• ALTONA, MB CANADA •
2023 Year in Review
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In 2023 we were able to help 63 cats.
Of the 63:
9 were adopted through our Adoptions program
6 found homes through our Finders Keepers program
16 were transferred to other rescues in hopes of finding homes
2 were given a free spay as part of our World Spay Day promotion
3 were vetted and released back into our community through our Trap-Neuter-Release program (in collaboration with the Town of Altona)
4 were euthanized due to catastrophic injury or illness
2 were alumni that required assisted care
1 was lost and we helped her find her way home
5 are on medical hold and will be available for adoption when ready
15 are still available for adoption
We are happy to report we completed 30 ADOPTIONS in 2023 (some were new intakes and some were adoptables from years past); but more importantly, 51 cats were spayed or neutered through our (and our affiliates) vetting program. That's 51 less cats producing kittens!
Today, we have 37 cats who are or will be available for adoption. If you are looking to add a furry friend to your family this year, please consider our rescue.
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Since our inception in September 2015, we have helped rescue over 750 cats. As you can imagine, a lot of time and effort goes into animal rescue. We cannot do what we do without the volunteers who assist us and the countless hours they put in. So much goes on behind the scenes and every person that helps is truly a blessing.
Thank you to our 30 foster families for taking such good care of our cats, to the 18 feral shelter caretakers who monitor and feed the cats released back into our community. To the event volunteers, cat pick-up and drop-off drivers; to our reference checker, donation requester, tax filer and photographer, thank you.
Thank you to all the donators. Whether it's funds, gift cards/certificates, prizes, baking, laundry detergent, blankets, cat food, cat toys, used kennels, litter and so much more. The cats have benefited from your donation and they, and we, thank you.
Thank you to the Altona Town Council, Dan Gagne (Chief Administrative Officer) and Geoff Loewen (Animal Control Officer) for your progressive approach to animal welfare in our community. Due to the TNR program, many cats have received a second chance at life.
Thank you to Friesens Corporation for selecting us as a recipient of your Employee Directed Giving Program. Thank you to Pet Valu Winkler, RuffMuffs Altona, and Cole International for fundraising on our behalf; for the donations, and for caring about the cats in our rescue.
Thank you to the Winkler and Morden Veterinary Clinics for donating your time to help animals in need, and for letting us carry a balance for the majority of the year.
Thank you to those who have adopted from our rescue or any other rescue/humane society. Adopting saves TWO lives: the pet’s you take home and the one that fills the spot vacated by the adoption. Thank you to our adopters who have sent updates and pictures, they are often the pick-me-up we need when days are hard, so please keep them coming.
This is my bleppy boy, Blink! I wasn't even looking to adopt a cat, but when I saw him on the Furever Friends website, it was love at first sight. I didn't think my heart could ever love another pet again after my kitty passed away, but Blink showed up in a random internet search and I fell in love! His goofy personality was easy to see in his pictures and something connected. He is the goofiest boy and I couldn't be more thankful to have him in our lives!
Everyone who meets him loves him and he eats it up! He's a shoulder-riding cuddle monster who is the light of my life, and really, everyone who meets him too! I wake up to hear him trilling for breakfast and if I don't get it fast enough, I am rewarded with a lovey head bonk to get me moving. Everyday is an adventure with my buddy Blink and my heart has never been happier since he came into our lives. From chasing the dog, to playing with water, he is so full of life and he makes mine better!
- Link's (Blink) family
This past year was another challenging one. We had some bright spots (like Link, a high needs fella, finding the purrfect home), but also some really, really hard loses. Like Zadie, the cutest girl who had been in our care for 9 months and then contracted an illness that caused liver failure. Or Banjo, who tragically passed away only a few weeks after being adopted. Splotch was another tough case. He was trapped by a citizen with little forethought to his well being and sustained numerous injuries trying to escape the trap.
We know that not everyone cares about cats. If you don’t, please consider those trying their best to rescue the abandoned, homeless and unwanted animals in your area. Please contact the proper channels to report a nuisance animal instead of trying to “solve” the problem yourself.
If we had to use one word to describe 2023, it would be ‘expensive’. We had nine cats requiring dental surgery, resulting in dental bills of over $6000. Yikes! We seem to be seeing more cats requiring dental work. This may be due to the fact that many rescue cats do not receive mother’s milk as long as they need to build strong, healthy teeth. Or, they contract an upper respiratory infection that impacts their dental health. Whatever the cause, we are grateful that these 9 cats are happier and healthier since receiving the dental care they needed.
Rescue work is hard work - especially emotionally and financially. One way to help is to spay/neuter your cats. It will have the single greatest impact on rescues and cat overpopulation that any one person can make. If you would like information on the spay/neuter programs available to you or information about our rescue, please contact us.
We’ll wrap this up on a high note…if you’ve followed our rescue for a number of years, you may remember Giallo. She is part of the Spanish Colours litter, born to a feral mother. Giallo, and her sister Rosa, have been in our care since their birth in 2018. While both girls have come a long way, they still revert back to feral tendencies when startled or stressed. We started wondering if they’d ever get adopted. In November, a couple reached out to us looking to adopt. Their cat had passed away and they felt ready to provide a loving home to a new one. They asked us for a list of cats that needed a single pet household and were being overlooked. We provided them with a list and they met a few of them and to our absolute amazement, they selected Giallo! We are incredibly happy that this black, shy little girl has finally found her furever home. Happy tails Giallo, happy tails! (Maybe next year will be Rosa’s year.)
On to 2024...
Giallo (we now call her Gigi) has been a perfect addition to our family. She's chatty (she has many conversations with her foam balls), wonderfully affectionate (she has the loudest purr!), playful, and ridiculously smart (needed to add extra protection to the kibble closet door)! Gigi blended into our life so quickly like she knew we were waiting for her. We're so fortunate to have her!
- Giallo's (Gigi) family