BC SPCA began the intake of more than 200 cats and kittens from a single property in northern BC.
On Mar. 22, the SPCA were notified that the large group of animals would have to be taken from a property in Houston, a feat that is expected to put a lot of stress on resources.
On Thursday, the SPCA said it has begun the first phase of the intake, which will focus on the most vulnerable animals, a release says.
“The intake of this large number of cats requires a multi-phase approach,” says Eileen Drever, senior officer, protection and stakeholder relations for the BC SPCA.
“We will begin bringing in the remaining cats to the triage centre for assessment beginning sometime next week once we have all of the necessary supplies in place.”
More than 150 of the cats, including mothers and their kittens, were identified as needing urgent medical care and have since been removed from the home, assessed and examined.
A bulk of those cats have been brought into foster homes or animal centres run by the BC SPCA, the release says.
Food, supplier and cat litter have been provided by the SPCA to support the remaining animals’ needs.
Kim Monteith, the BC SPCA’s manager of animal welfare, is on site and will be overseeing the care of the cats and assessing them for any behavioural issues and to ensure a smooth socialization of all the animals.
“The socialization window for cats is three to seven weeks,” says Monteith in the release.
“It is so important to provide kittens with good experiences during this time and to introduce them to handling, different people, as well as other animals and objects.”
Monteith says many of the older cats have missed that socialization window and volunteers are now working diligently to ensure they get used to humans and living indoors.
Costs for this “unprecedented” intake of cats is still being assessed but all the cats are expected to be in the SPCA’s care for a minimum of 30 days and longer for the kittens, the release says.
“We really want to thank the volunteer fosters who stepped up to help us care for these cats and kittens,” says Drever. “Not to mention the many businesses in Prince George who have offered their assistance.”
If you can help the BC SPCA care for these cats and kittens, please donate today at spca.bc.ca/donations/make-a-gift/.
