Rescued cats at the Furry Friends Animal Shelter in Barrie have never been so prepared to embrace the summer.
For the first time in more than 20 years, the cats at the Hart Drive shelter will give the cold shoulder to the heat outside.
The ultimate relief came last month after a successful fundraising campaign to buy an industrial air-conditioning system for the facility. Both the cats and the shelter’s humans are over the moon about the new addition to the facility.
“It’s going to be 27 degrees today, so we’ll be relying on the new AC to keep the cats and volunteers comfortable,” board member and volunteer Mark Adams told BarrieToday recently, just few days after the new equipment was installed.
It’s a happy ending for a long story of feline stress and tempers running short during the hot seasons.
“Every year, we have struggled to keep the shelter cool, borrowing fans and window units which were not doing the job. All the noise just contributed to the discomfort of both cats and volunteers without really working very well,” Adams recalled.
Finding a permanent cooling solution for the shelter was critical, not only for the cats’ well-being, but also for the operation and the overall morale in the office.
“Some days, it became almost unbearable for our volunteers who have to deal with dust, hair and grumpy, uncomfortable cats. But it was even worse for the cats who become ill and aggressive from the heat," Adams said.
The shelter also became an obstacle course of fans, small air-conditioners and cords, not to mention noise, that wore on feline and human nerves during hot spells, he added.
As the temperature rises, cats can be subject to a chain of heat-related illnesses, from diarrhea caused by spoiled food to respiratory complications and viral outbreaks.
In addition to properly cooling off cats and staff, the donations for the AC system have allowed the shelter to improve safety.
“We exceeded our fundraising goal, which also paid for a monitored smoke/CO2 detection system and more,” said Adams, noting the shelter is entirely donor-supported and that 75 per cent of its yearly budget goes to veterinary care of the cats.
“The response was overwhelming and very, very gratifying for us," he said. "Big thanks, Barrie!"
An advertising campaign, coupled with the "usual" fundraising avenues such as Facebook, the website, press releases and direct email, allowed them to reach a whole new audience outside their regular supporters, Adams said.
Overall, the shelter takes in and helps more than 550 mistreated and abandoned cats per year.
Because the Furry Friends Animal Shelter operates as a no-kill shelter, the place is home for life for cats that are considered unadoptable because of health or behavioral issues.
Currently, the organization has 60 cats in the shelter and 150 cats and kittens in foster homes.
“Not having to deal with the effects of heat on the cats and volunteers is a huge problem that we have now removed from a long list of tasks required to keep our cats happy and healthy," Adams said.
He says he can also feel how the new, cooler ambience has changed the atmosphere inside the shelter.
“The cats may not express it, but they are very aware and sensitive to their environment, so the overall calming, comforting effect will be felt by all of them," Adams said.
Now that the noise and clutter from the battle against heat has been left behind, the shelter has shifted gears to focus on day-to-day needs, such as volunteers and supplies like cat food and paper towels.
The shelter recently posted a call for new volunteers on its Facebook page.
