TABLE OF CONTENTS PATCHES LETTER FROM THE CHAIR HISTORY MISSION & VALUES BY THE NUMBERS

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2 PATCHES PHOTOGRAPHED BY RONDI ADAMSON ANNEX CAT RESCUE TABLE OF CONTENTS LETTER FROM THE CHAIR HISTORY V I S I O N, MISSION & VALUES OUR PROGRAMS BY THE NUMBERS SPOTLIGHT ON OUR FERAL COLONIES SPOTLIGHT ON OUR FOSTER PROGRAM E V E N T S COMMUNITY OF VOLUNTEERS BECOME A CATVOCATE F I N A N C I A L SUPPORTERS VET PARTNERS F I N A N C I A L S U M M A R Y ii

3 LETTER FROM THE CHAIR Dear Supporters, Thank you for taking the time to read about Annex Cat Rescue s work in As ACR enters our 20th year of operation, we are both proud of what we have achieved as a 100% volunteer-run organization and saddened that the need for our work is ever-more critical. We hope you will be inspired by the tremendous efforts of our amazing volunteers and the impact that we have had together on the lives of feral cats. You can catch up with our longtime colony residents, as well as meet some of the lucky cats who moved from life on the streets into loving foster and forever homes in 2016 (page 23). Over the past year, ACR has become the only group in Toronto that directly manages feral cat colonies. We also do our best to support the many independent colony caretakers who shoulder huge burdens. The Toronto Humane Society, Toronto Animal Services and Toronto Street Cats spay-neuter clinics have been of immense help to ACR and to the caretakers we have assisted. We hope you will be motivated to take action to help our city s homeless cats yourself if you are not already a volunteer (hint: page 29 suggests a number of ways that you can be a catvocate!) Highlights and Lowlights: Kitten season started late but continued without a break even through the winter. There were two cases of kittens with botflies, cats with horrendous flea infestations and several foster cats needed eyes removed. Dental work has become such a common PRINCESS ANNEX CAT RESCUE 2

4 expense for our aging colony cats that we have created a Tooth Fairy Fund on our Canada Helps donation page. Overall, our colonies are shrinking in numbers as caretakers have TNRed about 95% of the residents (with one notable exception being the infamous Batmom at South Riverdale). As a result, we welcomed the Dunn Ave. and Chatham Ave. colonies into the ACR family. Downtown construction projects and home sales are having an enormous impact on feral cats in Toronto and we will have to be innovative in finding solutions for displaced colonies. ACR was extremely fortunate in the case of our Greenwood and Gerrard East colony that one of our volunteers had the energy and means to relocate the cats to a safe garden after the property was sold. As awareness of ACR spreads, we are being called upon more and more via our feral-stray line and on social media channels to assist members of the public with independent colonies and injured cats. Twice in 2016, ACR trappers were asked to intervene in two separate colonies where deliberate poisoning was occurring brutal and heart-wrenching work. These volunteers deserve a special thank you for their efforts to TNR the colonies and restore safety to their neighbourhoods. At one point, we had 150 cats and kittens in foster homes, which required a truly Herculean effort by our foster team to manage but which also put a tremendous strain on our finances. ACR was extremely fortunate to have an anonymous donor step up to match our Scotiabank Charity Challenge donations; as a result, we were able to raise nearly $43,000 to contribute to our vet bills. This wonderful matching donor is back again this year and we urge you to learn how you can join our team or help us raise the $25,000 matching goal. We are truly thankful for the incredible generosity of our veterinary clinic partners, our hundreds of individual donors and our business supporters. Your continued faith in ACR s work and your unwavering commitment provide the resources that enable us to help cats in need. Sincerely, Sky Lamothe Chair, Board of Directors Annex Cat Rescue BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR S K Y LAMOTHE TREASURER SARAH MCINTOSH JENNIFER MOORE MEMBERS-AT-LARGE MARIANNE PREMUZIC VICE CHAIR KIM HUGHES SECRETARY ALISON REID LAURA MORIARITY ANNEX CAT RESCUE 3

5 KIWI HISTORY Annex Cat Rescue was founded in 1997 when several residents of The Annex neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto joined together to care for a local feral cat colony. Over the years, ACR s service area, both for cats and volunteers, has grown to span the city. In 1999, the Canada Revenue Agency granted ACR charity status (charity registration # RR 0001). An inaugural Board of Directors was elected and a governing philosophy was formalized through our constitution, bylaws and guidelines. Over the past 19 years, ACR has provided compassionate cat rescue work in Toronto, forging partnerships to help the most vulnerable cats in our city. Our strength comes from our network of volunteers and our work is only possible due to the generosity of our donors and supporters who work tirelessly to improve the lives of cats in our city. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 4

6 BELLA MAE VISION MISSION VALUES A city where all cats whether they are feral, stray, or owned are loved and cared for. Annex Cat Rescue is dedicated to eliminating cat homelessness in Toronto. Until that time, we care for cats and kittens in a variety of ways including (but not limited to) daily feeding and colony management, medical/dental care, socializing, fostering, adopting or, in the case of feral cats, spaying/neutering and returning (TNR). Now in its 19 TH year, ACR remains 100% volunteer-run with 89% of monies raised helping cats in partnership with veterinarians who provide services at reduced rates. Compassion Cooperation Respect Dedication Integrity ANNEX CAT RESCUE 5

