Cat Rescue Network

Our Adoptable Pet List

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A cat named Alex, Cat Rescue Network’s greatest supporter

Alex, looks and acts very much like a Maine Coon. Nobody would suspect that beneath that magnificent fur collar beats the heart of a philanthropist; yet Alex has been the Cat Rescue Networks major fundraiser.

His roomates, Darrell Graham and Thomas Speckman own Darrell Thomas Textiles on Bank Street . Cat Rescue Network introduced them to Alex and, ever since, the store has been actively raising funds for the network through its 'Alex Fund'.

Alex was not always a beautiful pampered feline. He was once a starved, abandoned, and sickly kitten, and he has never forgotten his humble roots. The Alex fund is Darrells' and Thomas’ way of thanking the group of people who saved Alex. Through the fund $1600 has been raised and all of the donations has gone directly towards the vet care of other abandoned cats.

A $600 donation in the spring made it possible to save Janna, Momma, Isabella and Taylor. A $1000 Christmas donation is being used for Ramsay, Peaches, and Taffy. Their stories can be seen in our Happy Tales and the Adoptable Pet List. All of these cats needed more medical care than the Cat Rescue Network could afford, but they are getting it because of the Alex fund.

Some cats require more medical attention than adoption fees will cover. With so many healthy abandoned cats also needing homes, rescues cannot always afford to take in many of the most needy cats. Alex was one of the needy cats who was taken in. Now, through the "Alex fund" other cats, like Alex, also get the extra help they need.

Who We Are

Special Foster Homes Urgently Needed for
Ottawa's most forgotten animals.

Several years ago a number of local feral cat colony keepers, and other volunteers involved in homeless cat rescue formed the Cat Rescue Network. With the imminent arrival of ?kitten season' network members are desperate to find permanent and foster homes for many of the cats and kittens in their care.

All of the animals looking for permanent homes have been domesticated in foster homes and are vaccinated and sterilized. However, the foster homes are overflowing. The outdoor cats awaiting foster placement will have to remain in outdoor shelters a while longer and take their chances with Mother Nature. This can occasionally be a cruel, agonizing fate and one which volunteers are eager to prevent.

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that many of the outdoor Queens (female cats) are already pregnant and most will have at least 2 litters before the fall, unless they are captured and spayed. Many kittens born outdoors do not live to be 1 year old. Those that escape disease and predators will continue to breed throughout their short, hard lives; thus perpetuating the cycle of pain and suffering. Foster homes are needed to domesticate the kittens at an early age, and provide a quiet place for the nursing Queens. We also need permanent homes for the many domestic cats in our care.

Background on the Alley Cat phenomenon

There are hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of homeless kittens and cats within our region.

Human apathy and neglect have forced them to forage to survive. They congregate in parks, wooded areas, and alleyways wherever they can find food and shelter. Forced to live a miserable, dangerous existence they become helpless victims of the cold, disease, accidents and cruel predators, including humans. Few kittens survive the winters. Alley cats are not domestic but neither are they wild; so there is no formal organization within Ottawa willing to accept responsibility for them. Many caring volunteers provide whatever help they can. Some provide an occasional meal, others allow the cats to live under their porches or in rudimentary shelters. However, when left primarily on their own to forage, and without access to veterinary care, the dismal existence of most alley cats can best be described as a lingering death.

In the last few years feral cats have become the focus of numerous studies. The abundance of information on the alley cat phenomenon has refuted many preconceived opinions about the animals. For example, alley cats are not vicious, a health hazard or a primary vector species. Alley cats are furtive scavengers who tend to avoid people. As such they pose minimal risk to public health, in fact, they have historically been recognized as beneficial because they control vermin. Many adult alley cats can be domesticated because they once lived in homes before they were lost or abandoned.

The most humane, and ultimately the most successful way, to reduce the numbers of alley cats is through variations of the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method. Many feral cat colony keepers expand TNR to include vaccination and domestication whenever possible. The domesticated cats are placed in homes, and the wilder cats are cared for in managed colonies. The existing cats in a colony will keep the cat numbers down by chasing away most interlopers. The colony size remains stable, and even shrinks because it's members are sterilized. Cats gradually learn to trust the colony keeper- a factor, which permits regular veterinary care.

For more information contact us at 613-820-7088, Cat Rescue Network

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