Cat seen locked out on Burnaby balcony ‘for months’ now in care, BC SPCA says – BC

The cat, which has recently received a lot of attention on social media, is now under foster care. BC SPKA confirmed.

The cat first came to the attention of neighbors at the Burnaby house on Hazel Street, who said the cat had been locked on the balcony in the elements for about three months and they could hear it meowing anxiously.

Neighbors told Global News that the BC SPCA visited the building once but said they could not proceed because they could not contact building management.

Neighbors said they also contacted the concierge and building manager about the cat and posted information about the problem on social networks.

In a statement to Global News, Thomas McGreer, vice president of AWM Alliance Real Estate Group, which manages the building, confirmed that efforts to resolve the issue are ongoing.

“Unfortunately, our office staff have been the target of verbal abuse from concerned neighbors calling allegedly because of a social media post,” McGreer said.

“We appreciate and share the concerns expressed about the welfare of the animal, but we are unable to discuss or comment on the situation outside of Strata Corporation and its governing body. We hope that all concerned will understand this.”

Kayla Wolf, senior director of media and internal communications for the BC SPCA, said an investigation has been launched with the animal welfare team and attention to the cat's plight has increased over the past 48 hours due to social media attention.

“At this time, we can confirm that the cat in question, the cat that was on the patio, is in the care, although not in the care of the BC SPCA,” she said.

“The cat did not require our care. He is no longer on the patio, he is no longer on the balcony. Our animal welfare officers were able to confirm that this cat is healthy, appears physically fine in its current form, and we will also be monitoring the care of this animal.”

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Wolf said she could not provide any details about where the cat is now. She wanted to reassure everyone that the cat was being looked after and not in trouble, and that it was the animal welfare team's job to communicate with owners or carers and ensure they had access to resources and information.

She said this could also result in the animal being confiscated.

However, Wolf said it is important to remember that they are not a government-funded organization.

“The (animal welfare) legislation has some clear steps and rules about how the BC SPCA animal welfare team can investigate situations of potential cruelty,” she said.

“One of those things, of course, is that we are not allowed to search for evidence or remove animals from a situation without a search warrant unless the animal is in clear, immediate distress.”

Wolf said when it comes to private property, they need the cooperation of the building manager, the owner or in this case, the police.

At the moment, there is no information about where the cat's owners are and why the cat was left on the balcony in the first place.

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