ciety. There the two noticed, on successive shifts, that thenumber of cats kept increasing. When the number reachedeighteen in our small space, Amber suggested to Cassadayan idea to give the Society some relief – a fund-raiser.

Five Days in MayFor five days in May the pair designed and con-

structed posters announcing their fund-raiser which wasto take place at the Glenbrook Middle School . Theycontinued to volunteer at the Shelter while poster-makingand got carried away to the tune of over 100 posters! Allof which were posted around the school. Announcements

were also made over thePA.. Cassaday mentionsthat, at this point, while de-signing and making posterswas fun, being around allthe cats at the Shelter washer favourite time of thewhole campaign. You see,she has four dogs at home- Bayley, Darby, Max andSoliel –so the presence of acat or cats, while much de-sired, is problematic. Shealso has three hermit crabs– Chardae, Rocky andHarry, making the situationeven more problematic forhaving cats…or does it?Thus she was most happyto have the opportunity to

play with, pet, feed and generally look after the Sheltercats.. We may well note here that many would-be, butcan’t-be, cat owners stave off complete catlessness by vol-unteering at the Shelter.

Five More Days in MayFriend Amber’s situation at home is a little different:

She has a cat, named Jinx, Cash, a dog named with eco-nomics in mind, and a fish, named Butler for its survivability.

Here at the Scratchin’ Post, we reject the idea thatpeople prefer to read bad news. Consequently we want tobring you good news, the better news; in fact the best newsthere is. And in New Westminster, the entire community,at every level, can be extremely proud of two thirteen-yearolds named Amber McLennan and Cassaday Ranford. Theseyoungsters are proof positive of what can happen whenan experience leads to an idea which turns into a campaignthat produces tangible results. Let me explain.

The experience occurred when Amber encountered astray cat near 3rd and 3rd in New West. Amber wasalarmed at the condition of the cat she called Marmaladybecause of its colouring.

She thought the catlooked ill and way too thinso she took the cat hometo see if she could find whoowned it and care for it inthe meantime. A phone callput her in touch with theRoyal City Humane Soci-ety and Marmalady wentto see our veterinarian Dr.Singh at Alpine AnimalHospital were she got a fullmedical exam, a geriatricblood panel, fluids for de-hydration, medication anda special prescription dietfor senior cats.

Amber was pleasedwith the care the animal re-ceived but it was an eye-opener too, to realize the dollarcost of this excellent treatment, in excess of $700. In themeantime some ads posted in the neighbourhood turnedup Buttercup’s (the cats real name) worried owners. In thisinstance, it was the pet’s owners who picked up the vet bill,which is the Society’s policy wherever possible: the freefood, loving care and attention are on us! But the irre-pressible Amber had been bit. Not by a cat but by an idea.Together with her friend Cassaday the two began to vol-unteer at the Animal Shelter operated by the Humane So- Continued on Page 4

October 2005

WE’RE HERE FOR THE CATS

ROYAL CITY HUMANE SOCIETY www.rchs.bc.ca - 604-524-6447

Come see ‘em, you’ll love ‘em, want to take one home!

COYOTE’S LUNCHLet’s start this sad but all too common story at the

end. DO NOT PUT A BELL ON YOUR CAT and then let itgo outside. You are issuing an invitation to any and allhungry coyotes that there is food available nearby.

A few days ago a fellow came by a friend of ours’house because he had heard she was the local ‘cat lady’.He didn’t know she prefers CATWOMAN ( complete withmask and tail and super-hero powers). He knows nowand quite a bit more besides. The reason he called on ourfriend, he said, was that his cat had been missing fornearly a week (!) and he was just now scouring the neigh-bourhood in the hopes that Fluff had turned up at somefriendly home, hopefully, at her home, the one person lo-cally that everyone knew loved and looked after cats.

