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2014 ANNUAL REPORT February 2015
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LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE In 2014, Toronto Cat Rescue (TCR) celebrated its 20th anniversary. The TCR executive was excited to make 2014
our best year yet by rescuing and adopting out more cats than ever before. In addition, we chose 2014 to be the
year that we made big changes to our rescue philosophy and, as a result, the way we operate.
TCR made the commitment to rescue through Toronto Animal Services (TAS) to reduce the number of cats
euthanized in City of Toronto shelters and to help make Toronto a no-kill city. Prior to this decision, TCR rescued
cats from all over the city - colonies, owners, backyards, shelters, and independent rescuers. We chose to
streamline our rescuing in 2014 focusing on Toronto shelters to reduce duplication of efforts and to make a real
impact in our city. By helping to strengthen our city shelter system, more cats can be rescued into forever
homes. We hope to do the same in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.
Because we had so much support from our foster homes and other volunteers (both new and existing), we also
had the capacity for two major rescues. In late 2013, we rescued 120 cats from a 700 square foot
apartment. Our foster homes stepped up, took these scared, attention-starved cats and rehabilitated them into
wonderful, trusting pets that were adopted into loving homes. In late 2014, we were approached by Humane
Society International (HSI) to take 60 cats from another overcrowding situation into our program. Again, our
volunteers accepted the challenge of helping these timid cats find their second chance.
In 2014, TCR rescued 2,317 cats needing help across the GTA and Kitchener-Waterloo. We adopted out 2,163
cats - just 37 adoptions shy of our ambitious 2,200 adoption goal. A quarter of our cats were adopted through
adoptathon events last year! Not to mention, we now have over 800 volunteers. It is because we have many
dedicated foster homes who care for the cats in our program, a passionate team of adoption counsellors who
diligently screen potential adopters for our foster cats, and a core group of volunteers who work tirelessly in our
partner stores, field post-adoption issues, and manage vet appointments that we have this kind of success. Our
intake and adoption numbers and volunteer base are huge compared to other grassroots organizations and
shelters across Canada.
The TCR executive is tremendously proud to work with such caring and engaged volunteers. We hope for just as
much success in 2015! -Kyra Augustyn, on behalf of the TCR Executive
CONTENTS Letter From The Executive 1 Our Mission 2 Annual Statistics 3 Foster Homes 4 Volunteers 5 Rescue Stories 7 TAS Partnership 9 Kitchener-Waterloo 10 Major Fundraisers 11 Adopt-a-thons 12 Testimonials 13 Social Media 15 Sponsors 16
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Toronto Cat Rescue is a registered, no-kill charity run by volunteers.
Our mission is to rescue and find homes for abandoned, sick or injured cats from situations of
abuse, neglect or imminent euthanasia.
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ANNUAL STATISTICS
480 485
667
1413
1665 1586
1786 1590
2163
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Annual Adoptions
39%
30%
12%
6%
5%
3% 2% 2% 1% Intake Toronto Animal Services
Stray*
Hillside Kennels
Owner/Surrenders
Born in Care
TAS Feral Cat Recovery Center
Returns
Humane Society International
K/W Humane Society
In the GTA we rescue primarily from
Toronto Animal Services (TAS). In the
KW area, we rescue strays from
Hillside Kennels, and the KW Humane
Society.
TCR also has the Owner/ Surrender
program where owners can put their
pets up for adoption.
All of these cats are part of the TCR
adoption program. We accept any
TCR cat returned to the program.
*Strays were primarily rescued in Kitchener-Waterloo and the surrounding area.
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TCR does not have a shelter. We have a network of loving foster homes. Our
cats are placed in our volunteer foster homes to await their adoption, which is
why foster homes are such an important part of TCR’s program. Each foster
home space that we have available represents one more cat that we can rescue.
Our foster homes are always full because there is an endless need for them!
Thank you to each and every one of our wonderful foster homes.
Without your commitment we could not save so many lives each year!
