Special Kitten Alert!

Lt. Dan is one feisty young lady. Yes, we said lady.

She was born with twisted back legs, and with everyone thinking she was a boy. But in true kitten fashion, she doesn’t let any of this slow her down one bit!

Here you get a good look at Lt. Dan’s back legs. But, as you can see, she has no problem hopping up!

Lt. Dan came to VOKRA with her mom and three siblings after they were discovered living in a barn. We immediately noticed the problem with her legs, but it wasn’t immediately apparent she was a girl (even after her first vet check up!). So she was loving dubbed Lt. Dan, from Forest Gump fame, and the name stuck.

Recently, Lt. Dan went back to the vet for a consultation and, low and behold, it was discovered she’s a she! The vet has also determined Dan’s hamstrings are contracted, likely due to the way she was positioned in the womb, and she’d benefit from exercises to stretch her muscles. As she grows, we’ll keep a close eye on her to determine whether acupuncture or surgery will help.

The reality is only 25% of kittens who don’t receive human care survive and Lt. Dan is a purrfect example of a kitten who wouldn’t make it on the streets. Unlike many other animal rescue groups, VOKRA is a no-kill organization. This means we will always provide kittens like Lt. Dan with a chance at a happy life.

Your support today will help pay for the cost of caring for all the special cats and kittens, like Lt. Dan, who come through our doors each year. Including veterinary care, medication, food and litter.

Will you help us today?

This holiday season, please give to help care for kittens like Lt. Dan.

 

 

P.S. – By becoming a monthly donor you can show your support for the kittens all year long! Just $10 pays for one kitten to be vaccinated each month, while $45 pays the monthly cost of feeding a kitten.

A big THANK YOU to @wagntrailsvancity for all these great pics of Lt. Dan!

Help Cats this Holiday Season

Jorje showed up crying in the rain looking for a warm and dry place to stay.

When he arrived at VOKRA he was starving, had hair loss, rotten teeth and severe dermatitis. He also suffers from moderate kidney failure requiring daily medication to manage.

After initially going into foster care, it was discovered Jorje had ringworm, a persistent skin fungus, so he was brought back to our Operations Centre for treatment. While nursing him back to health, our volunteers found Jorje also has food allergies, which we manage by a raw diet of either bison or beef.

Because his ringworm was particularly difficult to treat, Jorje stayed at our Operations Centre for almost a year. Now he’s back in foster care where he’s doing well and hopes to be adopted one day. But the reality is, at 12-years old and with his all his health problems, the likelihood of Jorje being adopted is slim.

Jorje’s foster mom reports he’s quite the cuddle bug and he’s even learning some new things. Apparently you can teach an old cat new tricks!

At VOKRA we believe all cats deserve to have a safe and happy life, regardless of their challenges.

Even if Jorge is never adopted, he still has a loving future ahead of him. With the devotion of our fosters and volunteers, at VOKRA kitties will always have a home until their last days.

Your support today will help pay for the cost of caring for the more than 40 cats we currently have in long term care, including veterinary care, medication, food and litter.

Will you help us today?

This holiday season, please give to help care for cats like Jorge.

 

 

P.S. – By becoming a monthly donor you can show your support for VOKRA all year long. Just $10 pays for one kitten to be vaccinated each month and $25 pays for a flat of canned food.

 

Volunteer of the Month – December

It’s December and the end of the year is almost here! Time has surely flown by and we’ve accomplished more than ever this year, and it’s all thanks to our hundreds of volunteers. This holiday season we’re taking time to celebrate our December Volunteers of the Month, Pat Penner and David West!

Pat and David initially discovered VOKRA when they wanted to add to their family of two senior, rescued cats. They adopted Cowboy and Arthur soon after, making it a gang of four. They met Brenda, who was Arthur’s foster, and she encouraged them to foster kittens after their senior cats passed away. While saying no at first, they soon agreed to foster Errol, Sheldon and Millie. Lo and behold, they fell in love with these kitties right away. Here Pat and David tell the story of these three kittens:

Sheldon and Millie

“Errol was quickly adopted by the receptionist at the North Shore Veterinarian, who fell in love with him when he got neutered, but Sheldon had on-going health issues that we needed to support – respiratory problems, an enlarged heart and under-developed kidneys. Millie appeared healthy and was bonded with Sheldon, so they had to stay together while we resolved Sheldon’s problems. After months of seeking treatment for Sheldon, we’d fallen deeply in love with both him and Millie, so we decided to adopt Millie and apply to permanently foster Sheldon. Unfortunately, when we took Millie to the vet for a final check-up it was discovered she had a herniated diaphragm and many of her internal organs were in her chest cavity. Through working with Tasha B. at VOKRA—who is a fundraising super star—we were able to raise the funds to have surgery for Millie at Canada West Veterinary Specialists and she’s now a healthy and happy adult cat.”

