Hello Everyone:

We planned to have to have this newsletter out several months ago but 'cats intervened' and we had to pay attention to them - big surprise !  There never seemed to be a slow moment to write up about our work and, even now, through the holidays, we've had regular duties and feral feeding to do so we're only a bit slower than usual.

Even though we may be quiet for months, we are always super busy behind the scenes looking after all kinds of cats and even a few other critters.  We loaned out one of our feral cat traps to a very kind lady in a Lonsdale apartment building who had spotted a skunk, from her balcony, wandering around with a plastic deli container stuck on its head.  She set the trap overnight for him but no Mr. Skunk in the trap the next morning.  She kept watching for him and, on the second day, noticed a deli container stuck between two small rocks underneath a ground floor balcony.  Spoiler alert - looks like the little guy figured out how to get his hat off by himself !

MYRTLE MAE GETS HER REVENGE

So she's all of 16 years old and probably tips the scales at barely 8 pounds but LOOK OUT ! When you are dealing with her she's one tough kitty ! Not your average sweet little pussycat – more like a flash of lightning and a fierce little lioness all rolled into one!

Myrtle was feral mommy cat living in Jim's backyard in 2006, in a lovely residential area only blocks from the North Vancouver City Hall. PAF had been helping his neighbour across the street with a colony of feral cats and kittens in a nearby bushy vacant lot. We think Myrtle originally came from there but decided to have her kittens in a quieter spot and chose Jim's yard. Somehow she knew a 'softie' lived there. We eventually trapped Myrtle Mae and her kittens, had them spayed, neutered and were able to adopt out two of her kittens as they became quite tame after capture. Jim named the third kitten Blackie and, by the time we caught him at age 5 months, he was a bit skittish and really bonded to his mother. So Jim fixed up his covered sundeck with big perches and cat beds and the two felines called it 'home', with breakfast and dinner served there every day.

Jim kept in touch with us and sent us photos but he always had to write that, although Blackie was taming up with him, Myrtle wouldn't give him the time of day, let alone let him touch her. Some summer nights he'd leave his kitchen door open and they would wander in and occasionally spend the night inside.

Fast forward to the summer of 2017 and the insane house-selling market on the North Shore. Three houses right around Jim's all sold at once and were slated for demolition. To keep the two cats safe from the months of construction chaos next door, Jim built a super catio and Myrtle Mae and Blackie were persuaded to have a safe garden haven and an entry into the house when they wanted it.

One night last June, a worried Jim phoned late in the evening because Myrtle was definitely not feeling well – going in and out of the litter box frequently isn't a good sign. But he couldn't pick her up – she still won't allow him to touch her after 15 years. So, armed with a thick blanket, I arrived and Myrtle went into 'wild cat' mode. I finally caught her climbing the walls in the downstairs bathroom and Jim held the kennel door open so I could push her and the blanket in. But Myrtle was determined not to go down without letting her opinion be known – she bit Jim's finger right through the blanket as he tried to comfort her.

After we stopped Jim's finger from bleeding, he was relieved to take Myrtle Mae to Mountainside Animal Hospital. While she had treatment there, Jim took himself to Lions Gate Hospital for wound treatment, and a tetanus shot too. Myrtle was diagnosed with a bladder infection and so both ended up on antibiotics.

PAF made a committment to Myrtle Mae when we first trapped her . . . that we would always be around to help her and, 14 years later, we were able to make good on that promise!

See Myrtle Mae's photos here -

ANNIE GETS A SECOND CHANCE

When the vet called us she said - “I have a situation here and I'm wondering if PAF can help. A little 5 month old kitten needs one of her back legs amputated and a new home when she has recovered. She was in a home with an adult cat and a large dog but the dog has bitten her leg and it's shattered; I can't save it and the owner doesn't have the funds to cover the amputation.” The vet said she had talked it over with the owner and said she would find help but she told the owner she did not want the kitten going back into that home. With only three legs, she'd be much more vulnerable if the dog attacked again. So Annie was surrendered to the vet and PAF was called. Could we help with the surgery fees for the amputation and spaying and eventually finding a new home?

