Two adorable cats; brother and sister Hudson and Frobisher need a home

Let us introduce you to  Hudso (right) and Frobisher (left), an adorable eight month old brother and sister team.

They are looking for a home and we want to send them somewhere together.  These two are so close that they sleep cuddled up on top of each other. There is a very special bond when two cats living on the street find comfort in each other.  Life on the street is so rough, camaraderie softens the harshness of their outdoor existence. They were  fortunate to be  fed and loved  by Ellen, who unfortunately cannot take them in. We were going to put them back outside  to live in one of our cat houses  with  Ellen continuing to feed them, but they are so gentle and sweet, it is always so difficult to put them out again.

They  should really be adopted together because they are so inseparable. It is nice to adopt  two cats who love each other  to keep each other company.  They are beautiful and love to be petted. 

Please email mcohen@cotesaintluc.org if you'd like to adopt them. The Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee will cover the cost of their medical checkup in advance.

Glenda has been adopted

 A big thank you to the Levin family of Côte Saint-Luc.

We recently put the word out that a cat named Glenda was looking for a home.  She was being fed by an elderly woman in Côte Saint-Luc  who has been coming to the aid of homeless cats  for years. Glenda had been a steady customer for about a year and a  half. So we figure she is about two.  The elderly woman managed to socialize this cat and was letting her into her back balcony at night.  She had already taken in two of the cats the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee and Educhat  had neutered.

This woman is a Holocaust survivor and would cry to  our committee's Shelley Schecter all of the time as to how the homeless cats remind her of this terrible period. Our committee picked up Glenda. She was spayed, vaccinated and de-wormed and sent to stay with one of our committee angels who fosters cats in her heated garage. 
 

With news that the elderly woman was not coming home, we needed to find a home for this darling animal. Thanks to The Suburban Newpaper, which publishes photos and descriptions of cats needing homes, we heard from the Levins. Knowing that the cat  has a congenital problem with her legs and  walks in a crooked fashion,  they were not put off to say the least.  Mr. Levin put his hand into the cage and Glenda nuzzled up to him.  Diane, our foster mom, extolled the wonderful qualities of Glenda and told the family a bit about her history.  Glenda went home with the Levin family to have a second chance at a better life. 

"We are so very excited that this has happened," said  Shellety. "Another cat off the street!  Rose, our elderly lady,  will be so happy.":

We now two other cats in Diane's garage named Hudson and Frobisher - A male and female.  They came to us from a woman named Ellen.  They are about eight to 10 months old  and totally inseparable.  Ellen  comes and visits them every few days but is unable to take them in,
Diane is going to forward a picture of them which I will send to you, Fern and Mike, so that they can go into the Suburban and onto our websites.

I am so very happy about Glenda.

Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee Education Program in Schools Begins

The Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee (CSLCC) has officially launched its outreach and education program at local schools. Alexandra Cohen and Renee Karp visited Hampstead Elementary School and facilitated two very well received sessions about the Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) and Adopt Program.

 Alexandra began by showing a new video that she filmed, produced and edited herself about the program.   You can view it right here.

It is now available for viewing for the first time on YouTube and features interviews with Shelley Schecter of Educhat and the CSLCC, Alanna Devine of the SPCA, and Dr. Marlene Kalin from the Côte St. Luc Hospital for Animals.



Spiritual Community Animator Joseph Monachino, Alexandra Cohen,

Renee Karp  and students at Hampstead School.

The Grade 5 and 6 students, many of whom have cats as pets, were attentive and asked a lot of questions. Alexandra and Renee talked about the plight of homeless cats and went on to talk not only about the CSLCC, but also about what it means to be responsible pet owners.

Alexandra and Renee intend on visiting other schools in the community to continue to spread their important message.

The CSLCC’s team of volunteers set out to trap as many  cats as possible, have them sterilized and then adopted or returned to a place where they will be fed. The committee has also rescued a number of   kittens and found homes for them. The city’s first ever cat licensing bylaw was adopted last fall.

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

Jazz the cat is missing in Côte Saint-Luc

A beautiful black and white cat named Jazz has been missing since Thursday, November 21 and his owners are desperate to find him.

Jazz is a three year old outdoor cat. His owners actually leave a small street-level window open for him to come and go as he pleases.

Anyone with information can contact Dana Schnitzer at  514-240-0224 or email bgalradio@hotmail.com

"I have a had cats all my life and they have always gone out and come back within a few hours, " says Dana. "I feel their freedom to experience nature is worth the risk.That being said I am so devastated. Knowing Jazz, a smart cat, he isn't lost wandering around in the cold. He is either kidnapped, trapped, injured and at this point sadly he may have passed away. He is wearing tags with my address."

