Cat rescue having a tough year

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on August 8, 2023.

The Last Chance Cat Ranch Society is having what they consider to be a tough year.
The no kill cat rescue helps abandoned, stray and surrendered cats find care in a forever home.
“We are at quadruple capacity and it has been the hardest year,” said Michelle Hansen, the society’s fundraiser coordinator.
“Every year we say that but each year it gets harder and harder. The need is so, so bad in Lethbridge and surrounding areas. We’re trying to find fosters and adoption homes, and it’s been a tough year all around, and the cases seem to get worse and worse. And we can’t stress enough how important spaying and neutering is and it would be so great if we could get a spaying and neutering program in the area.”
The quadruple in capacity is due to a spaying and neutering problem.
“We have had so many pregnant mommas come in,” said Hansen.
“The moms with kittens and the moms that are pregnant coming in, it’s massive. Like just in the last few weeks, we’ve incurred over probably nine to 10-grand in vet bills just from the last few weeks.”
If the capacity gets any worse, the society may be forced to go to zero intake.
“It’s sad because we want to try and help as many as we can,” said Hansen.
“But it becomes to the point where we can’t take any more in if we can’t find more foster homes, and more adopters and things like that.”
Most cases have to do with feral cats and their mothers when turning them over to the society.
“They’re just cats that were not spayed or neutered and that unfortunately they’re getting pregnant and they’re coming in,” said Hansen.
“A lot of the owners’ surrenders are unfortunately older folks moving into facilities that won’t allow pets. Or quite often, it’s people who are moving that don’t take them and that’s unfortunate.”
Hansen thinks it’s more of an economic situation as to why cats are not being spayed or neutered.
“We have a wonderful foster program where if you do foster a cat with us, we do take care of the vetting and the food and we try to help out as much as possible,” she said.
Their main goal is to spay and neutering and to get the word out there.
“Just to rescue,” she said.
“Rescue, rehabilitate, be kind to animals. You don’t have to necessarily to be a cat lover, just don’t be cruel.”
The Society is looking for more volunteers and more information can be found on that and more at http://www.thelastchancecatranch.com.

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