CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - Fur coats were not enough for the residents in Kitty Corner at the P.E.I. Humane Society Thursday during an extended, Islandwide power outage.
So, a nearby business came through to bring some warmth to the cats, birds and other critters, as well as their human companions.
The Humane Society was blacked out most of the day, with the power going off when staff arrived in the morning and not returning until 6 p.m.
Jennifer Harkness, development manager for the P.E.I Humane Society, said the shelter’s generator could only power two rooms – leaving Kitty Corner and adjacent rooms in the cold.
“We were worried about the two rooms at the front of the building because we had birds which cannot get cold and we had some kittens and other cats as well,” she said, adding moving those particular pets could cause stress.
“(Kittens) just can’t generate their own body heat. Even though we have heating vests and that kind of thing it is still a worry."
-Jennifer Harkness
So, the humane society staff posted on their Facebook page, asking followers if anyone might have a generator.
The response to their post on social media was immediate, Harkness said, with many members of the community offering up their generator to assist warming the animals. One of the first organizations to offer help was Princess Auto’s P.E.I. location.
“They brought the generator down. But, by the time we got it all hooked up and ready to go, the power ended up coming back on.”
However, they also had the basement to deal with. It was flooded, and even when the electricity came back on, the sump pump, which would remove the water, still wasn’t working.
Princess Auto came through again.
“They brought us a sump pump that did work. They came to the rescue in a couple different ways, and it was really nice.”
Staff members also took home three small kittens they were really worried about, just in case the shelter lost power again.
“(Kittens) just can’t generate their own body heat. Even though we have heating vests and that kind of thing it is still a worry,” said Harkness. “whereas an adult cat can generate heat and can tolerate some cold temperatures.”
The P.E.I. Humane Society has dealt with power outages before, Harkness said.
“The power has gone out for a brief period of time in Charlottetown, but we’re not used to it being out for such a long period. Our biggest concern was the animals, making sure they were comfortable.”
