Penelakut Island Clinic 2022

Our FIRST community project since COVID started – by Rose RVT

After 2.5 years of being unable to put on CAAT clinics in isolated communities, our first time back was on beautiful Penelakut Island off the coast of Vancouver Island! Our team of technicians, assistants, and doctors were raring to go after such a long time away and the feeling in the community was mutual as we had originally been scheduled to work in Penelakut before the pandemic put the brakes on all of our projects. We arrived for the first time in the late afternoon and immediately set to work transforming a schoolroom into a functioning spay and neuter clinic, complete with intake, prep, surgery, recovery, and medication stations.

The next three and a half days were a whirlwind of surgeries and exams! A local TNR (trap-neuter-return) group called CatNap lent a hand to the project as well, helping to trap and transport feral cats from several locations on the island to our project. These community cats were sedated, examined, sterilized, and returned to their home territory once they recovered fully from their anesthesia.

Meanwhile, community members brought us their own cats and dogs, all of whom were examined, vaccinated, sterilized, and of course, snuggled during their time with us! The days flew by and by the end of the project we had accomplished 80+ surgeries and many exams and vaccines on already spayed or neutered pets. What a difference we were able to make to the community of Penelakut and the lives of the animals there!