The new year is here so we wanted to take a moment to share what went down at Regina Cat Rescue (RCR) in the last 12 months.

The Pet Rescue team (the volunteers responsible for tame cats) rescued 401 animals in need. The team stuck very close to the 400 rescue cap that was established in 2017 to help us budget appropriately and to manage volunteer burn out. Behind the scenes, new software and database was introduced to improve tracking and reporting capabilities. This has helped the team to operate more efficiently.

The Community Cat team (the volunteers responsible for feral/community cats) trapped, neutered/spayed and returned 24 cats. The number of community cat colonies decreased to 27 colonies. This decline was because some colonies were combined. In 2018, the Community Cat team included 32 community cat feeders and another seven volunteers who helped with the annual winter shelter making bee.

Other highlights from the year, include:

The Fundraising team raised $10,000 through the Kitty Cash 50/50 — our biggest fundraiser ever! (Watch for our 2019 Kitty Cash 50/50 coming this summer!)
The Bingo team put in a collective 1,548 hours at Fantasyland Bingo. The consistent and reliable funds earned through these hours is huge asset to the organization.
Volunteers donated over 2,020 hours of their time to RCR by working in the Western Pizza Booth at Mosaic Stadium. This amazing feat earned thousands of dollars to pay for veterinary care and supplies for tame and community cats.
In late December RCR received word we were successful in our PetSmart Charities of Canada grant application. The result is $10,000 from PetSmart Charities of Canada to carry out 100 spay/neuter surgeries for unowned free-roaming cats in Regina. And while $10,000 is a small percentage of our revenue (less than 5 per cent), we’re deeply appreciative of PetSmart’s commitment to helping cats in need and thankful for their generosity.

Thank you to everyone who supported RCR throughout 2018 whether that be by adopting, sponsoring, donating, educating or volunteering. We appreciate your support and wish you all the best for 2019!

We always need more hands on deck. If you’re interested in contributing your time or money to RCR, check out the Donate or Get Involved tabs for more information.