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THIS DEBATE IS OVER

4/2/2018

Bruno was luckier than many cats allowed to roam outdoors.

By: Bruce Roney, Executive Director of the Ottawa Humane Society

It’s surprising to me that one of the most controversial topics I write about is keeping cats indoors. For me, this is a no-brainer. I see the consequences of cats allowed to roam every day here at the OHS.
In just the first two weeks of March—still a relatively slow period in the shelter—10 severely injured and sick cats have needed our care. Some were hit by cars. Some were suffering the effects of neglect or our harsh climate.
We were able to bring some to health, though most suffer greatly along the way. Not all could be saved.

One particularly heartbreaking feline was brought in as stray on March 15. She had been hit by a car, possibly multiple times. She was in a great deal of pain, making her condition difficult to assess. Her lower hind leg was fractured and likely so was her pelvis. She had trauma to her tail and mouth. She showed a great deal of pain when her spine was palpated. Her abdomen was distended and painful. She could not eat or urinate or move her bowels. In the end, she was humanely euthanized. We didn’t know her name.

Bruno, another sad cat was brought to us from the outskirts of Ottawa. He had lived outdoors most of his life. He had a severe ear infection, upper respiratory infection, fleas, and an untreated tear on his right ear; likely the result of fighting with other cats outdoors. He was suffering from advanced dental disease.

Fortunately, Bruno was not so far gone. We flushed his ears out to remove pus with saline then treated him with an antibiotic and anti-fungal ointment. We treated him with Advantage and Revolution for fleas and mites, and treated him for tapeworms. We started him on antibiotics for his ears and his respiratory infection, and applied eye medication daily. Bruno will require multiple tooth extractions. It will take a long time, but we think Bruno can be adopted once he is well.

These stories are only two of hundreds we see every single year. So, for me, this issue is not controversial and the debate is over. Cats should never be allowed to roam.

Bruce Roney
Executive Director
Ottawa Humane Society

www.ottawahumane.ca/this-debate-is-over/

ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR NOMINATION

9/19/2017

We are honoured to have been nominated for Organization of the Year by the Kanata North Community Association. Over the last 5 years, we have helped reunite countless lost pets with their owners. But we couldn't have done it without the dedication of our followers. This network is successful because of your likes, shares and comments. We are delighted to share this award with you!

THE STREETS ARE NO PLACE FOR A CAT

2/10/2016

By: Bruce Roney, Executive Director of the Ottawa Humane Society

I’m fed up. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the streets are no place for a cat. But the message just isn’t getting through.

I am a witness to the toll life on the streets exacts from our feline friends. It’s tragic. On my drive to work, I see cats wandering the sidewalks alone, dodging cars and scurrying under bushes. All too often, someone rushes in carrying a cat hit by a car, arriving to the Ottawa Humane Society for help that will come too late. It’s outrageous and completely unnecessary. Disease, traffic, and attacks from other cats or other animals are too common. The intentional infliction of injury by humans also ranks high.

There are voices out there that argue cats are happier and healthier when they’re allowed to roam free, just like their wild ancestors. It’s what grandma did with her cat, then mom. Now it’s what we’re teaching our kids. But now that we know better, we should be doing better for our cats. The cats around today are fully domesticated. They depend on their human caregivers. There’s simply no kind of evolution that will prevent the senseless suffering of a cat on the street; I see the consequences when they arrive at the OHS emaciated after weeks lost on the streets or frozen solid from a cold winter night. The streets are hell for a cat.

I am told that a similar debate raged about dogs in the middle of the last century, with some arguing that since dogs descended from wolves, they needed to run free! I’m not sure that anyone now thinks that dogs would have longer, healthier lives if they were allowed to roam our streets. This is just as true for cats.

So why is this happening? Like most animal welfare crises in our community, the root cause is human behaviour — specifically irresponsible behaviour. The sad reality is that ultimately, this is so widespread that it leads to the conclusion that it’s not simply a number of individuals causing a terrible situation but rather a community problem stemming from the fact that cats are simply not valued, certainly not to the same degree as our vaccinated, sterilized, collar-wearing, leashed canine friends.

We can do better for cats. I know we can. I want to hear from you. Share your ideas for getting the message out there that cats don’t belong on the streets on Facebook at Facebook.com/OttawaHumane or email me at brucer@ottawahumane.ca. Only working together can we change the future for our cats.

http://blog.ottawahumane.ca/2016/01/the-streets-are-no-place-for-cat.html

SKYLAR IS HOME AFTER 2 WEEKS!