This little girl was very friendly which made her surgery and subsequent recovery treatment go smoothly. The vet staff fell in love with this little sprite who willingly took her bandage changes and medicine like a trooper. She quickly learned how to navigate around on three legs and even had the courage to start jumping up on the vet tables from the floor ! When fully recovered from her leg amputation, Annie was spayed and ready for a new home.

It so happened (lucky coincidence!) that Mark, who had adopted Ghost from us several months earlier, was looking for a girl companion for the little guy. Without hesitation, Mark said he'd talk it over with Ghost and they likely would be glad to give the little girl a home with them. And we knew it was meant to be when Mark told us his mother's name was Annie ! (another one of those wonderful coincidences).

Little Annie arrived and was immediately so confident around Mark's place that Ghost was a little intimidated at first. Because Annie had a strange hop due to her three legs, Ghost probably wasn't sure what had moved in with them. While Annie explored his dishes and his bed and his couch, and his whole apartment, Ghost slunk along behind sniffing at her, following her like a caboose on a train.

Thankfully, many months later, Annie and Ghost have become friends. Mark recently told us “Annie has been a joy to have;, she has adjusted to Ghost very well and gives as good as she gets. She is very sweet and affectionate, she snuggles more than he does. In spite of her lack of all four limbs she is very mobile and quick.”

She is safe and happy – thanks to PAF supporters !

See Annie's photos here -

BLACKIE IS A SURVIVOR

In the summer of 2019, PAF paid for a neuter when we heard about a call for help from Bev, who lives in the lovely mobile home area beside the river under the Lions Gate Bridge. She had been feeding a skitzy, unneutered, long haired black cat who came to her door every night. He had been living in the bushy area by her trailer but he was always tangling with the raccoons and there are coyotes around too. Bev wanted to get him trapped and neutered to see if he would tame enough to come inside and be friends with her own cat. So Blackie did get trapped and neutered and went back to his outdoor home at Bev's. After nearly 10 months of trying, Bev called PAF to ask if we would take him in as her cat was adamantly opposed to having a boyfriend move in! She wanted Bev all to herself. Blackie still preferred his roaming time outside but she had managed to introduce him to a few things like brushing (which he liked) and a litter box (which he would NOT use). Bev didn't want him to spend nights outside as she said, one time he blasted right through her mesh screen door while being chased outside by raccoons!

We didn't know if Blackie would adapt to more house living but we wanted to help him. We took him in and set him up in a nice room with a window and dirt in his litter box. He hid and was tentative for the first 5 days but he wasn't aggressive. Blackie had other ideas about his lack of freedom and on morning 6 he was AWOL. He had managed to pry the metal lock off the window latch during the night and turn the window knob so he could squeeze out. There was a seven foot drop to a patio below !

For two days we called and looked for him and were pretty sure he was headed back to the trailer park but after 2 days of freedom he showed up on the patio directly below his window, calmly waiting for his breakfast ! He was dispatched to the outside catio for the next 7 days which gave him sunshine, fresh air (as it was summer time) and then he was allowed his garden freedom. He is shy of strangers but he is getting better with the regulars. He has hiding places under the bushes all day but he is punctually at home for dinner every night and then locked in. There is wailing and pleas to get out after dinner but after awhile he gives up and sleeps on a nice blanket. Best of both worlds for him now!

See Blackie here


MANITOBA WORK CONTINUES

In the early Spring we told you about the large colony of feral cats that were being cared for by the Aurora Recovery Centre in Gimli. Just before covid closed a lot of vet clinics for a period of time, the staff had managed to trap about 6 ferals and PAF had paid their spay/neuter bills. Trapping had to pause for a couple of months until the clinics re-opened but, in the late Spring, trapping began again and continued throughout the summer. We now have spayed or neutered 16 out of the 17 cats in the colony. We decided that 'old Papa' was too old and fragile to undergo anesthetic and neutering at his age so we have left him in peace. The staff however, are alert for any new cats that might show up so they can be trapped right away. Out of the 16 cats, the majority were female so just imagine how MANY kittens would have been born this coming Spring if they hadn't been spayed ! Kudos to the staff at Aurora for their determined and dedicated efforts to bring this colony humanely under control and to Gimli Veterinary Services. Win, Win for all.

