Letter to Santa - Bug

Dear Santa Paws,

It's me, Bug, writing to you from the SPCA.  I think I am the first pet who has written to you this year!  Well Santa, it has been a tough year for me.  I have been at the SPCA since July!  The staff has explained to me that sometimes big black dogs do get passed over, and it has nothing to do with my wonderful personality.

I have tried to be a good girl all year.  I am very social with all the volunteers who visit me at the SPCA, and I love to help people exercise by letting them walk me!  I will admit Santa Paws, I am not always so good around cats.  But you understand, right?  I bet you are more a dog person than a cat person.

When you are flying around the world this Christmas, Could you please keep an eye out for a good home for me?  I would sure appreciate it Santa.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas,

Love Bug

A Foster Mom's View

The people who foster animals are angels. It is extremely hard to let a wonderful animal into your home, and then see them leave again. I guess that is why the term "foster fail" is so well known among animal shelters and foster-based groups.

As an SPCA staff member, there are numerous opportunities to foster pets. I know my limitations - I fall in love easily, and get attached way too quickly. Usually we bring a dog home for a night or two, just to give her some quality family time, and also get an idea of how she will do in a house setting.

That all went out the window two weeks ago, when a newborn kitten came into the shelter all alone. Totally defenceless and dependant, I had to take him home. My 5 year old dubbed him Meatball, and I knew we were in trouble. It was pretty much love at first sight. Even night time feedings did not lessen my love for this scrappy fighter. Meatball had wormed his way into my heart, and I was already dreading letting him go. How was I going to take him back to the shelter after 8 weeks? He would just be one of many kittens. People wouldn't know he was special! (As an SPCA staff member, I do believe that every shelter pet is special. But like I mentioned before, I do get attached waayyy too easily).

At work two days ago, I saw a new mom had come in. She was nursing kittens just a few days younger than Meatball. I knew what I had to do, and I brought Meatball out to meet her ASAP (it is like ripping off a bandaid - the quicker the better). It was love at first sight for mom. She took him in and treated him like one of her own. My heart melted and died a little at the same time. He has a family! He doesn't need me. It was very hard.

Meatball is doing very well with his new family. He is not nursing from his new mom, but I guess that is to be expected of a bottle fed kitten. He is still receiving his bottle, while living with his cat family and getting that important socialization. So far I have visited him everyday (on my days off). I wonder when he will stop feeling like he is mine?

Spay and Neuter to Control the Pet Population

Spring is here, and with the warmer weather the SPCA also sees an increase in puppies, kittens, and pregnant moms coming into the shelter. Eventually our adoptions can't keep up with the influx, and those cute babies (especially the kittens) end up growing up in the shelter, straining our population to capacity. You can do your part by having your pets spayed or neutered.

Maybe you have thought about it, but asked yourself, "What difference does one cat make?" Here is something to ponder... A female cat, her mate and all of their offspring, producing 2 litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter can add up to 2,072,514 cats in just 8 years! Then consider that each cat can have a lifespan of 15 years...

The City of Lloydminster has approximately 25,000 residents. The Lloydminster and District SPCA provides services to the communities surrounding the city as well. If we make an educated guess that the population in our area is approximately 100,000 people, that would mean that EACH RESIDENT (adults and children) would have to own over 20 cats in order to care for the resulting offspring of these two cats!