Elisabeth Comtois is a longtime volunteer at the Nanaimo and District SPCA and will be locked in with three medically-quarantined cats on Saturday, June 22 from noon until 2 p.m. for their annual Lock-in for Love event. (Nanaimo SPCA)

By Jordan Davidson

huge fundraiser

Nanaimo SPCA caging humans during Saturday’s Lock-in for Love event

Jun 22, 2024 | 10:40 AM

NANAIMO — Rescue animals at SPCA branches across B.C. will be getting some human companionship in their kennels today.

The annual Lock-in for Love fundraiser has been running all month long at SPCA branches province-wide, but Saturday, June 22 is when volunteers will be locked up with their furry friends while they solicit donations.

That includes Elisabeth Comtois, a long-time volunteer at the Nanaimo and District SPCA (NDSPCA), who told NanaimoNewsNOW this event is a good reminder about the realities shelter animals live in.

“Having a lock-in event like that is just us humans locking ourselves in as an animal, and just raises the awareness that we don’t want the animals in shelters. We really want to find good homes for them.”

The Lock-in for Love event at the NDSPCA at 154 Westwood Rd. runs from noon until 2 p.m. and will be livestreamed on their Facebook page.

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She is also what SPCA’s branches call a “foster fail”, as she ended up adopting a cat from the local branch after first fostering her “special little guy.”

Comtois will actually have more legroom than other participants, as she has decided to lock herself into the medical room with three cats, who are currently quarantined due to ringworm infections.

She said when an animal is isolated for medical reasons, they can often equate human interactions with unpleasant medical procedures.

“I feel these animals don’t get enough human contact and socialization so I like to go in and spend time with them so that they also get to experience a touch that’s not associated with care, whether being an injection, a pill, or some kind of treatment that’s not necessarily pleasant. I want them to have pleasant human contact.”

All money raised from the Lock-In for Love event goes back to the life-saving programs provided by branches across B.C. (Submitted/Nanaimo SPCA)

Comtois has already surpassed her initial fundraising goal of $500, almost doubling the total two days prior to the event.

She said she’ll spend a few hours in isolation with the kitties, in full PPE gear while giving the animals some much-needed socializing.

“That’s something I get a lot of satisfaction doing. I have done quite a bit of that in the last two years, spending time with these animals that are in isolation.”

You can donate to the Nanaimo branch here, or any other SPCA across B.C. by visiting lockin.spca.bc.ca.

As of Friday, June 21, the NDSPCA branch had raised over $14,000, putting them in third place for SPCA branches province-wide.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNOW