2017 Cats Concert is August 22: Tickets are Now on Sale

The Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee (CSLCC) will hold its annual benefit concert on Tuesday, August 22 (7:30 p.m.) at the Syd Wise Auditorium (5785 Parkhaven) of the Wagar Adult Education Centre.  Featured performers will be the Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Joseph Milo. Some members of his orchestra  will  also present solo performances. The selection of music will be light classical pieces around the theme of Dance.  Soprano Fairouz Oujida will be a special guest. If you want to see how outstanding she is, click here or on the video below.

Funds raised will go towards the CSLCC’s Trap, Neuter, Release and Adopt Program. There are many feral cats in the community. The CSLCC’s team of volunteers sets out to trap as many as possible, have them sterilized and then adopted or returned to the spot where they were originally found.  In the latter case, efforts are made to assist the feeders in the community. The committee has also rescued a number of  kittens and found homes for them. 

Fairouz Oujida

Councillor Mike Cohen, responsible for Animal Protection in the city, notes that the concert will be an opportunity for people who love animals to enjoy an evening of fine music while contributing to a good cause.   He also wishes to announce that  Expedia Cruise Ship Centres, with franchisee Sean Flynn; Little Bear Pet Supplies on St. Catherine Street in Westmount and D’Arcy McGee Liberal MNA David Birnbaum,  will be the evening’s official sponsors.

The Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra (MWSO) was founded in 2006 by conductor  Milo and his wife Lucy Ravinsky. This one of a kind orchestra is composed of 55 musicians: about 80 percent of its members are from 15 countries around the world, while the remaining 20 percent are natives of Montreal who successfully facilitated the integration of the newcomers. They have been rehearsing at Côte Saint-Luc City Hall for many years and as part of the arrangement, they agree to perform a benefit concert once a year. The CSL Cats Committee  and Educhat are  the 2016 beneficiaries.

Tickets are only $12 each (tax included) and can be purchased now at the following locations: the main desk at the Eleanor London Côte Saint-Luc Public Library (5851 Cavendish Boulevard); the Côte Saint-Luc Aquatic and Community Centre (5794 Parkhaven Avenue); and the Côte Saint-Luc Hospital for Animals (7930 Baily Road). Tickets can be purchased at the first two locations by credit and debit card or cash and cash only at the Animal Hospital.

Councillors Cohen and Sam Goldbloom note that information will be available that night for people interested in possibly joining the committee or adopting a cat.  The committee will hold a bake sale before the concert and at intermission, with proceeds going to the outdoor cat feeding program.

The committee wishes to thank Jacques Monfette, Michel Leblanc, Hipolito Corral and the staff at the Wagar Adult Education Centre for their cooperation, as well as key event coordinators Alvin Fishman, Harold Cammy, Maurizio Giobbi,  Regine Banon and Lisa Milner for their assistance.

For more information call 514-485-6806, ext. 2200 or log on to www.cotesaintluc.org/cats

Ritchie has been adopted

Here is Ritchie.  He was born in CSL Cats Committee Chairman Diane Liebling's  garage nine weeks ago.  He was an only child, so he got all of his mom's attention and he thrived.  He has been adopted by Brian and Ashley.  "I'll miss the little guy!" says Diane.

 

May 2017 update on Cats Committee Activities

 Here is an update for the year so far from our committee, along with the usual plea for fosters and adopters.

It has been  busy year thus far.  We have trapped nine cats on one street alone. Unfortunately, a mother cat and her four  offspring remain “at large” on that same street, but one way or another, we will trap them.

We produced information flyers and committee members have been delivering them door to door. This is spreading awareness and we hope bringing us a few new volunteers.   For the people who are calling to complain about the cats they see (with requests to take them away, no less)…. we can only assume they are not reading the flyer correctly. We try to be patient and educate them,  but we understand their frustration.

For those of you who have not been on Facebook lately, please check out our new public page. There we are now holding a contest to give away a gorgeous bouquet of flowers for Mother’s Day, courtesy of Alex at Westminster Florist.  

We will be doing one of these contests every  twomonths or so in order to get our name out there; the more people who know about us, the better.  There is no downside to this.  Our next gift is a “cat basket” of goodies and a $50  gift certificate, courtesy of Little Bear in Westmount. We will be holding this just prior to moving day, July 1, so look for it on Facebook.

If anyone knows of vendors in the Montreal area who would like to donate a gift, please let us know.   After July, the next draw will be in September/October.

The CSL Mega Garage Sale is May 28.  We will be promoting our booth on Facebook so watch out for it.

 While Trap Neuter Release Maintain is our mandate, the plight of abandoned, yet sociable, cats remains a huge problem for us.  We cannot simply release cats that should, and must be fostered or adopted.

We implore everyone to “think outside the box” to get these cats a home.  Currently we have five on our roster but, as we work in conjunction with Educhat, there are many more.

Here are descriptions of some of our cats needing homes.

Darwin.  He is an older (around 10 year old) cat that must be re-homed due to severe allergies.  He is great with people, but not so much with other cats. The prospect of finding someone without any cats is dim, so we believe the right person with patience and knowledge, and just one other cat, will be able to integrate him.  There is no fee for Darwin,  but a donation would be  graciously accepted.

 Ginger. She is  around  eight and a half and lives with Darwin.  She needs to be re-homed for the same reason.  Ginger is very shy at first,  but will become a lap cat in no time,  No fee for her either.

Jack and Jill are under a year old. They were  found half frozen a couple of months ago behind the CSL Shopping Centre.  They are doing very well in foster care. They have been spayed and neutered and received their first vaccination.  While we would like them adopted together, we have to be realistic and realize we may have to separate them if necessary. We ask $150 for each of our CSL cats,  but if you adopt them together, we will do better.  

 Addie was part of a small feral colony.  She was too social to let back outside and now we want to find her an indoor home. She may or may not have been owned before and then abandoned.  She can be very sweet and will let you pet and stroke her,  but will let you know the exact moment you have gone too far. We are not asking an adoption fee for Addie,  but a donation would be grand!

Little Ritchie is four weeks old.  He was born in the  garage of  our chairman, Diane Liebling from a  community cat that we did not know was pregnant.  She only had this one itty bitty kitty and while mom is none too crazy about people, she's been a great and patient mom to Ritchie.  He has more than tripled his birth weight and is very healthy.  He will be ready for adoption in in a few weeks.  We ask $150 for him, which includes his first vaccination, deworming and neutering (at a later date).

Two beautiful sister tabbies available for adoption

Maggie (on the left) and Lulu (on the right) are two adorable sister tabbies! Sixteen months old, they have been neutered and vaccinated, and are in perfect health. They are playful and affectionate, the perfect combination! They are both looking for loving homes, and someone will be so lucky to get either or both of these sweeties! For more information, please contact mcohen@cotesaintluc.org or 514-485-6945.