Woman rescues 180 cats during pandemic, so far

Andrea Caldwell didn't think of herself as a cat person, but since the start of COVID, she has rescued and re-homed about 180 cats.

"My mom was allergic to cats so we never had any when I was growing up. I didn't dislike them, I just thought of myself as more of a dog person," Caldwell said. 

She rescues dogs too, and couldn't help but notice that dozens upon dozens of cats needed help in the Sault and surrounding areas. 

When she moved into a house in the Sault's central area in the winter, she spotted a couple sick, cold, hungry cats roaming the neighbourhood. Unable to find them any help she started leaving food in her porch for them and realized they needed help. 

"It took days but I eventually caught those cats and brought them in," she said. "They were in terrible condition. Just full of worms, fleas and mange. They were starving and frostbitten, the big guys ear was half-frozen off."

She couldn't look at that cat and not do something so the former Toronto area entertainment promotor marked her return to the Sault with a new pastime, one that would consume her life.

Caldwell turned to the considerable network of resourceful people she had built in the GTA for help to find veterinary care, shelter and homes for the direst cases she found, saving the lives of cats other shelters in the Sault would probably have euthanized. 

"Compassion isn't selective," she said. "When I found Elmo, my heart just broke. His leg was badly broken and he had Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). I raised the money for his surgery and Elmo lived out his life surrounded by love. 

That was the beginning of Saving Elmo SSM - Abandoned Northern Animal Rescue operation about five years ago and, since the time, Caldwell and her supporters have rescued at least 400 cats, some dogs and other animals, too. She estimates that as much as half the rescues have been since COVID started.

One of the biggest issues she sees with animal rescue in the Sault is a lack of cooperation among working groups. Another is a lack of public information or education.

"At one point, I had gotten a call about cats in distress in a house so I went to investigate," Caldwell said. "After I the homeowner voluntarily surrendered one of the cats to me, I learned that another agency had been investigating the household for the past two months."

Caldwell also sees a solution to this problem. She wants to set up a Northern Animal Hub that would be a one-stop shop for animal welfare and could include education, spay and neuter clinics, kitten wellness checks, vaccine clinics and an animal food bank for rescues and emergencies. 

"Maybe we could have local vets volunteering one day a week at a clinic," she said.  

It could also be a place for groups they already support such as Northern Reach Rescue Network, Georgian Triangle or K9 Advocates in Manitoba to stop for care to be provided for the animals they are transporting to Southern Ontario. That care would involve a group of volunteers prepared to greet animals in transit to exercise and feed them, clean kennels, feed puppies and provide first aid if necessary. 

It's been an intense five years for Caldwell but she doesn't see herself quitting and it's largely because of Elmo.

He lived only about four more years with Caldwell, finally succumbing to complications from FIV. 

"After four years, he taught me everything about these cats no one wants," she said. "He was the greatest cat ever."

If anything, she'll be more involved as she brings more people on board to help with the Herculean task of creating a Northern Animal Hub.

To that end, a volunteer with Saving Elmo - Abandoned Northern Animal Rescue has created an online survey the group will use to help determine the needs of the community and write proposals for funding.

Saving Elmo SSM - Abandoned Northern Animal Rescue can be found on Facebook.