7 OUR PROGRAMS FERAL COLONY CARE Feral cats are the free-roaming, wild offspring of domestic cats that have been abandoned or lost. Feral cats may have been wild for several generations and they tend to live in colonies throughout the city in back alleys, parks, garages or wherever they can find shelter and food. ACR believes that all cats deserve humane and compassionate care. Our feral colony care teams, including feeders and trappers, provide care to the feral cat colonies feeding them, trapping them and arranging spaying/neutering. These volunteers also monitor colonies and arrange veterinary care for any injured or ill cats. ACR has a strict no-kill policy and only euthanizes cats on purely compassionate grounds. FOSTER HOMES Annex Cat Rescue does not operate a shelter. Instead, all our cats are provided homes within our network of volunteer foster homes. This prevents the behavioural problems that develop when cats are caged for long periods of time. Our foster home strategy also prevents the spread of infectious diseases. While in the foster home environment, cats temperaments are analyzed to ensure that cats are adopted into the most suitable forever homes. Through home visits, prospective adopters can interact directly with our cats in a setting similar to their own homes. This foster care strategy is how Annex Cat Rescue is truly cat adoption with a difference. In the 19 years since our founding, Annex Cat Rescue has placed approximately 3,250 cats and kittens in screened, permanent, loving homes! ANNEX CAT RESCUE 6

8 TNR PROGRAM Since a female cat can have two or three litters of kittens each year, she can exponentially produce thousands of offspring in a short time. This is exceptionally hard for the mother, and many of the kittens will perish through starvation, freezing, and attacks by humans and predators. ACR intervenes in this tragic cycle of suffering and reduces the number of cats living on Toronto s streets through our Trap-Neuter/ (Spay)-Return (TNR) program. While the cat populations at most of our colonies are now stable after many years of care, our dedicated colony and trapping volunteers work hard to TNR new feral cats that find our colonies each year. Our volunteers also help support concerned members of the public with the process of TNR ing feral cats in their communities, primarily through our Feral/Stray Info Line. ACR is also an active member of the Toronto Feral Cat Coalition, where we work with Toronto Animal Services, the Toronto Humane Society, the OSPCA, Toronto Street Cats, Toronto Cat Rescue, and other rescue groups to compassionately address feral cat overpopulation in our city. Three of the resources introduced through the Toronto Feral Cat Coalition are a network of free feral spay/neuter and vaccination clinics, the Toronto Feral Cat Recovery Centre, and the Trap-Neuter-Return Workshop, which teaches members of the public how to care for feral cats, and gives them access to the free spay/neuter clinics, recovery space, traps, and cat food donations. Many ACR volunteers have taken and highly recommend the Workshop, which is taught by Community Cats Toronto volunteers. The Toronto Humane Society s free feral spay/neuter and vaccination clinic has also been incredibly valuable to ACR. It is easily accessible by our trapping volunteers, and its flexibility recognizes and supports the inherent unpredictability of feral cat trapping efforts. Almost all of the feral cats that ACR has spayed/neutered this year have gone through the Toronto Humane Society s clinic, improving the efficiency of our trapping process, and saving valuable funds that we have then been able to use to help other cats in need. From all of us at ACR, thank you to the Toronto Humane Society for your much appreciated support. FERAL/STRAY INFO LINE ACR s Feral/Stray Info Line (accessible by ing ferals@annexcatrescue.ca) is an invaluable community service that indirectly or directly helped an estimated 520 cats in ACR is contacted every day by members of the public looking for assistance with feral or stray cats in their neighbourhood. Our dedicated volunteers take the time to learn about their situations, educate them about feral cats and the resources available to them, and coach them through the process. In special situations, ACR s volunteers lend community members traps, or step in to provide hands-on assistance. Our Feral/Stray Info Line volunteers have found that a little education can go a long way. We get numerous inquiries from community members who are motivated to help the cats in their neighbourhoods, and just need a little coaching to get started. They then go on to rescue and TNR many cats in need, and some even become ACR volunteers. This is the ultimate goal of the Feral/Stray Info Line: empowering members of the public to take action themselves to improve the lives of stray and feral cats in their communities. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 7

9 BY THE NUMBERS CATS ADOPTED: 252 JILL LILY & BIFF NUMBER OF ACR COLONY CATS: 80 NUMBER OF ACR COLONIES 17 KITTENS (WEEKS TO 1 YEAR) 123 ADULTS (1 TO 7 YEARS) 99 SENIORS (8+ YEARS) 11 SPECIAL NEEDS (NOT COUNTED IN CATEGORIES ABOVE) 19 (10 ADULTS, 9 SENIORS) PAIRS (COUNTED IN THE ADULTS AND KITTENS CATEGORIES) 30 NUMBER OF VET APPOINTMENTS FOR FOSTER & COLONY CATS 671 ANNEX CAT RESCUE 8

