On Thursday, two nine-week-old kittens stopped by the Trail CIBC branch to provide a distraction for employees and customers, potentially wooing them into taking them home.
Melissa Ganzeveld, Trail SPCA board member and CIBC branch manager, says the kittens set up shop in the bank to help raise money and awareness for the local SPCA and the upcoming Paws for a Cause, a fundraising walk to be held in Genelle in September to help fund animal care.
“It's more about raising awareness than raising money, but we are doing that at the same time,” she said.
“We've raised $150 already, but it is more about getting the word out [about Paws for a Cause].”
Bank employees had a naming ceremony for the two kittens first thing in the morning and it was decided the two would be dubbed Dime and Nickel, a fitting choice considering the location.
Ganzeveld says the kittens are just some of the animals available for adoption at the Trail SPCA and when Jackie Galley and James Kearney came into the branch to do some banking. They left the bank with the intention of driving down to the local SPCA branch to adopt one of the kittens on display.
To adopt a kitten at the local SPCA branch, Ganzeveld says it would cost $155. The fee includes a few things kitten owners would need when adopting a new pet.
“The SPCA came in this morning and did a presentation to let everyone know that for these kittens, it has already cost between $400 and $500 to get them just to this point, and that is what we are raising money for – to cover that difference,” she said.
“For the $155, [the kittens] come fixed, with six weeks of insurance, tattoos in their ears and they come with the first month of food.”
To find out more about adopting a new furry family member, contact the Trail BC SPCA at (250) 368-5910 or trail@spca.bc.ca.