Meet Freckles. He arrived at VOKRA earlier this year after being surrendered at a veterinary clinic. Freckles started out  life normally enough, but when he went for a checkup the vet noticed his back legs were wobbly. The vet suspected Freckles had cerebellar hypoplasia (CH), a neurological disorder that occurs when a kitten’s brain doesn’t develop properly in the womb. As he got older, Freckles condition began to get worse and, when he started to dribble urine, he was surrendered. Once Freckles arrived at VOKRA it didn’t take long for us to suspect CH isn’t the cause of his issues. As he ha ..read more

Elmer and Cobalt are the best of friends. Both arrived at VOKRA as very young kittens, hungry and full of fleas. Elmer was found alone in the forest crying and Cobalt was taken from her mother too soon and then surrendered. As they were both on their own, we decided to buddy them up in foster care and they took to each other right away. Now they’re off to the new forever home together just in time for the holidays. So far this year, we’ve taken in more than 850 kittens, just like Elmer and Cobalt. As a volunteer-driven non-profit, we can’t continue to rescue this many kittens without your sup ..read more

One of the first times Charlie jumped on Frederick’s lap The holiday season is upon us and it’s the purrfect time to celebrate our volunteers! This month we’re toasting to Frederick Lee, a medical team volunteer who always goes above and beyond to spend time with the kitties at our Operations Centre. Frederick first became interested in joining VOKRA back in January 2016. As he didn’t have any prior experience with cats, he was asked to join the cat care team so he could learn the ropes. He started his first cat care shift on the last Sunday of February 2016 and has been with us ever since a ..read more

This handsome guy is Hunter and he has a problem.  Hunter suffers from a chronic ear infection due to a polyp in his middle ear. Despite being treated with antibiotic drops, the polyp has grown to a very large size and now Hunter needs to have surgery to remove it. The cost of Hunter’s surgery is estimated to be upwards of $1,500. At VOKRA we believe kitties like Hunter deserve a chance at a happy, healthy life free from pain. Whether they’re seniors or kittens, feral or tame, healthy or sick – we provide them all with the best care we can. But this does come at a cost. Veterinary care accoun ..read more

This November we’re celebrating vaccination team member Giselle Lightle as our Volunteer of the Month. Here Giselle tell us in her own words how she became involved with VOKRA: I’m a kitten vaccinator and have the scars to prove it…. Several years ago I took early retirement from a career in nursing and was wondering what to do with myself that was worthwhile and left me time to do all the other things I’d been looking forward to. A friend suggested training an assistance dog which seemed like a lovely idea. I spent more than two years training an absolutely wonderful lab but it took up eve ..read more

Right now when you stock up on grocery cards from Safeway, Save-on-Foods, Nesters Market and Stong’s VOKRA gets a higher percentage of the profits.  These profits can really add up fast! Last year with the help of our fosters and volunteers we raised more than $3,600 which we used to buy things like cat food, litter and flea medicine. We need to bulk buy the gift cards in order to get this higher return and that’s where you come in. We need you to order your Safeway*, Save-on-Foods**, Nesters Market and Stong’s cards by November 11. Safeway cards are available in $25, $50, $100 or $250 Save-O ..read more

VOKRA will be holding its 2019 Annual General Meeting on October 10 at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Anyone can attend our AGM, however in order to vote you need to become a society member. Membership is only $10 and is a great way to show your support for VOKRA. 2019 VOKRA AGM Thursday, October 10 7 to 8 p.m. (doors open at 6:15 p.m.) St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1573 – 18 Avenue E., Vancouver RSVP & BECOME A SOCIETY MEMBER Members will receive a full agenda package, but briefly, the points to be covered will be: Minutes of the Previous AGM, October 18, 2018 Presentation: 2018 – 2019 in Rev ..read more

VOKRA’s 2019 AGM is coming up on October 10 and we’re actively recruiting for one new member to join the board as a director at large. If you have a strong background in human resources we’re looking for you! A director is fully informed on organizational matters and participates in the board’s deliberations and decisions in matters of policy, finance, programs, personnel and advocacy. They also review the bylaws and policy manual and recommend bylaw changes to the membership; participate in the development of VOKRA’s organizational plan and annual review; and assist in developing and maintai ..read more

With Walk for the Kitties coming up, we’re grateful for all our volunteers who make everything we do possible. This September, we’d like to celebrate foster coordinator Diane Atkinson as our Volunteer of the Month Here Diane tell us in her own words how she became involved with VOKRA: I first started volunteering for VOKRA many years ago at the Petsmart Adoption Centre in North Vancouver doing cat care. During my shift I was responsible for cleaning litter boxes, as well as feeding and playing with the kitties who were housed in kitty pods. Sometimes potential adopters would visit. There was ..read more

Summertime’s in full swing, which means our Operations Centre is busier than usual. With cats and kittens going in and out and foster’s stopping by to get supplies, there’s always something to do and our reception team is on top of it! This month we’re celebrating Margot Kubale, a volunteer who’s been part of our Ops reception team since September of 2017. Here Margot tells us in her own words how she became involved with VOKRA. You see I first heard of Vokra when I adopted a cat in January of 2006. Here’s the story of how that happened: I had been without a cat for about nine months because ..read more