While reading is my oldest love, I am also very passionate about animals. I volunteer twice a week with a wonderful Toronto-based charity called Action Volunteers for Animals. They rescue homeless cats from all around Ontario, as well as run Trap-Neuter-Release programs to help control the population of homeless cats. Every week, I plan to post pictures of some of the delightful kitties currently staying with us at the local adoption facility.
If you or anyone you know is interested in adopting a rescue cat, you can find out more at actionvolunteersforanimals.com
After a few weeks off we are back with another installment of Rescue Cat Wednesday! One of the reasons I haven’t posted pictures of our wonderful shelter kitties is that we simply don’t have very many right now. AVA together with PetsMart had a hugely successful adoption weekend in February, with thirteen cats finding their forever homes from just our location in Scarborough!
When we don’t have very many cats in the adoption center, this gives us a lot of time to socialize and work with the cats that we do have. Since most of the cats that come to our shelter are rescues from the streets or cat colonies, they don’t always have a lot of trust or confidence around people.
Using gentle words, interactive play, and occasional bribery with treats, the volunteers at AVA are always working to help our cats become more comfortable around humans. Sometimes this takes just a few days, sometimes it can take months! For example, shy Kennedy has been with us since October, and only last week was a fellow volunteer able to pet him and scratch under his chin. This is a huge step for Kennedy!
Kennedy is bonded with Spencer, who is a lovely, gentle cat who wants everyone to be happy. He got used to being around people very quickly, and loves to be petted and scratched behind his ears.
Buddy and Sweetie are two more cats that need a little patience and a lot of love. They were found in a nearby trailer park as half-grown kittens. Because they started out life on their own, they can be defensive around people, but they love to play, and this has been a great way of encouraging these two eight month old cats to become more comfortable around people. They are a bonded pair, so they will go to their forever home together!
You can see more photos of our wonderful rescue cats, learn more about AVA, and become involved as a volunteer by visiting actionvolunteersforanimals.com
One Year, One Hundred Books 