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Letters: A welcome note

New animal rescue society is dealing with feral cats

The previous issue of Sooke News Mirror had an article on the initiation by local volunteers of an animal rescue and support organization: Sooke Animal Food and Rescue Society (SAFARS).

Help is really needed in our area where homeless cats have no other hope since CRD Animal Control will euthanize all such submitted animals. Euthanasia being necessary perhaps, it does not address the overpopulation by feral and stray cats because many more are fed by locals than submitted to CRD.

The aspirations of SAFARS as outlined in the article are quite ambitious and one can only hope that most could be realized once the initial hurdles are cleared.

The job is daunting, indeed. It requires team effort and, now, SAFARS has an active board and other diligent participating members. Just to keep food coming, distributing it regularly every single day, collecting observations on where and what description of cats show up, where emaciated mothers with kittens are, etc., are jobs requiring a lot of volunteer power and time. The group has also started to pick up reproducing animals for spay and neuter. Anybody who tried to work with fierce feral or stray cats would know that it is neither safe, nor a glamorous job. It takes guts and dedication and persistence to do it: not everyone can or would. People of SAFARS deserve a big round of applause.

They are doing their best to follow up on the momentous start. To do what is necessary, SAFARS needs help and donations on a continual, long term basis. Sooke Veterinary Hospital will help SAFARS with economy procedures and some other donated work. On behalf of the homeless cats, let us wish SAFARS to become very successful. Let us help by any offering of food, donation, and reports of stray cats to SAFARS (http://www.safars.org)

Dr. Joe Schaffer, Ph.D.Veterinarian

Sooke