10 SPOTLIGHT ON OUR FERAL COLONIES Every day of the year in every kind of weather, Annex Cat Rescue s dedicated volunteers feed vulnerable homeless cats in 17 managed colonies across downtown Toronto. Without the daily oversight of caretakers, ACR s 80 colony cats would go without essentials as well as crucial medical and dental care. Feral cat colonies are the heart of ACR s frontline work on behalf of Toronto s homeless cats. COLONY CATS BY THE NUMBERS Bloor Ossington 1 Bathurst College 2 Danforth Chester 4 Greenwood/Gerrard W 13 (plus several roving/ neglected community cats) Cedar Garden (formerly G&G E) 5 South Riverdale 3 (plus 3 new kittens) Cherry Street 9 Pape/Gerrard 2 Christie Bloor 4 Springdale Blvd 14 Chatham Ave 7 Richmond St 2 Kensington Market 4 Chinatown 3 Ossington Harbord 2 Dunn Ave 2 Steamwhistle 3 TOTAL: 80 ANNEX CAT RESCUE 9

11 BLOOR OSSINGTON MR. MADDY ACR s smallest colony consists of one cat, named Mr. He s likely around eight or nine years old. His friend, Mrs. (now called Maddy) was brought inside in November of 2015, due to a lame paw. She has settled into being an indoor cat, and we would like to bring Mr. in as well, but half a dozen attempts to trap him last year were unsuccessful. We may try again this summer, so he doesn t have to spend another winter outside. CHATHAM AVE TABS There are seven cats total and all TNR d. The colony is good. They are all well fed and showing it! No sickness or injury so far, fingers crossed. I also feed a female cat at the back alley off Oakvale Ave that Robin and Leslie trapped last year. I call her Momma Jinx as her daughter is called Jinx and has been adopted by the residents of a nearby Oakvale home. Unfortunately, we were not able to get mom in as well. Robin asked me to look after her so I feed her every morning at her makeshift home in a garage. There are gaps so I feed her through the gaps. She is fixed. Her two other kittens were trapped and were adopted. My Angie, Grumpy and Alice are well too. They are camera shy! BLACKNESS ANNEX CAT RESCUE 10

12 CEDAR GARDEN MYLES Last summer G&G East Colony Coordinator Jennifer M. was given two months to relocate the five remaining colony cats, as the property upon which they had been living for the past few years was being sold. Jennifer had been working on plans for her Safe Gardens Project, but had not yet found a location for the first safe garden. With the deadline looming and location options fading, a friend offered to have the enclosure constructed within her garden. Bonded pair Scout and Myles have one side of the enclosed garden and siblings Lily and Gordon, along with their friend Mayo, have the other side. The cats were all vetted prior to being relocated and are in good health. They have adjusted really well and appear to be very content within their gardens, jumping up to their perches where they can sunbathe, playing with their catnip and other toys, seeking out shade in the straw beneath their large houses and snuggling up within them, and their shelters, when the weather is cold. SCOUT ANNEX CAT RESCUE 11

13 CHERRY STREET STUBBY The colony is stable no new cats and all the residents are TNRed so the main issue at this point is aging cats. Sadly in 2016 we lost four cats, Penny, found dead in a shelter, Lionel, who disappeared, and Arrow and Hank, who were trapped and had to be euthanized due to tumours in their mouth. We mourn each and every one of them. At the end of 2016 the colony now consisted of 9 cats, which live in two separate groups. One group lives amongst the dumpsters and boats but our other group has access to an insulated trailer, lucky cats, if only they could all get along and join each other. One of our cats, Morris, has moved down the road to another location and is fed by staff there, he never did get along with the other cats. Near the Cherry Street colony we also feed a few other ferals that we have TNRed. There used to many cats in the portlands but thanks to our TNR efforts that has changed dramatically. I was reflecting back on the changes, I became involved in 2009 and at one point in 2011 we were feeding over 20 cats there MC & JET HANK but with TNR, some adoptions and sadly many deaths our numbers have dropped dramatically and the cats that remain are all probably at least ten years of age, so at some point in the next few years the colony may not exist anymore. Although ultimately that is the point of TNR, we feel a real attachment to these cats that we feed every single day of the year, rain, snow, holidays, so there is a real element of sadness to this process. As always, I must thank ACR for their support, without it we would not be able to provide the medical care so necessary for these cats as they age. It s a testament to the care they receive that we have so many senior cats! I m sure anyone who started feeding feral cats only thought they would live a few years, but with shelter, food, water and medical care they can live a long life. TIBBS ANNEX CAT RESCUE 12

14 CHESTER DANFORTH The four remaining cats at Chester and Danforth Baby, Sweetie, Shy and Bandit are stable, semi-friendly and TNR d though it remains a challenging colony to feed and manage as ACR access to the property is restricted (at the homeowner s insistence) to a hole in the fence accessed through an alley. This means feeders must get down on BABY, SWEETIE, SHY & BANDIT hands and knees to feed; difficult in winter with accumulated snow and an almost impossible scenario in which to trap for veterinary care. ACR is however grateful for permission to place overwinter shelters for the cats on the property. The colony s many highly committed feeders ensure the Fab Four are well cared for despite obstacles. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 13

