City of Lethbridge needs to do more to address stray cat population
By Lethbridge Herald on June 3, 2022.
Editor:
Seeing the cat population in Lethbridge grow to what feels like an out of control level has been bad enough – but when I found a stray who was in desperate need of help and couldn’t find a rescue in Lethbridge, Claresholm, Pincher Creek, etc. to take her in, that’s when I realized how bad the situation is.
Before my experience this week, I truly thought – find a stray, bring it to a shelter, animal gets medical attention, is adopted by a good home, problem solved.
I was told by NOKA (No Kill Animal Association) to “just keep calling and eventually there will be a spot for the cat somewhere” The volunteer I spoke with wasn’t being cruel, she was just stating a fact.
LCCR (Last Chance Cat Ranch) stepped up after conversing with them through email (15 emails in total) They finally had an opening.
When we dropped the cat off at LCCR intake, my eyes were opened. I saw just how much these volunteers care about these stray cats.
They want to solve the problem, not just put a band-aid over it.
Unfortunately they’re working within the restrictions laid out by the City of Lethbridge, and the strain on their rescue efforts shows.
I’m an animal lover myself and have owned many rescue dogs and cats throughout the years.
The current way the City of Lethbridge is responding to the stray crisis (specifically cats) is a good start but is not enough to reverse the current situation.
This has become a community crisis and needs to be resolved by the City of Lethbridge before it gets to a point we can’t return from.
Carly Adamson
Lethbridge
14-13
Agreed! The city needs to rethink what it is doing with LCCR, and, perhaps proactive monies could be well spent to do ‘Trap Neuter, and Return.’ Fort Macleod did it. Also, a “Spay Neuter Assistance Program” could be implemented/expanded.
thanks for an informative letter.
agreed, so.ab.
meanwhile, what the city is doing to the lccr has an element of cruelty attached. they have been a significant salvation for the massive homeless cat issue in lethbridge. however, rather than offer assistance, council has kicked them in the groin (now, if they were a special person and owned paradise canyon golf club and wanted to hold a series of rubbish golf tournies and asked for $750k from the public purse….). indeed, council seems good to line the fleece pockets of greed and self interest, but struggles when it comes to matters of the heart.
we have numerous stray cat agencies in town that might do better working together better. some agencies might do better to realise that limited money and space might mean some cats costing thousands to save means a great many more far less complicated cats cannot be served.
my northside neighbourhood is constantly populated with homeless and nonspayed/nonneutered cats. as the writer notes, there are no takers anymore – agencies are full. in the end, it hurts to have a heart.
the city could serve us all better by covering the costs of spay/neuter for cats and dogs. education in pet care/responsibility should be an integral part of school curriculum, including where and how to reach out when a stray is suspected.
They could open a Cat SCS
That’s kind of what the LCCR is. Just recently for example they made a post about a sick cat they took in, spent a bunch of money on and it only lasted around 5 days with them before passing away. Meanwhile theres other cats that would actually live a long life and a building fund these resources could have been used towards yet they wonder why logical people and the city don’t want to support them. But I do agree the city could step up in other ways so organizations like the LCCR aren’t the ones dealing with cats because they’re clearly not capable.
They are more than capable and that’s why they have quietly existed for 18 years doing excellent work for this community.
No one has wanted to deal with them because they’re not quiet and that’s why they got left alone for so long. Just look at how they handled criticism of them breaking the law for reference.
I support what the last cat ranch does after all my 2 cats are rescues. Saying that supporting what they do does not mean I support how they do it. Flying below the radar on zoning requirements for years does not mean those requirements don’t exist. I do hope they find alternative facilities to continue doing their great work and I’m not against them getting assistance from the city doing so.
Not to mention the harassment and threats and harassment people received for saying they should follow zoning requirements like the rest of us. Is this a cat rescue or a cult?
Last spring the city officials claimed they looked and looked and found nothing to go after them for. Then last July, LCCR was given a letter from the city planning department saying that they were in compliance with Land Use Bylaw 6300 and the matter was closed. The same land use bylaw they claim they are now in violation of. The City of Lethbridge has even rewarded them small amounts of money through the Animal Welfare Committee in 2017, 2019, and 2021 to assist with their work.
