The BC SPCA North Cariboo District Branch is asking members of the public to help with the costs of care for a severely-emaciated stowaway cat who arrived from China.
The six-year-old cat was trapped inside a 40-foot shipping container for over three weeks without access to food or water travelling from Shenzhen, China to the Port of Vancouver and then up to Prince George.
“I knew right away when I heard that this cat had spent weeks in a container that she not only had an amazing story but also that she would require extensive care and rehabilitation to recover from her ordeal,” said SPCA North Cariboo District animal centre services manager Alex Schare.
Staff at a Prince George auto glass distribution company found the cat among the pallets, shredded cardboard and styrofoam inside the container. It’s believed that she survived by drinking condensation that had formed on the walls.
Animal control officers brought the extremely weak animal to the North Cariboo District SPCA. The SPCA is following strict CFIA quarantine conditions to ensure the animal poses no threat to animals and people in Canada. The cat was taken to the local veterinary hospital where she weighed in at just 1.5 kg, was put on fluids and monitored in isolation from other patients.
“We rushed her to the vet because she was in such poor condition that we knew she would require intensive veterinary care for an extended period of time to regain her strength,” said Schare.
The cat is being fed small portions of food to ensure that her body adjusts properly and to avoid having her develop re-feeding syndrome, which can be life-threatening. She has also undergone bloodwork and will receive a rabies vaccine and dental work when she is strong enough. The cat will remain in quarantine, separated from other animals, until two weeks after her vaccination. Her cost of care is estimated to be $2,760.
If you can help this timid, sweet cat and other animals in need at the North Cariboo District, please visit spca.bc.ca/medicalemergency or visit the branch at 4011 Lansdowne Road, 250-562-5511.