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Neglected cats get surgery and new owners, thanks to Shuswap’s generosity

Pair of cats, Ellison and Pierre, find better lives after visit to Shuswap SPCA
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Pierre and Allison were donated to the SPCA to be taken care of after living in unhealthy conditions for years. Following an expensive oral surgery, Pierre was adopted and Ellison was moved to the Vancouver SPCA branch for a better chance at adoption. (Photos submitted)

When Ellison and Pierre were found, they were terrified and cuddling together for safety.

The two senior cats, along with two others, were dropped off on the doorstep of the Shuswap SPCA in Salmon Arm last month. Following an investigation conducted by the SPCA, it was found the felines had lived almost their entire lives in one small bedroom filled with urine and feces. Their owner had dementia and routinely forgot about them.

Of the four cats found in the crate, Ellison and Pierre were the worst off. Ellison had such severe matting that she wasn’t able to clean herself and volunteers had to shave her under sedation. The other two cats were healthy and they were adopted relatively soon after being put up for adoption, but the process was longer for Ellison and Pierre.

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It took the pair a few weeks to come out of hiding; it wasn’t until one of the SPCA’s senior cat cleaners was in the room that they decided she was safe and familiar to them. It was then they started to come out of their shells.

It was discovered that Ellison and Pierre were in need of an expensive oral surgery which the SPCA started fundraising for. The fundraiser page for the cats reached nearly half of the $2,821 goal before the Shuswap Veterinary Clinic performed the surgeries following a medical appeal.

Since the surgery, Pierre was adopted and Ellison was moved to the Vancouver SPCA branch for a better chance of finding a permanent home.


@CameronJHT
Cameron.thomson@saobserver.net

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