Challenges like animal rescue often seem insurmountable, but after a long and steady march forward, you can look back and see how far you’ve traveled. Thank you to all our supporters, donors, volunteers, foster homes, rescue partners, vets, sponsors, and more who have contributed to so many happy tails! Best wishes for peace and joy in 2024!
P.S. Our 20th anniversary is coming up, can you believe it?!?!
This Saturday, December 9, Cat Busters Animal Rescue is hosting another Adoption Day at the Jones & Danforth location of Pet Valu (869 Danforth Avenue). We will be on-site from 10am to 2pm.
Come meet and play with cats and kittens like Bonnie Bee (left) and Stevie (right) who are in need of a loving home, or talk to our volunteers about the work we do. Drop-offs of donations (monetary or supplies — see our Donate page for a descriptions of items always in need) are also greatly appreciated!
Cat Busters Animal Rescue is hosting another adoption day at the Jones & Danforth location of Pet Valu (869 Danforth Avenue) on Saturday, April 29 from 10am – 2pm.
Rescue cat Monty will be there to meet prospective adopters and (if she’s up to it) Furbie too! They are both absolute sweethearts who deserve to find a loving furever home.
Come meet them or talk to our volunteers about the work we do. Even if you can’t attend, please show your support by spreading the word!
With spring around the corner, we are ready to kick off our first Adoption Day event of the year! On Saturday, March 12, 2022, you can find us with a litter of adoptable kittens at the Jones & Danforth location of Pet Valu (869 Danforth Ave) from 9:30am to 2:00pm.
Someone had unaltered cats who ended up producing three beautiful kittens in mid-November 2021. (NOTE: we are working with the individual to get the adult cats spayed/neutered.)
All three kittens are delightfully affectionate, playful and easygoing. There’s Noir (female), Winston (male), and Eightball (female — she gets her name from the white patches on her torso).
If you are looking for a companion, come on by and meet these cuties. Cat Busters Animal Rescue will arrange for these kittens to be spayed/neutered at the appropriate time. The adoption fee will also cover vaccinations once they are scheduled. Hope to see you there!
After a nearly two-year hiatus, we are hosting our first Adoption Day on Saturday, Oct 30, 2021, 10:00am – 2:00pm at the Pet Valu – Jones & Danforth (869 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4J 1L8). Rescue cats Snoopy and PJ will be there to meet prospective furever families!
It will be a pleasure to see you again in person. COVID-19 safety measures will be followed.
Cat Busters Animal Rescue is not a shelter, but a network of foster homes and volunteers dedicated to the rescue and rehoming of animals (not just cats!), as well as the Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) of feral cats in maintained colonies.
It goes without saying that our foster volunteers are essential to the work we do. Foster homes provide a safe, loving environment where traumatized or shy rescues can thrive, sick or injured rescues can recover, and special needs animals receive adequate attention to have their medical conditions properly assessed. Time and again, our resilient team has stepped up in critical emergencies and even taken in whole families.
In appreciation of their contributions, we had a chat with one of our newest foster volunteers, Jessika. She has kindly shared some of her experiences as foster mum to our rescue panfur, Midnight!
What made you decide to foster a cat?
To be honest, some of my reasons were entirely self-centred. The world had just entered the lockdown and I knew I wanted, needed, another living soul to take care of and to be able to touch. And fostering allowed me to sample and find out if I was really a cat mamma, rather than adopting and discovering to my chagrin that maybe I wasn’t?
I’d told myself many times over the years that one day I might get a cat. I was inspired by friends in Australia who are a foster home for a local agency. They are something of a revolving door, no cat stays with them for more than a few weeks, and I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do… but their providing a home to so many gave me the courage to take the plunge.
Have you volunteered with non-profits before?
Many times, including 10 years with one, running conferences, publications and sitting on the board.
What does volunteering mean to you and why do you do it?
Volunteering is how we give back. There are many great causes out there that rely on volunteers to keep their doors open and provide vital, life-changing programs and services. Oft-times, we simply don’t have the resources to donate what we’d like. But the gift of our time is a great way to say thank you and show your appreciation. And it’s an awesome way to make a difference, whether in the life of a two-foot or a four-foot.
What are the most rewarding and challenging aspects of fostering an animal?
Especially for me, someone who had never had a pet before, getting used to another independent creature around took some time. I’ve always had a house full of breakables, and they’re all put away, so I’m getting used to the bare feel. I love covering the bathroom floor with bathmats, but Midnight tends to poop on the mat if it’s out, so I spend a lot of time with cold feet.
As someone who has lived alone for most of 25 years, getting used to changing my habits for someone else has been an interesting adventure. But coming in at night and finding that stern but lovable face sitting on the couch, watching the door and waiting for me… escorting me to the bathroom and hopping up onto the counter as I brush my teeth, exploring… then escorting me back to my bedroom, waiting at the door like a matron tapping her toes while I change and get into bed, then meowing and jumping up to settle next to my head. During a pandemic when everything is topsy turvy and no one knows what’s going on or happening next, she’s the one solid routine in my life and she’s been a lifeline.
Has any aspect of fostering surprised you?
I never expected to be that one that does the baby talk and kisses the cat on the forehead. I turned into her.
AND I AM PROUD OF IT!
Got any stories to share about Midnight?
Midnight arrived barely two weeks into the pandemic. I posted a photo of her on my Facebook page and within a day, more than 100 friends and acquaintances around the world had responded. Every time I post about her, I get heavy response, comments, even friends calling from as far away as Malaysia to meet her over video! She hasn’t just been a lifeline for me — she’s been a source of entertainment and enchantment for literally dozens of people for this entire time. To the point where I created her own Facebook page, Midnight’s Musing. I post my stories from HER perspective!
