Lethbridge People for Animal Welfare (PAW) Society rescues and re-homes abandoned cats. It has been active since 1999 and has saved the lives of several thousand homeless cats in Lethbridge and surrounding areas, Alberta, Canada. It funds its programs through donations, fundraising and by nominal adoption fees. Some of its cats move in and out quickly, but some cats do not. This is never something the Society anticipates – i.e. that a cat will be in its care for the rest of its life. It's just something that happens for a variety of reasons, most of them unpredictable. The cats in PAW's system, therefore, are a mix of adoptable cats and sanctuary cats. At the end of the day, The PAW Society is responsible for all the cats in its care and whether those are with it short term or long term, they must be fed and cared for. The PAW Society’s commitment to every rescued cat, no matter what its adoptability status turns out to be, remains firm – a refuge for as long as necessary.

There is no study that determines why the number of abandoned and unwanted cats is so high, though the sudden increase in prices, throughout Canada and the world post-COVID, is a likely contributor to the increase in requests to take in cats. The average global cost of living has risen more in the 18 months since the start of 2021 than it did during the preceding five years combined. People are giving up on their cats because they say they can’t afford them. And, if they cannot find somewhere to take them, the pets are often left outside to fend for themselves. Despite the on-going and alarming number of homeless cats, the PAW Society remains dedicated to responding to every message, always with the goal of offering as much education as the individual is willing to accept. Of course, PAW takes in cats when there is foster home availability.

Our goal has always been and will remain - to raise the value of cats. Cats are under-valued and unappreciated and far too easy to acquire. Our organization is dedicated to raising their value through advocacy. We teach people about responsible pet guardianship including proper nutrition, health care, the importance of spaying/neutering, safety, and the lifetime commitment that every pet deserves. We improve cats’ lives for the rest of their lives by finding appropriate, loving, permanent, adoptive homes through a vigorous screening process. We monitor current and proposed local animal control bylaws and regulations as they relate to cats and make our voices known when proposed changes to laws will only further punish these tiny victims.