Once a day, the founder of Tails to Tell Animal Rescue in Crossfield witnesses a kitty stampede.ìWe open the door to the kitten room and just shake a bag of catfood and about 37 cats run out for their daily treat,î said Edna Jackson, who also owns the neighbouring shop Critter's Pet Supply. ìIt's like feeding the pigeons.îThe cats are among more than 75 shelter animals available for adoption, and they have come from varying backgrounds and desperate situations.ìThe animals come from cities, towns, farms and acreages,î said Jackson. ìWe never know what their history is.îShe decided to open her non-profit, no-kill shelter in September 2010 after the discovery of a plastic bag that was left hanging on her pet shop doorknob.ìThere was a little calico kitten inside the bag, in the dead of winter,î Jackson said. ìAfter I saw that, I knew I had to do something.îIn order to raise money to convert the 1,000-square-foot adjacent space next to her pet store, Jackson remortgaged her family's farm for $200,000.Local tradespeople and businesses helped out with donations of materials and labour.ìPeople started dropping off animals even before construction started on the bay,î she said. ìWe had 131 animals in here, within three weeks of opening. During our first two months of operation, we had a $10,000 vet bill.îThe need for animal placement is huge, added her assistant, Jen Fitzpatrick.ìWe get 15-20 calls a day, seven days a week,î Fitzpatrick said. ìI've been doing this for 14 years and every day I ask myself, how can people abandon animals or leave kittens in a dumpster?îThe primary focus of the shelter is to rescue stray and injured companion animals that would otherwise perish without help.ìOur shelter provides our rescues with the necessities, as well as any required medical care or rehabilitation in a communal living environment, as we search for suitable forever homes,î added Jackson.A part-time staff of five feed animals, walk dogs, clean litter trays and provide necessary human love to the animals. In addition, students from the school across the road come by at lunchtime and after school to help out where they can.With a staggering vet bill each month ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, Jackson is eager to accept any volunteer help or donations that come in.ìWe do this because we love animals,î she said. ìFor me, it's a necessity. Some people think of cats as a disposable commodity, and we try to educate people on the fact that they're a lifetime pet.îShe recalled a day when a young woman came in, wanting to adopt a kitten. ìWhen I suggested that she adopt a cat, she told us she didn't like cats,î Jackson said. ìWe asked her, what's going to happen when the kitten grows up to be a cat?îThe shelter helps to promote responsible pet ownership by ensuring all of the animals brought in are spayed or neutered, as well as fully vaccinated, before they leave.ìThe cost to adopt out a female cat is $195, but it costs us $210 to fix her,î she said.The grocery bill adds up, with the cats going through a five-kilogram bag of food daily. Litter is bought by the palette, in order to fill and freshen the 11 litter boxes situated throughout the shelter.One of the shelter's main priorities when it first opened was to ensure the animals would be able to enjoy an enriched communal living environment. ìThis means that all of our animals have free range of almost all areas of the shelter,î said Jackson. ìThis does involve more ongoing work for us, but it also ensures our animals are properly socialized and are kept happy.îHer wish list is ample: money; land; a new building; pet food; cat litter.ìOur future plans are just to be able to keep the doors open,î she said. ìIt's tight. We're sitting on a cusp, at this point.îOngoing fundraising helps, and the shelter is taking pet pictures with Santa on Dec. 3.ìWe've got a fundraising dinner planned for April 21 and a massive garage sale coming up soon,î Jackson said.Jackson's good work was recognized by the Crossfield Chamber of Commerce when she won the 2011 Citizen of the Year award.Tails to Tell is also a registered charity. Anyone wishing to donate can contact 403-946-0400.