Meanwhile, a number of other feral and tame cats south of Winnipeg area were getting trapped and spayed/neutered as well. We continued working with Margo who lives about an hour outside Winnipeg as she had another couple of stray cats come to her porch looking for food. Margo is an experienced trapper and she caught a little calico at 5am one day. We were pretty sure little kitty was feral but, after spaying and recovering in a large kennel at Margo's, she relaxed and started letting Margo pet her. Soon Margo was sending photos of little Pixie playing with Panda whom she had trapped in early spring. Maybe the two were little buddies on the street together. A sleek, black feline was the next one trapped, again a female, and Margo has given her a home as well. We were able to provide Margo with two small outdoor feral houses and some microwavable Snuggle-Safe discs for helping any ferals she might hear about this winter. It's farm country and Margo often is the one who responds to these calls so we are thankful she's there and we will continue to fund her work. And thank you to Winkler Veterinary Clinic.

Fixing Feral Felines is a small team in rural Manitoba, NE of Winnipeg, run by Veronica Walsh. This dedicated group does an enormous amount of work assisting individuals and small community groups to spay and neuter feral and stray cats. PAF was happy to assist in paying for many spay and neuter bills for the cats that Veronica and her group have helped. We were also able to provide the group with new Tomahawk trapping equipment so they would have the best to work with.

Veronica writes - “ One important highlight for us this year was getting connected with Pacific Animal Foundation through a series of coincidences and luck.  In a year of challenges your financial and morale support gave us more than you can imagine”.

She sent us a photo of their volunteers delivering feral shelters and food before the cold winter set in there. We also want to thank Beausejour Animal Hospital and Oakbank Animal Hospital for their help in the effort to assist with these cats.

See some of the Manitoba kitties here

And have a look at Fixing Feral Fellines Facebook site and give this hard working group a 'shout out' on their page here -

BUBBLES FINALLY SAYS 'OK' TO A HOME

Only took her 9 years ! PAF was called to a backyard on the Capilano Reserve in 2011 where we discovered 4 mother cats, each with a litter of kittens – 14 kittens in all. We trapped all the kittens and the 4 mother cats were spayed but only one of the mother cats was at all adoptable. The other 3 were returned to the yard where there was a daily feeder. All the kittens were examined, vaccinated and were young enough to tame up and get homes. For years, Donna would update us on the 3 remaining cats in the yard and we would supply food, if needed. About 5 years ago, two of the mother cats disappeared but we heard rumours, from time to time, of them surfacing in the Norgate neighbourhood.

At the beginning of August, we got a call from Jana and her husband, Kolt, and they called PAF with the news that they had been feeding a black and white kitty on their back patio for about 5 years. However, if the kitty came a few steps inside the house, it would be flying around and frantic to get back outside. Over time, they gained some trust with her and she would let them stroke and pet her but she didn't want to be picked up. They had fixed up a shelter house for her by their back door and had put a heating pad in during winter time. Jana told us they had just sold their home and were moving at the beginning of September. They were worried about kitty and didn't feel they could leave her behind. Who would feed her and where would she go?

When PAF heard this story and Bubbles' location and description, we put two and two together and figured this was one of the mom cats from 2011. So, we loaned Jana a trap and they set it on their patio a week before moving day to let Bubbles get used to it. Two days before moving, they set the trap but Bubbles wouldn't go near it. Same, next day. Finally, at 7:30am, MOVING DAY, Jana called with the good news that they had trapped Bubbles. She went straight to Norgate Animal Hospital and a check of her tattoo confirmed that she was, indeed, one of the moms from the backyard in 2011.

PAF and Jana had made prior arrangements for us to take and foster Bubbles for several weeks while their move happened and Jana and Kolt got their new house in order. We didn't want Bubbles in the mix of open doors and boxes and chaos with workmen coming and going. But Jana and Kolt and their daughter and son, Sophia and Riley, were so attached to Bubbles that they came and visited her in her outdoor catio within a few days and then again during the next three weeks. In the meanwhile they got 'her room' ready and everything settled in the house. We talked about the many ways to ease the transition for Bubbles into her first home. It helped that Bubbles was especially fond of Kolt. She was his 'little girl' and he would bring an old sweatshirt for her every time he visited. She would curl up on it in her little shelter box in our catio. Initially she was pretty feisty with all the changes to her life but eventually allowed us to stroke and brush her but she didn't want to be picked up. We eased her from dirt only in the litter box for the first ten days to a gradual introduction to litter. The happy day came when Bubbles went “home” with her family (although we had to chase her around the catio for a bit to get her).

