The folks at Twin Meadows Animal Rescue Society (TMARS) helped re-home 30 kittens and cats this spring and summer during ‘kitten season’, which refers to a time of year when animal welfare groups receive a deluge of surrendered, dumped, abandoned and neglected cats.
TMARS co-founder Nycki Wannamaker said that 15 cats that were all related had come in at the same time - one grandmother, and three daughters that all had kittens.
Wannamaker said that it was a good thing TMARS had been able to take them in, especially as most of the kittens had been female.
“If you calculate each kitten having another four kittens twice a year, that would have been just a flood next year if we hadn’t gotten our hands on them.”
Instead, they were vaccinated, micro-chipped, spayed and neutered and re-homed. Cats re-homed through TMARS must be indoor cats, and any that are deemed un-tamable are still de-sexed and vaccinated, and passed to new owners to be barn cats for rodent control.
Wannamaker said that for 2021, numbers had been less than expected - but that was a good thing.
“We were expecting more, but what I’m hoping is the cats we’ve spayed and neutered before and contributing to the decrease.”
While TMARS does take in cats, in order for their work to be successful, Wannamaker said that those with cats they wanted to bring in needed to be in contact beforehand - and especially if they were going to trap feral cats.
She explained that for TMARS to take in an animal, they needed to have the funds for their surgery and vaccinations lined up, fosters ready to take care of them, and a time booked for them to go to the vet - not to mention all the goods needed to take care of the animal such as food, litter and toys.
They best way to ensure all of that was lined up was to reach out to TMARS before any action was taken.
For now, locals can help TMARS by donating food and litter, and also volunteer to foster animals. More information can be found on the TMARS website on how to help out.
“The biggest way anybody can help and be a hero is to spay and neuter your cats.”
READ MORE: ‘Kitten season’ looms for animal welfare groups
scott.tibballs@thefreepress.ca
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