How Kamloops residents can help animals in need this holiday season

KAMLOOPS – The B.C. SPCA in Kamloops has two different ways for you to support the shelter and its animals over the holidays.

“Not all the animals are going to be adopted in time for Christmas. For the ones who are not adopted, it would be nice if they get something from Santa too,” Lyndsay Stewart with the Kamloops SPCA says.

Present for Pets allows residents to choose a shelter animal to buy gifts for. You can stop by the shelter and choose a tag from the Christmas tree which had a brief description of an animal and what it would like for Christmas.

Stewart says residents have been very generous in the past, donating Christmas bags full of treats and toys for shelter animals. She says if a pet is tadopted they will ensure it is sent home with its Christmas presents.

The SPCA has also recently set up a thrift shop at the shelter with a variety of gifts and crafts including scarves, candles and Christmas goods, all donated by the community.

The proceeds from the sale of thrift shop items go towards the shelter’s medical fund which covers the vet bills for shelter animals.

Stewart says, for example, if a cat needs a leg amputation it's going to cost about $700. The medical fund would help pay for it.

The thrift shop was set up this week and will hopefully run three to four months or until the shelter requires the space again, she says.

The Kamloops branch of the B.C. SPCA is located at 1211 8 St.

For more information check out their Facebook page.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dana Reynolds at dreynolds@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.