Jana texted over the next few weeks and the news was all good. Bubbles was freaked out at first but she was starting to explore her room; she was using her litter box properly; she was fine with their cat, Echo, but Echo wasn't so sure of her; at least no fights! She preferred to explore at night or when they weren't home but one night she crawled into bed at 3am with Jana and Kolt. How adorable for a little one who finally was relaxing enough to seek attention. A long road for her . . . but this winter she had her own home !

See Bubbles here

BUDDY's MISFORTUNE ENDS WITH A HOME

The email from Mountainside Animal Hospital said - “We have a situation with a stray cat that was found in the City of North Vancouver and was brought in to us on an emergency basis on Saturday night. The cat needs to have an enucleation surgery, (eye removal).. This cat is thought to be 5 years old and otherwise healthy, we are wondering if there is anything you can do to help save the cat."

The email went on to say that the person who had rushed the cat in was unable to pay for the surgery and, because the cat was in pain, felt the only option was for the cat to be euthanized which was scheduled for 4pm later that day. The cat had no tattoo, collar or microchip and was unneutered so no trace of an owner.

We immediately said we would help and I contacted the finder, Stephie” who told me his story. The cat was known as a “neighbourhood cat” because he roamed around a several block radius mooching food. Stephie said many of her neighbours had been feeding him for more than a year when he would show up and he just made his way around a circut of people, including Stephie's house. He allowed patting and was a bit friendly but quite independent. On the previous Saturday night about 10pm, a neighbour had rushed over to Stephie's to say the cat had shown up in his backyard with a terrible eye injury and was probably in great pain. Stephie took one look at the cat everyone called “Buddy” and knew it was an emergency. He obviously didn't have an owner to look after him. She rushed him to Mountainside who determined that the eye could not be saved and he would need surgery within a couple of days. He was given pain medication right away and a treatment plan was drawn up. Surgery and subsequent treatment like this is expensive and Steffie could not afford the estimate proposed. He wasn't even her cat ! She called the City of North Vancouver and the West Vancouver SPCA, explained the situation, but no help was forthcoming. Pushed into a corner, Stephie reluctantly told Mountainside that to spare Buddy pain, he would have to be euthanized. The vets at Mountainside said they would try to find help and reached out to us.

Stephie was overjoyed to hear that we would help but we wanted little Buddy to have a permanent home after surgery so he didn't have to wander looking for food. She offered to take hm in and adopt him if we could save him. She said she hadn't adopted a cat before but was willing to do whatever was necessary to look after him. She was even able to help us a little toward his surgery fee. So little Buddy lost his eye, got neutered, vaccinated and microchipped and was happily taken home to Stephie's. But that's not the end of his tale . . . .

Buddy wasn't used to being inside a home and, on day 5 after surgery, decided to take matters into his own paws!  An odd phone call came to PAF about 3pm from Liz (one of our supporters who lives about 4 blocks away from Stephie). She said a black and white kitty that used to show up at her place for food had not been around for awhile but had just shown up in her backyard again and he had one eye missing . . . and his stitches were still in !! We knew immediately who she meant and frantic calls to Stephie were placed. We were highly relieved to hear that she and her boyfriend had been out looking for him and a neighbour had called her to tell her Buddy was in his backyard looking for his usual hand-out. Stephie told us that she had gone to work at 10am and Buddy had been happily inside when she left. When her boyfriend got home at 2pm he found that Buddy had pulled out a window screen and was gone! He called Stephie and she raced home from work and they were out looking when the neighbour's call came to her. What a character!

A recent update and photo from Stephie tells us that Buddy has really settled in well and is adored by both of them. We think he's used up about 5 of his 9 lives by now !

See little Buddy's photos here

Lana Simon, Director
Pacific Animal Foundation
www.pacificanimal.org

We wish to thank everyone for your wonderful support this year so we could help so many cats,

not only in our own community, but many of those who are in other Provinces.



THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING PAF

YOU ARE PART OF OUR WONDERFUL TEAM
TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN !