If you have lost or found an animal, please contact Vegreville Animal Control directly. The Animal Control 24 hour line is 587-790-1294. All found and loose dogs MUST go through Animal Control. If your dog has been picked up by Animal Control, please contact them to make arrangements to get it back. Our volunteers are not able to intake or release dogs without Animal Control's involvement as there is a liability if someone gets injured.

Contact Animal Control at 587-790-1294 and they will notify you if the animal comes into our care. Check out our lost and found page. We recommend you post on sites such as Lost and Found Dogs, Cats & Farm Animals in and around Vegreville (Alberta). 

We do not take in surrenders. We are a small rescue and therefore do not have the capacity and resources to take in surrenders. Dumping animals is illegal and our premises is under surveillance. Those caught dumping animals will be fined. If you need to rehome an animal, try contacting the Alberta SPCA or other rescues in Alberta that may intake surrenders. Check our 'Quick Links' section for other rescues.

As we do not have paid staff/veterinary staff at the rescue, injured animals are to be taken into a veterinary clinic to be assessed. 

Kittens should only be removed from their nest if:

• there is no evidence of a mother cat after several hours

• if the location is dangerous and they are in obvious distress

• the kittens look weak, skinny and wet or matted

• kittens are crying/mewing constantly each time you check on them

• the kittens have goopy discharge from eyes and nose and/or are very cold to the touch

When you decide to remove the kitten:

• bring it into your local vet for a checkup asap

• keep it warm and dry

• do not feed it dairy milk, most cats are lactose intolerant

• young kittens need to be bottle fed milk replacement (such as KMR) every 2-3 hours (even throughout the night) or they will dehydrate quickly.  If they are very young they also need to be stimulated to void or have bowel movements.

• ask your local vet when you bring it in how to properly care for it

• reach out to us to intake it

DUMPING ANIMALS IS ILLEGAL! If you trap an animal, you cannot dump the animal at a rescue, farm, anywhere. It is illegal! Trapping and dumping is animal cruelty and is punishable under the Animal Protection Law.

DON’T TRAP WITHOUT A PLAN!

It’s important to educate the community on the critical issue of trapping cats! Please never trap a cat without a solid plan in place beforehand. Trapping a cat without knowing what comes next is not only irresponsible, it can cause serious harm. Without proper care, trapped cats can become extremely stressed, injured, or end up in shelters—where they may be euthanized or unable to return to their familiar outdoor environment. It is the legal right of a property owner to do this, however there may be serious legal ramifications for the person doing the trapping if the animal is harmed in the process.

The moment the cat is trapped, the person who set up the trap has the legal responsibility to ensure the health and welfare of that animal. If the cat becomes distressed, the property owner can be charged under the Animal Protection Act, 2018. Cats are not to be relocated (example: moved to farms, across town, abandoned in the country, or destroyed). Abandoning animals is an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada, and killing other people’s cats is prohibited under the Criminal Code. Here are some vital things to consider before you set that trap:

WHERE WILL THE CAT GO?

• Have you arranged for a rescue to take the cat?

• Behind the scenes, a lot must be in place:

  • An open foster home

  • A scheduled vet appointment

  • Necessary supplies for the foster

HAS THE CAT BEEN ASSESSED?

Most of our foster homes are not equipped to rehabilitate traumatized animals. Once a cat is trapped, it becomes extremely difficult to assess whether it is truly feral or simply scared. Many cats—especially outdoor or lost ones—may act aggressively or defensively under stress.

WHAT IF THE CAT IS FERAL?

Do you have a long-term plan? Can you provide ongoing food, water, and shelter? Feral cats are not pets—they are wild animals, and their outdoor territory is their home. Simply asking us to "take it away" is not a humane or viable solution. Responsible relocation is complex, takes time, and must follow proper protocols.

IF YOU CHOOSE TO TRAP, DO SO RESPONSIBLY

• Have a safe recovery space ready.

• If the cat is sick or injured, it must be seen by a vet immediately.

• Do not wait and assume a rescue will take over or pay for care.

• Any traps used must be live traps. The use of leg hold traps for domestic animals is an offence under the Criminal Code.

• Traps should only be set in locations where they will be protected from weather (sun, rain, hail) and other potential hazardous conditions. Traps should not be set in extreme weather (ie: winter, when thunderstorms are expected, when temperatures are expected to be high or low). They should be monitored and checked at least twice a day.

• Traps must only be set on property owned, leased, or rented by the user or with the permission of the person owning, leasing, or renting the property.

• Wildlife must be released in compliance with the Wildlife Act (contact the Ministry of Environment for details).

Also, be aware that many trapped cats belong to someone. Before assuming a cat is a stray or feral:

• Check for a collar or tag

• Look for tattoos or ear tips

• Have the cat scanned for a microchip at any veterinary clinic

Please report found cats to local authorities and post on community lost pet pages—the majority of trapped cats are actually lost pets, and their families are desperately searching for them. You can contact Animal Control at 587-790-1294.

If you suspect or have witnessed signs of animal neglect or abuse, contact RCMP, Vegreville Animal Control at 587-790-1294, or the Alberta SPCA. 

Sometimes the cats we rescue test positive for Feline Leukemia (FeLV). This is a virus that compromises a cat's immune system and can cause severe anemia. Once a cat has the virus, they are unlikely to ever be completely free of it and will shed the virus which can infect other cats. It cannot be transferred to humans or other animals. The virus is spread through bodily fluids including saliva, blood, and urine. The virus makes the cat more susceptible to other disease, however some cats live without any illness due to managing interventions including minimizing stress, good nutrition, and being vigilant to your cat getting sick so they can be treated.

Vaccination does exist for FeLV, however it is not 100% effective. We recommend speaking to your local vet to go over the risks of bringing a FeLV cat into your home if you already have cats, even if they are vaccinated against the virus. Cats with FeLV can live with other cats with the same virus, so if you do not have any cats, you can consider getting cats with FeLV. They are just like any other cat and deserve loving homes. Cats with FeLV are difficult to adopt out, so we ask that you consider it as an option. Feel free to do more research on the virus.  All cats in our care are tested for this virus and we are transparent if they are FeLV+.

We primarily deal with cats, as it is extremely stressful on the animal and volunteers when dogs come in as we do not have the room or resources currently to fully support dogs. We do operate as the facility to house animals brought in through Vegreville's animal control but we only intake animals within the Vegreville town limits due to space restriction. There are occasional exceptions for extreme circumstances.

Go to our "Adoption" page and click the button for the adoption forms. It will take you to a google form that you must fill out and submit. Alternatively, you can send us an email and we can send you an adoption form. We will review the form and get back to you with more information. This may take some time as we are all volunteers and no one is available full time. If the application is approved, the animal can go home with you either vetted or as a foster until they are fully vetted. The adoption is not final until the animal is spayed/neutered.  Once animals are out of our care, they are your responsibility and we are not responsible for any complications, costs or updating of vaccinations etc. We are transparent with our animal's condition with what we know when they are adopted out. 

Because we are completely volunteer run and no one is full time, we do not have a phone for the rescue and do not want to publicize volunteers' personal phone numbers. If you have questions, please email us or reach out on social media and we may give you a number to call from there. For emergencies please call animal control at 587-790-1294.

As we are volunteer run, we do not have set hours, however if you are interested in visiting our facility, please send us an email or reach out on our social media to inquire and we can set up a time and date to meet you there.

You can contact us through email or social media to let us know you are dropping off donations. We can then give you directions to our facility where they can be left.

We work with people on farms and acreages to home feral cats or cats that do not adapt to being indoors. Our barn cats are spayed/neutered, tattooed, and vaccinated before going to their new homes. They are free, though we always accept any donations. We ask that these cats are given a safe, warm shelter as well as daily food and shelter. Cats should be kept within the barn/shelter for the first few weeks so that they learn where their food and water is and are less likely to leave. This way, even feral cats can find a home.

A no kill shelter is one that does not put down animals when they have reached capacity or have had them for a long time. Healthy animals are not euthanized! The only cases in which animals are put down are when they are injured or sick beyond our abilities to help, or they are a danger to the public. Even those with permanent disabilities like amputated limbs or cerebral hypoplasia remain in care until a suitable home can be found for them.