Purrfect Companions is getting ready for budget time at Council chambers as they plan on asking our elected officials for help.
That was Brenda Cameron, who oversees everyone at the shelter.
Right now, there are 570 cats in their care – most of them now in a foster home.
These individuals are taking care of these felines in their own homes, with some people having just one cat to others taking care of a dozen at time.
She says because there are no official services in Norfolk County, they are often pushed to be more than just the animal rescue they were designed to be.
Purrfect Companions is strictly run by volunteers, 103 people helping out currently, meaning that every dime that comes in is through donations from the public – namely their large crowd of supporters on social media.
As Cameron details, they get calls at all hours of the night for help – and getting the cats the proper care they need is expensive.
These emergency visits typically leads to Purrfect Companion having to foot the bill with money they may not have on hand and try to pay it off after the fact as the wellbeing of the animal is top priority.
The high cost in finances and the large toll it takes on everyone wellbeing working around the clock is very real.
Cameron says everyone who volunteers is doing so because they love animals and want them to get the care they need – but everyone has a limit.
We asked Cameron how she is able to keep going despite the ever growing workload.
Cameron is hoping council will hear the pleas, and understand the weight that has been put on volunteers in the community, and be willing to help.
Their budget last year approached $500,000 – a large portion of that going towards vets.
With costs rising on everything, they anticipate that number will only continue to grow as the years go on.
Written by Matt LeBlanc