Local resident and animal lover, Elizabeth Annand loves cats.
She can often be found running, snuggling or playing with her own pet cats or volunteering with the Georgina Feral Cat Committee where she and other members help find and nurture feral cats in the area.
The Georgina Feral Cat Committee (GFCC) is a cat rescue founded in 2015 and started out as a TNR program (Trap Neuter Return) for feral cats. TNR has been proven to stop the cycle of kittens being born outside.
“(GFCC) has grown significantly as we socialize the kittens born to our feral cats and adopt them out," explained Annand.
All cats and kittens that are adopted out have been spayed/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated.
"We also have a barn placement program where we re-home feral cats in dangerous environments to barns where they will be taken care of," she said.
Annand grew up in Bradford and after living away from her hometown for a while, eventually made her way back. As an active member of the community, she finds a special place in her heart for the GFCC. She mentions that she is a cat lady at heart and for as long as she can remember, has had pet cats of her own.
“I find cats very calming,” she says, “I work with children who have special needs, so it's nice to come home to something furry to snuggle!”
Annand has been involved with GFCC since 2017 and decided to start fostering upon first discovering the organization. She says, “I love the different stages of kitten growth, with fostering I can watch kittens go through those stages, knowing I’m giving them a safe place to grow up until they are adopted. Many people ask how I don’t keep all the kittens, but as we know, all kittens grow up! Fostering lets me enjoy the kitten stage over and over! I've fostered kittens from birth all the way to six months+. I’ve learned so much about caring for kittens, it has really been a rewarding experience!”
When asked about some challenges she has seen as a member of the committee, Annand notes that “COVID hit everyone hard. (The GFCC) relies on donations and fundraising, and we were not able to do a lot of that during all of the lockdowns. So we have struggled over the last year.”
Annand has been able to see the positive impact of the GFCC, saving the lives of many kittens and cats from the outdoors, injury, and sickness thanks to their rescue.
In the future, Annand hopes to raise more awareness about the GFCC, and for the rescue to be able to help more cats and kittens live safe and happy lives. She also hopes for a larger awareness of the proper information in regards to spaying and neutering pets.
“I think the word Feral gets a bad wrap," she said. "When people hear the word feral, they think negative things about the cat. Yes, feral means unsocialized and wild. But really, feral cats are often cats that have been abandoned or lost, and because they are not spayed/neutered, they have babies born outside and unsocialized. It is so important to spay and neuter your pets, it literally saves lives," she said.
The GFCC is always looking for more people to open their homes to foster kittens. They provide everything one would need such as food, litter, and toys.
“It really is such a rewarding feeling when you give the fosters to their new forever family, knowing that you have given them a chance at a life in a warm and comfortable home instead of one on the streets,” said Annand.
She adds, if anyone cannot foster but would like to contribute to the efforts of the GFCC, they always need volunteers to help out at their fundraising events. They also are in need of items like cat food, litter, and toys. Monetary donations are always appreciated as well.
This weekend, the GFCC is having their online holiday auction and will be going live on their Facebook page.
They will also be at Bradford's Pet Valu for an adopt-a-thon this Saturday, Nov. 21. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