15 CHINATOWN JET IVOR The colony now consists of three regular cats: Ivor, Jet and Stripe. Sadly, we lost Midnight, whose body was found by a caring passerby and brought to a vet who scanned the chip and contact ACR. We organized a gathering in Midnight s memory. We currently have four feeding locations for our three cats. We are hoping to trap Ivor soon (he has eluded us recently) to have his mats removed. We trapped Jet not long ago, only to discover she had already been spayed; her ear tip is subtle. She seems healthy with her shiny black fur and tends to travel around a lot. Stripe is still on Larch Street. He looks healthy and is being monitored every day by a neighbour on the street. PAPE GERRARD SUMMER&MIMI This small colony of two cats is stable and the two cats Mimi (female, black) and Summer (male, b&w) are doing well. They are about 7 years of age and have lived in the area since kittenhood. Mimi & Summer are fed each morning and evening by one of 9 feeders. Thanks to ACR, I have recruited several dedicated, reliable feeders to help out. And thanks to the support of the residents on Pape Avenue where Mimi & Summer reside, we have a secluded area for the cats shelters and can feed them safely and securely on one of two porches. Both cats are healthy except for Summer s chronic runny eye, likely due to herpes virus. All the feeders are now adding Lysine to the food to help reduce his eye inflammation. SUMMER ANNEX CAT RESCUE 14

16 CHRISTIE BLOOR TREY This is one of ACR s mature colonies, with no kittens reported since 2012 and only the occasional (and usually adoptable) newcomer. We have four cats remaining at our main feeding spot: Beauty, Stella, Bibsy and Twin, who at approximately 8+ years old are all doing well. We also feed Jack, a male black cat who has proven extremely difficult to trap because of his wide-ranging territory and extreme wariness. Neighbours work with us to care for the cats at two other feeding spots, and we have supplied shelters for several backyards in the area. We will also help when local residents see possibly lost or abandoned cats. One such success story in 2016 was Trey, a big orange tabby being fed by a local resident and did not seem to have a home. The resident contacted ACR and after canvassing the neighbourhood and online lost/found postings to ensure Trey was not a lost pet, Trey was taken to an ACR vet partner where he was found to be in good health and quite friendly. Placement in an ACR foster home soon followed, and Trey was fortunate enough to become a foster failure when his foster parents fell in love with him and decided to adopt him. In June, ACR s skilled trappers Gary M. and James B. trapped our colony favourite, the brown tabby Beauty, in order to give her a veterinary checkup. Beauty is the most independent of the four regulars; although she will usually show up for supper, her movements are more difficult to pin down. We were pleased to learn that Beauty (originally TNR d in ) was in good health, however although she has become used to her feeders and seems to enjoy our company, she was not quite ready to become an indoor cat. TWIN, BIBSY & STELLA ACR s Christie-Bloor colony volunteers also helped to TNR and provide shelters for several cats near Bathurst and Bloor Streets. The cats were being fed by residents but had not been spayed/neutered it was a situation that could quickly have grown out of control. We managed to trap all four of the known kittens from this colony at about weeks old; although they needed a little socialization work at first, all four were adopted (in two pairs!), as was one of the tamer adult cats. We continue to monitor these cats by working with the residents who care for them. Thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped to care for the cats in this colony and the neighbours who support us! Together we have made our community safer and healthier. BEAUTY ANNEX CAT RESCUE 15

17 DUNN AVE FREDDY We moved into our home on Dunn Ave. 14 years ago and immediately noticed there was a huge stray problem. During this time, I estimate we have rescued at least 100 (mostly black) cats that were stray, semi feral & feral. Our last house (in which we lived 10 years in Parkdale) also had a large colony that we tackled, rehoming/vetting, etc, which also added up to at approx. 100 cats. Many of these cats ended up charming their way into our home. The Dunn colony is shrinking and most cats have now been TNR s or adopted. The main goal was trapping Mommy Cat (with Gary s help) and getting her spayed/inoculated at THS. (Mommy has had litters in three years) She was rereleased into our backyard as she is still pretty feral. Her last two litters were rescued and are in ACR foster homes. She is currently a regular at the feeding station in our back yard. Mommy s boyfriend Freddy was also trapped and taken to DE where he was neutered, vet checked and estimated to be 10 yrs. old and turned out to be quite the love-bug. He was there for a while until he was healthy enough to move into a foster home. It didn t take long before Freddy was adopted! Three year old Baby is still out there! After escaping from a malfunctioning trap one morning, he has foiled my 25 attempts at trapping him again. Someone in the neighborhood seems to be feeding him and taking him in at night. I have not given up on trapping Baby. Ninja was trapped/tnr d as well this year. Ninja is a beautiful, black haired boy with soulful eyes and a friendly personality. He was adopted through ACR to a forever home. I also trapped a cat I have never seen before and took him to THS where was neutered/treated and re-released last Fall. He appeared to be feral and not very socialized. I am currently trying to trap two cats who I see randomly that eat at the Feeder one is Male a ginger & white tabby, and the other one is dark brown with white markings (Male as well). I m guessing they are 3 yrs. old and from Mommy s litter 3 years ago. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 16

