Every rescue knows to expect to be busy during kitten season. There seems to be an unending supply of kittens born to feral moms who have not been spayed. Even so, it is difficult to prepare for an intake of more than 30 kittens from one property, but that is exactly what some of Meant 2B Loved (M2BL) Pet Rescue’s volunteers were called on to do.

Some of these kittens were orphans as young as two days old. Also rescued off the property were some very pregnant moms who had their babies shortly after coming into M2BL’s custody.

Rescuing cats is not a glamourous job.

Many of the little kittens had fleas and ear mites, and when you have a bunch of kittens with fleas, you can’t just drop them off at a foster’s home and say good luck. Some of the kittens were too small to even be treated for their fleas. A volunteer, therefore, has been caring for those kittens until they are ready to be treated and can go into foster homes.

Through all this vet bills, gas bills, and the costs for kitten milk replacer, kitten food, and flea treatment were adding up quickly. We put a call out to our communities for help and received many generous donations that certainly helped with some of the costs. Once again, thank you to everyone who donated!

Of course, on top of the financial costs is the physical and emotional toll that events like this take on the volunteers involved.

Despite everyone’s very best efforts, not all the kittens survived. The loss of these young lives, combined with witnessing the conditions in which these cats had been living, can break the heart of even the most seasoned rescuers.

Add to that the time put into these rescues by volunteers who are also working full-time jobs and surviving on next to no sleep and it is enough to break anyone. In fact, the primary rescuer, between helping with the cats and her regular job, barely saw her own home for over two weeks. But rescuers are a special kind of people – and they continue doing the hard work, despite it all.

Though the initial rescue was performed by Meant 2B Loved volunteers, many in the rescue community jumped in to help.

Both the Invermere Companion Animal Network (ICAN) and the Creston Pet Adoption & Welfare Society (PAWS) jumped in to take on some of the kittens at their rescues, and the SPCA supplied vouchers to offset some of the costs of having adult cats spayed or neutered. We are so grateful for their support. At the time of this writing, 18 adult cats from the property have been fixed and assessments continue to see how many unfixed adults remain on the property.

So, while it may seem that rescues are too often asking for some of your hard-earned money, or for you to give up some of your free time to volunteer or foster, events like this large rescue (which happen on a smaller scale on a very regular basis), are why they need to. So many innocent lives are counting on us.

Meant 2B Loved Pet Rescue is a 100% volunteer run, foster-based domestic animal rescue which primarily serves the Cranbrook and Kimberley region of the East Kootenay. Meant 2B Loved volunteers – whether conducting rescues, or behind the scenes, are inspired by the Rescue’s mission to Rescue. Rehabilitate. Rehome.

Lead image: Star, one of more than 30 kittens removed from one property. Photos submitted

Meant 2B Loved

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