FOSTER HOMES
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VOLUNTEERS
TCR is 100% volunteer-run. Here’s a snapshot of what our volunteers do: advertising, adopt-a-thons, bottle feeding, communicating, coordinating, driving, designing, e-mailing, events,
fostering, feeding in colonies, fundraising, grooming, giving medicine to helping the public, jumping for joy with
each adoption, laundry, liaising, listening, answering and asking medical questions, naming kittens, organizing
events, PR, pamphlets, paying bills, paperwork, phoning, questioning potential adopters, rescuing, recovery,
spay/neuter booking, sub-Q, screening adopters and new foster homes, taking pictures, tax receipts, trapping,
updating lists, vet appointments, x-rays, yawning at midnight, & zipping around the GTA!
The time, effort, resources, and support provided by our network of volunteers
is phenomenal – THANK YOU!
Cynthia Ashkar, Pet Valu Kingsway Store Coordinator
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ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER ROLES
TORONTO CAT RESCUE VOLUNTEERS
ADOPTION COUNSELLORS: When a member of the public is interested in
adopting a TCR cat, they first speak with an Adoption Counsellor to be screened and approved for
adoption. These volunteers make sure that all cats are adopted into safe and loving homes that will fit
their needs and personalities. Post-Adoption Counsellors make sure that cats are settling in well to the
new homes once they have been adopted.
DRIVERS: Our Driver Volunteers are instrumental in helping cats get from point A to point B –
often making trips to Toronto Animal Services, foster homes throughout the city, pet stores,
veterinarian offices, or adoptathons. We are always looking for more volunteers to assist with drives.
FOSTER COORDINATORS: Jenn, Kyra, & Sarah are the three amazing Foster
Coordinators who liaise with all our foster homes. Their knowledge, dedication, and on-going
commitment ensures all foster parents feel supported in their roles.
FOSTER HOMES: With over 300 foster homes, the cats we rescue are able to receive
the necessary medical attention, socialization, and care they need to make sure they are ready to be
adopted into their forever homes. Foster homes are essential to the success of TCR!
FOSTER SCREENERS: These patient, dedicated volunteers help screen potential
foster homes to ensure all cats will be placed in a loving & safe foster home while they await adoption.
STORE COORDINATORS: Store Coordinators help manage the team of
volunteers who care for the cats placed temporarily in our partner pet stores.
STORE VOLUNTEERS: Occasionally, cats will be placed in one of our twelve partner
pet stores to give them extra exposure, increasing their chances of adoption. Store Volunteers make
sure the cats are taken care of each day they spend in the stores.
Community Outreach Coordinator
Database Administrator
Donations Coordinator
Driver Coordinator
Feral Colony Coordinator
Finance Coordinator
Fundraising Coordinator
Intake Coordinator
Kitchener Chapter Coordinator
Newsletter Coordinator
Social Media Coordinator
Stray Rescue Coordinator
Storage Coordinator
Third Party Fundraising Coordinator
Vet Clinic Coordinator
Website Coordinator
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OVERCROWDING SITUATION: 120 CATS RESCUE
In late November 2013, Toronto Cat Rescue volunteers came together to rescue a record number of
cats from an incredibly overcrowded Toronto home. When TCR volunteers first visited the home, they
counted 90 cats and kittens. Many of the kittens were underweight and malnourished, and most of
the adult cats were terrified of people. They needed loving foster and adoptive families who could
help them adjust to the trauma of being uprooted from the only isolated existence they had ever
known.
Despite the daunting number of cats that needed care, we decided to commit to rescuing all of these
cats to give them a chance at finding a forever home where they could each be the centre of attention
and love, where they no longer had to fight to survive in a stressful, overcrowded living environment.
We couldn’t have been more humbled by the outpouring of support. Over the holidays we placed the
majority of the cats, and continued to rescue those that remained in January. By the time we had
rescued them all, we realized our original count was wrong.
A startling 120 cats and kittens had been squeezed into a living space of just 700 square feet. The
owners had been doing their best to keep the cats fed but there just wasn’t enough to go around, and
many kittens were severely malnourished.
Many of these cats came into foster care
terrified of people, but they soon started to
blossom in foster care. Many of their foster
homes fell in love and adopted their foster
cats, and the rest of the cats were
gradually adopted by loving adoptive
families.
A year after we first discovered these cats,
all but two have been adopted. Thank you
to all of our volunteers, foster parents, and
adopters for making such an incredible
difference in lives of these cats. They
needed help when no one else could
provide it, and thanks to you, they are now
living like every cat should.
