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| Dr. Liz O'Brien, Feline Advocate |
One of the most successful initiatives ever to be conducted in the Canadian companion animal industry was completed in 2011.
The Year of the Cat by the numbers:
- Identification of unregistered cats surged beyond the program goal of 10,000 to 16,995;
- Lost cat recoveries totaled 22,489;
- The numbers of vaccinated, insured, spay/neutered and medicalized cats grew by as much as 18% in some communities; and,
- The Care for Cats campaign involved over 1,500 industry stakeholders and service providers in 93 primary communities and 118 secondary locales across Canada.
Industry sponsors included Boehringer Ingleheim, CDMV, Iams Canada, Ontario SPCA, Profender by Bayer, PetLynx Corporation, Petsecure and Petsmart Charities.
The Care for Cats initiative was created to address the issue of cat overpopulation and to bring forward a message that people, not cats, are the real problem. The 2011 Year of the Cat focused awareness on the need for routine veterinary care, identification and spay/neuter procedures. Moreover, the public relations campaign resulted in a better understanding of Canada's most popular pet – the cat.
Organizers say program success stemmed from all sectors of the Canadian pet industry participating in the creation of the campaign, the development of online tools and the delivery of the Care for Cats program to each community. Individuals and organizations recognized their ability to positively influence cats and their well being within the relationships they already owned.Congratulations are in order for Dr. Liz O'Brien and those who assisted her on the Advisory Council to bring to life a vision that arose out of the 2010 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies. Care for Cats demonstrates how mass collaboration can bring success to the industry and create healthier communities for the pets and people who live in them.
For more information, reach out to Judi Cannon, Program Manager, 705.930.7387 or judi.cannon@petlynxmail.com
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