The Okanagan Humane Society is asking the community to take extra precautions with their animals at this time of year, particularly those that are prone to escaping or allowed to live indoor/outdoor.

鈥淲e always try to encourage people to keep their pets inside, but at this time of year especially when the weather cools off, predator animals are coming out at night to find food, which puts pets at an increased risk鈥� warns Romany Runnalls, Volunteer President.

In local neighbourhood Facebook groups, coyote sightings have become increasingly common. A large black bear was filmed running down Glenmore Road, a main artery in 琉璃神社, and a portion of Mission Creek Regional Park was recently closed due to bear activity.

鈥淲e have also seen a rapid increase in reports of cats being lost, or found injured or deceased in our local communities due to predators at large,鈥� says Runnalls.

Just last week volunteers from the Okanagan Humane Society rescued a tabby cat near Casorso Road, where it was reported that two cats had recently been taken by coyotes. He is one of nearly 50 animals reported in the last seven days alone, some of which are brought into care with injuries from surviving outside.

Runnalls encourages pet owners to microchip their animals so that if they are found and reported through their Rescue Program, OHS can reunite them safely with their owners.

鈥淲e always check for microchip identification and contact the owner before posting as found, but we do also get animals that go unclaimed, and those move through our Adoption Program once they鈥檝e been vetted,鈥� says Runnalls.

Runnalls explains that adult cats who are homeless or abandoned need time and patience before being adopted, and foster homes are crucial to their success.

鈥淎n unowned cat that鈥檚 been outside for a long time will be in fight or flight mode and seem quite fearful, and might even appear feral when in reality it鈥檚 just a very scared cat,鈥� says Runnalls. 鈥淲e try to take it slow and place cats in suitable foster homes where they can fully decompress, and that鈥檚 crucial. We could not do what we do without our volunteer fosters to provide shelter for animals.鈥�

Runnalls encourages the community to report sightings of homeless animals through the Rescue Program on their website so that a dedicated volunteer can follow up and provide guidance on how to safely capture the animal.

If you would like to volunteer to foster rescued animals with the Okanagan Humane Society, you can do so by submitting a Volunteer form at .