Winter 2021

As this particularly unpleasant season comes to a close, here’s a short update:

This winter saw Appin Cats adoptions at an all-time high, with virtually all of our rescued kittens in new homes. This certainly is fantastic news! Additionally, our friends at other rescues have experienced the same phenomenon – the current pandemic is causing many people to rethink their home situations and open their homes to some quality companionship.

Our Safe Haven Shifts Focus

“Our Safe Haven” project has been enacted in a very modest fashion, as the dwelling we were so graciously allowed to use requires a lot of structural repair. We are using the space to the best of our resources, but haven’t invested in its rehabilitation in any significant way. At this point, we are unsure just how many rescue-needy cats there are left at our main colony.

Our Safe Haven feeds in a somewhat sheltered building and has a couple of straw-filled beds (thanks, Lisa!) in covered shelters (thanks, Jason and David!), a heating pad and a heated bowl to stop the water from freezing (thanks, Heather!). If you have donated to this initiative, do know that your donations have not gone to waste, as there are still cats to rescue and feed, which is our continuing mission.

As advocates for these felines, our attention has begun to turn to how we can best move forward to have a lasting impact on the stray and feral cat population. Recent events have caused us to seek legal advice – for the purposes to lobbying for positive changes in the feline world – and at some point, we will do fundraising for precisely this: legal expertise and advice to affect a positive, lasting change to our cruelty laws, municipal bylaws, promoting the recognition of animals as sentient beings instead of property. There is much work to do, and we do our best to divide our time between making real progress now – boots on the ground – and planning for the future, where our local governments share in the responsibility of ensuring our pets are safe and healthy.

Our biggest challenge as of late is determining how many uncared for felines remain; along with wanderers with homes, there are a number being fed but uncared for. Our next steps are to re-engage the community to share information, then begin trapping again to rescue as many as possible before the spring mating season begins in earnest.

Stay tuned for our continuing adventures! If you like what we’re doing, please feel free to throw some money at it to see if it goes away, or if you’re interested in adopting or helping out, we dare you to contact us!

Peace, Love, and Felines!