Our friend listened patiently while the man describedFluff until he said the dreaded words, “Yah, we put a bellon her collar because she was going after the birds.” Catwoman. “So, what you’re saying is you turned yourcat into coyote bait.” Fellow. “Well, now wait a minute...” Catwoman. “You put a bell on her collar that acted asa signal to any hungry coyotes nearby that there was ameal handy THAT WOULD BE VERY EASY TO FIND.”Catwoman grimaced. “That poor cat never had a chance.Every time she moved she told the coyotes wher she was.Good going’ Sport, if what you wanted was to feed coyo-tes.” Catwoman. “Does your cat have a tattoo?” Fellow. “No.” Catwoman. “A microchip?” Fellow. “No.” Catwoman. (!!!!!!!!).

The poor fellow looked extremely uncomfortable asthe truth of what he’d done dawned on him. Catwoman didn’t let up though, “Sadly, the coyotes eat

Valentino is aboutthree years old. Heis a neutered malecat and the best ol'cat that hasn't beenadopted. He's sofriendly and outgo-ing no one can un-derstand why hehasn't been

adopted. Of course with his conflicts with the other catsin the Shelter (which remember is a very unnatural situa-tion to have so many cats cheek by jowl) he appears prettyrough but as the only cat in a cat-happy home he'd fit inlike pie. He was found near the Pantry restaurant (freeplug!) on 6th Street and wearing a flea collar. It was con-cluded that he must belong to someone who was missinghim but efforts to locate his home were fruitless. As hewas not neutered at the time he was causing a minor ruckusin the home of the woman who found him with her femalecats. That's how he came to the R.C.H.S. Once there hegot 'the works' which for those of you who don't knowconsists of being tested for FIV and leukemia, spayed orneutered (if necessary), tattooed in the ear and a flea con-trol agent like 'Advantage' is administered. All of theseprocedures are necessary to insure the health of ALL ofthe cats in Society care and to do what we can to see thatthe total number of neglected cats does not increase. Theirtoenails are also trimmed so that when they arrive at theshelter their weaponry is minimal (a must in the unnatu-ral situation of so many cats in a much to small space).

One of the reasons he wasn't adopted was that hebecame such good friends with another cat, Bootster itwas decided to try to keep the two of them together. Theywere considered a pair. Unfortunately for Val, Bootsterwas adopted out by himself. Let me say here once againthat most people who really know cats would prefer toadopt a mature cat rather than a kitten. For one thingthey are more needful of adoption as the general populaceseems bent on a kittens-only adoption policy. Experiencedcat handlers know that with only the same amount of timeand effort expended on a kitten and often less of both youwill have a loving, affectionate, playful pet for many years.

On one occasion Valentino escaped from the Shelterand was gone for several days to the chagrin of all thevolunteers. He loves to go outdoors, so if you are thinkingabout adopting Valentino you would want to be able to lethim go outside on a regular basis, preferably into a backyard. So come on down and spend some time with Val.Like all the cats at the Shelter to know is to love them.Come and spend some time getting to know Val and you'llwant to adopt him for sure. Following are Val Tales fromDave, one of the volunteers...

1) He's a troublemaker, but in a good old fashionedway. Some of the cats at the shelter that are more skit-

tish, he'll follow them around and get them ticked off. They'llturn around and hiss and maybe scratch him. He has somescratch marks on his nose still. I think he really just wantsto play; he's probably the most sociable cat that has cometo the shelter (I don't understand why he hasn't beenadopted yet either).

2) He had an affair with a very shy timid cat namedMocha who is still at the shelter. I remember sitting writ-ing in the log one time and he was in the cat room brush-ing her with his tail, and they played together. She getsalong better with him than any other cat or person.

3) Val now has an appetite for the outdoors, so he'llmeow in front of the door, and sometimes he'll climb upon the chain-linked metal part in the door window and goon and on. Then he'll get fed up and bug another cat toplay with him. That's Val. - Dave

everything, even the bones so there won’t be anythingleft of Fluff...except maybe the bell.” A pang of mercyhit Catwoman and she added, “There is just the faint hopethat those people in the neighbourhood who let their dogsrun free may have scared Fluff out of the neighbourhoodand she’ll turn up on a telephone-pole sign about a foundcat or maybe even at the Shelter. It’s barely possible someGood Sam picked her up and still has her or turned her into the Shelter.”