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HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL: 60 CATS RESCUE
On December 13, 2014, Torontonians stepped up and joined the Toronto Cat Rescue team, offering
temporary homes for fifty cats rescued in Quebec by the Humane Society International (HSI). An
additional ten cats were placed by HSI, so all sixty cats are now settling into homes while they await
their forever families to adopt them.
No cat was left behind. Cats with FIV, dental problems, allergies and ongoing medical needs were
placed in Toronto Cat Rescue foster homes, and we will do whatever it takes to ensure they have a
promising future.
To everyone who has helped with this amazing rescue so far, thank you! These cats were denied the
most basic care and many were visibly sick when HSI seized them from deplorable conditions and
brought them to their temporary, emergency shelter. After many months of care and recovery in the
emergency shelter, the cats were ready for their journey to Toronto to be placed in foster homes.
These cats will be cared for in foster homes until they are ready to be adopted in 2015.
The first ‘60 Lives Adoptathon’ took place in early January 2015 at Pet Valu Kingsway, where 8 of
these cats were adopted, two of whom were FIV+!
CBC: 60 rescue cats from Quebec
arrive safely in Toronto
City News: Torontonians open their
homes to 60 rescue cats
Now Toronto: A truckload of
Quebecois cats need a forever
home
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PARTNERSHIP WITH TORONTO ANIMAL SERVICES
On January 1, 2014, Toronto Cat
Rescue and Toronto Animal Services
officially partnered to reduce the
number of cats facing possible
euthanasia in our city shelters.
Through this partnership, cats that
were ill, injured, orphaned, geriatric,
FIV+, scared, shy and under-
socialized were transferred from TAS
shelters to Toronto Cat Rescue
foster homes.
Our incredible foster homes opened
their hearts and homes to physically
and emotionally rehabilitate these
cats and prepare them for adoption.
We were astounded and humbled
with the incredible response to this
partnership, both from our
volunteers and from the public.
We would like to express our
gratitude to the tireless and
dedicated staff at TAS and to our
amazing foster parents for coming
together and being a hero to over
900 of the city’s most vulnerable
cats.
We hope to reach our goal of 1500 transfers in 2015.
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KITCHENER-WATERLOO
Kitchener Waterloo Community Cats (KWCC)
This year a group of caring volunteers in the Kitchener area formed a coalition called
Kitchener Waterloo Community Cats. This group’s mission is to reduce and manage homeless
cats in the community through a Trap, Neuter, Return, Manage (TNRM) program. KWCC
operates as a TNR project of Toronto Cat Rescue.
KW Spay/Neuter Clinic for Homeless Cats
This year marked the beginning of a new and exciting partnership between Kitchener Waterloo
Humane Society (KWHS) and TCR. Work has been done in partnership with KWHS, KWCC, and
with a generous public donation a free spay/neuter clinic has been opened for homeless cats for
one year. The clinic operates out of the KWHS one day a week with the ability to spay/neuter 20
cats per clinic day. The first clinic day was November 5, 2014. KWCC reaches out to the public to
educate about the merits of TNRM and organizes the spay/neuter appointments for feral or
homeless cats. We are very hopeful that this initiative will make a difference in the number of cats
living on the streets and in barns.
KWCC has also been accepting cats that have been deemed "unadoptable" by KWHS. These cats
are transferred to KWCC and are either socialized if potential is seen or sent to barn homes that
KWCC locates and sets up. This program is saving the lives of many cats who otherwise would
have been euthanized.
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10TH ANNUAL BOWL-A-THON FUNDRAISER
On Saturday, May 31, 2014, TCR supporters gathered
for a fun day of bowling, pizza, and prizes. The 10th
Annual Bowl-a-thon was great fun, and together
we raised $10,500 for the cats!
Congratulations to our top bowler, Michelle M., who
individually raised over $2,000! A huge thank you also
goes out to our sponsors, especially to our presenting
sponsor Minuk Construction & Engineering Co., and
our silver kitten sponsors Annex Animal Hospital,
Durham Fasteners, & Pet Valu Maple.
This event would not have been possible without the hard work of our organizers: Heather D., Sarah
M., and Wendy S., as well as everyone who participated, volunteered, and donated prizes and pledges.