Jazz is a very friendly, playful  cat and several members of our CSL Cats Committee are familiar with him. Interestingly,  there is another outdoor cat (smaller than Jazz), who runs around outdoors in the same area near Merrimac Road.

Dana found him on the street as a kitten.

We will also be asking our Volunteer Citizens on Patrol to be on the lookout for Jazz.

Please help us find a home for beautiful Glenda

The cat below is named Glenda.  She was being fed by an elderly woman in Côte Saint-Luc 
who has been coming to the aid of homeless cats  for years. Glenda had been a steady customer for about a year and a  half. So we figure she is about two.  The elderly woman managed to socialize this cat and was letting her into her back balcony at night.  She had already taken in two of the cats the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee and Educhat  had neutered.

  

This woman is a Holocaust survivor and would cry to  our committee's Shelley Schecter all of the time as to how the homeless cats remind her of this terrible period. Our committee picked up Glenda last week and she has been spayed, vaccinated and de-wormed and is safe for now in recovery in the garage of one of our devoted volunteers.

 .
We have received a call from the elderly lady's daughter last night,  saying that her mom was rushed to the hospital two nights ago and it was touch and go,  but she made it through the night.  The doctors say she  will not be coming home for some time, if at all.

 
So now have Glenda, who unless she is adopted must sadly return outdoors, with no one there to feed her.

We need a foster home for Glenda asap.  She has a congenital problem with her legs and  walks in a crooked fashion,  but otherwise is very sweet and  quite beautiful.
 

In reality, we have several cats being fostered at the present time, but Glenda is a priority. How can we possibly send this gorgeous feline out into the cold?
 

We know it is never easy to find a place for a cat, but we are asking anyway.

Email mcohen@cotesaintluc.org if you know of someone willing to foster or adopt Glenda. Our committee has already underwritten a lot of the costs associated with her care.

 
 

Precious kittens rescued from a country road; homes found for all of them

Ben and Ann Fagan have been colleagues of mine at the English Montreal School Board. Ben is the principal of the High School of Montreal Adult Education Centre in the Plateau while Ann, a librarian, recently retired as the head of the EMSB Book Processing Centre at the former Wagar High School in Côte Saint-Luc.

Over Labour Day Weekend, the Fagans were  in the Laurentians on a little back road when they found seven very young kittens in the middle of the street.  "They seemed to be abandoned because there were no houses around at all," Ann says. "We rounded them up and brought them home. What else could we do?"

I went to visit the kittens. They no more than a few months old. How someone could just toss them away like yesterday's trash is hard to imagine. They were beyond adorable, sociable and busy using the litter boxes the Fagans put out. Ann set out to find find homes for them. 

The CSL Cats Committee arranged for Ann to take them to the Côte Saint-Luc Hospital for Animals to be examined. Because two had already been adopted, Ann showed up with five. Dr. Kent spent two hours with the little critters, de-worming them and providing vaccinations. Soon after, two more were adopted.

Ann did a magnificent job and within the week she did indeed find homes for all seven of them.

Bravo! Now how do we sign her up for our committee?

Male Tabby: Adopted

Female:Adopted

Male: Adopted

Adopted

Adopted

Adopted

Adopted

 

Ben et Tournesol Sale

Many thanks to Ben et Tournesol on Sherbrooke Street West in N.D.G. for giving space to Educhat and the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee  to sell donated new merchandise.  All proceeds went to the Trap Neuter Release and Adopt Programs  for homeless cats.

 

CSL Cats Committee enjoys successful benefit concert

 By Councillor Mike Cohen

City Liaison  to the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee

For the second year in a row the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee (CSLCC) and Educhat presented a benefit concert August 22 at the former Wagar High School (now Marymount AdultEducation Centre) featuring the magnificent Musicians of the World SymphonyOrchestra. We wish to thank  conductor Joseph Milo and his wife Lucy Ravinsky for the wonderful partnership they have established with the City of Côte Saint-Luc and our committee.

Here are some video  highlights from the concert, with thanks to Darryl Levine.

I introduced the evening.

Once again the event sold out, with more than 300 people in attendance. They all left smiling. Funds raised from Beethoven, Broadway and All That Jazz –  the Cat’s Meow will go towards the CSLCC’s Trap, Neuter, Release and Adopt Program and Educhat, the volunteer organization headed by Shelley Schecter, which has spearheaded efforts in Côte Saint-Luc and elsewhere. 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. The committee has also rescued a number of baby kittens and found homes for them. The city’s first ever cat licensing bylaw was adopted last fall.

The evening featured words of welcome from yours truly (as official liaison between the city and the committee), Mayor Anthony Housefather,  Councillor Sam Goldbloom, Liberal MNA for D’Arcy McGee Lawrence Bergman and Howard Liebman, the chief of staff to Mount Royal Liberal MP Irwin Cotler. Councillor Glenn J. Nashen was also in attendance as were English MontrealSchool Board Commissioners Marvin Helfenbaum, Joseph Lalla and Ellie Israel.

