Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven Society: Purina Canada Happy Paws & Hearts Operation Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The Safe Haven had an unexpected intake of cats from one property at the end of February, and all 22 cats/kittens ended up testing positive for panleukopenia virus. As this is a very contagious virus, we had to provide isolation for all these cats, from each other and from our other shelter cats. It was a lot of extra work to provide care, which included daily sanitization of every surface they contacted, wearing PPE every day, and providing additional veterinary care.
The grant helped pay for half of the total cost of getting these cats healthy and ready for adoption. Of the 22, 13 have been adopted into healthy homes and three were returned to the owner after we got them healthy and spayed/neutered. This would not have been possible without the Happy Paws & Hearts Operation Grant.
How many pets did this grant help?
22 in a one-month period
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Many of the cats who came in from this hoarding situation had other medical issues besides panleukopenia, including scarred ears and bad eyes, and none had ever been to a vet. Some became very bonded and because most were over a year old, they took longer to be adopted.
As you can tell, we still have four who haven’t been adopted. Two of the shelter favorites, Clancy and Zoella (photos 1-4), took longer because they were also very shy and nervous, but so beautiful. They were adopted in July after a brief stay at our local PetSmart. Their new owners saw them and knew they couldn’t leave without them.
This is how they describe them: “They have slowly warmed up to us. We are on week three and can say they fully have their own personalities. Callie (previous name was Zoella, calico girl) protects Clancy and is beyond sassy and also loving. Clancy (orange boy) is shy, loves scratches, and loves to play. We are excited for a fun journey with these two characters.”
These beautiful cats, along with the others, are alive, healthy and happy.
