TOP STORY Continued from Page 3 the CRD focuses its efforts on cats that appear to be homeless and on colonies of wild, un- tamed cats — the feral colo- nies. “Qur social attitude is that there’s less accountability for cats,” says Drew. “Most people accept that their dog shouldn’t be running around the neigh- borhood. If it’s gone for an hour or so they'll even be worried about it. But they still haven’t accepted the idea that their cat shouldn’t roam the neighbor- hood freely.” However, “all the evidence” points to greater control of cats giving them a longer, better life, Drew says. In fact, a cat will adapt perfectly to the in- side of a home. Cats are term- torial, so Drew believes many cats that disappear when a family moves to a new neigh- borhood are actually “run off by others that have already claimed the territory. Indoors, they don’t have to compete.” But pets, inside or outside, _ are the victims of more attitude ® STOP SMOKING NO WITHDRAWAL DISPOSABLE COMPANIONS community that generates about a ton of euthanized pets a week also generates enough benevolence that the Victoria branch sits in a pretty good financial position for its so-called society operations — operations other than contracted animal control. And the branch is about to bank on that benevolence again as it dips into the principal of legacies for a $500,000-$600,000 renovation of . the shelter. The SPCA receives municipal money that pays for all the animal control services it gives them in return. But it receives no grants, period, from any level of government. Much of the money the branch receives is from legacies willed to it. “I’m really amazed by the number of people helping us financially.” says society president John Benham. “There’s strong support. It’s incredible the number of people who leave us money.” An endowment fund transfer of $110,000 was made to the operating fund in 1989, yet at the end of the year it still contained nearly $1.6 million, the branch’s annual report shows. The fund is “really the money that keeps us going,” Says executive director Lynn West. “The whole existence of this branch is found- ed on legacies. They've always been our finan- cial nest egg,” she says. : _ Usually just legacy interest is an allowable source of money for branch operations and special projects, because the SPCA wants to keep the nest egg around. “We have to be concerned with not just this year’s operations, but operations 10, 20, 30 years down the road.” - But under special circumstances, legacy prin- cipal can be used. And renovation of the building “is obviously one of them,” West says. The board of directors has said legacies received this year can go towards the project. ‘ Right now, about $100,000 has been received in donations for the project, supplemented by another $100,000 from the fund. The SPCA plans to complete construction before next winter. A “couple of bad winters” haven’t helped things at the building, which is about 25 years old. “Our kennels are showing their years. There’s no question about it. We’ve had some serious problems,” West says. Benevolence fuels SPCA Kennels are heated through the floor, so the cracks in the foundation and floor mean ineffi- cient heating. And the cracks are a health « problem, too, because they can’t be properly disinfected. The job will replace the existing 24 dog kennels and add 10 or 12 new ones. “I hate to have to make decisions to put animals down because of a room problem,” West says. “We take an animal in for adoption and we want to do our best to find a home for it. Extra kennels will enable us to hold on to them for a little longer. Sometimes, just a few days makes the difference.” There will be an entirely new small animal compound. The current one isn’t heated, so “our little critters” — such as hamsters, gerbils and guinea pigs — must be kept in the front office during winter. The shelter on Napier Lane will also have a revamped and enlarged cat'room, and a separ- ate education centre. The renovations are part of the SPCA’s ongoing commitment to animal welfare. In addition to animal control, which is an optional function of any SPCA branch, the society’s mandate is to prevent cruelty and neglect of “animals, and to promote education of the public for the welfare of animals. The Victoria branch works an area from the summit of the Malahat south, through Victoria, up the Peninsula and into the islands, and all the way over to Port Renfrew. It responds to reports of abuse and neglect or animal injury in all those areas, even those it doesn’t provide animal control for. A board of directors and a membership of about 2,500 people make it happen, in addition to a staff of eight inspectors, three kennel workers, four general office staff, the executive director, and a clinic veterinarian and two technicians. “Our operation is seven days a week, 24 hours a day. There really isn’t a time of day that _ someone could call up and say, ‘I’ve got an injured animal,’ that someone wouldn’t be here to respond,” says West. For members, there’s the “satisfaction of working for the welfare of animals,” says president Benham. © NO WEIGHT GAIN YOU WILL SUCCEED 92.7% success rate. BE FREE OF TOBACCO FOREVER! ATTEND THIS POWERFUL GROUP SESSION You know what smoking is doing to your health. Now you can be free of smoking with the easiest, most effective stop smoking program available in Canada. 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