A team of volunteer veterinarians spayed and neutered dozens of cats Saturday surrendered from a rural property north of Calgary.
A cat is carried into the surgery area on Saturday, November 13, 2021 at the The Canadian Animal Task Force in their northeast Calgary office. With the support of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association they were granted a temporary license to provide spay and neuter clinics and treated approximately 60 cats.
The Canadian Animal Task Force set up a temporary surgical space in their northeast office to provide the medical care for the animals, part of the 125 cats seized two weeks ago in need of extensive medical treatment.
“This particular situation, we thought was going to be a normal, 20 to 30 cats to bring into care, but when we went into the property we realized the condition the cats were in were not ideal whatsoever,” said RJ Bailot, the charity’s executive director.
In addition to behind-the-scenes volunteers and those who help care for the animals, several veterinarians donated their time Saturday to spay and neuter about 60 cats. That included Dr. Bryony George, a veterinary surgeon who drove to Calgary for the day from southeast Alberta, where she works.
“It’s kind of nice to give back your time. You spend all these years wanting to be a vet, and you don’t really want to be a vet for money for the most part, so it’s really good to do,” George said.
George said it’s important to neuter or spay cats to prevent unwanted pregnancies, particularly for cats which spend time outdoors. She said a female cat can have up to three litters per year, with as many as seven kittens per litter.
In light of the unexpected influx of feline friends, the Canadian Animal Task Force is asking for donations to help cover the medical expenses for the cats. Treatment for all 125 animals — including medication for the feral cats and dental work in addition to spaying and neutering — is expected to cost upwards of $40,000.
“Our organization, we’ve been around for many years, we’ve spayed and neutered over 20,000 animals now in the province, but a lot of people don’t know about us because we’re a smaller grassroots organization,” Bailot said.
“Today we’re asking for families and people to consider making a financial contribution to the task force, just so we can provide the cats the care they need and we can continue to offer the program.”
Following the medical treatment, the cats will be moved to an array of Calgary-area agencies for adoption, potentially including the MEOW Foundation and the Calgary Humane Society.
Large seizures of cats like this happen more often than Calgarians may think, Bailot said, with some scared to reach out for help. He said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought an increase in these hoarding situations.
“I feel like over the next while we’re going to see more situations similar to this one, but we’re grateful that this particular individual did reach out,” he said.
A cat is carried into the surgery area on Saturday, November 13, 2021 at the The Canadian Animal Task Force in their northeast Calgary office. With the support of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association they were granted a temporary license to provide spay and neuter clinics and treated approximately 60 cats.
The Canadian Animal Task Force set up a temporary surgical space in their northeast office to provide the medical care for the animals, part of the 125 cats seized two weeks ago in need of extensive medical treatment.
“This particular situation, we thought was going to be a normal, 20 to 30 cats to bring into care, but when we went into the property we realized the condition the cats were in were not ideal whatsoever,” said RJ Bailot, the charity’s executive director.
In addition to behind-the-scenes volunteers and those who help care for the animals, several veterinarians donated their time Saturday to spay and neuter about 60 cats. That included Dr. Bryony George, a veterinary surgeon who drove to Calgary for the day from southeast Alberta, where she works.
“It’s kind of nice to give back your time. You spend all these years wanting to be a vet, and you don’t really want to be a vet for money for the most part, so it’s really good to do,” George said.
George said it’s important to neuter or spay cats to prevent unwanted pregnancies, particularly for cats which spend time outdoors. She said a female cat can have up to three litters per year, with as many as seven kittens per litter.
In light of the unexpected influx of feline friends, the Canadian Animal Task Force is asking for donations to help cover the medical expenses for the cats. Treatment for all 125 animals — including medication for the feral cats and dental work in addition to spaying and neutering — is expected to cost upwards of $40,000.
“Our organization, we’ve been around for many years, we’ve spayed and neutered over 20,000 animals now in the province, but a lot of people don’t know about us because we’re a smaller grassroots organization,” Bailot said.
“Today we’re asking for families and people to consider making a financial contribution to the task force, just so we can provide the cats the care they need and we can continue to offer the program.”
Following the medical treatment, the cats will be moved to an array of Calgary-area agencies for adoption, potentially including the MEOW Foundation and the Calgary Humane Society.
Large seizures of cats like this happen more often than Calgarians may think, Bailot said, with some scared to reach out for help. He said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought an increase in these hoarding situations.
“I feel like over the next while we’re going to see more situations similar to this one, but we’re grateful that this particular individual did reach out,” he said.
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