8/26/2015

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We have some amazing news! Skylar is home! Skylar is a little nine year old Sheltie who went missing from Winchester, Ontario on August 11, 2015. In the following days, we received numerous sightings of Skylar all along Bank Street and Belmeade Road but he was far too skittish to catch. A dedicated team came together and hatched a plan to catch Skylar. They figured out from all the sightings that he was hanging around Vernon Valley Farms on Pioneer Line Road and using the corn fields as paths to access Bank Street and Belmeade Road. On the evening of August 24, Liz Fenn, Jennifer Perrier-Raina, Jennifer Presnail and Jennifer Currie Rose put the trap in the corn field where he had been spotted for the last 3 days. They set up a trail camera and made a path of tripe (don't Google it) going towards the trap. They also put some in the trap along with his blanket and favourite toy.

The next morning, Skylar appears on camera at 6:40am sniffing the trap. Liz arrived at 7am to set the trap but she didn't see Skylar. Skylar returned to the trap at 7:20am. He spent the next 25 minutes sniffing around and entered the trap only slightly but not enough to set it off. He finally entered the trap at 7:45am and it was enough to trigger it shut. Jenn Presnail arrived at 8:15am to see his beautiful face behind those bars! Jennifer met up with Jenn and drove to Russell where his owner Peter and Skylar's buddy Rosie were anxiously awaiting his return. It was an awesome reunion!

You can see all the trail cam pics here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1477703399192710/permalink/1479178039045246

Thank you to everyone who was involved in Skylar's rescue especially all the people who put up posters and called in the sightings. Without this information, Skylar would never have been caught. A HUGE thank you to Liz Fenn, Jennifer Perrier-Raina, Jenn Presnail and Jennifer Currie Rose. They made an awesome team! And special thank you to Warren Bailie for lending the trap and walking them through the process. A huge thanks also goes to Kathryn W-R and Renee Ryan for all their advice. A special thank you to Greg and Cheryl of Vernon Valley Farms for their help as well! The team is so grateful for your kindness and hospitality. We couldn't have done it without you.

Skylar was out there for 14 days which is unbelievable for a little 9 year old sheltie especially with the heat we have been having, the traffic and little to no food (at least that we know of). It just goes to show you never give up hope because anything is possible.

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SAMMY IS HOME AFTER 7 MONTHS MISSING

3/27/2015

(Left) Sammy's lost dog picture - posted to Ottawa and Valley Lost Pet Network August 27th. (Right) Sammy happy and at home after 7 months missing.

♥ It is with sheer excitement that I get to tell you that SAMMY IS HOME! ♥

I am sure you all remember Sammy, the golden mix that has been missing from Cantley since August 27th, 2014. We have had a dedicated team working with the owners since that time. We postered, went door to door, put and ad in the local paper, postered all over social media. We followed NUMEROUS leads that all ended up to be a loose golden, but not Sammy. We never had a confirmed sighting of her since she went missing. That is until 2 days ago. The owner got a call that Sammy’s SPCA medal had been found at a shed where she and another dog have been sleeping at night under for a few months. The home owners had been feeding them and working with the SPCA to trap the dog. No luck. The entire neighborhood was trying to help these dogs but they would not approach. FINALLY, after a few months, because her tag fell off, she was identified. Our team went over last night, scoped out the place, did some adjustments to the trap, left some personal items of hers, things she likes. We even saw the german sheperd she had been hanging with! Guess what? This morning, the trap was closed yet again BUT Sammy was inside! Her owner picked her up and she immediately went nuts and wagged her tail, she was not feral at all! She is now home and safe and will be checked over by a vet BUT, these pictures are of her just about an hour ago and she looks fantastic! The moral of this story is NEVER GIVE UP! Even if you have NO leads, NO sightings. Sammy was found exactly 7 months to the day that she was lost! She was 4KM's from where she was lost.

***We are working hard to catch the German shepherd and we will keep you updated on the progress.***

THE CAT CAME BACK......ONE YEAR LATER!

2/8/2015

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Ottawa and Valley Lost Pet Network
♥♥ OWNER FOUND AFTER 1 YEAR! ♥♥

FOUND CAT - Ottawa - February 4, 2015

The Beginning

I am looking for the owner of a lost cat. This cat is about 1 year old based on the rate he/she has been growing.

