Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA) is a volunteer-driven non-profit dedicated to the rescue of cats in the Lower Mainland. We also coordinate rescue work with other groups in BC. VOKRA has a no-kill policy and does not operate a traditional shelter. Instead, we have more than 350 individual foster homes throughout the Lower Mainland. In this way we're able to protect the very young from colds, distemper, parasites and other transmissible illnesses. In a home environment, our cats are safe and well socialized, with lots of love and attention. VOKRA covers all of the costs and provides ongoing support to foster families. We formed our rescue in 2000, with the plan of caring for very young, mainly bottle-feeding kittens. This age rarely survived if found without a mother cat as very few people know how or are able to provide the round-the-clock feeding and necessary care. We soon found that older kittens, under the age at which they could safely be vaccinated, also would do much better in a foster home. Mother cats, both tame and feral, joined the list. VOKRA has grown rapidly since its founding, from approximately 150 kittens and adult cats per year to more than 800 in 2008, to a high of 1,835 in 2014. We do all of this entirely with dedicated volunteers, private donations and bequests.
