Note: This story has been amended to reflect recent cancellations of community events, the result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tails to Tell Animal Rescue Shelter has cancelled its inaugural Jail ‘n Bail fundraiser March 27, which would have been held at the Crossfield Municipal Library and the Pet Valu in south Airdrie.
The original plan for the event was that people could pay $5 to nominate a colleague to be arrested, and the nominee would be picked up by police and transported to one of the mock jails.
Proceeds from the event would have supported Tails to Tell. Opened in 2010, the cat rescue shelter takes in about 240 stray or injured felines a year, and makes sure they are spayed, neutered and vaccinated before putting them up for adoption.
“We probably have as many cats leaving the shelter as we do coming into the shelter,” said volunteer Colleen Holden, adding Tails to Tell adopted out 31 cats in December 2019.
“People are starting to know us more, so they’re coming here to adopt cats. Even with our older cats, we’ve had a lot of adoptions.”
With high monthly vet bills, plus other expenses, Holden said donations from the community, and events like the Jail ‘n Bail, are crucial to keep the shelter’s doors open. Tails to Tell also offers the annual Kitty Craft and Bake Sale, which started in 2018.
“We’re 100 per cent donation-run, so we have to come up with ways to raise money for the shelter,” Holden said. “Our vet bills, each month, are between $5,000 and $10,000, depending how many cats we have to spay or neuter and how many kittens we have coming into the shelter.”
Though based in Crossfield, Holden said, Tails to Tell accepts cats from as far away as Stettler and Brooks.
“We’re really far-reaching,” she said. “There was one time this year, when we actually had to close down intakes because we were so full. But if there’s a need, we’ll take the cat if we can. One time, we had 65 kittens in the shelter, and all our other cats.”
There are currently just 18 kittens at the facility, Holden said, along with several adult cats.
“We have a pregnant mother right now, too, so there are going to be more [kittens] soon,” she said. “Plus, it’s spring, so there are going to be more because this is the breeding season for cats.”
Holden encourages people to contact her via email at [email protected] for more information on Tails to Tell.
