Renee DeMatteo has been volunteering with cat rescues across Toronto for 15 years, ever since she adopted her first foster feline friend and saw the firsthand impact it made in her life and for the animal to be welcomed into a loving environment. Today, she's a foster mom to eight cats and representing Team Cat Rescue (T.E.A.M.— Together Every Animal Matters) at this year's Pride: a 100 per cent volunteer-run and foster-based organization that operates across the Greater Toronto Area.
Team Cat Rescue has been operating since 2013, created by two cat-lover founders who wanted to push back against animal kill shelters and gassing pounds on the rise across Ontario and Quebec, with overcrowding still creating high strain on rescue shelters. The organization is committed to taking care of at-risk cats that are considered 'undesirables' by other kill shelters who may see the cats as not easily adoptable, whether that be for complex health issues, age, or behavioural reasons.
Team Cat Rescue pulls most of its cats from kill shelters, DeMatteo said, though they occasionally take in cats from hoarding situations. At the heart of the work is a team of hundreds of volunteers who exist to embrace cats through all states and stages of their life to support them in giving them a chance to find their 'furever' homes.
Although the rescue has no physical shelter, it successfully operates entirely through individual foster volunteers' homes across the GTA until the animal's adoption is finalized. DeMatteo explains the role the organization plays in bringing together older cats at risk to be stabilized, and sometimes even kittens. Senior cats often wait far longer than kittens to be considered for adoption, with adoption rates for kittens being much higher. On average, kittens under one year are typically adopted within two months. That wait time doubles for cats between 2 and 3 years old, and is 10 times longer for cats between 9 and 10 years old.
Team Cat Rescue provides vet care for all the animals they bring in.
"Even healthy cats require spay-neuter, chipping, just your standard stuff," she said, before pointing to the more complex work the rescue takes on compared to other shelters, "But then we're also bringing in cats that are requiring major surgery, amputations, and stuff, and they bounce right back, and they're awesome in homes." Renee DeMatteo, Team Cat Rescue
Fostering a cat can be a very fulfilling and rewarding cycle, especially when you consider how many senior cats are passed over when families begin searching for their next pet. There is great value in providing shelter and companionship, even temporarily, she explained,
"Adopting is great, fostering is almost even better, because a lot of those older cats don't get the same attention or love, and they need that space," she said. "Bringing in a cat or two, it might just be a week or two, it might be six months, you never know - but you've made a real difference in that cat's life. And then the next ones you bring in when they get adopted, it's a fantastic circle." Renee DeMatteo, Team Cat Rescue
The Team Cat Rescue provides a continuing series on their page called Happy Tails where readers and potential adopters can follow the featured stories of cats who found lifelong homes including bonded pairs, cats with FIV, and even one whose story began on the streets of Cairo, Egypt.
For DeMatteo, one of the most common doubts she hears when people begin considering becoming a foster parent is the concern around the emotional toll of eventually having to let their foster pet go,
"A lot of people worry about fostering because they're like, 'how do I [eventually] let one of my cats go?'" she said. "It's because you know that it's going to a home that's going to love it forever, and you've opened up a space so that it even saves the life of another cat that can now come into your space." Renee DeMatteo, Team Cat Rescue
This is Team Cat Rescue's first time setting up at Pride, and DeMatteo shares that the booth has received an outpour of support and recognition from the community, with many future foster parents approaching for resources and information. The booth provides foster parents and pet-parents alike with miniature costumes to dress up their furry friends: cheerleader outfits, hockey jerseys, and Halloween costumes, as well as pet treats, carriers, and pop-culture posters like 'Indiana Paws' and 'Paw N' Order' for animal lovers.
DeMatteo describes it as an 'unbeatable' event, with an all-day steady stream of foot traffic from cat people and even some dog people being drawn in by the punny merchandise. DeMatteo is no stranger to the chaotic fun of trying to dress and prop up her pets for every seasonal festivity, and of course - the annual family Christmas card.
"I do have cats of my own, and I subject them to photo shoots," DeMatteo laughed. Her tried-and-true tip: "If you do it fast enough, they just kind of accept it."
Team Cat Rescue has no set plans to attend other summer markets at the moment, but stays active through their website and social media, where they consistently update their site with cats and kittens alongside photos and bios, to connect foster-parents across the GTA with animals who may have not gotten the chance to find their 'fur-ever' home.
