Urban Barn Cats: Some Late July Babies

The RAPS staff have been back at trapping on the urban farm in Richmond. It's estimated that we now have around 40 cats in our care -- still 50 -60 more to catch. Those will be the hard ones to catch. Some of the kittens are recovering at the Richmond Animal Shelter. This little yellow kitten showed some of the worst signs of the upper respiratory infection. (See the swollen eyes.)

Two other kittens came in with almost perfectly circular eyes (see next two pictures). These stunning cats are weiry of people, but have calmed down quite a lot since their arrival. They both had terrible cases of ear-mites, but are doing better now.

The members of this batch of smaller kittens are eating on their own now. A couple had to be had fed for a few days, but they caught on quickly. Their mum could not be found, so they get special care at the Richmond Animal Shelter.

Update on KD, the Shelter born puppy

Many of you may remember Coco, a long-haired little dog, that ended up having a puppy one night after she arrived at the Richmond Animal Shelter. She and her puppy, KD, were adopted by a wonderful family in Richmond. (See photo left), but look at her now (a big, happy puppy, with one of her new family members). We're so glad that Coco and KD got a great home.

A Russian Animal Rescue

Check out this story on the Vancouver Sun website.


On Sunday, July 12th, Shane Burnham, a Richmond Animal Protection Society Animal Control Officer, executed the dramatic rescue of a lost dog who was recently flown to Richmond from Moscow. The six year-old dog, named Masha, was born on the streets of Moscow and rescued by her current owners. Masha accompanied this elderly couple when they moved to Canada in mid-April. Within a week of their arrival, the dog got loose, and her owners were unable to find her. Officer Burnham tracked the skittish, shy dog all over Richmond for almost 10 weeks, feeding her whenever possible, but was unable to capture or even approach the terrified animal.

Then two weeks ago, Officer Burnham decided to ask for help from the public to obtain a large dog trap. He posted a listing on Craigslist explaining the dog’s situation, and Gwen, a volunteer from Chilliwack, offered to assist with her dog trap. During his day off, Officer Burnham and Gwen began trapping at 2:00 p.m. on that Sunday afternoon. By 9:00 P.M. Masha approached the trap which Gwen had equipped with a fresh barbecued chicken for bate. Masha could not resist, and Gwen and Officer Burnham finally caught sweet Masha at 10:00 p.m. after almost three full months on the streets of Richmond.

Urban Barn Cats continue their journey to a new home

Over the past several weeks, RAPS staff and volunteers have been trapping cats and kittens in a barn in Richmond. These 'Urban Barn Cats' are suffering from an upper respiratory infections and ear mites. All require medical attention, but first we have to catch them. So far litters of kittens and around 15 adults cats have been taken and are being successfully treated for their illness. But this job won't be done until all 100 cats are in RAPS' care.

This last Sunday, RAPS staff worked all day to trap 9 adults and one very sick kitten. Some kittens had to be fed by hand, but most are recovering on antibiotics.

Keep checking back to the RAPS Blog for updates on the Urban Barn Cats.

This rescue is funded in part by a grant from the Vancouver Foundation, the Citizens Pet Population Control Society and countless numbers of generous donors. Thank you.

To help the 'Urban Barn Cats', please send donations to:

Richmond Animal Protection Society
12071 No. 5 Road
Richmond, BC V7A 4E9

Check out this story in the Vancouver Sun.

Hanson AKA Zippo is looking for his forever home!

This is a cat who has had a hard life. He was abandoned by his owners when they moved out of their home and left to fend for himself. Somehow he ended up being very seriously burned on both of his front legs and paws. It was only then that the neighbors called RAPS to have us care for him. After getting treatment at the vet, Zippo (now Hanson) was cared for at the sanctuary where Animal Care Staff tended his wounds and shuttled him back and forth to the vet for months as he healed. As he recovered, his sweet and loving personality came shining through. He truly is a lap cat once he gets to know you. This past march he was moved over to the shelter on Number 5 Road in the hopes that someone would fall in love with this sweetheart and adopt him. So far no one has. Could you be Hanson's forever friend? He so deserves all the love in the world after his ordeal.

Lola (formerly Darling) settles in

We adopted Darling, now known as Lola, almost 2 months ago and it as if she was always part of the family. From the day we first saw her, it was as if she was supposed to be ours. Even our cat Olli has adapted and while they might not be best friends, they certainly manage to live peacefully. Lola brings a wonderful energy to our home - we all share in her care and exercise. She loves the Richmond trails, the dog park and joins in mountain biking excursions to the Delta Watershed and the North shore. She is the sweetest, good-natured creature and we are so happy that we could give her a good home.
Thanks for all the good work you do!
~From the Mondlak Family

RAPS at the Salmon Festival was Practically a Zoo!

Well, we did it! RAPS attended the Salmon Festival with a booth and walked parade. A special thanks to Eddie for lending his time and his truck for the parade, to our volunteer costume maker and to all our parade walkers dressing as dogs, cats and rabbits! You guys did great.

Also a special thanks to our booth managers, Cathy and Tony, who took charge of making sure RAPS had a solid presence at the Salmon Festival. Also, thanks to Geri, Stephanie and Helen for taking care of the booth and answering questions.

RAPS is so grateful to Petcurean and to Tisol for providing pens, bags and samples to give away and by donation. Thanks!
Check out all the Salmon Festival / Canada Day Parade photos.