Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue

First and foremost this is the best cat specific cat rescue association out there. And it’s run by a dedicate core group of people who also rely on volunteers so why is it people consider finding a forever cat to be as quick as going to the grocery store and buying milk?
Yes confusion and misunderstanding seems to have and can happen. However the good that these people do should put them beyond some petty hiccups.
I started the adoption process with an email and agreed phone interview after which received a followup email saying my application was approved. It also indicated expectations and responsibilities.
Now was the time to peruse the kitty personals and note which sweethearts were close in temperament or any other deciding factor to what I sought. I was seeking a single, non-​gender specific short haired friendly affectionate kitty of any age under 6yrs.
After noting kitty names (and keeping records a on their online profile url etc), I emailed the application approved Lucy the kitty names. She then advised which were available to be seen and which were currently being evaluated by other potential adopters. The first kitty foster parents contact was supplied and between them and I we setup a viewing. They were located in Surrey. When I arrived the foster person and the kitty and I went into a room and basically spent maybe 2 hours talking, etc. I determined kitty was super playful but not affectionate and didn’t like to be held for any time. I thanked her and advised Lucy.
Lucy then asked for more kitty names and the process of organizing with the foster peeps was repeated. I visited cat #2 Poppy and cat #3 Mackenzee Monday jan ⁵⁄₁₅. #2 was near commercial and #3 in north van.
Poppy seemed unsuited so I then took the bus over to north van.
It’s an incredible lot to expect to «know» a cat in the short time you can spend with it — you’re a stranger after all and it can’t be expected to treat you like a friend. However Mackenzee was such a sweetie after extensive play and discussion I knew she was the one.
I wrote Lucy thus and was advised to schedule to the adoption paperwork which I did Thursday Jan ⁸⁄₁₅. At the 30 minute process the tried and tested acclimation process was outlined and responsibilities laid out. I was especially relieved if even in some small way that «once a Vokra cat always a Vokra cat» — meaning if for whatever reason it didn’t work out they suggest I bring kitty back to Vokra. After paying the fees and getting the paperwork I excitedly took the bus with my pet carrier to the north van foster person’s home.
Everything went so smoothly :)
I make an effort to update the foster person on kitty after confirming they had no problem with my doing so. I scheduled the Vokra approved vet appointment Saturday morning Jan ¹⁰⁄₁₅ and had them trim nails, check ears and microchip kitty. I also called the original vet who tattooed kitty to update my contact info should she get lost and tracked back through her tattoo.
Following the acclimation plan has led in a less nervous kitty and thus a happier me. Thank you ever so much.
Believing so much in these guys I’m going to volunteer both physically and by perhaps doing some charity knitting. Yay.

I’m sure this would have been a great organization to adopt a kitten from as I definitely think it’s important to adopt from shelters and other organizations that do their best to keep cats off the streets or worse. However getting zero response from anyone after sending a number of emails is really not any way to get cats adopted. I ended up getting a kitten from a friend who’s kittens are now old enough to leave the mother. The same amount of money I would gladly give for the adoption fee at VOKRA I am now using for this little guy’s vet visit and to get him neutered. I’m a bit put off by VOKRA.

VOKRA does such a great job, and they truely love cats. An animal welfare organization of the first order!

These women are very devoted to their cats… so much so, that it can be difficult to adopt from them. For people without kids, who are willing to take 2 or 3 cats together, VOKRA is terrific. It looks like they take good care of their cats and they’re devoted to finding them the absolute perfect home. Unfortunately, I’m not sure we fit their bill, though we did pass their screening.
My husband & I have a lot of experience with cats and are devoted to them. On a friend’s recommendation, we tried to adopt through VOKRA, but had a hard time and eventually gave up on them. They didn’t have many cats that we could even consider, because we only have space for one cat, and we have a kid (one who is gentle with animals, which was why we were ready for a new cat). Also, things kept going just wrong — we’d drive out to pet stores because they told us we’d have to go there to see the cat we were interested in, only to find, when we arrived right at opening time, that the cats were mysteriously reserved for someone who’d «emailed before us» (so why tell us to drive all that way?), and any other cats there weren’t deemed right for us. We never did get to see a cat in its foster home, because something always fell through — the cat got adopted the day before we were scheduled to see it, the cat was sick, the cat suddenly needed to be adopted with a friend… always something.
It may well have all been coincidence and high demand, but it left me with the impression that we just weren’t right, from their standpoint — probably because we had a toddler. I just wish they’d told us that up front so we wouldn’t have put so much time & effort into our search with VOKRA.
The childless couples I know who’ve recommended them in the past have been effusive in their praise of VOKRA. So if you fit their mold, they’re great.

