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April 2, 2004
A farm life for felines
Richmond shelter is dubbed the Club Med for cats.
PAT JOHNSON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
When Fearn Edmonds travelled to Israel a few years ago, she couldn't
help noticing the number of homeless cats wandering the Holy Land.
She and her husband Noel – cat people from way back –
returned home and were walking around Steveston, where they again
saw feral cats wandering homeless.
"I started calling around to find someone to deal with it,"
Fearn Edmonds said. Through that effort, the Edmonds got involved
with the Richmond Homeless Cats Society and they've been volunteers
now for about eight years. Founded 15 years ago by Carol Reichert,
the society originally did what it could to assist homeless cats,
such as providing feeding sites for them. But four years ago, the
society arranged to take over a piece of agricultural property in
east Richmond and to create a safe haven for as many homeless cats
as need a warm, safe place to live, with adequate food and medical
attention. Some visitors call it Club Med for cats.
On a space of about six acres, with permanent and makeshift structures
of all sizes and varieties, live more than 600 cats. There are kittens
and oldsters, gregarious playful cats and reclusive solitary loners,
of every color combination imaginable, some without tails and others
with flat faces or lanky hunters' builds. If being covered in adoring
cats is one's idea of fun, this place is heaven. If one is affected
by dander, it could be hell.
There is a special building for cats with what is commonly known
as feline AIDS and whole colonies who have been moved en masse from
the mean streets of local neighborhoods and continue their social
hierarchies in heated buildings with enormous penned-in runs.
Noel and Fearn Edmonds are not the only Jewish volunteers at the
shelter. Colleagues Leslie Landa and Cindy Soules acknowledge the
coincidence that Jewish volunteers play a major role in the shelter's
operation, but they see some logical reasons for the disproportionate
number of Jews in the homeless cats society.
"Cats are God's creatures and we believe every life is valuable,"
said Landa.
Noel Edmonds is motivated by the Genesis verse in which humankind
is given dominion over the animals.
"Having dominion over animals to some people means eating them,"
he said. "To others, it means taking care of them."
Taking care of them means more than providing them with food, although
that's a big part of the society's role, as demonstrated by enormous
bags of kibble piled up at the shelter.
In addition to a safe place with plenty of food, the society pays
for veterinary services at which many other shelters would balk.
"The medical bills are really high because this shelter provides
high-quality medical care to these cats," said Soules. The
sprawling facility, which operates on a $200,000 annual budget,
has been faced with a difficult dilemma. They need support from
the public, but publicity for the shelter is a double-edged sword.
Irresponsible pet owners have a habit of abandoning their cats when
they find out about a place that takes in all comers. That is something
the shelter volunteers do not want to encourage.
Despite this potential downside of publicity, the Edmonds are going
public, because expenses are barely being met.
One of the approaches the society offers is "adopting"
one of the residents, at a cost of $15 per month, in return for
which the sponsoring family receives a picture of the cat, a certificate
and, of course, the right to visit the cat at the shelter. More
information on contacting the shelter and ways to help is available
at www.richmondhomelesscats.com.
"It's a wonderful thing for children to learn responsibility,"
Edmonds said.
Pat Johnson is a native Vancouverite, a journalist and
commentator.
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