To The Editor,
RESCUES WITHOUT BORDERS was created by Pat Bracelin of Hawkesbury’s Operation Spay & Neuter and Sue Nicholson of Paws 4 Thor’s Cause in Glen Robertson. Together, we are forming a network of approved no-kill rescue groups and organizations that are dedicated to saving abandoned and unwanted pets and who specialize in certain areas of cat rescue such as orphaned & abandoned kittens and cats, resocialization of abused, neglected, abandoned and feral cats & kittens, rehabilitation of sick, injured and feral cats and much more. Some rescues are available for emergency situations such as a death in the family, floods and fires which are all acts of nature and can leave many pets homeless and hungry or an animal may need to be removed from a dangerous situation and placed in temporary foster care until the crisis is over. So basically, we trap the abandoned, save the injured and the abused, tend to the sick, control the overpopulation, help the needy and find homes for the homeless.
Every cat in our care is treated with the love and respect they deserve and are given as much time as needed until they begin to trust and allow us to work with them because every cat deserves a second chance regardless of their color, age or disability. Feral / colony cats that are unable to be socialized are placed on approved farms and horse stables where they can live out the rest of their lives in a controlled environment where they are fed daily and shelter is provided year round while continuing to control the rodent population. Unlike TNR groups, we do not return cats to colonies unless at the request of the property owner, who is willing and able to take on the responsibility to provide food on a daily basis, shelter year round and vetting whenever necessary. Removing cats from a colony can and does cause a vacuum effect; however when new cats move in it makes trapping much easier since this is familiar grounds to the trapper. There will always be more than enough homeless cats to keep the rodent population down because until people stop allowing their unaltered pets to stop roaming the streets freely or they stop dumping and abandoning their cats we will never completely win this fight to control this worldwide overpopulation crisis. Domestic pets are trained by humans to depend on us to feed them and love them. They’re not hunters nor do most of them know how to hunt or find food, shelter or even how to protect themselves. So please, spay and neuter your pets to prevent their needless suffering!
Did you know that… the majority of pet overpopulation comes from unaltered pets in low-income neighborhoods and that pet overpopulation is the leading killer of cats in our country? The overpopulation crisis is staggering when you realize that there are more cats than there are homes available in all of Canada!
Pat Bracelin,
Operation Spay & Neuter
