Humane society honours two Roncesvalles residents.
Vet Hanna Booth is helping to control Toronto's feral cat population with the Trap-Neuter-Return program. Her team has spayed and neutered 271 cats since last summer.
Staff Photo/ NOEL GRZETIC
Two Roncesvalles residents were honoured Wednesday, May 25 by the Toronto Humane Society (THS) for their efforts in animal welfare.
Jan Hill, a York University professor, received an award for Outstanding Foster. She's been providing a loving home for diabetic cats and other animals with special needs for about three years, administering needles on a daily basis.
Most of the animals she takes in are there short term, although some stay much longer.
"I had a dog named Sammy, we thought she wouldn't live very long but she lasted two years," said Hill, who joked about the blind dog's habit of protecting her from her own radiator.
Hill used to volunteer her time as a dog walker at the THS until her schedule changed and she had to find another way to be involved. As a foster, she receives supplies from THS to take care of the animals. The love she supplies herself, in the form of a king-sized bed that she's happy to share.
She says at times the care can be difficult, but she is living out her childhood dream.
"I wanted to be a veterinarian - Dr. Doolittle was my hero."
Also honoured was Dr. Hanna Booth, a veterinarian whose passion for the importance of spaying and neutering led her to create Toronto's first feral cat clinic: the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. Her whole team was honoured at the awards ceremony in recognition of their work to address the feline overpopulation in Toronto.
"It's a huge problem - estimates are 100,000," said Booth, who said most groups consider that a conservative statistic.
The TNR project is part of the Toronto Feral Cat Coalitions, and is run with other groups like the Toronto Feral Cat Project and Annex Cat Rescue.
The clinics are held twice a month at THS and run by a group of 15 active volunteers. Booth and her husband spay and neuter about 60 cats per month.
"Typically feral cats form colonies, so usually some compassionate cat person in Toronto takes care of them and feeds them everyday," said Booth. It's these 'colony caretakers' who bring in the strays to be spayed or neutered before releasing them to their colony again.
The TNR team also builds shelters for the colonies during the winter months. Since the program began in the summer of 2010, the team has operated on 271 cats and built more than 180 shelters.
The awards were handed out as part of 'Be Kind to Animals Week' at THS. Also awarded were the twins Dominique and Luc Rousselle who have dedicated their lives to walking the dogs at the centre since their retirement. Seven-year-old Jack Paterson from Summerhill won the award for Young Philanthropist after he gave his piggy bank savings to the THS, and a Toronto Police Services horse named Simcoe was also honoured for his heroic work during a street fight in the Entertainment District in March.