In the past six months, the Sooke and Port Renfrew-based SAFARS has rescued, spayed and nurtured 56 cats from Vancouver Island's Southwest as they continue to fight the perpetual population of feral cats in the region.
On Saturday, July 5, the Sooke Animal Food and Rescue Society (SAFARS) will be holding a Kitten Adoption Day at Sooke's Wiskers and Waggs to drum up donations and find homes for their formerly feral felines.
"This colony, the cats are extremely sweet, and they are not very wild," said Margarita Dominguez, founder of SAFARS. "I mean, they are so beautiful."
Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dominguez says the feral cat population between Port Renfrew and Sooke has only grown as backyard breeders move into the area, a larger influx of tourists visit the region, and pets adopted during the COVID-19 years are dumped.
"Now, it's an infestation," she said.
Though the spring and winter were busy, she expects the summer months to be even worse. Currently, the organization has six kittens that they are looking to adopt out as they clear up space for their next furry residents.
"That's why we need help with people [who can] adopt, and if they cannot adopt, that they donate to us because we need money to keep doing it," she said. "Because 56 spay and neuters from our pockets is a lot of money."
SAFARS will be at Wiskers and Waggs between 2 and 4 p.m. Those interested in learning more about SAFARS and the group's recent rescue efforts, or to donate, visit SAFARS.org.
