For more than a decade, a small colony of homeless cats in Kamloops has survived because one compassionate person refused to let them fend entirely for themselves.

He fed them. He provided shelter. He gave them a measure of safety in a place where community cats have long been part of the landscape.

Then, in April, a devastating early-morning fire tore through property on Kamloops’ North Shore, destroying one mobile home and badly damaging another, along with two vehicles. Two people were taken to hospital in stable condition.

The cats’ longtime feeder was among those affected. He was eventually released from hospital, but his home was too badly damaged for him to return.

The cats he had been caring for lost much more than a familiar face.

Their feeding stations burned. Their shelters were damaged. The few shelters that survived had to be removed.

Now, winter is coming.

These cats have survived here for 10 to 12 years. Many are now seniors. They deserve more than simply surviving another winter.

Meet some of the cats

The feeder continues to watch over the colony as best he can, and several cats have been seen recently:

Larkin — a grey-and-white, long-haired spayed female, approximately eight or nine years old.

Brave Girl — a brown-and-black, long-haired spayed female, approximately nine or 10 years old.

Shadow — a long-haired, dusty-grey spayed female whose exact age is unknown.

Orange Fluffball — believed to be male; age unknown.

Black Scruffy — a younger-looking black cat; gender unknown.

For cats who have spent most or all of their lives outdoors, simply moving them is not easy. They need to be safely trapped, transported, assessed and given the chance to adjust to a completely new environment.

That is where RAPS hopes to help.

A rescue mission is taking shape

We are working with the volunteer rescue-flight organization Sky Whisker to arrange transportation from Kamloops so these cats can be brought to safety.

Our current plan is to bring them down later this month, where they can receive veterinary assessment and begin the next chapter of their lives.

They have already endured the fire. We don’t want them to face a Kamloops winter without shelter, too.

We need your help

Rescuing a colony like this involves far more than transportation.

There may be trapping expenses, veterinary examinations, diagnostics, vaccinations, treatment for chronic conditions, food, shelter and potentially months or years of ongoing care.

We don’t yet know everything these cats will need.

But we know they need us now.

Your donation will help RAPS respond to this rescue and provide whatever care these cats require once they arrive.

For 10 or 12 years, one person did his best to make life a little easier for these cats.

Now his home is gone, their shelters are gone, and circumstances have made it impossible for him to continue caring for them as he once did.

It’s time for the rest of us to step in.

Please donate today and help us bring the Kamloops cats to safety before winter arrives.