Companion Animal Industry Rallies Together to Tackle Cat Overpopulation Crisis

2011 is declared ‘The Year of the Cat’ —
launching a nation-wide campaign
to encourage people to treat cats like dogs

Conversations about the cat crisis in Canada that started at the International and Regional Summits for Urban Animal Strategies have evolved into an unprecedented national campaign to tackle the cat overpopulation crisis and raise the social status and value of cats in our communities.

At the 2009 Summits for Urban Animal Strategies (ISUAS), Dr. Elizabeth O’Brien, one of only four Board Certified Feline Specialists in Canada, was one of the featured speakers. She showcased a successful Year of the Cat education campaign created by the Hamilton-Burlington SPCA. Enthused by the support she received at the ISUAS and the Regional Summits, Dr. O’Brien agreed to become the spokesperson for a national Care for Cats committee. The Year of the Cat campaign is the committee’s first project. Coincidentally, 2011 is officially the Vietnamese Year of the Cat.