Cambridge Homeless Cat Rescue pausing intakes as donations dry up

The Cambridge Homeless Cat Rescue (CHCR) announced in a release earlier this week that they will be putting a hold on intake of new rescue cats, due to a lack of project funding.

CHCR is a volunteer-driven network based out of Cambridge, which seeks to “reduce the estimated 140,000 homeless cats in Waterloo Region” according to its website. The non-profit organization arranges foster homes for rescued or surrendered cats from throughout Waterloo Region, and relies on public donations in order to fund veterinary bills and other costs.

The organization cites in the release that it needs to pause intake of new cats because of a decrease in donations and adoption rates. According to the project’s Facebook post tied to the release, CHCR is currently $7,000 behind on veterinary bills, with the organization providing photos of receipts showing what costs still persist.

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Images released by CHCR of outstanding veterinary bills owed by the organization, Courtesy of CHCR on Facebook.

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Urgent need

CHCR says the summer rescue season has a high rate of cats come into the project’s care, including 70 cats and kittens either rescued by the organization, or born while under their care. In total, the Cambridge Community Homeless Cat rescue says it has helped over 500 cats in its time as an organization.

An example provided by CHCR is that of a 14-week-old kitten named Monty, who the organization says will soon be seeing a cardiologist due to a severe heart murmur. A receipt included in their Facebook post shows the appointment will cost $950 for the organization, with CHCR also acknowledging Monty could require further surgeries, further inflating costs.

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Three of over 500 cats and kittens actively or previously under the care of the Cambridge Homeless Cat Rescue, Courtesy of chcrrescue.ca

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Donations

CHCR’s release asks the public for donations in order to help contribute towards the costs associated with the project, which would allow the organization to begin taking cats into their custody once again. They say donations received at this time will go towards outstanding balances owed by East Village Animal Hospital and April Vets. The organization’s press release ends by saying:

“The sooner these bills are paid, the sooner we can get back to rescuing the cats who desperately need us.”

CHCR says donations of any amount can help towards paying off outstanding bills, whilst also ensuring the financial security of the project into the future. A donation link for the Cambridge Homeless Cat Rescue can be found at the website.

They say donations can also be e-transferred to their email: info@chcrrescue.ca

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