18 RICHMOND ST MR. FUZZ Although the Richmond colony once included many cats, over the years some were found to be tame and placed in homes, while others disappeared or were known to have died. There are only two cats remaining: Fuzzy and Mr. Fuzz. Both cats are doing well. They receive food and water every day and their health is monitored by the Richmond colony team of feeders, who have cared for them for years! GREENWOOD & GERRARD W PANTHER & FLUFFY MASK The volunteer colony caretakers at Greenwood & Gerrard West colony currently feed, care and love approximately 13 feral cats as well as a few community cats. In 2016 ACR helped with the health of a number of cats, including Clockwork Orange, a favourite in the colony, who had been beaten up, needing some loving vet care, flea/parasite treatment and updated vaccination. Another cat, Panther CLOCKWORK ORANGE had lost a lot of weight. At the vet it was discovered that Panther had a horribly infected and fractured tooth. With some dental work, deworming and treatment for diarrhea and dehydration, he was released and has since gained the weight back and become his swipey self again. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 17

19 KENSINGTON MARKET HENRY Over the past year the Kensington colony decreased from eight spots to one. The number of cats decreased from 11 to four as a result of rescue resulting from medical conditions and construction. All are TNR d; seven cats were rescued from the route (Lars, Louie, Leora, Princess, Tiger, Patches, Henry). Henry, an orange tabby, was rescued from St. Felix Center last summer. He has since been adopted. There were three cats at 51 Augusta Ave. (Lars, Louie and Leora) who were rescued due to construction in the area that made their living area inhospitable. They are now being socialized in foster care. Princess, a longtime ACR cat, was trapped in December and is now in foster care with her sister Bunny. Patches and Tiger were rescued from a feeding spot in Atkinson Housing Co-op due to health conditions requiring attention. They have both been adopted. PRINCESS The one remaining spot is in Atkinson Housing Co-op with volunteer Stephen W.. Stephen continues to offer care and shelter in his home where the cats now reside. Annex Cat rescue continues to offer support for these cats. Due to the dramatic decrease in spots, there is now no need for feeders to go out each night. We are maintaining connections with people in the area to alert us if new cats appear at any of the old spots. One cat, Angelo, who is technically a feral, is being cared for by a family in Atkinson. The family has indicated they will let ACR know if they can no longer feed or house him. Some volunteers do go out to monitor the spots and bring food and litter for the cats at Stephen s. LARS STRIPEY ANNEX CAT RESCUE 18

20 OSSINGTON HARBORD TROOPER The update on this colony is that Trooper has been brought in from the street. He is about 9 years old. His jaw was infected which led to most of his teeth removed. He was someone s cat who was left behind. He is settling in nicely in my care and is becoming more affectionate. He is a gentle boy who head butts his new cat friends (my cats) and rubs up against me when I m cleaning the litter boxes. He allows belly rubs and purrs up a storm. Buddy, his friend at the colony, has been out of sorts since Trooper left. He is a friendly boy as well and I haven t been lucky in re-trapping him. Stella is still very cautious around us humans and keeps her distance but is also attached to Buddy. This colony has come down to just two now since I started managing it in July 2010 which there were 7 cats at the time. This colony is fed by another group of awesome volunteers: Etan, Ioulia, Tonia and Brian. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 19

21 SOUTH RIVERDALE BATMOM The South Riverdale colony is down to only three cats thanks to years of hard work identifying and trapping cats suitable for foster placement. The cats are all in good shape and regularly fed by two feeders, however, ever since the loss of their home to a developer they are being fed in a rather precarious area, the back-yard of a group of small apartments. Most of the tenants are fine with this, although one of them routinely harasses the feeders when he catches them. Luckily the feeders have figured his schedule out so they can feed without incident. All the cats are in good shape however, one of them, a female (the infamous Batmom), remains to this day unsprayed and this is not due to lack of trying. We have had many different trappers to the site to trap her and she has proven impossible. Of course, it now being spring she is yet again pregnant. Another attempt was made at trapping just recently without success. This colony was mostly semi-feral as they had human contact over the years so they re good candidates for foster placement. Of the three that are left Pappy, Betsy and Batmom we suspect Pappy could be a foster candidate as he is friendly with his feeders. We would like to try him in a socialization home at some point in the coming months. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 20

22 SPRINGDALE BLVD GUTSY The Springdale colony is fairly stable although the cats are aging. We have 14 cats in the colony nine males; 5 females. We lost two cats in 2016: Opal our matriarch (12 yrs old) simply disappeared in the summer and Lilly was killed by a car in November. Thanks to ACR, Atlas our alpha male had major dental surgery last fall all his teeth were extracted. He seems to be doing much better and we are optimistic that having his teeth removed will extend his life for a few years. We have had no new cats join the colony in We have no current major health issues except that one male, Sky, is limping but we find this type of injury often heals itself so we are monitoring him for now. The cats TIGER live in residential backyards on our street and all have cat shelters in the winter. All have been spayed/neutered. A total of 5 cats in two groups of 3 and 2 have partitioned themselves off from the main colony with dominant males. These 5 cats are fed daily by two other neighbours. Myself and another neighbour feed the main colony daily. My big worry now is that a neighbour, who helps me feed and has allowed me to put 5 winter cat shelters in her backyard, is planning to sell her house either this year or next. I plan to canvas some of my neighbours in the near future to see if I can set up the shelters elsewhere once she sells. COOPER BUTTON ANNEX CAT RESCUE 21