I think my favourite moment with Midnight was just a few weeks ago. She’s not a cuddler — she’ll curl up next to my shoulder but other than walking over me from here to there, she doesn’t do laps or snuggles. ONCE she stood on my chest for a minute and mewed into my face, but that’s it. Then suddenly, one early morning when I was dozing on the couch, she walked up and sat down on my chest. And fell asleep. I wanted to cry and yell and dance and cry some more. It was the most amazing thing. I fell asleep with a cat on me, and woke up two hours later to find her still there.
Now we’ve started a new tradition — every night before I go to sleep, and every morning before I get up, I pull her onto my chest and cuddle, pet and skritch her. It’s the highlight of my day. She… bears with me. 🙂 She has decided my tummy/pelvis/chest is HER resting spot. Particularly at 4am (and I check the phone every day, she is punctual to the minute), but also in the evenings before I turn out, and in the mornings when I want to get out of bed.
Is there anything you’d like prospective volunteers to know about fostering with Cat Busters Animal Rescue?
I’ve heard stories of people who’ve dealt with foster agencies where the mom or dad was treated like they were being a huge hassle, instead of providing a volunteer service. I’ve heard of others where reaching them in the case of emergencies was impossible. So I was a wee bit nervy at first, but Cat Busters has been nothing but helpful, gracious, friendly and warm. I keep trying to do more for THEM because I’m so grateful that they’ve made such a change in my life.
In 2013, two tabby and white long-haired kittens were found living in a barn just outside of Hamilton. They were estimated to be about seven months old. A veterinary technician we were working with at the time brought them to Cat Busters Animal Rescue.
They were both very shy at first, but Bracken, the male with the moustache, soon became friendly and playful. Willow, his sister, took a bit longer to warm up, but she too eventually got settled when she landed in the right foster home.
It was challenging to get them seen by potential adoptive homes. They participated in one Adoption Day event which promptly became their last — the busy, public setting proved to be too stressful for the pair. It was decided that they would not be subjected to any more of these events.
Fortunately, Bracken still managed to find his furever home that same year. He was adopted by a lovely couple who had a cat and a guide dog. Having come from a foster home with a dog, Bracken was a perfect fit.
Willow’s journey took a bit longer. She initially went to a foster mom who intended to adopt her. Tragically, the woman passed away unexpectedly and Willow found herself back at her first foster home. Fate has a funny way of coming full circle: Willow’s first foster home ended up being her last because it was to become her furever home in 2015! She has been spoiled and loved ever since.
Jade was found as a stray, rescued by a good Samaritan who took her to an empty house he was watching over, along with a bunch of other stray cats he had rescued. She was provided with food, water, shelter, and mothered several litters of kittens. She was pregnant when she was eventually surrendered Cat Busters Animal Rescue in 2017.
Jade gave birth to a single kitten in her foster home and adopted a litter of kittens that another cat had abandoned due to being so young. Although Jade was an excellent mother, only her own kitten lived and was later adopted by a lovely family.
The vet determined that Jade was at least eight years old when she we took her in. She was spayed and upon being X-rayed, the vet discovered a very deep-running benign polyp growing in the right ear. The only thing that could be done was to remove the ear canal, as the polyp had filled her ear. She ended up with a tilted head and the ear flap.
Jade bonded completely to her foster mum, who inevitably adopted her in 2019. Today, Jade is the sweetest, most outgoing cat possible. The only problem her mum has with her now is that Jade gets really playful and vocal with her cat friends in the middle of the night!
Do you love cats? Do you love taking photos? Do you love taking photos of cats? Is your Instagram feed crammed with cat photos? Did you splurge on that fancy SLR just so you could take better photos of your cat? Does your cat throw you shade, wishing you would go bother some other cats with your photography obsession?
If so, we may have just the thing for you: Cat Busters is looking for volunteers with some camera skills (we have none, so even a little skill is a lot) who would be interested in attending our events and photographing our rescues.
Each animal has a story and a personality that’s waiting to be shared. A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes, and a beautiful portrait will do more to find a forever home than anything we can possibly say.
If interested, please sign up through our photography volunteer form.
Our next Adoption Day is coming up fast, on Saturday, July 6 from 10am to 2pm at the Jones & Danforth Pet Valu (869 Danforth Avenue).
While you will get to meet some of our adoption-ready cats and kittens at the event, it’s worth noting that not all rescues are suited for the bustling environment of a popular pet supply store. Some kitties are timid, others are afraid of dogs, and a few may still be recovering from a medical issue or trauma. As much as we’d love the public to see them and increase their chances of adoption, it would simply cause too much distress. The welfare of our rescues comes first (obviously!).
Happy
So, we’d like to take a moment to put the spotlight on a pair of cats who won’t be at the Adoption Day, but who are more than ready to meet their furever family.
Happy and Mr. Tripod were born outdoors, in the space between two houses. The families on both sides took care of them until Cat Busters got the call. The two sweeties are just under one year old.
Happy is shy, but warms up to attention. It may take some time to adjust to a new home but with a name like Happy, chances are excellent that this kitty will be purring at you in no time.
Mr Tripod
As his name suggests, Mr. Tripod has three legs. Most of his left hind leg is missing, as are a few toes of the front left paw. No one knows how he came to be this way — it may have been an injury or possibly a birth defect. Whatever his story, he LOVES to be petted. Like Happy, Mr. Tripod is also a little cautious about new people and new surroundings, but he has already demonstrated that he can learn to trust good people in a variety of environments.
Because they are a bonded pair, we would very much like for them to be adopted together. These BFFs deserve to start the new chapter of their lives in the glow of each other’s company. Are you their purrfect human? Got room for two fuzzy balls of cuteness?
Cat Busters Animal Rescue 