The United Kingdom-born Clive Ellis said he does not come from a family of cat lovers. But for the past seven years, he has been spending most of his days with cats, officially working as public relations coordinator and ‘cat kisser’ with Canadian Animal Rescue and Extended Shelter (CARES) cat shelter.
About 40-years-ago – the same time he immigrated to Canada – Ellis celebrated his retirement in Canada after a long career as a banker.
Soon after, he joined CARES and explored his passion for animals.
“I have never regretted it [joining CARES]. I find it very very rewarding,” said Ellis.
RELATED: Langley animal shelter looking for cat lovers to either adopt or foster animals
Though Ellis’ started his journey with the animal care society seven years ago, the non-profit has provided shelter since 1993.
In February of 1998, CARES began an alliance with PetSmart in Langley, allowing them to take the rescued cats to the PetSmart adoption centre in the Langley store.
Since then, the partnership between the two organizations has only grown stronger. Even years later, CARES uses a portion of PetSmart’s facility to organize its ‘adoptathon,’ a cat adoption event and to keep the rescued kitties in a safe environment.
On Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17, Ellis was heading one such adoption event with his friend and co-worker Tara White.
The two, along with other volunteers, helped visitors find the right cat or kitten. As Ellis was walking around the 24 rescued kittens and cats with a bunch of adoption papers, people asked him various kinds of questions. With high hopes of helping the animals find their furever home, Ellis greeted everyone with a smile.
The shelter he works for has already reached capacity; hence, the organization has been relying on foster homes for help.
“There is no alternate solution to a home,” he said.
With the hard work of his teammates, 17 out of 24 cats get adopted at the end of the two-day’ adaptation.’
With an increasing number of cats coming to the shelter this summer, Ellis understands how important it is to make space in the shelter.
Determined to help rescue animals, Ellis proudly believes in CARES’s no-kill policy. “Any animals that are not adopted live the rest of their natural lives at the shelter,” he shared.
While Ellis dealt with paperwork at the event, White, who manages the social media for CARES, was seen taking photos of the kittens and cats.
READ MORE: Abbotsford dog rescued by Langley animal shelter looking for furever family
“My gallery has like million cat photos,” she chuckled.
A “life long cat lady,” White has been working with CARES for two years now.
“We thank everyone for joining and encourage people to visit our website and help us raise funds.”
With its own veterinary team, Ellis shared all rescued animals are medically examined after they are brought in the shelter. For more information, people can visit carescatshelter.com.
.
Is there more to the story? Email: news@langleyadvancetimes.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
