KAMLOOPS — The Richmond-based Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) is working with Sammy’s Forgotten Felines in Kamloops to rescue a colony of feral, senior cats who were left without a caretaker following a house fire in April.

For over a decade, the homeless cats survived because a man in Kamloops’ North Shore area offered them food, shelter and care.

However, he was unable to care for the animals after he lost his home in the fire.

RAPS cat sanctuary and adoption centre manager Valerie Wilson said a friend of the person caring for the cats reached out for help shortly after the fire.

“At that point in time, we were doing a sort of ‘wait and see’ to see if other rescues would step up, but also with it being the spring and summer, they weren’t in a lot of danger because there were other people able to feed them and we were full,” explained Wilson.

Once RAPS had some more space, the organization began figuring out the logistics of taking in the cat colony from Kamloops to Richmond.