Urban Animal Foundation Launches at Summit 2014

"Today is one of those sweet moments when 10 years of dreams and intentions becomes a reality", said Larry Evans, Treasurer, Urban Animal Foundation. 

The Urban Animal program began in 2005 with a meeting of industry leaders in Banff, Alberta. Driving a more collaborative Urban Animal industry began with the first Summit in 2006. By 2009 allies of the urban animal program had identified the need to change the culture and behaviors experienced by cats in our communities. The Year of the Cat in 2011, was the first continent wide initiative to increase the value of cats. By 2012, this initiative had morphed into 'Care for Cats' and in 2013, Bayer launched the Feline Friendly program which used collateral and concepts developed in this initiative.

The very successful Cat initiative demonstrated a need for a development environment that would be funded and governed separately from the commercial activities of PetLynx and other industry contributors. In 2013, planning commenced for The Urban Animal Foundation. The incorporation of the Foundation occurred in April 2014. The first Advisory Council and Board meetings will take place today, Wednesday, 22 October 2014, in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada.

"I see this as a tree story, said Drew Van Niekerk, President of the Urban Animal Foundation. The tree is deeply rooted with a nine year investment to create and clarify the Urban Animal DNA. I expect this trust and subject matter expertise will develop the intentions of Urban Animal into the fruit so desired by the communities and pet owners we serve." 

2011 Year of the Cat Report Released

The 2011 Year of the Cat focused awareness on the need for routine veterinary care, identification and spay/neuter procedures, which resulted in a better understanding of Canada's most popular pet – the cat.

Now available is an indepth look into the 2011 Year of the Cat campaign. Click here for the full report.

For more information on Year of the Cat, please contact Judi Cannon at judi.cannon@petlynxmail.com or 705.930.7387.

2011 was the Year of the Cat in every way!

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.

  

Furthermore the cost of the campaign was low as the industry rallied to provide services and push common messages through their communication channels. This approach resulted in a unified message spread across all sectors in many communities.

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

2011 Cat Initiative featured in Dogs Annual

The most comprehensive canine magazine in Canada, the 2011 Dogs Annual, landed on desks across the nation this week. Inside readers will find a Cats in Canada supplement and one of the best articles on the 2011 Year of the Cat initiative.

Thanks to Apex publishing, Leslie Smith the Writer, Ann McDonagh Publisher and Kelly Caldwell, Editor in Chief for this wonderful article about one of Canada's most successful initiatives.  As the Year of the Cat Meter clearly shows, collaborators across Canada have identified almost 15,000 cats and assisted in the recovery of many more.

In 2012, Care for Cats will continue as a national initiative with the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association as the lead partner.   All sectors of the industry will assist to distribute the key messaging and online tools which promote routine health care for cats.

The 'CAT' initiative arose out of the 2009 International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies and demonstrates how a collaborative social movement supported with modern social media can achieve healthier communities for pets and people.  Should you wish to increase the awareness and value of cats in your community using this initiative please contact Judi Cannon, Program Manager, at 705.930.7387 or judi.cannon@petlynxmail.com

Bring the cat initiative to your community

2011 Year of the Cat Initiative Surpasses all Expectations

Wow the 2011 Year of the Cat collaborators have blown the lid off this national activity! 


Dr. Liz O'Brien and her collaborators had a Vision to increase the value of owned, homeless and feral cats in Canadian communities.  


They intended to identify and register 10,000 cats during this year long initiative.  As they start week #44 they have completed 14,614 registrations. In addition, these collaborators have brought the PetLynx automated national recovery system to over 200 communities and assisted in 19,177 cat recovery episodes. 


Thank you to Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Ontario SPCA, PetSmart Charities, Procter & Gamble, Western Financial Insurance, CDMV and the more than 1,500 volunteer collaborators across Canada who have added their voice and resources to support this initiative.  The 2011 Year of the Cat initiative is the most successful initiative arising out of the International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies in its six year history.  


Those behind this initiative still have 8 weeks to go before the final numbers are recorded in the 2011 history book. The industry stands amazed!


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