23 BATHURST COLLEGE LILYBELL TABBY Still just two cats total in this colony, down from the original 11. Both are female which leads to an amusing story. We had to take Tabby to the vet for a skin condition and while there, the vet announced Tabby was a she! For years we just thought she was one of the male tabbies on the original feeder s list of which cats she had TNR d (about 10 years ago). So all this time we called her a boy! Anyway, she is doing well and so is Lilybell. Photography by Rondi Adamson STEAMWHISTLE The Steamwhistle colony only joined ACR in 2015 but has been a colony in the downtown core for more than 15 years. Initially starting with close to 100 cats, it is (amazingly) now down to just three. Most rehomed/relocated through the rescue network in the GTA. Daily volunteers ensure the cats have food/water and we keep an eye on our little old man. Maurice is an older orange tabby that has been in the colony for about five years now. He was confirmed as neutered when trapped in 2013 so more than likely was displaced when a colony a few blocks away was relocated when new construction was being completed. Maude is our female tortie. Rocky is a slightly longerhaired orange male but he isn t spotted regularly at the colony. The colony feeders also enjoy seeing many different animals at the colony our groundhog family has already made an appearance. MAUDE & MAURICE ANNEX CAT RESCUE 22

24 UNCLE HANDSOME SPOTLIGHT ON OUR FOSTER PROGRAM Number of foster cats/kittens that were in ACR foster homes in 2016: 350* Number of foster homes: 216 Cats/kittens adopted by their fosters (a.k.a. Failed Fosters ): 30 * Included in the total number are cats still in foster care from 2015, not just new intakes was an incredible year for the ACR foster program! Last year's story is one of an unprecedented number of cats getting foster care and medical care, requiring a huge effort from foster parents and foster team volunteers. However, the high number of cats entering our program also put a strain on our donations and savings with higher-than-ever veterinary expenses (including many extensive dental surgeries) even with the enormous contributions of our vet partners. We had 350 cats in our foster program in 2016, and many of these with socialization and medical needs. While all of our foster homes were responsible for helping us get these cats off of the streets, we want to give a special nod to our amazing assessment, socialization and medical recovery foster homes many of these cats were able to be saved solely because of their tireless efforts. These cat whisperers are responsible for helping us rescue cats like Uncle Handsome, a semiferal cat that worked with his socialization foster over a period of several months, and went from shying away from all human touch to happily enjoying pets and kisses from humans. He's now ready to be adopted into his forever home, something that wouldn't have been possible without Tara W.'s patience and hard work. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 23

25 SMOKEY It took a team of loving and patient foster homes to help Smokey overcome the trauma from his past. After being abandoned alone in an apartment after his owner passed away, Smokey had a very difficult time learning to trust humans again and experienced symptoms of PTSD. With patience, time and love, Smokey progressed from being fearful and aggressive to a playful and loving lap-cat, and he is now in his forever home! And we can't fail to recognize the enormous impact that our donors have on our foster program. A perfect example is sweet senior cat Tiger (who is now in his forever home). He was brought into the ACR foster program after being noticed at an ACR colony by a caring feeder, in clear need of vet care. Thanks to the generous support of our donors and the attentive care of his foster, Tiger received the eye surgery he so desperately needed, and will now be able to lead a pain-free and happy life in his forever home. Every one of the cats in our foster program has their own unique story, and thanks to all of those who support and volunteer in our foster program, we will be able to help hundreds more find their happy ending next year as well! BEFORE TIGER AFTER ANNEX CAT RESCUE 24

26 IN MEMORIAM SUNNY, WINTER, HANK, MUFFY, JASPER & JESSIE ANNEX CAT RESCUE 25

27 EVENTS Events provide opportunities to educate the public about feral cats and Trap-Neuter-Return, raise funds, engage potential adopters, meet other ACR volunteers and supporters (and recruit new ones) and network with other animal welfare organizations. Our Events Team offers various roles for volunteers, such as staffing our event tables, setting up behind the scenes, providing transport for supplies or cats, and making crafts for fundraising. We also assist supporters who wish to organize their own events in support of ACR. In 2016 we participated in a range of events, including annual favourites the Annex Family Festival, Taste of Little Italy Festival, Vegetarian Food Festival, CNE Cat Show and the Artisan s Gift Fair at the Tranzac Club. Our Craft Coordinator, Catnip Toy Coordinator and their teams of crafty volunteers were kept busy creating handmade catnip toys, beds, T-shirts and many other unusual and attractive items to help raise funds. The Events Team also helped to organize ACR s Annual General Meeting and Volunteer Social. Individual volunteers organized fundraising events on ACR s behalf; Sloane W. arranged a hilarious comedy night at the Comedy Bar and Lynn K. gave us an evening of live music and a silent auction at the Aviv Restaurant. As a member of the Toronto Feral Cat Coalition, ACR participated with other Coalition members to have a table at St. Lawrence Market for Feral Cat Awareness Day in October. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 26

