ARTHUR ‒ Humans aren't the only ones bearing the brunt of the cost of living crisis in Wellington County.
Dedicated to rescuing cats and kittens from across the county, the Arthur Animal Rescue (AAR) is pausing its intake of all cats and kittens until it can afford to care for the felines already in its care.
Having grown "significantly" in 2023, the group is currently seeking additional volunteers and financial donations to help support its existing services into the new year.
"We just don't have any more resources for these cats to go to at this time," said volunteer Kirsten Henley. "We have the most fosters we've ever had but we...need financial resources and we don't want to commit to taking on any more cats until we get these cats homes."
When Henley started volunteering at the AAR last October, the non-profit had 12 cats available for adoption.
Now, it has 45 and receive anywhere from three to eight requests a day for intake.
Its busiest year to date, 305 cats were adopted from the AAR in 2023, while an additional 125 cats are currently spread out over 80 foster homes.
"So it's a really good reflection of where we're at," said Henley. "(This being our) slow season is crazy. And we just keep getting requests."
According to Henley, the number one reason people are surrendering their cats is financial.
"With the cost of living and everything, we've had a lot more requests from people who are unable to take care of their pet that they've taken on or they're moving and are not allowed to have pets in their new home," said Henley. "We've also had a lot of cats surrendered that were previously adopted from us which means that even though they had good homes, the cost of living pushed people from being able to afford their animals."
In 2023, the AAR spent over $150,000 on veterinary bills alone.
However, the group said it will need municipal support if this level of demand continues.
"It's not just us, all rescues are the same situation," said Henley. "It shouldn't be on the homeowners to pay for stray cats to be fixed and neutered."
The group previously offered a free trap, neuter, and release (TNR) program with the help of an outside sponsor but it was discontinued two months ago due to budget cuts.
While the AAR often works with PAWS, the AAR tends to "end up taking the financial burden" and Henley said council allocating a portion of the budget for cat population control would be "exponentially helpful."
"The number of cats we get is directly correlated to how many strays there are," said Henley. "And until we stop that with TNR programs, it's just going to be an always happening problem."
Henley anticipates intake will reopen in January 2024.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
