In 1994, a group of volunteers banded together to help Toronto's feral cat population and strays. Toronto Cat Rescue grew as other organizations formed also to help ferals. TCR's executive director, Belinda Vandersluis (above), explains how her rescue, one of Canada's largest, has evolved.

 

What is TCR's mission?

To rescue and find homes for abandoned, sick or injured cats from abuse, neglect or imminent euthanasia. We take care of cats having a hard time at a shelter or who need extra support to become an adoptable cat one day. Cats can be sick, shy or scared. With our network of foster homes, we can take time to assess a cat, help it be more social, get it the veterinary and dental care it needs, and provide a loving home for as long as it takes until the cat is adopted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How is TCR organized?

We have a network of volunteers and foster homes, taking in about 2,800 cats per year primarily through our partnership with Toronto Animal Services (the municipal shelters), to support their initiative to eliminate the euthanasia of any healthy or treatable cat. We also have a large chapter in Kitchener-Waterloo, ON, helping cats from their local shelters and animal control services. When we have space in our program, shelters from Quebec and Ontario also reach out to us when they have overcrowding or face difficult situations Each cat in our program receives veterinary care, age-appropriate vaccinations, is spayed or neutered, and assessed to learn about their behaviour before they are adopted.

 

How did you get involved?

Although Toronto Cat Rescue has been a charity since the 90s, last year we decided to incorporate as an Ontario Non-Profit Corporation. TCR hired a full-time executive director, operations manager and fundraising coordinator. I was lucky enough to become the ED, and started at the end of 2017. I moved to the GTA from Kingston, ON, a few years ago, and come from a research administration background. I worked in academia for over 20 years, along with a couple of charities, including the Kingston Humane Society. Our operations manager is a long-time TCR volunteer who has an operations background, plus a huge amount of cat-care knowledge. Our new fundraising coordinator is from Toronto with a decade of experience fundraising for local charities, and a background in PR and media. Our 1,000 volunteers are amazing, donating their time, homes, money and hearts every day. They come from all walks of life: teachers, lawyers, accountants, retirees, even a firefighter. We could not save nearly 3,000 cats a year without them. 

 

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I live in the GTA, how do I adopt a cat from you? What's the first step?

First, consider whether you are ready to adopt. There are so many reasons people are looking to adopt, so make sure yours is a good one, and that your lifestyle suits a cat or kitten. Also, make sure your house, other pets and family are all on board to jump into a new relationship. You can find our cats for adoption here, where you can also read about our process, including an application and screening. Our goal is to make good adopter-and-cat matches, so we'll ask you lots of questions. Many of our cats, once ready, go to our partner stores for adoption in the GTA and Kitchener-Waterloo. Also, follow us for adoption events on Facebook and find us on Twitter and Instagram.

 

How do cats end up at your rescue? 

The ones that aren't thriving at a shelter. Maybe there's overcrowding. Maybe the cat is in a cage in a noisy environment. Maybe the cat needs extra medical attention. We have an intake team that coordinates where each cat will go once we accept them. Cats will go directly to a foster home if they have been seen by a veterinarian. Once the cat has been through the main part of our foster program, our adoptions team will coordinate which store that cat will go to be adopted. We also have a post-adoption team for any issues new adopters have to ensure a smooth transition between our foster program and the new home. 

 

What has been one particular rescue that sticks out in your mind?

We have a very sweet cat named Bella (above, left, the white cat) who's had a hard time with multiple, serious surgeries over the past year, but is now on the mend. She's a beautiful, white princess-like cat. She's a good example of a cat that would not usually survive in a shelter environment, but with our amazing volunteers and donors, we have the ability to put the time and money into her care and recovery. Overall, we spend over $500,000 per year on vet bills, ensuring that every cat gets the care it needs.

 

What does TCR need?

Volunteers in the GTA and Kitchener-Waterloo.  We have many roles: offering a foster home, taking care of cats at our volunteers' centre, administration, fundraising, operations, drivers, and working events. Check our website. We also need bowlers at our 14th annual Bowlathon on May 5. Register or join a team at https://savecatsfromthegutter.com/