About
The Fraser Valley Feline Welfare Society
When our love for rescuing started
We are a small group of animal-loving, life-long friends who have a desire to help the cats in need. Since we were small children in the 1970s, and having an infinite love for animals, we have always felt compelled to help all stray and abandoned animals.
Living in rural areas growing up, it all started with saving a goat stuck in a mountain, and the abandoned baby bunnies and birds we found on our long walks to catch the school bus (we would bring them to school & the classroom would help us nurse them to health!). Our rescue missions didn't end there. As adolescents and young adults, we continued to be advocates for stray and abandoned animals and have brought home many homeless dogs and cats in our communities and made them a part of our families.
We knew our careers would be working with animals very early on in life. As adults working in veterinary medicine, we have decided to come together and create this fantastic organization to help the homeless, abandoned and surrendered cats across the Fraser Valley and help people to better understand their needs. We recognize the fact that cat overpopulation is a huge issue, and there is so much work to do.
As a proud team, we've already improved the lives of many homeless cats and continue to transform the way people see and care for cats.
We are here to help people see the intrinsic worth of all cats
Our vision is a society where every cat has their best possible life because they are protected, cared for and understood by everyone.
This is not an easy thing to achieve, but that's the point. It's challenging and ambitious. But by moving towards it we'll continually make the world better for cats and people.
We also have a clear definition of what we all do at the Fraser Valley Feline Welfare Society - the mission we are on to deliver our vision.
We are a movement of people challenging the welfare of cats. Our hope is to help lead society in a richer understanding of all cats and care for those that need our help.
This can be summed up by our purpose. If we can help everyone to better understand cats and their needs, we can help them to behave differently towards them, to care for them in the best way and to ensure the world appreciates and protects cats. That is why our purpose is:
To help people see the intrinsic worth of all cats.
Our strategy and goals
There are millions of cats in Canada, and although we're doing a great job, we're only reaching a fraction of those we could help. We believe that every cat - not just those that come into our care - deserves help, and that we have the opportunity to do so much more for every type of cat and in every situation. We have the ability to positively impact the lives of many, many cats.
Our strategy is focused on giving every cat their best possible life. So, it's not surprising that four important goals are focused around their welfare:
The first goal is to improve the quality of life of all owned cats. The second goal is to ensure all feral cats (those that are unsocialized and unowned) are treated appropriately, and our third goal commits us to continue and develop a spay & neutering program to help the overpopulation of cats to improve feline welfare.
Finally, our fourth is to ensure that all sheltered cats (not just those we have taken into our care) have a good welfare experience.
Our strategy will also enable us to work more effectively together, to grow sustainably, and to reach more people who care about cats. We will only do this by living our values and supporting our people, both volunteers and employees.
Our Values
As a movement of people, we all share a common set of principles that influence the way we do things. Our shared values act as a guiding compass to shape our behaviour and the decisions we make. They create consistency - so that whatever and whenever people encounter The Fraser Valley Feline Welfare Society, they always get the same experience. When we all operate consistently together, we really do help everyone to see the intrinsic worth of all cats and create a richer society for all.
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We put cats first. We are here for all cats. Their welfare is at the heart of our organization. We give them a voice and provide them with care and compassion when they need us. Cats enrich our lives, we aim to enrich theirs, celebrating and appreciating differences in each other, cat owners and every cat.
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We work as one. We are the heart of a network that connects people who care about cats. We don't stop there; we continue to create more partnerships and expand our reach. We share our passion for cats, seek different perspectives, remove barriers, respect and value diverse perspectives and experiences.
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We are courageous. Doing the right thing requires courage and bravery. We want to be known and trusted, that means we must be honest, open and transparent. It means we own our actions and are always authentic. And we continue to raise the bar on cat welfare standards.
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We are knowledgeable. We want to be here for all cats, and we can only do this by continuing to learn and share our expertise. We will make decisions based on evidence, see the bigger picture and strive to have the biggest impact. As experts, we share our knowledge and expertise freely. We will never stop learning about cats and their needs.
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We are compassionate. We show care and compassion, considering the best way to share knowledge that reaches people in meaningful ways. We recognize that we all have a unique set of skills, expertise and experience and this collective strength makes the most difference to cats. We act in a compassionate and caring way - it's how we make a difference to cats and each other.