28 JESSIE We also hold Adopt-a-thons with partner stores on various dates throughout the year. These provide our calmer foster cats and kittens with more exposure to potential adopters. In 2016, we were involved in 10 adopt-a-thons, including the Mega Adoption Event held at the CNE by the Toronto Humane Society. Adopt-a-thons require close collaboration between the Events, Foster and Adoptions teams. Success is measured not only by the number of cats adopted at the event, but by the many follow up inquiries we get about the cats and about ACR. Many thanks to our hard-working volunteers and supporters who helped to make all of our 2016 events productive and enjoyable! SCOTIABANK TORONTO WATERFRONT MARATHON CHARITY CHALLENGE 2016 was ACR s second year participating in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM) Charity Challenge. This allows runners/walkers to raise money for one of the registered charities accepted by the STWM. We were extremely fortunate in 2016 to have an angel supporter, James L., who matched donations to ACR s team dollar for dollar, even increasing his matching pledge when we exceeded our original fundraising goal of $15,000. Thanks to James and approximately 400 other donors, the ACR team raised nearly $43,000! Those funds made a huge difference in a year when ACR faced more requests for help from community members than ever. Most of our team did the 5K walk or run, with three doing the half-marathon. We had some great prizes to award for fundraising and for costumes. Our bright orange ACR team t-shirts were designed and printed by our Craft Coordinator, Dawn H. between the shirts and our cat ears and tails, our team turned many a head during and after the race! Thanks to everyone who contributed to making this event such an incredible success! We ll be participating once again in October 2017 please consider joining or supporting our team. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 27

29 COMMUNITY OF VOLUNTEERS Annex Cat Rescue has roughly 325 active volunteers. The Board of ACR would like to thank all of our volunteers for their ongoing hard work and dedication. As a 100% volunteer organization, volunteers are ACR s greatest asset. As ACR continues to expand, volunteers are continually needed. Please consider sharing your time and talents with us. Here are a few facts about ACR s volunteers: Trapping/Transport - 5% (down from 7% in 2015) Adoption Team - 4% (not tracked in 2015) BREAKDOWN OF VOLUNTEER TYPE 2016 Other - 4% (down from 8% in 2015) Coordinators - 2% (down from 5% in 2015) Communications - 8% (down from 11% in 2015) Feral Feeding - 12% (down from 19% in 2015) Fostering - 48% (up from 35% in 2015) 2016: 220 volunteer applications (the 311 is the number of people who applied, but only 220 of them responded after they were initially contacted) TREND: Overall there are more people applying to be volunteers of ACR but it might be more difficult to place them since we have fewer feral feeding opportunities. Traditionally feral feeding was one of our most popular entry level positions. The increase in volunteer applications likely means that ACR s public profile is growing. That is partly due to our vastly improved social media presence. Events/Crafts - 17% (up from 15% in 2015) There seems to be a trend toward fewer feral feeders. This makes sense: Our TNR programs have been successful and over time, our colonies are shrinking in size. At the same time, we re rescuing more cats from the street and that is reflected in the greater number of foster homes. It s surprising that the number of coordinators has gone down to 2%. Since foster homes are the biggest growth area, coordinators may be making up a smaller percentage. Existing coordinators are working harder than ever managing a greater number of volunteers and there is a need for more coordinators, particularly foster coordinators to manage the increasing number of foster homes. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 28

30 BECOME A CATVOCATE WOBBLES We know time is precious but there are things everyone who cares about cats can do to help improve the lives of street cats. Here are some suggestions: IF YOU HAVE 10 MINUTES follow us on our social media accounts and share the posts featuring Adoptable Cats with your networks FACEBOOK: INSTAGRAM: TWITTER: TUMBLR: PINTEREST: if a friend mentions he/she is looking for a new cat companion, suggest they check our adoptable cat listings at if you ve adopted a cat from ACR, please post a review on Yelp or Google of your experience print and put up our poster in your local pet shop, vet clinics or anywhere else that has a bulletin board. You can download them from our website: posteringdistributing-brochures-2/ subscribe to the ACRNewslitter, our monthly newsletter so you can stay up to date with events and happenings. You can subscribe on our home page at if you have a friend who has an unaltered pet, please try to encourage him/her to get the cat fixed. Toronto Humane Society and Toronto Animal Services both have low-cost options, if cost is an issue. ANNEX CAT RESCUE 29

31 IF YOU HAVE ONE HOUR learn more about community cats and the issues they face every day, about Trap-Neuter -Return and how it benefits both the cats and the community in which they live and post about what you learn on social media. Alley Cat Allies is considered an excellent resource. speak out in favour of adopting older and less favoured cats (cats with FIV, black cats, senior cats, etc) and against declawing and letting cats roam outside if you volunteer with ACR, check with the HR department at your company to see if they have a matching gift program or make any grants to community organizations HENRY IF YOU HAVE SEVERAL HOURS if you haven t already, take the 3-hour Managing a Feral Cat Colony workshop run by Community Cats. It is very educational for those who are new to the cat rescue community. Their website is consider if you have space and energy to become a short-term assessment home for a cat who is frightened and may be sick. We will provide you with supplies and support. Annex Cat Rescue is always in need of these homes not having enough assessment homes means we sometimes have to return cats to the street. hold a fundraiser for Annex Cat Rescue a garage sale, a bottle drive, etc and donate the funds to us via our CanadaHelps page at annex-cat-rescue/ ANNEX CAT RESCUE 30