Ok great, but it was found the officials weren’t doing their job. So it was illegal all along mainly because the cat people lied that someone lived in there.
perhaps more people can step up to help the lccr accumulate the funds necessary to buy a new home. they do not own their current house, so they do not have much in the way of equity. money is tight for many, and getting tighter. still, if one can find they have the means, the best way to donate is to do directly, via an etransfer. go fund me sucks a pretty good percentage from donations – they have a 15% “tip” ready to automatically detract from a donation. here is the etransfer email so as to donate directly…and enter “new building” in the notes. here is the link to their donation page https://www.thelastchancecatranch.com/new-building-fundraising
They dont own it but the “founder” does and hasn’t lived in it for years (even prior to her health concerns). So it seems fishy she’s not willing donate it to the LCCR itself unless maybe she’s laundering money through it? Rumour has it the founder has been sued by the CRA in the past so you can’t put it past her…
Not to mention the LCCR has a nearly 300k operating budget they woefully mismanage. So in other words the funds are there, they just need to make some operational changes.
You are just disgusting claiming “it’s fishy she won’t donate the sale of her house and might be laundering money through it.” You have no idea if it’s mortgaged, it’s sale proceeds are needed for her cancer care or the care of her family. Elizabeth has given every last dime to this rescue, all of her time and compassion, and expected nothing in return. You are causing so much grief for everyone at the LCCR especially Elizabeth. I see your comments on here all the time bringing up a tragic fire that started accidentally years ago and rubbing it in her face like it was her fault. She lost everything – and her son was in that house going back trying to save as many cats as he could. You know she reads these comments and you are repeatedly triggering that trauma in an elderly woman with metastatic Stage 4 terminal cancer. Just deplorable! And as for their budget, they take in some of the most injured, sick, and complicated animals that no one else will. Consequently their vet bills are huge. Not to mention the fact that they have many out in foster homes who they are responsible for vetting, feeding, etc. Leave these guys alone – you have done enough damage to them and our community.
your replies are wonderful. it is nonetheless painful to witness how nastiness seems to trump kindness again and again.
Actually you can tell if any house is mortgaged by pulling a title on it. In this case, the house the house even has a a writ of enforcement on it showing the founder has been sued by the CRA. According to the founder the CRA has audited her in the past for not claiming money on her cat rescue.
So this criminal organization (yes, they’re criminals for breaking the law) needs to leave everyone alone and stop collecting sick cats while they fundraise for a new building otherwise their move out day will come and they’ll have no where to go with no one to blame but themselves.
why such an obsession with this lady? are you at heart a stalker – is that your motivation as well as your issue? you truly present here as a sicko.
I am just someone who has done their research. Unfortunately for you this disproves your side of the story and you resort to name calling with false accusations. This is all despite the fact the cat ranch has already found guilty of their crime.
Again, this mentality has worked for your organization in the past and the harassment you give everyone is the reason why no one wanted to deal with you but that is no longer the case. I hope that moving forward you are able to stick to common sense and logic while working towards the end of goal of saving as many cats as possible. If you choose not to do this you will only create more hardships and repel people with the funds necessary to help out.
now i am seeing more of what you are. i provide an entry that aims to make it easier for good hearted people (clearly, not you) to donate to a good cause. you come back with speculative, unsubstantiated and unfounded rubbish, which likely has turned away some potential donors. in times like these, every dollar counts for the lccr. what i am seeing on display by you is a wicked, nasty, petty, sociopathic chunk of scum. it is unconscionable that the city has sided with your grossness. then again, given it is city council, i am not so much surprised.
as for “the fire”: it was an accident, a one-off, and so very many fires have been started by space heaters. that issue is about the safety of space heaters, but we do not get near enough protection by the often negligent body that is supposed to oversee the safety of products that we use routinely.
please, people, you have an easy opportunity to step up and donate to a good cause. the lccr needs help, and we all could use some good energy. please take a moment to share, and i would suggest the etransfer email so as to donate directly…and enter “new building” in the notes. here is the link to their donation page https://www.thelastchancecatranch.com/new-building-fundraising
If everything you said was true the cat ranch wouldn’t have to move. Unfortunately, cat people miss the rationale part of the conversations and refuse to move on, resorting to things like name calling and harassment. Although those tactics worked in the past, that’s not the case anymore.
curious how it is some people wear their heart on their sleeve, so to speak, while others feel a need to bury it.