Kitten found living in hoarding situation with 71 B.C. cats finds forever home

One of 71 cats and kittens that were seized from a Squamish motorhome after living in deplorable conditions, has found a new home.

The cat's owner Cheryl Balcilek, was keeping the cats in two motorhomes. According to a recently published Dec. 15, 2021, B.C. Farm Industry Review Board decision, the cats were living in squalid conditions with a lack of litter boxes and overwhelming smell of ammonia.

"The carpets around the front two seats of the motorhome were drenched in what I suspected was cat urine from the smell," the decision reads. "All the windows of the motorhome were covered in a yellowish film of wet cat fur."

READ MORE: B.C. woman loses appeal after 71 cats seized from her motorhome

Now, the SPCA reported Ginger, a kitten recovered from the seizure, has been adopted. She is described as a very shy cat who has the "most amazing personality once she got comfortable around you,” said Chloe MacBeth, manager Chilliwack BC SPCA, in a press release from the SPCA.

Ginger spent some time with a foster family who taught her how to use a litter box and helped her get comfortable being around people. Then she was ready to go to her forever home.

Fern and her family first spotted Ginger on the B.C. SPCA site. They were focused on finding a kitten who was ready to be loved and pampered for the rest of her life and the perfect pal for Anubis, their eight-year-old cat at home.

They went into the Chilliwack BC SPCA to meet Ginger on Jan. 4. She was terribly shy and was hanging out with two other kittens when they were introduced. “At the beginning she stayed as far away from us as she could get,” Fern said, in the press release. “She tracked all of our movements while we played with the other kittens. You could tell she wanted to come over and meet us, she just wasn’t sure yet.”

They knew if they were patient Ginger would eventually come around and slowly but surely she made it clear she wanted in on the action. “With some quiet patience it wasn’t more than 30 minutes before Ginger started to pounce on the feather toys and let us pet her,” Fern said.

Ginger’s older brother Anubis has warmly embraced her. He loves to groom Ginger, especially the back of her head, and loves to play with her. “Ginger has really been a life-saver for Anubis,” Fern said. “We lost our cat Big Kitty in June 2021 and then our beloved Sheltie Roonie, shortly before we adopted Ginger.”

One of Ginger’s favourite new things is a blanket that Fern knit. “This may be the last blanket I knit,” Fern said, in the press release. “Ginger loves to play with the yarn. I get a few stitches in and then she wants to play so badly, I end up putting it down to play with her instead.” 

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