Eight joined us to welcometwo members of the Cats of Salt Spring team, Jennifer McMillan (Founder and President) and Mary Beckett (Treasurer, as well as outstanding cat foster mom to 110 cats and kittens) to this ASK Salt Spring gathering. Also joining them was kitten Levi, a delightful 3-and-a-half-month-old little guy, eager for cuddles, who had been part of a large feral colony in the north end of Salt Spring Island. 

After our Acknowledgement, we learned a lot about this volunteer-driven charitable organization, Cats of Salt Spring https://catsofsaltspring.com/. When Jennifer and her husband moved to Salt Spring in 2020, intending to retire, the pressing need for cat rescue, particularly colony management work, struck Jenn immediately. She founded Cats of Salt Spring Rescue Society in 2021.

With the loving care of cats paramount, Cats of Salt Spring provides care for those that are stray and abandoned. They are either brought in by locals or rescued through planned trapping engagements with property owners/colony caretakers. They are then placed with foster families. 

Some participants were surprised that there are so many cats running free and uncared for on Salt Spring. As kittens can be impregnated at four months old and can have three to four litters each year, a few ‘free range’ cats can develop into a large colony very quickly. 

An example is Levi’s north end colony where Jenn and her team have been working. Since early August, 32 cats/kittens from this colony have come into the care of the organization. All have received medical care (including vet examinations and vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries, and treatment for fleas and parasites). Many have already been adopted out into wonderful homes while several remain in foster care either on Salt Spring or Vancouver Island. Sadly, three of the cats that were brought in from this colony did not survive. 

Despite good work with this colony and others, there are many more cats waiting to be brought in and given care. Throughout our time together, Jenn stressed the need for both additional funding and foster homes so that they can rescue more of the many Salt Spring cats in need.

A huge part of Jenn’s role in the organization is Community Outreach to residents of Salt Spring. This outreach can range from information and resource sharing and identification/trapping of cat colonies to assistance with cat surrenders when circumstances require. Cats of Salt Spring also provides food and litter for those who cannot afford it. 

Welcoming calls from members of the public, Jenn impressed upon us that, if a cat is in need, she will be there to help. A daunting commitment, she is out there listening to those with cat concerns, trapping cats in the dark of the night, and then going home to care for her private sanctuary of cats who happily enjoy safe outdoor time in their two catios, (https://catiospaces.com/catios-cat-enclosures/).And, sometimes, from 9:00 pm until 10:00 pm, Jenn takes an hour off! An overwhelming commitment, driven by her deep love for cats, we were awed by Jenn and her team’s wonderful work.

While Salt Spring does have many free roam/community cats, in comparison to those in urban areas, our cats are relatively healthy. Mindful always of contagious diseases like feline leukemia and FIV, Cats of Salt Spring carries out rigorous health screening on all cats that come in and employs appropriate quarantine procedures, always aware of the devastating impact of disease on our cat colonies. Despite the relative health of Salt Spring’s cat colonies, many still die on our roads when they are hit by cars.

Providing outstanding veterinary care for all animals in their care is a very big part ofCats of Salt Spring’s mission. The organization works with several veterinarians to ensure this very high level of care. Jenn spoke with great admiration of Dr Lex (https://www.drlexholisticmobilevet.ca/), one of our local mobile veterinarians who performs all initial examinations and vaccines for cats and kittens taken in by the rescue organization. Dr Lex also assists with home visits for cats in their foster homes, and, when necessary, compassionate euthanasia.  

Another primary care provider is the Mayne Island Vet Clinic, run by Drs. Elisabeth Jahren and Eric Wilkening (https://www.mayneislandvetclinic.com/) Most of the spay/neuter surgeries, as well as some of the specialized surgeries are completed by these two amazing veterinarians. 

Jenn voiced her sincere gratitude for the opportunity to work with these veterinary professionals. In addition, she and her team also work with several veterinary hospitals in Victoria including Capital Cat Clinic (Dr. Jackie Lee); Elk Lake Veterinary Hospital (Drs. Petra Warnock, Heidi Clouse, and Audrey Remedios); and VCA Central Victoria Vet Hospital.

Jennifer gave a heartfelt “Shout out” for amazing vet partners and their essential role caring for our cats.

Jenn spoke about the importance of spaying and neutering of all cats, working hard to change the mindset of many that all female cats should have at least one litter and that neutering male cats is not as important as spaying female cats.

