Monthly Archives: March 2018

Maeve’s Happy Tail Ending

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Louisa, her son and their kitten Bailey were left with a hole in their family when their beloved dog passed away at age 15 from old age. Having grown up with him from six weeks to 11 months old, Bailey was particularly attached to his canine friend and was distraught after his passing. After a few months Louisa decided Bailey needed a friend. When she looked up the available kittens on our website she quickly came across Maeve, a special needs kitten with feline cerebellar hypoplasia (CH).

CH is a neurological condition that results in walking and balance problems and is caused when the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls fine motor skills and coordination, is underdeveloped at birth. Maeve didn’t let her CH slow her down and was quite the busy kitten in her foster home! She spent her days playing, exploring or just watching the action from afar, waiting for that special someone to come along and make her a part of their family.

Louisa quickly booked an appointment right away to meet Maeve. “I watched her brother and sister running around and I watched her try to keep up and decided with that tenacity and spirit she was mine!” said Louisa.

While it took Bailey a few days to get used to having another kitty in the house, he soon came around. Now he and Maeve are BFFs (best feline friends). “Bailey is not a real cuddler except with Maeve,” said Louisa. “She head butts for attention and gives her little squeaky purr sounds. Her wobbly demeanour is adorable and it does not impede her running at breakneck speed after Bailey.”

Bailey and Maeve make a purrfect pair. She has a habit of pecking at her food, leaving her with a messy face after mealtime. Bailey helps her out by cleaning her face and, in return, she cleans his ears. Maeve also plays fun cat games with Bailey and they keep each other company during naptime. Louisa says Maeve has, “made a wonderful addition to our home and a great companion for Bailey. She is very, very sweet.”

Thank you Louisa for giving a loving home to a special needs cat. We’re glad Bailey has a new friend and Maeve has a forever home with kind guardians to care for her.

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

 

 

Volunteer of the Month – March 2018

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Spring is in the air! At VOKRA, sunshine and cherry blossoms can only mean one thing – the kittens are coming! Soon our Operations Centre will be even more of a hive of activity than it already is. One of the people who help pull it all together is Monique H. who is one of the smiling volunteers you’ll find manning the front desk. Monique does a wonderful job and also ensures all the new receptionists know the ropes when they start. Here she tells us in her own words why she volunteers for VOKRA:

I took a very serendipitous route to VOKRA…the universe was trying to tell me something. I first heard of VOKRA when I binge-watched the locally shot TV show Fringe and Googled lead actress Anna Torv. She was a foster to some very adorable VOKRA kittens and talked about them in interviews. Naturally my next step was to search for “VOKRA kittens”, which led me to a gigantic cache of cute. I followed the kitten video trail until I found an article talking about VOKRA’s new Operations Centre in East Van, which just happened to be a few blocks from my house. It was meant to be!

I think I was one of the first group of receptionists, as Ops had only been open for around 6 months when I started volunteering. We hadn’t even taken over the space next door yet, which was a doggy daycare, although I’m sure they sensed the cats were going to win their territory when van-loads of mamas and babies started arriving. It all looked so organized and efficient, although co-founder Karen gave quite a laugh years later when I told her those initial impressions.

Minda

My main motivation for wanting to help rescue cats was how much of an impact my own kitty has had on my life. I was always an animal lover, but my parents were not cat people, to say the least. Even when I moved out on my own I wasn’t able to take the leap. That changed when my partner and I adopted Minda. We found her through the SPCA and she was so sad and scared in her kennel that it broke my heart. She quickly became “my” kitty and I learned the joy of waking up to a cat cuddled on my stomach (I also learned the “joy” of being trained to dish out earlier and earlier breakfasts). When I developed health problems and couldn’t participate in a lot of my former activities, Minda was there to purr beside me and keep me company. Not only is every cat worth saving, doing so may save a human as well. That’s why my very favourite part of working the front desk is filing adoption papers, as each contract represents a wonderful new relationship forming.

I’m keeping it a secret from Minda, but other kitties have won my love as well. My very first “VOKRA crush” was sweet little Mei-Lei with her long coat and jaunty jackets. When she got injured and lost while in care I was among the many, many folks having a quiet heart attack desperately hoping she would be all right. I obviously have an “M” problem, because Meep was also very special to me around the same time. She would fall asleep in a blanket in my lap and she was around Ops for so long that we had a regular Saturday date to zone out after my shift before I went home.

Bottle feeding Little Dude

Last summer I got to bottle-feed a kitten for the very first time, thanks to Little Dude. It’s really an incredible feeling, I think I’m addicted now. Help! And of course, the kitties that are no longer with us like Stewart and Charlie. I was working my shift when Charlie first was surrendered by his family and got to see his pain and confusion turn to confidence and chattiness as he outlasted all predictions on how long he would be around. I miss you so much Charlie – every time I see those little dried fish I think of you.

My favourite memory of VOKRA itself is a night I spent at Ops in the days before we installed air conditioning. With the bay door open and warm summer air coming through, I got to witness all of the cats wake up from their after-supper naps and become the little lions that they are. Shy ferals came out of their hiding places and sleepy cats started to play recklessly with their toys. Kittens squeaked and pounced. It was like visiting the tiniest jungle and I feel honoured to have had an invite. Thank you so much, Karen and Maria, for creating a place where cats can be themselves and where we humans get to see them do so.

THANK YOU Monique!!! Your dedication to VOKRA and all the kitties is truly inspiring!

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 to each and every one of you!

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