Arthur

On top of fostering, Pat and David started driving for VOKRA in the summer of 2016. They’ve transported kitties everywhere from Richmond to Lion’s Bay (during rush hour!) and often pick up equipment to drop off at our Operations Centre. Pat and David share their first ever driving experience with us:

“Our first foray into driving was an action-packed Sunday—one of the hottest days of the year—where, directed by Anne Salomon (November’s Volunteer of the Month!), we picked up nine cats and kittens in the Surrey/Langley area, including entering a flea-infested trailer to pick up two adult cats and two kittens. By the time we reached Ops we’d safely picked up four kittens that were left in a box at a vet office, one adult cat that had successfully been treated for a broken hip and two flea-infested adult cats with 2 kittens. Anne called us the Kitty Choo-Choo, as a joke, but it really felt that way!”

Cowboy

Alongside driving, David has joined the Reception Team and has been filling a weekly reception shift at our Operations Centre. Pat, with her background in HR, has also now joined the Volunteer Recruitment Team. She’s spoken to all types of people from all walks of life and listens for “clues” as to their suitability during phone discussions. Regardless of their backgrounds and circumstances, one thing they all have in  common is love animals, have heard about VOKRA and want to join the organization.

At VOKRA, we recognize the hard work each of our volunteers put in to better the lives of the kitties in our care. Pat and David have devoted so much of their time and efforts to helping this organization grow and to ensuring all cats and kittens get the care and love they deserve. We sincerely thank you, Pat and David, for helping VOKRA work towards achieving our goal of helping all kitties and for being two lovely, dedicated individuals we all love working with!

As a volunteer-driven non-profit, we clearly couldn’t do what we do without our extremely dedicated and hard working team of volunteers. THANK YOU!

If you’re interested in volunteering with us visit our website at vokra.ca/volunteer.

Help Save Kittens this Holiday Season

Little Peach was the tiniest of her litter and she was born with a very damaged liver.

After many trips to the vet, medication and a change in diet, she began to heal, but she’s been left with impaired vision and some mental challenges.

At VOKRA we strongly believe every kitty deserves to have a good life and Little Peach is no exception. She and her five siblings were born on the streets and if she would have stayed there she surely would have died.

The sad reality is only 25% of kittens who don’t receive human care survive. As a volunteer-driven non-profit, we wouldn’t be able to help kittens like Little Peach without your support.

Kittens in our care have a chance at a happy, safe and healthy life. Today, Little Peach lives in a loving home where she’s made new friends with the two residents cats and a dog. She couldn’t be happier!

Your support today will help pay for the cost of rescuing more than 900 kittens each year, including veterinary care, medication, food and litter.

Will you help us today?

This holiday season, please give to help save kittens like Little Peach.

P.S. – By becoming a monthly donor you can show your support for VOKRA all year long. Just $10 pays for one kitten to be vaccinated each month and $25 pays for a flat of canned food.

A special thank you to Angela McConnell for Little Peach’s portraits!

Ali’s Happy Tail Ending

Ali (l) and Mitzi (r)

Marilyn’s cat Mitzi was feeling lonely after her other cat crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. Mitzi had started to change his behaviour due to being alone during the daytime and Marilyn decided it was time to bring home another kitty.

Marilyn knew she wanted to adopt adorable Ali as soon as she saw her on VOKRA’s website. Ali had been adopted before but was surrendered when her previous adopter became pregnant. Marilyn had a feeling Ali and Mitzi would get along. “I was a bit apprehensive about how Mitzi would react, but he was so lonely,” said Marilyn. “He gave her a big kiss when they met and they’ve been inseparable ever since.”

Ali

Even though they have different personalities, Mitzi and Ali are best friends. “Even though I have two separate cat perches, they often share the same one,” adds Marilyn “I was also pleased to see that my senior cat Mitzi, 14 years old, now still likes to initiate the same chasing, playing and wrestling games with Ali that he enjoyed with his previous companion cat. Ali will sometimes groom Mitzi’s face and he looks totally blissed when she does this.”

Now Ali has a loving home, Mitzi has a kitty friend and Marilyn has two happy cats. “Mitzi is very talkative, with a loud meow, and always has lots to say when I get home,” said Marilyn. “Ali is very affectionate and quiet; her meow is more like a ‘squeak’…and she likes to cuddle next to me on the couch.”

We’re so happy for Marilyn, Ali and Mitzi and wish them many wonderful years together!

Would you like to share your Happy Tail? Email us at [email protected].