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Mission woman has a knack for calming cats

Pat Jackman has volunteered at the Fraser Valley Humane Society for more than seven years.
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Pat Jackman takes a few moments out of her busy day to get some cuddle time with Sweetie. Jackman is a volunteer with the Fraser Valley Humane Society and seems to have a talent for taming the wilder cats that come into the Railway Avenue facility.

It’s been seven years since Pat Jackman walked through the doors of the Fraser Valley Humane Society.

A long-time Mission resident and a cat lover, Jackman was originally drawn in by a painting of a cat on the outside of the building, but it was the real cats inside that convinced her to volunteer.

Originally she volunteered to work two hours a day, one day a week.

“That never did happen. I just never went home,” she said

Jackman now comes to the facility five days a week.

“Well, I really, really, really like cats. I like animals anyway but I like cats.”

While she helps out any way she can – laundry, dishes and general cleaning – Jackman seems to have a special talent. She has a knack for taming the wilder cats and calming them down. A much sought after skill considering many of the cats are in rough shape, physically and mentally, when they arrive at the society.

But how do you tame a wild cat?

“Very carefully.”

As she walked around the facility, Jackman opened one of the holding areas and walked in. A grey cat, Tundra, immediately came up beside her and allowed Jackman to pet her.

Tundra has been at the facility for about four months. The cat was born in a woodpile in somebody’s backyard. Then, had a litter of kittens in the same woodpile.

“When she first came in here she would spit at you and lunge at you so, I’ve got her this far,” said Jackman as she stroked Tundra’s head.

But it isn’t always easy.

“I had 18 holes in my hand one day, I went to the hospital. It was a weird week,” she said.

But she is quick to say the cats aren’t to blame for biting, it’s usually something a person does to trigger the cat.

Despite the odd bite, it’s hard not to get attached to the cats while helping to care for them, but Jackman said she doesn’t get upset when they are adopted.

“That part is not so hard. If I know they are going to a good home and they are going to get out of here and they’re going to get a life, then I don’t mind.”

The 64-year-old has experience taking care of lives. Jackman has cats of her own and she used to make a living looking after of children.

“It was for the health unit. There was a program they were running and they needed babysitters. This is much easier.”

While volunteers like Jackman are hard to come by, the society is constantly looking for more help.

The centre, on average has about 35 cats at a time, but depending on the number of kittens, there can be as many as 75.

“We always need volunteers,” said Jackman adding that volunteers will receive “unconditional love, and a few bites.”

Bur she also reminds people that volunteering isn’t about “cuddling the cats.” There is plenty of cleaning, laundry, feeding, fundraising and other chores that need to be done to keep the society going.

And, if your lucky, there’s cat cuddling too.

“I get mine when we lock the door at night.”

For more on the Fraser Valley Humane Society, visit them online at fraservalleyhumanesociety.com or visit the facility at 33103 North Railway Ave. in Mission.



Kevin Mills

About the Author: Kevin Mills

I have been a member of the media for the past 34 years and became editor of the Mission Record in February of 2015.
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