Feed a hungry cat on Global Cat Day.
That’s the message from Surrey Community Cat Foundation on this special day, Friday, Oct. 16, formerly recognized as Feral Cat Day.
The group, also known as SurreyCats (surreycats.ca), is celebrating cats of all colours and stripes and also raising awareness about the needs of abandoned cats in the city.
The organization works with local retailers to collect donated cat food for distribution to volunteers in the community who care for stray and feral cats, and also for a pet food bank for low-income residents.
SurreyCats’s Global Cat Day Food Drive runs from Oct. 17-24.
Donations of cat food can be dropped off at Clayton Critters (6820 188th St.), Mother Hubbard’s Pet Food (1812 152nd St.) and Newmac Animal Feeds (17967 56th Ave.). The public can either drop off opened or unused cat food or buy new food at the store to donate.
“Global Cat Day also recognizes the people who protect cats by advocating for humane policies, adopting or fostering, and carrying out no-kill population management, such as trap-neuter-return,” says Lubna Ekramoddoullah, SurreyCats’ program manager. “It’s the purrfect day to educate others about the work that SurreyCats does to save the lives of cats while preventing future generations.”
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Meantime, for a ninth year, the BC SPCA community animal spay/neuter grant program is accepting funding applications to help communities address cat overpopulation issues.
“The program continues to see positive results in communities across B.C., with more than 6000 cats sterilized across the province to date,” says Marieke van der Velden, outreach specialist at the BC SPCA.
The grant program is designed to help non-profit organizations, veterinarians, First Nations communities, and regional and municipal governments working to address pet overpopulation.
Funding will be distributed to projects that better the welfare of a community’s most vulnerable companion animals and ensure there is a long-term impact. The application deadline is Dec. 1, 2020. To learn more or apply for a grant, visit spca.bc.ca/spayneutergrant.