We found the two perfect kittens for our family at the adoption event on the weekend. I had already filled out a simple application and did a short phone interview prior to attending. The volunteers were amazing, and you can see that they truly love all of the cats/​kittens that are in their care. Our kittens were bonded, with shiny soft coats and bright eyes. They appear to be in great health, and very happy and well adjusted. It was great to be able to meet the foster as well, as she had some great information on how to help these kittens adjust to their new home based on the personalities she came to know while they were with her.
The adoption work was straight forward and simple. And the paperwork to have the services done after adoption (a lot included for the price) is also simple and straight forward.
It has now been almost two days since we brought the kittens home and they are so affectionate and playful. They have definitely received a lot of love and attention while they were in the care of VOKRA.
Thank you VOKRA!
I highly recommend adopting a cat or kitten using this organization.

VOKRA is wonderful in so many ways.
Unlike a standard shelter, this wonderful organization sets up all of their kitties with loving foster families while waiting for forever homes. Yes, it means that it might be a bit difficult for you to actually meet a variety of kitties if you are looking to adopt, but it also gives you the chance to have a conversation with someone who they have lived with to get a real idea of their personality and whether or not your home will be a good fit.
I also REALLY appreciate that VOKRA makes a big effort to feed their kitties healthy food (like Wellness… no Meow Mix here, folks) and to never use clay clumping litter, which can wreak havoc on a little kitties digestive system. I also think that it’s really great that they take the time to screen each adoptee and ask some in-​depth questions to make you think about whether you really are ready to be a pet owner. This is just such an important step that is often overlooked.
I adopted two lovely cats from VOKRA several years ago, and just had a really great experience with the organization. It was so great knowing that my cats had been living a happy and full life in their foster home; this also takes off some of the ‘OMG SAD SHELTER KITTY, I NEED TO ADOPT THEM ALL NOW’ pressure. Because even if you decide on a different cat, you know that the one you did not take home is still being well cared for in a caring environment.
Adoption fees cover checkup, first shot (adopter pays for second/​booster shot), two wormings, de-​flea treatment (if necessary), spay/​neuter and ear tattoos. Pretty good deal overall.
If you’re looking to adopt, I recommend VOKRA whole-​heartedly.
FIVE STARS.

What a fantastic organization. When looking to adopt a kitten, I turned to VOKRA because I knew several friends who volunteered for the organization. After an initial screening interview (to ensure I was fit to be a kitty mom) within 48 hours I had 2 visits scheduled to visit 4 potential feline adoptees that were living in foster homes. A week later the papers were signed and I took home, not one, but two kittens!
The organization is run entirely by volunteers who are dedicated to their cause and everyone I spoke to was helpful in addressing my concerns. They also provide a ton of information for new kitten parents on their website. I spent $ 300 for 2 kittens, which included their first checkups and shots and spay/​neuter. It was well worth it.
VOKRA does push the «2 kittens are better than 1» on potential adoptees, but it is not just to get them out the door. With a «friend for life» the adjustment to a new home is much easier (they settled in within an hour) and I have watched my sister kittens play, snuggle, and thrive together.

I Love vokra.
As a foster and a voluenteer at Vokra I know what these voluenteers go through to rescue and find homes for these helpless animals.
They have dedicated their homes, money, time and everything they have to give. These are the most giving people I have ever met helping homeless cats.
If you or anyone can foster or adopt a cat today, please don’t hesitate. There is no better feeling than knowing you saved a loving, cute kitty that loves you for you. These cats don’t care about how much money you got, what you are wearing and what you look like, they just want to be with you.

My mom helped us adopt our son’s cat Bond here. These ladies have incredible heart. Your adoption fee includes first shots, deworming and spay/​neuter. There is a genuine, no faking it, commitment to animals and their best interests here. We got a really sweet, healthy kitten here and they use good quality veterinarians.

