Katie’s Place taking pet photos with Santa
Pet photos with Santa take place Nov. 22 and Dec. 6.
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Updated: November 18, 2009 7:24 AM
Santa Claus is coming to town and he wants to see your pet.
Katie’s Place is holding its annual Pet Photos with Santa at Bosley’s in Maple Ridge on Nov. 22 and Dec. 6 – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Cost is by donation. Photos can be picked up from Bosley’s the following week.
Pet Photos with Santa is one of the biggest annual fund raisers for Katie’s Place. The animals pose wearing antlers or Santa hats while the Katie’s Place elves get them to look at the camera.
“This fundraiser is especially important for Katie’s Place this year since the shelter didn’t receive its annual $32,500 lottery grant which covered a large portion of the shelter’s vet expenses,” said Brigitta MacMillan of katie’s Place.
“So the volunteers are scrambling to make up the shortfall or scale back rescue operations.”
The shelter teamed with other small rescue groups last summer to relocate a colony of feral cats that faced eradication when they became a nuisance in the neighbourhood. That operation was such a success that Katie’s Place assisted another community with a similar feral problem.
Trapping and altering is all it takes to control a feral population.
Some of those trapped among the feral cats were homeless pets that were grateful to be cared for again, MacMillan said.
“They live at the shelter where they greet the volunteers each day with the same loving fanfare as the other shelter cats.
“Some of the trapped ferals were kittens -- tiny, frightened fluffballs that stammered brave baby hisses.
“These were socialized in foster homes and by volunteers at the Alouette Correctional Centre, a partnership begun with Katie’s Place last summer.”
With the new Katie’s Place shelter and new rescue initiatives, more animals were saved this year. By the end of October, volunteers had rescued more than 375 cats. None of those will again produce an unwanted litter. That will make a significant difference to the feline overpopulation crisis in the long term.
