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UPDATE: COVID impact on Lower Mainland woman’s finances puts her kitty’s future in jeopardy

Public donates enough to allow Burley the cat to have dental surgery
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Cheryl Roberts is like so many struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic, but she’s thought that a lack of funds would mean having to put down her cat.

After Black Press Media covered her story, the public has come through in a big way and Burley sees the doctor Thursday.

“This man is the love of my life,” she said of her cat, Burley. “He showed up on my doorstep around 11 years ago.”

He stuck around. The Langley woman recently found out Burley, who is between 12 and 14 years old, needed dental surgery on four problem teeth.

“Unfortunately I am now on a fixed income, disability,” she explained. “I am simply unable to come up with that kind of money.”

She’s searched around for any solution she could think of, asking for advice online and approaching local animal welfare organizations but to no avail.

“I have called everyone and anyone, with COVID a lot of the places… are not looking at applications until mid March, and that is no guarantee I will get help,” she said.

Roberts has created a GoFundMe page hoping to raise the $2,000 needed to pay for his surgery because he can’t wait. As of Monday morning, she had sufficient funds to cover his surgery. Roberts was overwhelmed by the help.

“I cried a lot. There are a lot of very kind-hearted people out there. It’s absolutely amazing,” she said.

She said she couldn’t imagine her life without her furry friend, particularly since COVID and the forced isolation.

“He is the funniest cat I have ever seen, sometimes I feel as though he knows more than he can share with a look,” Roberts said.

Any pledges over and above the amount required for the dental care will be donated to the Langley Animal Protection Society which reached out to her after the story appeared online.

“They have been wonderful,” Roberts said.


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Heather Colpitts

About the Author: Heather Colpitts

Since starting in the news industry in 1992, my passion for sharing stories has taken me around Western Canada.
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