32 DONORS & PARTNERS BUSINESS SUPPORTERS TIGER Banks Animal Hospital Bark and Meow Pet Supplies Bathurst-Dupont Animal Hospital Bay Cat Hospital Bayview Village Animal Hospital Chosen Vintage Distinct Hair Design Dundas West Animal Hospital El Pipil Front Street Animal Hospital Global Pet Foods (Annex) Global Pet Foods (High Park) Global Pet Foods (Eglinton) Global Pet Foods (Davisville) Helmutt s Pet Supply House of Cat Co. Karma Co-op Kato Animal Hospital Kitties and Cabernet Menagerie Pet Shop Pet Uno Pet Mama Annex Cat Rescue could not do what we do without the generous support of our donors and partners, both big and small. All contribute to our ability to continue the great work we do, including caring for feral cats, foster cats and our special needs cases such as cats needing eye surgery or emergency dental care. With the commitment of these donors and partners, we can continue to support cats and kittens on Toronto s streets and help cats in our community get the urgent care they need. With our strong volunteer network, we re able to put every dollar to good use and therefore able to help as many cats as possible. While we don t have the space to name everyone individually, we hope you know how much we value your contribution to the lives of every cat helped by Annex Cat Rescue. PetSmart Charities of Canada Orchid Graphics Queen West Animal Hospital Salesforce Foundation Sesler & Company Inc Rosedale Animal Hospital Timmie Dog Outfitters Wiener Home Hardware Yonge Davenport Pet Hospital ANNEX CAT RESCUE 31

33 INDIVIDUAL DONORS In 2016, over 654 individuals made generous financial donations to Annex Cat Rescue. We were fortunate to receive these a number of ways: Single donations (396 individuals donated during the Scotiabank Charity Challenge alone!). Monthly donations, which help us plan for and maintain our ongoing programs. Planned giving donors who have generously named Annex Cat Rescue in their wills or named Annex Cat Rescue as a beneficiary of insurance policies or investment funds. We were also fortunate to have some very dedicated individuals volunteer to organize their own fundraisers on behalf of Annex Cat Rescue. Thank you to those who put in the hours to make these a success on behalf of our cats! We d also like to thank those who donated food, supplies, collected Air Miles or donated through our catnip toy baskets or coin boxes throughout the city. And a big thank you to our feral colony feeders and foster homes. These special individuals not only give their time and hearts to ACR cats, they also purchase items on behalf of Annex Cat Rescue (as gift-inkind donations), such as cat food, litter, toys and other special supplies for the cats in their care. We couldn t do what we do without your generosity! VETERINARY PARTNERS Without the ongoing assistance of our esteemed veterinary partners, ACR simply could not do what it does and untold numbers of homeless cats and kittens across the GTA would go without crucial and often life-saving medical and dental care. Through generous discounts on services and boarding, our vet partners represent our single biggest donors. They re the ones we rely on at 9 pm on a Tuesday when, after weeks of effort, a sick but savvy feral is finally lured into a trap. As our colonies age and our TNR numbers drop, we increasingly look to our vet partners for more complex and costly care such as dental (full mouth extractions are depressingly common). Our vet partners assist us with expert advice and offer palpable kindness when awful decisions need to be made about seriously injured or profoundly ill cats requiring compassionate euthanasia. As a 100% volunteer organization that receives no government funding, ACR is deeply indebted and wholly grateful to our veterinary partners. THANK YOU... Banks Animal Hospital Beaches Animal Hospital Birch-Dan Animal Hospital Bloorcourt Veterinary Clinic Dundas Dovercourt Veterinary Hospital Dundas Euclid Animal Hospital Roncesvalles Animal Hospital Roncy Village Veterinary Clinic Veterinary Emergency Clinic Yonge Davenport Pet Hospital ANNEX CAT RESCUE 32

34 2016 FINANCIAL SUMMARY REVENUES Adoption Fees... 38,035 23,170 Donations , ,373 Donations - bequests ,054 Fundraising... 10,090 7,129 Interest , Membership Dues Coin Boxes... 11,950 7,890 Other Income REVENUE TOTAL , ,302 OPERATING EXPENSES YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016 YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2015 Accounting Expense Advertising Expense Bank Charges Charitable Transfer , Fundraising Expense , , Miscellaneous , , Outreach Expense Supplies... 35,955 24,354 Administration , Transportation Expense Veterinary Services , ,377 EXPENSE TOTAL , ,293 YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016 YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2015 SURPLUS (DEFICIT) FOR THE PERIOD (25,124) , OPENING SURPLUS (DEFICIT) , , ENDING SURPLUS (DEFICIT) , , ANNEX CAT RESCUE 33