courtesy of BC SPCA
keep your pets indoors

SPCA urges pet owners to keep pets indoors after cats left outside die

Nov 29, 2019 | 3:25 PM

PRINCE GEORGE–The BC SPCA is reminding the public to not leave their pets outdoors, especially during the cold weather after an act of animal cruelty.

The RCMP received a complaint of five cats who’d been kept in the back of an open truck in a wire create for about two months. When officers attended the scene one of the five cats was deceased and the other four were living in their excrement.

The SPCA was called in and the cats were taken to the South Okanagan / Similkameen SPCA Branch. Two of the four cats that were still alive, were too far gone to be saved, leaving one healthy survivor and one cat that will need extensive care to recover.

Raffi, will need entropion surgery on his lower eyelids, oral surgery to fix his teeth and repair a lesion on his lower canine tooth. He is also being treated for skin irritation caused by urine scald.

“Raffi is very affectionate and has a loud purr and loves to play. He will be so happy to be able to open his eyes and see again after his surgery,” says South Okanagan/Similkameen Branch manager Carolyn Hawkins.

The SPCA strongly recommends that animals are kept indoors during cold weather or that if being kept outdoors have proper protection from the elements.

“This time of year we see a sharp increase in the number of calls about domestic and farm animals who are distress in outdoor situations,” says Eileen Drever, senior officer BC SPCA protection and stakeholder relations. “One of the most common situations we encounter is dogs who are tethered outdoors in sub-zero temperatures. Animals are safest indoors, but if you must keep an animal outside, ensure shelter is off the ground, insulated from the cold and drinking water is not frozen.”

Raffi’s estimated cost for care is set at $1,580.

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