Current Projects
Bylaw Creation
Dee’s is working with the other rescue organizations to have each municipality pass a bylaw requiring all cats over six months to be sterilized by a veterinarian, unless the cat is registered with a recognized registering organization.
As an example of why such a bylaw is needed, we recently worked on a colony of 24 cats on Blenkinsop. Four neighbors live in close vicinity, and one neighbor keeps cats and does not spay. Each year kittens are born and move towards whatever shelter and food they can find. Two other neighbors are now caring for some of these offspring. Civil conversation with the non-spaying neighbor has not worked- they just refuse to spay or neuter. A Bylaw is likely the only way these cats will be given veterinary care. In the mean time, each spring and summer, kittens are born with no place to call home.
On April 14th, 2008, North Saanich voted 4-1 to implement a mandatory Spay/Neuter Bylaw for Cats; On April 28th, 2008, Central Saanich voted unanimously to do the same; We need the other 11 municipalities to come on board! Please write or e-mail to Mayor and Council of the municipality you live in urging them to implement a Spay/Neuter Bylaw for Cats. For ideas, check out our sample letter. This is an urgent issue as the numbers of abandoned, unwanted cats continue to grow. The alternative will be to return to euthanasia by animal shelters. DO IT NOW!
We are encouraging people to SPAY and NEUTER their animals by the age of 6 months and to please put identification on your animals. This is the worst year for overpopulation of strays, feral and abandoned cats and kittens, and the organizations to help these animals are doing their best to help, but due to lack of foster homes, some are left to live and suffer a hard life. We have so many animals without homes, please do not allow your pets to have litters of kittens. This is only adding to the problem, because every home you find for your kittens, it takes away from the homes needed for others. Please be a responsible pet owner.