The group had a lengthy discussion about the choice of indoor vs outdoor living for cats. Cats of Salt Spring requires all cats in foster care to be maintained as indoor cats and encourages indoor or safe contained outdoor living for adopted cats. For some, the concept of keeping cats indoors may seem like a strange. However, Jenn pointed out that many communities ban free roaming cats (such as Calgary, AB or London, ON). We also learned that many cats live happily indoors in apartments and condos in big cities like New York or Toronto. One participant who had found this concept of indoor cats odd a few years ago shared her understanding of the benefit of having indoor-only cats:  She has now constructed a catio for her own cat!

Care for rescued Cats of Salt Spring can take a variety of forms, including: 

– Fostering: When trapped, all cats are first fostered until they are healthy, neutered/spayed, comfortable being handled, and accustomed to living in an indoor environment. While some foster volunteers eventually adopt their fostered cats, others, like our guest, Mary, are foster-only homes. When asked, Mary confirmed that, after fostering 110 cats, she had kept none, illustrating that deep generosity of taking a needy cat into her home, loving and acclimating it, only to give it away to its forever home.

– Long-Term Fostering: In certain circumstances, fostering can last a long time, even years. This happens when an elderly person needs the love and companionship of a cat but is also clear that they are unlikely to outlive this cat. In these cases, Cats of Salt Spring enters a long-term foster care arrangement. They cover medical expenses and are ready to take the cat back, while also offering the cat for a lengthy period with no fear of he/she being adopted away. 

– Adoption: Cats of Salt Springtakes adoption very seriously, requiring counseling, home visits, assessment of the quality of care they see in the home, and previous vet records, if available. “Did you know that caring for a cat is much like caring for a toddler?” The approximately $300 charge to adopt is a tiny part of the costs incurred byCats of Salt Spring to get this cat to the stage that he/she is ready to be adopted. Even after a successful adoption, the organization offers ongoing support to all adopters.

– Trap, Neuter, Return: Despite great effort, there are some cats, especially older ones, that cannot adjust to indoor life. In these cases, Cats of Salt Spring must return them to outdoor life after ensuring they are healthy and neutered/spayed. They are not, however, just ‘released back’ into the wild. First, Jenn and her team ensure that there is a responsible caretaker committed to feeding and monitoring the health of the released cat. They will also explore barn placement opportunities for less social cats, with the understanding that a lengthy, structured “setting in” process is required.

Committed to working with every cat on Salt Spring in need – approx. 120-130 cats a year – costs are high. For example, in 2024 the organization’s food costs were just under $25,000 and veterinary costs just under $60,000. That’s a lot for a small rescue organization to raise through donations! Unfortunately, the funding stream for Cats of Salt Spring is uncertain. A registered charity able to give receipts, some donors have been generous, but the ability to pay the bills each month is always a concern. 

So, in addition to the extraordinary work these volunteers do caring for cats, a large part of their time is spent seeking the funding they need. One Sunday every month from 10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m., volunteers are at Return It (https://www.return-it.ca/locations/saltspring-refund-centre/) sorting donations. Often generating between $1,500-$2,500, these monthly bottle drives are a very important source of needed funding. Want to help? Volunteers are always needed and welcome. Check their website for the next bottle-sorting Sunday!

Cats of Salt Spring also participates in Country Grocer’s Save-a-Tape Program(https://www.countrygrocer.com/community/saveatape/), a longtime source of funding. The organization is concerned, however, that the shift to digital scanning vs the physical collection of tapes may result in a decrease in funds received through the Save-a-Tape program.

Participants shared other funding possibilities, including reaching out to the Salt Spring Island Foundation as well as submitting a Grant-in-Aid application to the Local Community Commission for its spring 2026 intake. What about collaboration with conservation nonprofits addressing bird mortality by outdoor cats?How can this amazing organization be remembered in wills more often? The ideas flew. . . .

What else can we do? 

• Spread the word about adoption events held at Foxglove and Whiskers.
• Reach out to the organization if you are interested in adopting or fostering. 
• Volunteer and tell others about the monthly Sunday Bottle Drives @ Return It SSI. 
• Check their website at https://catsofsaltspring.com and follow them on Facebook and Instagram (catsofsaltspring).
• Tell others about the great work done by Cats of Sat Spring.
• Learn more by calling 236-508-CATS, emailing info@catsofsaltspring.com, or writing to P.O. Box 837 Ganges, Salt Spring Island, V8K 2W3.

Our time over for this week, we all left awed by the amazing, exhausting, never-ending, work done by Cats of Salt Spring volunteers, driven by their magnanimous love of cats and commitment to care for every one of them in need. (Thank-you Jenn and Mary!) 

Just in case you are interested. . . .This report has been written by Gayle Baker, founder of ASK Salt Spring, currently also a Salt Spring Local Community Commissioner. It has been reviewed and edited by Jenn.