A huge word of thanks to Eric Goldapple, a member of the Volunteer Citizens on Patrol (VCOP). He has agreed to be the official liaison between the VCOPs and the Côte Saint-Luc Cats Committee, something I have been trying to establish for some time now.
With support from Councillor Glenn J. Nashen and Public Safety Director Jordy Reichson, I believe we are moving in a positive direction. The VCOPs patrol the streets of Côte Saint-Luc regularly, so it makes perfect sense for them to be our eyes and ears.
Eric and his wife Joan were cat owners. “I personally adopted two cats, although I am highly allergic, on two different occasions when I noticed them wandering around in my backyard,” says Eric. “One died after six months as he had a heart murmur and the other lived for five years as he had Feline immunodeficiency virus or FIV. I knew that both must have been abandoned as they had been fixed. They made great pets.”
At a VCOPs meeting, Eric asked his fellow patrollers to begin looking out for strays, , kittens, as well as domestic cats that may have been abandoned and become homeless. “I mentioned how important it was to keep the feral cat population under control and emphasized the need to rescue kittens as well as domesticated cats if they can be identified as such,” he said.
.
