VOKRA’s Guiding Beliefs and Principles

The following beliefs and principles guide our attitudes and actions:

We believe in a no kill philosophy and practice this with all domestic and feral cats in our care. We use all treatments and behavior modifications available to us to resolve illness and behavioral issues. We do not abort visibly pregnant cats. We educate the public that all cats deserve the right to life. We support other rescues who also believe in No Kill and encourage those that don't, to embrace it.

 We practice a science based and holistic approach to health and behavior care for cats, in consultation with our partner vets.

 We are committed to using only pine pellets, paper pellets, and other natural clumping and non-clumping litters. We do not use silica or clay litters, and we educate our foster homes, adopters, and the public about the health risks associated with clay and chemical litters for kittens. For more information about providing a safe home environment, please refer to VOKRA's "Health & Care" guide.

We believe in the responsible use of vaccines and provide the FVRCP vaccine for our cats. We do not administer Rabies or Feline Leukemia vaccines as our cats are adopted into indoor homes only. It is suggested that adopters consult with their veterinarians to determine if any additional vaccinations are required.

 We are committed to a foster home rescue system that is cage-free, where cats in our care are placed in foster homes to experience a safe and enriched living environment.

 We believe in feeding cats a high-quality wet food for optimum health. We do this by feeding cats in our care a quality wet, grain, and by-product free canned food or raw food diet. We educate our adopters on the benefits of this principle, and we educate the public on the importance of healthy food. Donations of dry or other canned foods are always welcome for our feral colony feeders and barn cats.

 We believe owned cats should remain indoors for their safety. We do this by adopting our tame cats to indoor homes only. We educate our adopters and the public on the benefits of indoor only and how the adopter can enrich the cats’ indoor environment and we teach them about building enclosures or Catio’s attached to their home.

When we need to transfer a cat to another rescue it will also be a VOKRA approved no kill organization.

We believe in TNR. We Trap, Neuter, vaccinate and then Return feral cats to their original location after addressing any illness found. We practise TNR to reduce the number of kittens born to feral cats in the community. We will endeavor to sterilize 100% of the cats and then ensure that they receive continued support for feeding and health.

We strive to remain predominantly volunteer driven.

 We believe in doing what is best for the cats and will always be our primary consideration when making any decisions about their care.

 We stand by “Once a VOKRA kitty, always a VOKRA kitty”. We do this by accepting all former VOKRA adopted cats back into our care if the owner can no longer care for them.