A lot has been going on this past month. For many of us in the Tweed Shire Region, March last year started knee-deep in water, and we are still seeing the impacts now more than a year later. And this isn’t just isolated to the people in our region, nor even Australia. We all know the past few years have impacted us all on personal, local and global scales.
For us at Pets for Life Animal Shelter, we have a very unique perspective on these impacts, and found that between the general public and our shelter, there are similar parallels for almost everything. Where the general public navigated toilet paper and food shortages, we’ve spent the last year dealing with our own essential product shortages such as cat litter. And, sadly, these shortages have now spilt over into help. We’ve seen a huge influx in displaced cats as a result of all the displaced people and lack of support they’ve faced. For the same reasons, we’ve had a decrease in adoptions and aid. For many of the cats at our shelter now, they’ve been here for months.
And this isn’t just isolated to our shelter. Many shelters in our area are full. There is little help and even less funds. So, please check in with your local animal shelters, find out what they need. You’d be surprised at how little you can give to make an impact. And remember, just taking a few minutes to educate yourself about something crucial like the importance of desexing can be just as important as being a volunteer. (We have a blog post on this topic- it’s a three minute read so you can read it while you drink your morning beverage!)
And if you find yourself in a position better than most at this time, with a roof over your head or extra funds, we’re putting a call out to you to consider becoming a foster carer. In the past, we’ve discussed how becoming an animal shelter volunteer is a very helpful and rewarding job, but foster caring brings these benefits to a whole new level. Commonly, our foster carers will get mother’s with young litters of kittens (or, in special cases, pregnant mothers), to be able to provide a calm, stable environment and monitor their growth. Any cat that is more timid or will benefit better in a private space will also be put into foster care to be able to make sure they are comfortable, which better allows them to prepare to be adopted. You get the cat (or multiple cats!) twenty-four hours a day, but you can take time off between fostering cats if you need, or even just be a one-time foster. Having cats in foster care for any amount of time is always a relief for our shelter and means we can bring in more cats that need help and homes. Foster care can be as flexible as you need, and can be a great help for those wondering if adopting a cat is the right step, because you get to experience all the responsibilities and perks of cats, as well as experience different types of personalities and find which fits best with you and your lifestyle.
To continue with the theme of giving to combat the impacts of these past few years, we are also opening up a fundraiser this month to be able to raise money for our shelter. So, starting today, please consider donating through our “Donate” page on our website to help us care for all of the cats in our shelter until people are able to open their homes again. (Oh, and by the way, we are an ATO Deductible Gift Recipient; therefore all donations over $2 are tax deductible).
For this fundraiser, as well as to celebrate the nationwide opening day of Bunnings’ new pet section, we are inviting you to the Byron Bay Bunnings Warehouse on the 15th of April! Come anytime between 10 am and 12 pm to support our fundraiser, meet some of our wonderful volunteers (and a cat or two) in-person and ask any questions you have as we share three important messages on the significance of adoption, donations and desexing.
That’s Byron Bay Bunnings Warehouse from 10 am until 12 pm on the 15th of April. We look forward to seeing you there!
To find out more ways you can help animal shelters, look at the 'Impact' section of our website.
Sorry I missed this Bunnings event! I’m sure it was a great success - you all do such wonderful work! hoping the call-out for more Carer’s for displaced cats and kittens is working!