My friend K mentioned about this place when I was looking for a kitten for my daughter. It ended up that she didn’t get one and thought better to wait a bit longer. Wise choice indeed. But regardless, this place is a great place to go to for info and for looking for a cat if you are looking to adopt. There are so many abandoned cats and the result is also alot of ferrel kittens being born. So many owners just leave their animals behind, especially cats.
VOKRA does an excellent job of servicing this need. If you can these places operate on a donation process.
My other daughter has a cat, and so does my son. Now I have a cat of my own. So if you are a cat lover and looking for one. Come here first. Or any of the other animal shelters in your area before buying on.

A TALE OF TWO SOCIETIES:
It was the best of times it was the worst of times. It was a season of bureaucracy. It was the season of benevolence. There was a king on the throne of the SPCA with a big ego and an ordinary intellect. There was a king on the throne of VOKRA with a big heart and a modest endowment.
It was spring. It was a time for action. A time when I could no longer stomache watching the two feral kittens fend for themselves on a diet of rotten figs that fell from the neighbours tree. One of these kittens was injured and needed rescuing. The almighty SPCA was unwilling and incapable of capturing her. After coaxing them out of their burrow with water and Meow Mix it was me who pounced.
Such a sound from so tiny a body one could not imagine. Keeping the claws away from my face was easy. But with a squirm and twist she found my thumb. Her fangs sunk deep. My thumb disappeared into her little maw. Just a few more seconds of searing pain was all I needed to get to the bathroom. I shook my hand and she disengaged and jumped into the bathtub. She was frightened but safe. I was proud but bleeding. With the initiative taken, the hard work done, the antibiotics purchased, and a thumb that resembled a kielbasa thus, THUS entered the SPCA.
She was whisked away. Regular calls revealed she was mending nicely and would be ready for adoption soon. Attempts to proceed with the adoption were met with incompetence, red tape, inconsistencies and contradictory procedures.
Policies and advise such as: Do not fill out the adoption application until the cat is ready to be adopted. Even though processing the paperwork can take over a week. Approval of said application will result in being placed on a waiting list. The SPCA cannot reserve that specific kitten for you. It’s first come first served. SPCA will notify me when she is ready for adoption. But not until the same day it is determined that she is ready for adoption. The SPCA cannot notify prospective adopters of the status of specific cats. This nonsense was revealed to me AFTER I had released her to the SPCA. And after receiving assurances I would be allowed to adopt her.
I was told to keep calling back. Each call resulted in abuse from a variety of termagants and harpy shrews. Until one day Brunhilde casually mentioned that the kitten had been adopted. Before they would even allow me to fill out or submit the paperwork. Sensing my disappointment and shock she decided now would be a good time to impress upon me SPCA policy. With a deliberate tone of both callousness and hubris she chortled; «All animals become the property of the SPCA once they enter our custody.» «But. but.» I protested. She continued «and we reserve the right to do what we feel is best for that animal as indicated in our charter…» I hung up.
Well SCREW YOU Brunhilde. I had another cat I had begun to bond with. The other feral cat I had been feeding for the last few weeks. One evening with an empty stomache and all the courage he could muster he entered my dining room. I had left food on the floor and the door wide open and the lights off for the last two days. Trapped! I spoke to him for an hour or so. He hissed and cowered. I went to sleep. I awoke to a broken mug, a shattered vase and a spitting cat but my thumb was intact. Enter the SPCA. This little fella was whisked away too. Follow up calls revealed that he was deemed incorrigible and were it not for the beneficent VOKRA agreeing to foster him he would likely have been euthanized.
The moment he left SPCA custody he began washing the other cats in his VOKRA foster home. And he spent his first night snuggled next to her in her bed where he slept and purred until morning. Today he is mine. I adopted him. He is affectionate, healthy and intelligent. His name is Pixel. He hates the SPCA as much as he hates rotten figs. We have a lot in common.
The following year VOKRA and I captured Pixel’s mom and her second litter of kittens as well as numerous other feral males. Eight cats in total. All spayed and neutered. The kittens were adopted and the adults were released. And all without any help from the SPCA.
VOKRA is a very worthwhile charity that does an excellent job.
(This is a review of VOKRA and the SPCA shelter. Not the SPCA hospital.)