Bill the caring cat

Bill is a great help to others but this time he needed help

All cats are special in their own ways, but there’s one feline VHS came across who’s putting his exceptional qualities to good use.

His name is Bill and he belongs to the Chrysalis Society, a Vancouver non-profit helping women recover from substance abuse.  Chrysalis contacted VHS because Bill had a painful fractured tooth that needed extracting and the society was strapped for funds to pay the vet costs.

In talking to the people at Chrysalis we discovered that Bill plays an important role in the lives of the women the society supports.  He lives in one of the Chrysalis houses, where up to nine women are accommodated and where Bill has quite a therapeutic effect on the clients. Rayma Hagan, a housing manager at Chrysalis, told us about Bill’s role since he arrived six years ago:

“Bill quickly demonstrated that he was a working cat with an intuition that enabled him to connect at a heart level with each woman that he came in contact with.  He spends extra time with women when he senses their pain.”

And Rayma says Bill’s job is not without its perks: “Some of Bill’s favourite pastimes are going for rides in the car, greeting the neighbours, hanging out/snuggling with the women.  He does love to sit on your shoulder, especially at Christmas while setting up the tree, or while riding slowly on your bike down the lane way. Bill is a pleasure to have around. Everyone loves him!”

Bill’s tooth extraction went well and he’s back on the job.  We’re always pleased when we can ensure an animal gets the care he or she needs, but it was especially gratifying to help one who does a lot of caring himself!