The now catless fellow wandered off looking miser-able with just a tinge of hope in his gait.

THE MORAL OF OUR STORY - Catwoman added in hernote to me that she didn’t think the fellow meant to hurthis pet kitty; he just didn’t think it through. Belling the catis UNNATURAL and cruel and tantamount to a death sen-tence for Fluff or any belled cat. We’ll say it again - DON’TBELL YOUR CAT.

Every issue we try toprofile at least one of ourmany valuable and help-ful volunteers. It shouldgo without saying but itbears repeating herethat, without the effortsof ALL our volunteers,the work of the RoyalCity Humane Societysimply would never getdone. We count on you,volunteers, and we saluteand thank you!

This issue of THE SCRATCHIN’ POST, we are profil-ing a young woman who claims to be almost twice as oldas she appears, Army & Navy Department Store retailsupervisor, Lisa Finnigan. That’s right, Lisa is just as busy,or more likely MORE busy than you are with her careerand work. Yet she still finds time to come down to theShelter every single week and put in two hours or moreof an evening, cleaning up after the cats, feeding themand the part she says she likes best, just hanging out withthe cats. Interestingly enough, Lisa says the cats helpher “maintain her sanity” and that, in fact, she considerscats MORE sane than most people she has encountered inher travels!

In a mini-tribute to New Westminster, Lisa makesthe astounding claim that she does not own a car, anddoes not drive anywhere on a regular basis. C’mon folks,acknowledge it, THAT IS GREEN! What a happy thing tohave arranged her life so that she can get to work andkeep her volunteer commitments and just generally getaround the city without having to dive into the modernday money pit – the car! Good for you, Lisa, and another“Thank You” from everyone who has an environmentalconscience.

When asked, “What’s the number one thing youwould like people to know about the work of the AnimalShelter that they are not likely to know?” She replied, “Ithink it’s really important that people understand how itis that a large percentage of the animals (and here we aretalking mostly about cats) come into the Shelter.” Sheelaborates that a lot of the cats come into the Shelterbecause someone, an individual or a family, has movedaway and they simply leave the cat behind. According toLisa, this constitutes cruel and unusual punishment to adomesticated animal, to suddenly treat it as though it wasa wild animal. Most of the time the poor abandoned catsbecome horribly flea-infested in addition to often pickingup odd skin disorders, lose weight or just starve to death.Lisa pleads her case, “Don’t abandon your cats, people,please! They are really quite easy to take with you. Youjust have to remember NOT TO LET THEM OUTSIDE for atleast two weeks (if at all) after landing in the new home-

Lisa Finnigan

Continued on page 4

WHO LET THE CAT OUT ?!!!...

HAVE YOU SEEN MY CAT?!!!

Now that we have your attention you need to knowthe Royal City Humane Society and the animal shelterwing in particular is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS in needof space. Now you don’t have to wait to leave your houseto us in your will in order to help us out and YOURSELFtoo!

Say you have a room, two rooms, in the basement,the entire basement would be even better, just sitting theredoing nothing; whiling away the half-lives of its atoms inpeace but NOT usefulness. Our animal shelter gurus canturn that space into shelter space lickety-split with theleast inconvenience to you A N D tax, breaks, receipts andso forth FOR you. It would be as if you were renting out aroom, two rooms, the whole basement or maybe even awhole unused house to the cleanest quietist critters in NewWest. No muss, no fuss for you! We do all the work! Andif you do not have any heirs and/or assigns and the prop-erty will go to the Province of B. C. upon your demise,that’s not a bad thing, but donating it to the Royal CityHumane Society for a cat shelter would be a very verygood thing! Thanking you in advance for all the wonder-ful potential pets who cannot fend for themselves!

URGENTLY NEEDED!!!

