VOKRA Responds to Recent Kitten Abuse in Vancouver

Aug. 29, 2012 - PRLog -- Vancouver, BC - The Vancouver Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA) is heartbroken by the tragic circumstances brought to light last week with the announcement of a cell phone video allegedly depicting the violent torture and abuse of a kitten by a Vancouver man.

Many may be thinking what they could possibly do to prevent such a horrible crime. The solution is simple: have your pets spayed or neutered. Organizations like VOKRA rescue thousands of homeless cats and kittens every year, with a careful selection process for fosters and adopters of each cat and kitten. While the idea of having a litter of kittens may seem cute, VOKRA advises that thousands of homeless kittens are born each year, and many of them don't survive, end up living on the streets reproducing, or are given away free to homes that do not give appropriate care.

"Every month I get asked by Vancouver residents to help trap and rescue homeless pregnant cats that have decided to settle in their neighbourhood, and we have constant litters of kittens," explains VOKRA cat trapper, Maria Soroski. "Everywhere we look there are kittens, and yet people still breed cats and there are still always offers of free kittens in papers and online. As long as people keep allowing their cats to have more kittens, more kittens will be vulnerable to falling into the hands of an abusive person."

"Our volunteers have created a very hands-on adoption process, and do their very best to ensure cats go to loving homes," says Karen Duncan, president of VOKRA. "A situation like this sickens us. Animal's lives are important, and where they go matters. As a community we should not allow these things to happen, and we should not allow them to happen without consequence. Our cruelty laws need to get stronger so people can be held to account properly for actions such as this.."
VOKRA is a strictly no-kill animal rescue association run entirely by volunteers and donations. They are having an annual walk on September 23rd to raise money for the over 1400 cats and kittens they rescue every year. Learn more at www.vokra.ca

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Media contact:
Alexis Baran
Media Relations
Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA)
T: (778) 229-7658, E: communications@vokra.ca