Flirt (Chilliwack SPCA)

Spring (East Kootenay SPCA)

Foxy (Nanaimo SPCA)

Peanut (Kelowna SPCA)

Albert (Williams Lake SPCA)

Kitten season is in full swing at the BC SPCA. That means kittens are filling BC SPCA shelters and foster homes. These kittens all need to find fur-ever families. Meanwhile, there are still plenty of adult cats also looking for homes!

In order to spread the word about how AWESOME cats of all kinds are, we’re holding the first-ever e-Kids Purr-etry Contest. The challenge? Write a poem (a purr-em, if you prefer) celebrating cats! Your poem could be featured in a future issue of e-Kids or on the official BC SPCA Facebook page for all of our supporters to read! Plus, the author of our favourite poem will receive a book of animal poetry.

Your poem can be anything you want. Tell a story, express your feelings or speak out about an animal issue. It can rhyme, but it doesn’t have to. It can be short or long, funny or sad, silly or touching. Here is an example:

We brought her home the other day,
After a six-month shelter stay.
I tried to cuddle, make her play,
But all she did was run away.

I tried to coax with treats and toys,
And other feline-tempting ploys,
Then realized it was all for naught,
I’d have to let her call the shots.

It was hard, but I let her be,
Waited until she came to me.
Tonight she curled up at my feet.
I felt my heart, it skipped a beat.

Send your poem, along with your name, age and address, to the BC SPCA Purr-etry Contest, 1245 East 7^th Avenue, Vancouver, BC  V5T 1R1 or email us at kids@spca.bc.ca.

All poems received or post-marked between now and June 30 will be entered in the contest for our favourite poem. Poems received after June 30 may still be featured in e-Kids or on Facebook.

Happy writing!

Every summer, the BC SPCA receives hundreds of calls about pets, especially dogs, who have been left alone in vehicles on hot days. These callers are right to be concerned – even parked in the shade with the windows partly down, on a warm day it can take just 10 minutes for the temperature inside a car to reach a level that will seriously harm or even kill a pet.

Want to help save lives? Tell your family and friends about the dangers of leaving pets in vehicles when it heats up outside! You can even print your own brochures and posters. Take them to places like malls, grocery stores and community centres, and ask permission to post them on the bulletin board or set up an information display on a hot day.

Are you getting excited for summer vacation? Because we are!

BC SPCA summer camps are being held at 18 locations in B.C. Play animal-themed games, make pet toys and treats, meet amazing animal experts and spend time with some of the friendliest, furriest, cutest animals ever.

Visit spca.bc.ca/camp to get all the details and sign up today.

Want to have fun while fighting animal cruelty? Sign up for the 2014 Scotiabank & BC SPCA Paws for a Cause – it’s FREE for youth under 17.

Paws for a Cause is the BC SPCA’s biggest fundraising event of the year. Participants sign up and campaign to raise money for their local BC SPCA branch. Then, on September 7, Paws events take place all over B.C.

Learn more and get started at spca.bc.ca/walk!