 

Councillor Goldbloom with Darlene and Jessyca from Safari Pet Centre.

Thanks to Norm Zimmerman of Steve’s Music Store for assisting us with equipment needs. We were pleased to have with us Jessyca DeSanctis and Darlene Ovenstein of the SafariPet Centre chain. Bravo to their stores for now “only” selling homeless cats provided by the Valleyfield SPCA (a no kill shelter). Stay tuned for the next edition of the new Precious Pets newspaper, published by Bram D. Eisenthal, which will feature a story about the concert.

While the Milo Orchestra brought the crowd to its feat countless times, so did solo performances by Alexandra Cohen and soprano Brigitte O’Halloran  

Joseph Milo and his orchestra respond to the applause.

The Musicians of the World Symphony Orchestra (MWSO) was founded in 2006 by Mr. Milo and  Ms. Ravinsky. This one of a kind orchestra was formed when it was discovered that a great pool of professional musicians, recently immigrated to Montreal, had no opportunity to make use of their valuable talent in their new home. The MWSO was created, not only to provide these new Canadians with the opportunity to engage in their main passion; making beautiful music in an orchestral setting, but to give them back the professional dignity they had enjoyed in their homelands and most especially, to share their wonderful talents with the music lovers of Montreal.

The MWSO 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. To date, the orchestra has entertained Montreal audiences with over 30 performances, including several benefit concerts as well as having produced several recordings. The orchestra has also been selected as the subject of four documentary films. They have been rehearsing at Côte Saint-Luc City Hall for many years and as part of the arrangement, they agree to perform a free concert once a year.

Brigitte O’Halloran is a Canadian soprano, originally from New Brunswick, who lived for many years in Italy before studying music in Quebec. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Performance in classical voice at Laval University and went on to attain her Master’s Degree and a Superior Specialized Studies Diploma, studying with Yolande Parent at the University of Montreal. She has been awarded the Hydro Quebec grant for promising young musicians and has been a two-time recipient of the Georges Cédric Ferguson Grant from the University of Montreal.

Alexandra Cohen has been performing in musical theatre since she was six years old in community and school productions, and acting in film, TV, and radio productions such as Rumours (CBC) and Prom Wars (Philms). She also frequently sang the national anthem for the Montreal Juniors hockey team and at Canada Day celebrations. She has been studying voice for three years with Joanne Fillion. Recently, her school’s glee club competed at the Show Choir Canada National Championships at the Sony Centre in Toronto. Alexandra was awarded Top Female Triple Threat performer at this competition. Her most recent film, Tale (Randfilm), continues to be screened at international film festivals. Alexandra is thrilled to be able to combine two of her loves, musical theatres and cats, in tonight’s performance on behalf of the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee.

Alexandra, accompanied on piano by  Mariana Muscaliuc, sang two songs: How Will I Know by Whitney Houston and Gimme Gimme from the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. She also served as the evening emcee.

 

This orchestra is simply superb.

The orchestra began the program with musical expressions of the classical era, with Gioacchino Rossini’s overture to the Famous Barber of Seville opera, followed by the first movement of the most popular symphony, Beethoven’s fifth symphony, which is played in worldwide concert halls and on television commercials. They then went on to Brahm’s Hungarian Dance #5, the last of those czardas like dances, and continued with the aria every soprano should sing, from Puccini’s opera Gianis chicchi. They closed the first part of the concert with a much loved piece that no symphony orchestra would dare not play: Bolero by Ravel.  The second half presentation featured music from some of the longest running Broadway shows, such as The Phantom of the Opera, Porgy and Bess, The Sound of Music, and Les Miserables. The evening conclude with a varied selected of combined jazz and Big band music composed by the world-renowned Cole Porter and band leaders who have set the tone for that style of heart-warming and dance inviting rhythms. 

A special cats opera encore number.

Before the start of the second half, Shelley Schecter presented an Award of Merit to Barbara Hilliker, a warm and caring women who takes in many homeless cats at a time, fosters them and then finds good homes for them to live in. Barbara is an angel.

Special thanks to lead staff persons Alvin Fishman, Harold Cammy, Regine Banon, Darryl Levine, Peter Kopitas, Ruth Farrugia and Janine West for their work on the file.

Our committee will now get back to our duty of Trap, Neuter, Release, Adopt and Educate. The latter includes making owners of outdoor cats aware that they now need a license and a tour of schools  by Alexandra Cohen and members of her committee.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact us at 514-485-6800 ext. CATS and access our website at www.cotesaintluc.org/cats.