December 30, 2019

Rescue Stories are Reminders of
What Cat Rescue is All About

Year-end News Alerts often feature a "happy ending" rescue story. That's because it feels good to end a year on a positive note. And because such stories serve to remind us of what cat rescue is all about.

2019 has been a particularly tough year for cats in Hamilton and we came close to ending the year on a silent, or less than cheerful, note. But we paused to started look through the Facebook pages of some volunteer groups that have been working hard all year long.

Several of these groups  - ones like Pantry Four Paws, NCWL, Abandoned Cats Rescue(ACR) and Hamilton Street Cats (HSC), have great Facebook pages that chronicle some pretty amazing 2019 stories.

Picking just one of these stories to feature in our News Alert wasn't easy; finally we settled on the story of a cat named Junior. ACR had posted several previous updates about him since he became the focus of a desperate rescue effort back in August. Things hadn't looked good for him then but look at him now! Here's the update on Junior posted - just a couple of days ago -  on December 27.

+++ Junior's Story +++

It certainly looks like Junior's first Christmas was the best ever for him. I posted his story where his owners threw him outside. It took us 1 week to locate him and bring him into our care. I think these pictures show that Junior will never have to worry about this ever happening to him again.

This is what his new parents had to say - Merry christmas to you and your family. I just wanted to send a quick note to you to thank you again. Junior truly is our best friend and he had such an amazing first Christmas with us. He was so so spoiled by his parents and grandparents! Even his kitten cousins got him some presents. Thank you again for all you do for the cats, you are one of a kind.

Junior is one very lucky Hamilton cat. And his "happy ending" rescue story serves as a reminder that cat rescue is about cats like Junior and their new beginnings.

March 31, 2019

Update on What's Happening at the City-Run Shelter

Hamilton Animal Services (HAS) operates the City Shelter/Pound, the last resort for Hamilton's strays and for those pets whose owners can no longer care for them.
Many cat lovers in Hamilton still worry about what happens to the cats that end up there. So, we've updated a couple of charts that show how things have changed in the past few years for the cats that end up there. They give a snapshot of what is happening to them now.
This first chart shows how euthanized rates for cats have declined from those of 5-10 years ago and illustrates how dramatically the odds of getting out alive have improved. The 2018 rate is virtually the same as 2017. That it is being maintained in 20% range may sound too high for some, but the reality is that, for an open-admission shelter that provides a pick-up service for seriously sick and injured strays and euthanizes at owner request, it's about what is to be expected.

This second chart, showing a steady decline in intake reveals how this decline in intake has affects euthanized numbers. Fewer cats ending up at the Shelter results in fewer being euthanized. It shows that the efforts made by HAS to curb intake are paying off. It also highlights how important it will be, going forward, to
continuing to curb intake.