Thank you everyone! We look forward to seeing you next year at our next Bowl-a-thon!
On Sunday, October 19, 2014, an amazing team of
supporters participated in the Scotiabank Toronto
Waterfront Marathon in support of TCR cats.
In 2014, we had an incredible team of 57 runners and walkers who together raised $27,400 for the cats!
We couldn't be more thankful for the dedication and
hard work of this year's team. Many months were
spent not only fundraising, but in many cases, training
to run the 5k, half-marathon and even the full
marathon. Get ready to run/walk again in 2015!
TORONTO WATERFRONT MARATHON
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Adopt-a-thons are often held in some of our
partner pet stores, such as Pet Valu & PetSmart.
This helps connect potential adopters with a variety
of cats to choose from, and often helps find homes
for many cats in a short period of time.
In 2014 we held 19 adopt-a-thons.
At the beginning of July 2014, the first-ever Mega
Pet Adoptathon was held in the city of Toronto.
Hosted by PetSmart & PetSmart Charities, this
event helped find homes for over 585 cats and
dogs. Toronto Cat Rescue was one of several
groups in attendance, and we had an astounding
112 TCR cats adopted over the 3-day weekend!
ADOPT-A-THONS
26%
74%
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ADOPTER TESTIMONIALS
-Paula S.
-Mike G.
-Sabrina L.
-Amanda G.
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Letter to a TCR Adoption Counsellor:
I am very happy to say that Jack is flourishing and has grown SO much, despite his
unknown illness. He is almost 9 months and we couldn't picture life without him!
Rambo loves his new brother very much and is very protective over him. They like to
wrestle, chase each other, cuddle and LOVE to clean/sleep with each other!
Jack is a different type of cat - he plays with the vacuum, loves when we renovate and
make lots of noise, and LOVES to join me in the shower (he loves running water
because he chases the droplets). He also follows me around when I am cleaning the
house...it’s hilarious and GREAT company! He enjoys lots of cuddles and LOTS of rubs.
As soon as I walk in the door from work, he’s there waiting for me purring and rolling
over with his belly fully exposed... He makes me laugh. He is so friendly and so loving to
absolutely everyone who comes over to our house.
ADOPTION SUCCESS STORY
He has been nothing less than
amazing and I wouldn't trade
him for anything in the world. He
has brought so much love and
happiness to my boyfriend,
Rambo and I, and he truly is part
of the family.
Thank you again for helping me
find this little guy. It’s incredible
how loved he is! As you can
probably tell, I am a proud mom!
Marisa T.
Adopted Jack (previously named
Kwame) in 2014
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Toronto Cat Rescue has 4 active social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
The support from the public is amazing, and allows us to find forever homes for countless cats, raise
much needed donations, fill volunteer roles, and help us educate others on cat-related issues.
Our highest reaching Facebook post was about a kitten named Minou who has a grade 5 heart
murmur and was seeking a home. Our August post was seen by over 23,000 people from our
supporters "liking" or "sharing" his story before he was adopted. On Twitter we average 56 re-tweets
per day.
In June one of our Instagram photos (C.C) received 429 likes after the highly renowned "Cats Of
Instagram" liked the photo, and started following our account.
Our customized YouTube channel was launched in June, with our most successful video having over
1,000 views.
Social Media Statistics as of January 1, 2015:
Facebook.com/TorontoCatRescue
Twitter.com/TorontoCatRescu
Instagram.com/TorontoCatRescu
YouTube.com/TorontoCatRescue
SOCIAL MEDIA
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TCR does not receive any government funding. We rely solely on adoption fees,
fundraising, grants, and generous donors to keep our program running. In addition to
every individual who donates to TCR, we thank the following corporate sponsors for
their contribution to our cause.
471652 Ontario Ltd.
AAA Air Conditioning Inc.
Annex Veterinary Hospital
B+N Lifestyle
Boston Pizza
Conway Photography
Deutsche Bank
Flat Roof Manor
Intact insurance
Jane Animal Hospital
Minuk Construction
Ontario Power
PetSmart
Pet Valu
Random House
RBC
Telus
TD Bank
The Little Grape That Could
Sun Life Financial
SPONSORS
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