Capital Cat Clinic is a full service cat hospital and is open six days a week. Services include medicine, surgery, dentistry, digital x-rays, boarding, and grooming. Our clinic is designed to minimize stress for our feline patients and maximize their health and quality of life.

Capital Cat Clinic provides services at a reduced rate to a number of animal rescue organizations in the Victoria & Sidney area. We support the goals of rescue groups in neutering or spaying all cats and placing them in loving forever homes.

The building has convenient parking right at the door. Located at 5411 Hamsterly Road on the scenic shores of Elk Lake on Highway 17, the clinic can easily be accessed from any of the major routes in Victoria, Saanich or Sidney.

An area  at the west side of the clinic has been set aside for a Turtle Habitat.  The Western Painted Turtle population is endangered in Southern Vancouver Island and the Elk and Beaver Lake areas are home to a population of these turtles here in Greater Victoria.  The Habitat area has been developed under the guidance of the Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT), a local organization dedicated to creating and renewing habitats for native species.  Specific soil mixes and graveled areas have been put in place which would be suitable for nesting if turtles approach the site.  HAT have experienced turtle nesting success with this method in the immediate area.  A small pond has also been installed in the habitat area which is also likely to favour the Pacific tree frog.

To request a 30 minute appointment time via email, click here

For pet owners who are unable to afford a regular wellness exam at one of our full service clinics or hospitals, Shaw Pet Hospital’s Vetcetera Spay/Neuter, Vaccination & Microchip Program may offer an affordable alternative.  This program has been running every two weeks for the past two years and we have altered over 1500 pets in the program!

Vetcetera Pet Hospital- A Shaw Pet & Equine Hospital

(please note that the Vetcetera Pet Hospital is run by the Shaw Pet & Equine Hospitals and is not affiliated in any way with the Petcetera store)

10A – 3170 Tillicum Rd
Victoria, BC V9A 7C5
Tel: (778) 410-2179

Send Us An Email

Important: If you have an urgent or time sensitive question that requires immediate assistance, please do not email but call us directly by phone.

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Hours
9am – 8pm Monday to Friday
10am – 5pm Saturday
11am – 5pm Sunday

Note: For holidays, we generally follow Mall hours which are typically 11am – 5pm. Please call ahead to confirm.

We are located in the upper level of Tillicum Mall next to Petcetera. With plenty of parking and easy bus access it is very popular with clients in the Victoria area.

Patients are seen by appointment only; spay and neuter services are normally offered on alternate Wednesdays.

Our professional affiliations include Victoria Academy of Veterinary Medicine and British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association (BCVMA).

All of the folks at GVAC want to wish all of our fellow rescuers, volunteers, adoptive homes, foster homes, fundraisers, donors, vet offices and everyone who works hard to help animals in need.  Thank you for everything you do and for being part of our community!  Here is to a wonderful 2013 full of kindness and caring.

• GVAC has no Shelter or Facility. Therefore, each animal is placed into a foster home which means we can tell you about each animal’s personality in a home environment.
• Each cat receives not only a vet check up, vaccines, deworm, deflea and spay/neuter, but we also do blood work on every cat to ensure they do not have FIV or Leukemia.
• All dogs are vet checked, dewormed, deflead, spayed/neutered and assessed by a dog trainer.
• We do home visits prior to every adoption. This is a personal way we can ensure we find the best fit not only for the animals, but for the new home as well.
• The volunteers at GVAC are always available to you for advice or assistance — even years after adoption! When you adopt from us we are always here to provide any guidance we can. Whatever the question, concern, or issue that may arise down the road, we are always here to help if we can! Just send us an email at info@animalcrusaders.ca. We want to ensure everyone is happy and healthy for the life of the pet.
• We are a 100% “Volunteer” Organization so every penny raised goes to the animals. As well you can be assured that since we are completely run by volunteers we are all here for the love and passion of each and every animal. These animals are being fostered in our homes so our hearts are invested in each and every one of them!

What is a Feral Cat?

Feral cats are the offspring of domestic cats who have never lived with humans. They are the prod­uct of human neglect and live in colonies in alleys, dumps, parks, on school grounds – wherever they can find food and shelter.  If you have ever tried to approach a scruffy cat, only to find it retreat­ing with lightening speed, apparently afraid to come anywhere near, you have likely encountered a feral cat.

Many people mistakenly think that feral cats refer to all stray cats. Cats that are seen roaming on the street are often runaways or neglected cats that have had contact with humans and are not true feral cats.  Another mistaken opinion is that feral cats are wildlife. Feral cats cannot be defined as ‘wildlife’ in that they are not a naturally occurring wild species. Rather, feral cats are descended from domestic animals that, due to human neglect, have been forced to live as wild animals. As such, their care is society’s responsibility.

Feral cats are a growing concern in cities across Canada be­cause they multiply quickly and spread diseases to other felines. Cats breed rapidly and one cat and its offspring can produce 420,000 cats in seven years, with two or three litters per year. The volunteers of Greater Victoria Animal Crusad­ers and Dee’s Orphan Kitten Fund work to make a better life for these cats. Most feral cats live less than 2 or 3 years if they manage to survive beyond kitten hood.

GVAC and Dee’s support a ‘trap, spay/neuter, vaccinate and release program’, which involves catching stray and feral cats, neutering and vaccinating them and then releasing them. The process will effectively decrease the number of feral cats as they will not be able to reproduce.

Some people have advocated eutha­nasia as the most appropriate method to solve the problem of feral cat colonies. However, this approach does very little. Once all the feral cats in a colony are euthanized to wipe out the colony, other abandoned cats will move into the space, breed and the colony will restart. Our ap­proach is more effective and more humane.

If you see or know of a bunch of cats that you suspect may be feral, please call us, and we will work to make their lives better. If you see a preg­nant cat please call, as many females cats are abandoned once they get pregnant. We do not want them to give birth outside, but rather safely in one of our foster homes.

 If you find a bunch of kittens outside, gather them up immediately. For exam­ple, if they are in your compost bin, un­der your deck, or in a wood pile, imme­diate intervention is necessary. Gather them up even if they are very small and call or email:

 Dee’s Orphan Kitten Fund (Dees) ph# 250-896-5771 email: nkroschi@shaw.ca or Greater Victoria Animal Crusaders (GVAC) email: info@animalcrusaders.ca

Please keep watch for the mom cat, as we will want to catch her if possible.