Demand for feline rescue services in the North Okanagan has reached unprecedented levels, overwhelming the local rescue group that has been operating for nearly three decades.
In the past two weeks alone, the Okanagan Humane Society (OHS) has rescued over 50 animals, mostly cats, from the North Okanagan region, marking an all-time high in the organization’s 28-year history.
“We are finding that the influx of stray and abandoned cats and kittens, reported and referred to us daily, is stretching our resources in Vernon and surrounding communities farther than ever before,” OHS stated, highlighting the growing pressure on their already limited resources.
The recent rescues include a variety of heartbreaking situations. In Lumby, volunteers found a group of kittens abandoned in a shipping container. Another female cat was discovered hidden in the engine bay of a car in Vernon, covered in dirt and grease, but is now safe and being cared for by an OHS foster family.
At Cosen’s Bay Beach, three eight-week-old kittens were found starving in the bushes before being rescued with the help of dedicated volunteers. Additionally, a colony of over 17 cats was discovered in the BX area, where eight Bengal-tabby kittens were among those rescued and placed in OHS care. Volunteers are working tirelessly to spay and neuter the remaining cats on the property.
Lovely, a heavily pregnant cat found in Vernon, is one of the many urgent cases requiring immediate attention. She needs a safe place to give birth to her kittens, who are expected to arrive any day now.
The situation is similarly dire in Armstrong and Coldstream, where ten tiny kittens were found abandoned on two separate farms. The animals, only a few weeks old, were left to fend for themselves before being rescued. In Lumby, another ten kittens and two mother cats were discovered seeking shelter from the heat inside a shipping container, rescued after several days of determined efforts by OHS volunteers.
“These are real, ongoing cases,” OHS emphasized, pointing to the increasing reliance on their organization to provide medical care and shelter for these vulnerable animals. The society is now urgently calling for more foster homes, adoptions, and donations to help manage the escalating need.
“Many of these animals are tame, and we need foster families to place them with after their initial veterinary care at intake, and until they are ready for adoption,” OHS added.
Donations are critical in covering the necessary veterinary treatments that these rescued animals require before they can be placed in permanent homes.
“Please consider opening your heart and home by fostering animals or making a donation today to support our work. Together, we can continue to provide animals in North Okanagan, and the rest of the Okanagan Valley and Shuswap, with the second chance they deserve,” OHS urged, underlining the importance of community support in addressing the growing crisis.
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