When you first walk through the doors of MEOW Foundation, you will be greeted by a small cat with big eyes and a high-pitched meow.
As Jenna McFarland, director of programs, arrives at the office in the morning, she tells herself it will be an organized and productive day. But cats will be cats; they start doing strange things, and she often has to run out to deal with it.
Within just a couple of months of working at MEOW Foundation, McFarland met a very dirty and smelly cat named Pelican, who stole her heart. “I think seeing where he came from and what the public opinion was about a cat that looked like him and behaved like him, and then seeing where he is now, is just pretty incredible. And I think that transformation sort of story that we see here at MEOW a lot is what keeps us all working here,” she said.
MEOW Foundation has dedicated the last 25 years to supporting cats in need around the Calgary area. With its no-kill policy, the organization strongly believes that every cat can be saved. This volunteer-run organization wouldn’t be possible without its donors — they mean everything.
Approximately 500 volunteers assist in caring for the cats and support other MEOW programs, including the Rescue and Adoption Program, Spay Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP), Trap Neuter Return (TNR) Program, and Cat Food Assistance Program.
“Some of the work can be really physically and emotionally demanding, and the best part is just being able to take a break and pet a cat and remember why we’re here to do it,” said McFarland.
One of the most challenging parts of being part of rescue work is having to “put aside your own biases and take a leap of faith and trust people to care for animals in the way that you care for them,” she said. “You get very attached to them, and then you don’t want to give them away, especially when you don’t know. It’s so much trust, putting trust in strangers to say, ‘Take care of my baby.’”
One of the biggest misconceptions about rescues is that people think the cats that arrive are damaged goods and that nobody wants them. That couldn’t be further from the truth. There are many reasons why a cat arrives at MEOW Foundation: they may be lost, feral, or surrendered.
“When I first started, this organization was heavily based on stray and abandoned cats only. Every once in a while, we would take owner surrenders. Now, I would say we’re closer to 50% stray and 50% owner surrenders,” McFarland said.
The past couple of years have been difficult for many people, and they are struggling financially. It’s coming to a point where some can no longer afford to care for their pets, especially with how difficult it is to find pet-friendly housing. That has changed the type and quantity of intakes for MEOW Foundation. But they strongly believe “that there’s a home for every cat that comes in here,” said McFarland.
The cat distribution system may be real, and while you could get a cat from the street, a neighbour, or Kijiji, organizations like MEOW Foundation have many resources they can share and can support you throughout the life of your cat.
“I always knew I wanted to help make the world a better place,” said Mollie Mithaug-Cook, volunteer coordinator. While she manages what volunteers do and where they’re needed, what makes the biggest difference is simply showing up and helping, “trying to be a good person every day, because it has a ripple effect.”