The cat has been hanging around Sunnyside Avenue (which is between Carleton University and Bank Street) day and night. He/she has a round yellow tag which has 2 phone numbers on it but they are faded and the numbers are difficult to read. The cat also has a pink collar.

I would love to reunite this cat with his owner. My father has been feeding him everyday and is very concerned for this cat. Do not miss out on this opportunity to get your cat back where he/she belongs.

The Happy Ending

The owners lost this cat last March, almost 1 year ago. They live about 5 blocks from where this cat was hovering around. Last March, this cat was pretty much a kitten so I'm assuming it was lost and didn't know how to get back home.
Last March, the owners had posted paper posters around their area but my father never frequented their neighbourhood so he never noticed these posters. I don't think they ever posted anything online with respect to this cat.

Also, the owner's other cat passed away a few days ago so they were so happy to hear that this cat was still alive and well (though a bit cold). We are very happy to reunite this cat with their owners and just hope that they keep her indoors where she belongs.

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TRUE STORY - PERSISTENCE FINDS CAT

9/23/2014

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Georgia our cat was lost for 33 days in Nepean after getting out of my in-laws' house where she was staying while we were on holiday. It was persistent postering that got her back. I decided to try to make it impossible for anyone who entered Parkwood Hills not to know that she was missing. I wanted everyone to think, "Hey, is that Georgia?" every time they saw a small grey cat. I made about 40 large neon posters following the instructions at missingpetpartnership.com and updated them after three weeks to say that she was still missing. It got so that every time I was out looking for her, people would ask if I was looking for Georgia. We were so impressed at the kindness of strangers, all concerned for our little cat. I was so sad while I was doing this and wondered if I would ever see her again. The call came last Friday night from a woman who had lured her into her house (less than 500 m away from where she went missing) with food. The resident cat was outraged, poor thing. My husband went to pick her up and had her scanned at the Humane Society to confirm. I just wanted all those sad pet-owners to know that success is possible and persistence is the key. Our three children are ecstatic and so are we.

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NALA IS BACK HOME!

9/14/2014

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BAD NEWS: Nala disappeared from her new home near the Woodroffe & Byron. GOOD NEWS: Nala was found at her old house 2.3 km away. She would have to cross a bridge or the 4 lane highway to get there. I am sure Nala has many stores to tell. Here family is delighted to have her back home. Thank you to the kind family who bought our house and noticed our cat. Happy Endings!

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HORSE REFUGE NEEDS YOUR HELP!

7/15/2014

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Refuge RR for Horses, located in Alexandria, Ontario is a registered, charitable organization providing rescue, rehabilitation and permanent homes for abused, neglected and/or abandoned horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, cats, rodents and domestic birds.

Refuge RR needs your financial help today! Donations have not been coming in; we have no funds at the moment to pay for hay and feed for this week and weeks to come . PLEASE DONATE! Go to: http://www.refugerr.org/How-to-help/ and click on the "Donate Now" button. Funds go directly to our bank account. The average weekly cost for hay and feed is $2,700. We need your help! The only revenue Refuge RR receives are your donations.
Website: http://www.refugerr.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RefugeRRforHorses
EMAIL: refugerr@xplornet.ca
Lisa: 613-674-1461

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DIY OUTDOOR CAT ENCLOSURE

6/27/2014

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I've noticed a number of times cats have gone missing. I made this pen for our cat so she can enjoy the outdoors and don't worry about her getting lost. When we're home we open the rec-room window and she can come and go as she pleases. The cost is less than $150 and is 6(w)x8(L)x4(H). We have no complaints of our cat using anyone's flower bed as a litter box.

Send us a picture of your cat enclosure. We'd love to share these great ideas. Photo and write up by Dan Jp C.

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THIS DEBATE IS OVER

ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR NOMINATION

THE STREETS ARE NO PLACE FOR A CAT

SKYLAR IS HOME AFTER 2 WEEKS!

SAMMY IS HOME AFTER 7 MONTHS MISSING

THE CAT CAME BACK......ONE YEAR LATER!

TRUE STORY - PERSISTENCE FINDS CAT

NALA IS BACK HOME!

HORSE REFUGE NEEDS YOUR HELP!

DIY OUTDOOR CAT ENCLOSURE

OVLPN

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