Each year, the Edmonton International Cat Festival raises money to donate to rescues helping cats in need. In 2019, we donated $31,000 bringing our total donated since the festival began to $112,000!
The Cat Festival has always been about celebrating cats, cat culture and cat people, while raising money to help cats in need, and we are excited to continue supporting the great work of Edmonton area rescues by announcing our 2020 Edmonton International Cat Festival Donation Recipients.
As you can imagine, narrowing down which rescues receive festival donations is not an easy task—we thank all rescues that applied to receive donations and we truly believe all rescues are doing important, outstanding work supporting cats in need in the community. Our selection committee reviewed all applications and chose 3 rescues to receive 2020 donations based on greatest need, how funds would be used, and how well the rescue and its program, services, and needs were articulated in their application.
For 2020, CAT festival proceeds will support:
Little Cats Lost
Little Cats Lost (Trap-Neuter-Return) Society works to humanely reduce euthanasia and growth rates of feral cat colonies by preventing breeding cycles through spay/neuter practices, while educating the public on the merits of the Trap-Neuter-Return program. Little Cats Lost has been able to reduce whole feral colonies from approximately 300 cats spayed/neutered down to 10 or 20 cats. They also have a Rodent Wrangler Barn program, Sharing is Caring program, and Transport program that will all benefit from festival proceeds.
ARTS Senior Animal Rescue
ARTS Senior Animal Rescue is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehousing of senior cats (age 10+) and senior dogs (age 8+), ensuring they find perfect forever homes to live out their golden years. Seniors are often overlooked in pounds and shelters in favour of their younger counterparts. In 2018 alone, vet bills cost over $118,000 (even with rescue discounts from veterinary partners). Cat Festival funds will go to support this niche rescue helping senior cats in need.
Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS)
Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS) takes in pets from remote area pounds and vet clinics that act as pounds, along with stray, abandoned and injured animals. SCARS actively works within Northern Alberta, particularly with First Nations and Metis communities, to promote responsible companion animal guardianship. SCARS runs a Spay-Neuter-Return program and are working to develop a cat intake facility to help with the high number of homeless cats it receives. Festival donations will go to creating a cat intake / drop-off facility including kennels, assessment areas, even a cat bath and playroom.
Come meet each of these organizations at the event (they’ll also be providing some fun cat-themed purrr-gramming and CAT-ivities as well!)
We’ve also invited many other rescues to be a part of the festival, so you can learn more about the different organizations helping cats in need, give a cat a furrever home, and support the impurr-tant work of these rescues.
SINCE 2014, THE EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL CAT FESTIVAL HAS DONATED $112,000 FOR EDMONTON AREA CAT RESCUES. This would not be possible without support from sponsors, vendors and most importantly of you—YOU! Cat Festival attendees. Thank you.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2020 EDMONTON CAT FESTIVAL
And if you are a rescue who would like to participate in the festival, please contact us at [email protected]. While we can’t donate funds to all the rescues we’d love to support, we can still offer a space at the event which is a great opportunity for rescues to fundraise and share information about the work they do to thousands of cat-loving attendees!
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