Someone was selling calendars in my office recently. I asked what they were for, and was told they were to raise funds for the care of the feral cats around the dockyards and throughout the Halifax region. A man named Pierre Filiatreaut has been looking after the dockyard cats for a number of years, and is now trying to raise funds for their continued care (food and cat medicine are expensive!) and also to expand his TNR program to other feral cat colonies. The TNR program - Trap / Neuter / Release - is something he started at the dockyards and it has been so successful that there have been no kittens born in the past two years.
This article tells more of Pierre's story, and some photos of Pierre's cats and cat shelters are found on this website.
According to the notes in the calendar: Pierre has recently been awarded a "Future Thought Leader Scholarship" from the pet recovery specialists Pet Lynx Corporation. He has been invited to attend the 2009 Summit on Urban Animal Strategies in Calgary to speak about his work with feral cats.
As soon as I learned of this story, I thought oh I must share it with my blog friend Annie! She herself volunteers at a cat sanctuary in her own area, not to mention befriending the feral cats of Venice each time she visits that magical place!
Here is a glimpse of the calendar...if you want to see more, you'll just have to buy one of your own! (His contact information is in the third photo.)
Comments (9)
Hi Anne, the calendar looks beautiful and what a great cause too. Kudos to Pierre and to Annie for all their wonderful work to help save lives.
Thanks so much for this wonderful post! Have a great evening!
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | November 11, 2009 2:52 AM
Posted on November 11, 2009 02:52
Yay! I've been looking forward to this post. Seeing the faces of those homeless cats just tugs at my heartstrings, and I'm so glad that Pierre is helping the Halifax cats out. What a great guy.
I love the "catty shack" and the other shelters they have created for them. And that calendar is very nice. I bought a similar calendar at a pet store in Venice, with proceeds going to their feral cat organization.
There are several feral cats at the sanctuary where I work, and in some cases, we are able to socialize them and make them adoptable. There's one little guy I am working with now - he was so terrified of people when he first came but now he comes up and asks to be petted. It's awesome to see them lose their fear and gain trust.
Thanks so much for sharing this inspiring story!
Posted by Annie | November 11, 2009 8:58 AM
Posted on November 11, 2009 08:58
Kathy, I agree - kudos are definitely in order! It is so wonderful that there are people like Pierre and Annie looking out for the wellbeing of these little creatures.
Annie, I knew you'd love this story! :) Pierre took all of the photos in the calendar, so they are all true dockyard cats. It's nice that his coworkers helped him build homes for the cats, I loved the catty shack too!
I'm so glad *your* little kitty is getting over his fear. How it must warm your heart to watch him gain that trust in people. :) If I'm ever down your way, I'll definitely want to visit the cat sanctuary and meet some of your furry friends!
Posted by Anne | November 11, 2009 9:21 AM
Posted on November 11, 2009 09:21
Come on down! You'd love the place, not just because of all the cats but it's so beautiful with the gardens and sculpture and nature. Really an amazing place and I love working there.
"My" little guy won't yet let anyone pick him up. That's the next hurdle because most people aren't going to adopt a cat that they would have to trap to take him to the vet. I think he's going to get there though (last weekend, I was petting his head and I told him, someday you are going to sit on my lap!).
Pierre's photos are sooo wonderful. Warms my heart!
Posted by Annie | November 11, 2009 4:41 PM
Posted on November 11, 2009 16:41
Tempting Annie! I have only been through there once - we drove to Florida when I was about 12, but I still remember how beautiful the Southern States were. Ooo, now that we have the Boler, perhaps a roadtrip might be in order. If so, I'll definitely let you know! :)
I'm sure you'll have that little one in your lap soon! I think it's great too that Pierre is going to be helping other communities set up similar TNR programs to help prevent so many homeless kitties from being born.
Posted by Anne | November 11, 2009 5:39 PM
Posted on November 11, 2009 17:39
What a great way to raise money. Too bad he can't get them into the stores. I would much rather purchase one of these calendars than the generic cat calendars.
Posted by girasoli | November 12, 2009 1:29 AM
Posted on November 12, 2009 01:29
I agree, girasoli. I imagine lots of people would feel the same. I think he just started the calendars last year, so hopefully will eventually make an arrangement with some of the local bookstores, at least.
Posted by Anne | November 12, 2009 10:45 AM
Posted on November 12, 2009 10:45
Hooray for Pierre! It makes me so sad that people dump their cats and don't spay or neuter. We have a lot of feral cats here. Thank goodness for people like Pierre.
Posted by Candy | November 13, 2009 1:39 AM
Posted on November 13, 2009 01:39
Candy, it really is wonderful that there are people like Pierre and Annie in our world :)
Posted by Anne | November 14, 2009 9:53 AM
Posted on November 14, 2009 09:53