By guest writer Elisabeth Yoon, Miss Greater Vancouver 2013
All life, whether it is human
or animal, is precious.
I fostered a pregnant
cat named Cookie two months ago. She came to me with a very full
belly, yet seemed only a year old kitten herself. She had a very
delicate face and frame, and seemed to have difficulty moving around
because of her pregnancy. Every day, as I pet her, I nervously looked
for signs of labour. I felt her kittens move in her belly, I felt her
purr as she approached labour, and when she did give birth, I was
there to witness five beautiful and tiny kittens squirm and mew for
the first time. It was one of those moments in life—when time slows
into a graceful waltz and you realize just how profound and how
precious life is. Volunteering as a foster for Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (in short, VOKRA) was one of the most life
changing and rewarding decisions I have made.
Vancouver Orphan Kitten
Rescue Association started out with two founders - Karen Duncan and
Maria Soroski. Their goal was to provide a different solution to
manage homeless or unwanted cats. Rather than have them put down for
unjustifiable reasons, they decided to rescue, rehabilitate, and
re-home abandoned or feral cats. From rescuing 150 kittens and cats
to taking in 1820 cats in 2012, VOKRA has grown exponentially. The
organization is driven 100% by volunteers and donations—there is no
government funding - et VOKRA continues to be successful in its
journey to protect lost, unwanted, and homeless cats with the help of
dedicated fosters and volunteers.
Fostering and
volunteering can be hard work at times. Sometimes, rambunctious
kittens decide that shredding toilet paper will be their
entertainment of the night. Feral
cats can be terrified of humans and make rescue very difficult.
Abandoned cats form colonies and their numbers multiply very quickly.
No matter how hard we try to save them, some cats and kittens pass
away to disease or failure to thrive.
Despite all the
difficulties, the volunteers and fosters at VOKRA continue to do
everything they can to give each kitten
and cat a fighting chance. Kittens are bottle-fed and cleaned, feral
cats are tamed, and they are all
lovingly listed on the VOKRA website to be adopted by forever
families. It is because at the end of the day, when we send them off
in their carriers with their new family, we know that they have found
a great home. We know that there is one less kitten or cat out there,
lost, scared, and sick.
For more information on VOKRA or how to be involved go to www.orphankittenrescue.com.
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