I am a volunteer at Elizabeth’s Wildlife Centre in Abbotsford, something I find very fulfilling and rewarding.
It is such a good feeling when you know you are helping an animal or bird on the road to recovery. And there are many birds and small animals that come through the centre at this time of year.
A vast majority (about 90 per cent) have sustained injuries due to cat attacks. This can be prevented if owners keep their cats indoors, particularly during the season when there are fledglings learning to fly.
Fluffy may seem like an innocuous, lovely, sweet pet, but in reality, your cat is a predator and a hunter acting on its normal basic instincts. As owners, it is our responsibility to ensure that Fluffy isn’t given the opportunity to maim, mutilate and kill. The ones that survive an attack and are found are brought to the centre where they are given loving care by Elizabeth and her many volunteers.
But it is discouraging when you know that most of these injuries could have been prevented just by owners being more responsible for their cats. Please, if you own a cat, keep it indoors during this season. Not only will this prevent a lot of needless suffering for the birds and animals that Fluffy injures, it will also prolong Fluffy’s life.
Outdoor cats are more prone to disease, being hit by cars, or becoming prey themselves to other larger predators.
Shirley Kowalchuk