If you are interested in fostering you can contactthe Royal City Humane Society 604-524-6447 or Doreen 604-525-4930 for more de-tails and a brief interview to determine what typeof foster would be most suitable for your home.

Royal City Humane Society

Yes! I would like to make a donation to the RCHS to help animals in need.

Mailing Address: Box 0102, 641 Columbia Street, New Westminster, B.C. V3M 1A8 www.rchs.bc.ca 604 524-6447

Registered Charity # 89683-2532-RR0001

The Royal City Humane Society is a registered, no-kill animal charity based in New Westminster, BC. As the only charity animal shelter in New Westminster, RCHS

campaigns against pet overpopulation and cares for stray, injured and abandoned animals by testing them for disease, sterilizing and tattooing and finding them new

homes. RCHS is 100% volunteer run. Funding is obtained through various fund raising activities, memberships and donations, and all funds are spent on the welfare

of the animals.

Please complete the information below

First Name:

Last Name:

Street Address:

City:

Prov: Postal Code:

Tel: ( )

E-Mail:

One-Time Donation $ Monthly Donation $

$25 $35 $50 $75 $100

$200 Other $

Please accept my annual membership fee of $10.00

Sponsor a Spay/Neuter please accept my $50.00 donation so I can sponsor sterilizing a

feral (wild) cat

Cheque Enclosed I Do Not Require A Receipt

Donations may be made on our Website www.rchs.bc.ca by using...

SHOPPING LISTWhat follows is our shopping list, an itemizing of

all those things without which the Shelter would not be aproper Shelter. Please have a look here. If YOU haveaccess to any of these items at a reduced cost to the aver-age retail cost please let us know and you’ll receive a bigwarm, “Thank You!” You could also consider donating anyof these items instead of or in addition to a cash donation,detergent both laundry and dish/kitty litter/litter boxes/bleach/canned cat food/dry or hard cat food/scratch-ing posts/cat toys/cat carriers/garbage bags/blanketsand towels for making kitty beds/ dish towels/ hand tow-els/ hand soap/cat beds/cat ladders and climbing toys

Like all such facilities the Royal City Humane Soci-ety Animal Shelter’s largest expense is for medicines andVet bills. Please think about making a donation today.

stead. They will want to go out. They will beg to go out.Turn a deaf ear to their begging because if you give in andallow the cat to go outside unsupervised that will verylikely be the last time you will ever see your cat.” Sothere you have it. Some good advice from a happy cat-handler. Thanks Lisa!

Continued from page 3The thing that made the biggest impression on Amber wasthe number of animals actually spayed or neutered underthe auspices of the Shelter. This brainstorm was the im-petus for the fund-raiser so kindly permitted by MadameSpranger of Glenbrook in the form of a contest – whichclass could bring in the most items related to the Shelter’saffairs – food, litter, litter boxes, animal toys and so on. Atfirst, Amber and Cassady were disappointed at the numberof items produced by their fund-raiser. But it was earlydays and bythe fifth daythey hadbrought inover seventyitems related toanimal careand raised over$100 in cash!

TodayOver the

summer thepair were busywith holidaying and ‘tween school-year activities and asa result lost their status as ‘volunteers’ for the HumaneSociety, becoming as now, simply ‘visitors’. But they botheagerly look forward to each of their visits and to takingup proper volunteer duties once the hours become avail-able. In the meantime, both Cassaday and Amber arehappy to be a part of the good news that makes up somuch of the life of our community of New Westminster.And we here at the Royal City Humane Society and espe-

cially the Shelternewsletter, TheScratchin’ Post,are also ex-tremely proudand happy thatour communityproduces suchfine, resourcefuland active young-sters as Amberand Cassaday.

Continued from front page

R.C.H.S. Fall Garage Sale held on September 10th,2005 raised a grand total of $1,620.00.

Our display “It’s Raining Cats & Dogs” at theLantern Festival held at Deer Lake on September 17th,2005 raised grand total of $113.83. Thank you Stacyfor all your wonderful work and your valuable time.

All funds raised are spent on the welfare of the ani-mals in our care.