The BC SPCA says they're preparing to take more than 200 cats and kittens into their care from a home in Houston.
Despite their extensive experience and ability to support large animal intakes, the SPCA said the situation is 'unparalleled' and will draw on all of their resources to care for the felines in need.
“There is so much coordination and resource allocation that goes into caring for a number of cats this significant, especially given that many of them are very young kittens,” explained Eileen Drever, senior officer, protection and stakeholder relations for the BC SPCA in a media release. “The last time I remember us involved in a single intake of kittens this large was back in the late 1990s.”
A request for assistance from the animals’ current guardian through a helpline, who told the SPCA that people had began dumping stray cats in yard several years ago, bringing them into his care, but he became overwhelmed with the sheer number of cats and kittens, with most of the kittens and their moms are living inside the home.
The SPCA has already visited the home, bringing food, supplies, and litter to help support the animals’ needs while coordination efforts are underway to bring the cats and kittens into their care.
“When we initially attended, our teams were quite surprised to see how well the animals have been taken care of, all things considered, but without a quick intervention the chance of their welfare suffering is very high. The cats mostly appear to be in good shape and seem quite social," added Drever.
However, while appearing healthy, the cats and kittens will need a considerable amount of veterinary care to ensure appropriate assessments, vaccinations, a spay or neuter surgery, and tailored medical treatment as required. In addition to supplies, costs are also anticipated for transportation for the animals and the staffing needs to oversee the intake through to the animals’ eventual adoptions.
The BC SPCA is currently considering rental of a large indoor space as a temporary accommodation, while arrangements are made to safely transport the felines to animal centres across the province.
