Believe it or not, there are over 100,000 homeless cats in the City of Toronto. We know this because one of MeloTel’s newest clients is Annex Cat Rescue. The Toronto-based charitable organization recently signed on with MeloTel to make use of our Commercial Phone Services and Single Number Reach service. Earlier this week, we spoke to their Chair of Volunteer Board of Directors, Kim Hughes, who informed us of how much they do for the city’s cat population.
“Our veterinary bills for 2017 were $217,000,” Kim told us, “That was with very generous discounts from our veterinary partners. The need is very great.” One of the reasons the need is so great is because far too many cat owners are not spaying or neutering their pets. As a result, the cats who are allowed to roam free outdoors mate with other cats, creating upwards of 15 new kittens per female adult cat per year.
Annex Cat Rescue was founded in 1997.
For over two decades, Annex Cat Rescue has assisted members of the community who find stray cats in their backyards. With the help of about 300 volunteers, the organization currently manages 21 cat colonies across Toronto. In addition, Annex Cat Rescue volunteers will perform what’s known as TNR or Trap Neuter Return.
“When we find homeless cats, we try to capture them, spay and neuter them and sometimes return them to the colony,” details Kim, “People will often abandon their cats. Different cultures regard cats with different degrees of care. Almost always, there’s a human element that’s responsible for the cat overpopulation.”
Annex Cat Rescue is a virtual organization.
They do not operate out of any specific building. Instead, their volunteers work from home or out in the field. As a result, they find it best to utilize a VoIP-based telephone service that offers a voicemail system that enables their volunteers to check messages at any time of the day. Administrative coordinator, Raven Sun, also spoke with us and told us just how important it was for Annex Cat Rescue to make the switch to MeloTel just a couple of months ago.
She let us know that they were with another provider for a very long time, but found that their product had nothing new to offer in over a decade. The company, however, continued to increase its pricing. Raven knew it was time to make a switch.
“It’s very important for our organization to have a phone number,” she told us, “Although much of the work we do is done online, there’s a big part of the population out there that is much more comfortable if they can call somebody. This is especially important when it comes to adopting cats. We might have a poster up in the pet food store with our phone number on it, so people will call and leave a message saying ‘I want to adopt a cat’. Others are looking for assistance with stray cats in their backyards.”
Please see Annex Cat Rescue’s 2017 Annual Highlights to learn of the many great accomplishments the organization made last year. And to get in touch with Annex Cat Rescue, call 416-410-3835.
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