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As people struggle with the rising cost of living, so does the number of cats abandoned and surrendered to shelters.
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While it’s not necessarily a new thing, Toronto Cat Rescue — which has been breeding and rehoming cats and kittens for more than 25 years — has seen an increase in the number of people giving up their cats.
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“We are receiving an increase in the number of calls from people saying, ‘I myself am experiencing food and housing insecurity and have nowhere to put my pet,’” Toronto Cat Rescue Executive Director Nalini Ramroop told Toronto Sun.
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Kittens abandoned outside Toronto pet stores and cats left in their carriers at the TTC are just a few examples the rescue deals with.
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“Our phones ring every day with people who desperately need to get rid of their cats,” Ramroop said.
There are also cats whose older owners have passed away and their families feel they have no choice but to hand over the animals because no succession plan has been made for the pets.
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While Ramroop wants to spread the word for owners to spay or neuter their pets to stop the breeding and overcrowding situation, cost is a factor.
However, she notes that there are resources that people struggling financially can turn to, from pet food banks to low-cost or even free vaccine clinics.
For those who feel they have exhausted all options and can no longer care for a cat, Ramroop suggested reaching out to family, friends or people in your community who may want to permanently or even temporarily care for the cat until it returns. their feet.
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For Toronto Cat Rescue, which is nearing the end of its slowest season and has about 250 cats in its program, things will pick up and it will be 500 to 600 felines.
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Their goal is to take in cats that are not thriving in a shelter and move them into a foster home so they can have a home environment again.
“We rehabilitate them from a medical and behavioral standpoint; The length of stay in our program is approximately eight weeks. I call it turning lemons into lemonade.”
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Kittens are adopted more enthusiastically than elderly or sick cats who may need a little more work, but Toronto Cat Rescue finds ways to make every adoption happen.
“We have a strong and proud fundraising program and so we choose those who have no other options,” said Ramroop, adding that there are in fact some who want “the least adoptable cat” to allow them to “live out their golden years.” . .
“They’re fantastic,” she said of the foster parents, who she calls a “pillar of our program” because the rescue wouldn’t exist without them.
“Not only do we fundraise well because of these people, but they are also a big part of why our lemon cats are adopted.”
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