THUNDER BAY - A local animal rescue is hoping to find homes for dozens of cats, while also easing issues of overcapacity and growing vet bills.
On Saturday, Caring Hearts Cat Rescue partnered with the Thunder Bay District Humane Society to kick off its weekend adoption fair at Pet Value on Arthur Street.
“We paired up with the Humane Society today so we could get some of our older cats adopted,” said Michelle Gagnon, founder of Caring Hearts Cat Rescue. “But we also brought along some kittens.”
There were 14 cats up for adoption on Saturday, with two being adopted before noon. Gagnon said she hopes these cats will find a loving home, because they are running out of room and money to care for all of the animals.
“We rescue cats that are in need,” she said. “We have taken a few northern community cats into our rescue recently. We are pretty much at capacity right now. We have over 50 cats. All our cats are fully vetted, vaccinated, dewormed.”
Right now, adoption fees for cats stands at $225, however, with so many cats, including ones that have been in desperate need of veterinary care, bills are starting to pile up, which may result in an increase to adoption fees.
“Our fees will probably change a little bit because our vet fees are quite high and we can’t continue on if we don’t change our prices unfortunately,” Gagnon said. “Right now, we are at a standstill for rescuing because we are at our limit.”
Cassandra Nordal, fundraising coordinator with the Thunder Bay District Humane Society, said she is happy to be helping a local animal rescue.
“Caring Hearts ran into a pretty big vet bill and we just wanted to work together with them and try to get some of their cats adopted out of foster care and into someone’s heart,” she said. “At the end of the day, we’re all here for the animals. Everyone has the exact same feeling about animal welfare.”
The adoption fair continues on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pet Value on Arthur Street.
