Cat In Distress Alert

Thank you for wanting to help a cat this winter!

ECWAR primarily deal with cats, although we can, from time to time, help with other animals.  It is best for dogs to please get in touch with a dog rescue.  For wildlife, WildNorth -- https://wildnorth.ca/ is best. If they aren't open, we have helped wildlife on occasion, even a dog.

If you are on this page and reading this, you have to understand a few things, as there are misconceptions about what we do.

1. Almost all outside cats that come around to a house are abandoned.  They have lived in a house but their guardians kicked them out for one reason or another.  This is the hard lesson we have learned.  These cats are looking for shelter and food.  Some want to come in but are too afraid, although some are pretty forward about it.
2. We do not have an infinite number of resources to take in all stray cats at this time.  We are working to change this but it is in the future.
3. Right now, we bend over backwards to help injured, distressed, or pregnant cats as well as moms with kittens and abandoned kittens that are outside.
4. So if you see a cat that wants help, please do what you can to help it.  Food, water, and get it some kind of shelter if it keeps coming around.  We do provide emergency winter shelters.
5. If you can bring it in, isolate it and follow the instructions on our FOUND AN OUTSIDE CAT page. It is important to look for an owner.  That page tells you what to do.
6. You might think rescues are agencies that help everyone who calls as soon as possible.  That's not possible, and it's not even reasonable.  We are not government agencies.  We are people who care about animals who devote their spare time (some much more than that) to helping these animals.  We might unreasonably expect that you should too, because there isn't enough rescue space in all the rescues in Edmonton to take every cat that should be saved.  Cat abandonment and rescue are community problems and only community members can solve it.  That includes you.  Please step up if you can. We can help you with advice and possibly more.
7. If you see a distressed or injured cat, etc., as per the categories above, take some photos, get the address, confirm whether it will stick around there, then fill out the form below.  There is nothing worse than being told about a cat that needs to be rescued, only to show up and the cat has left.
8. Depending on the situation, we may not respond immediately.  There are only a few of us.  We are a volunteer organization.  It may take us some time to mobilize resources.  But sometimes we perform miracles.
9. When we do respond, we prefer to do so by TEXT.
10. We are not a surrender rescue.  Please don't ask us.  It breaks our hearts.  At some point, we will have a page up here on resources for that situation, as it is much too common.

All that being said, here is a form you can fill out to contact us about an animal in trouble this winter.