KAAP speaks out, reminds residents that abandoning kittens to die is against the law
By Kyra Hoggan
Kootenay Animal Assistance Program (KAAP) president Laurel Mathew is speaking out against the appalling treatment of animals exhibited by some local pet owners recently.
In the space of a week, she said, there were three separate incidences of tiny kittens being abandoned (several confined in cardboard boxes) during some of the hottest weather Kootenay summers have to offer.
“We found three that were dumped up by Verigin’s Tomb, and in two separate incidences, they were left in boxes on the doorstep of a local business,” she said. “And they were all too young to be separated from their moms.”
She said there’s simply no excuse for this kind of depraved cruelty, given the amount of resources available.
“There are animal rescue (operations) everywhere in the Kootenays – KAAP will even get your cat fixed for free – we received grant money for just that purpose,” she said. “Instead, some people are leaving those poor things out to die of hunger, thirst or exposure. They’re way too young to hunt or find water for themselves.
“There are so many alternatives, like KAAP. What’s it going to take? Leaving a five-week-old kitten to fend for itself in 38-degree heat is just inexcusable. It’s a cruel, horrific way to die.”
She also reminded the public that this kind of animal abuse is not just morally reprehensible – it’s also illegal (and you can take her word for it, as she also serves as Castlegar’s top cop at our local RCMP detachment).
She said KAAP is more than willing to help pet owners learn the best way to care for their animals, including important vaccinations.
“I’ve had four foster kittens die because the mother was unvaccinated,” she said. “They can get horrible diseases and really suffer from that kind of neglect.”
She said to be wary of the idea of “free” kittens – the cost of a KAAP kitty is less than you’d pay for a “free” kitten to get vaccinated and fixed. Also, kittens under the age of seven or eight weeks are too young to have received the full benefit of breast feeding and should not be separated from their mothers.
At the end of the day, she said even one kitten left out to die a slow, painful death because of heartless owners is unacceptable.
“It shouldn’t be happening at all, in this day and age.”
For more information about adoption, proper animal care, or resources available, visit www.kaap.ca
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