The Ottawa Humane Society applauds the guilty plea and subsequent sentencing of a lifetime ban from owning animals in a local animal cruelty case involving repeated charges.

OHS Inspectors first charged Sylvie Belanger in May, 2010 with one count of permitting unnecessary distress to animals and three counts of failing to provide adequate standards of care for the approximately 20 cats in her care. In June, 2010 an order was issued to treat her cats for a severe flea infestation. Ms. Belanger failed to comply with the order, was evicted from her apartment, and left behind three cats without care. A second set of charges was laid in July, 2010 stemming from neglect of two cats in her care, including one that died after allegedly being stepped on, and another that drowned in the bathtub.

Ms. Belanger pled guilty to all counts of the initial set of charges. The second set of charges was stayed. In court on February 22, 2011, Ms. Belanger was sentenced to a lifetime ban from owning, having custody or care of any animals. She must also report all address changes to the local humane society or SPCA as well as allow unannounced inspections of her residence to ensure she is in compliance with the order.

Please help fund these critical investigations by making a gift.

Nefertiti and her kittens

Spring is in the air and soon tulips will be poking their heads through the ground. Spring also means the Ottawa Humane Society will face the same crisis as every year: kitten season. Already, we have had several pregnant cats arrive and it's only early April! Nefertiti (shown here) was brought in as a stray and delivered one of the first litters of the season.

Kitten season can lead to overcrowding at the shelter and a need for more long term (8-10 week) foster homes for pregnant cats to help birth and raise the kittens to eight weeks of age.

Responsible pet ownership is the only solution to this recurring issue. Owners should have their pets spayed or neutered, and cats should be kept indoors. It's unlikely that an indoor cat will end up at the OHS as a lost cat, and a spayed or neutered cat cannot produce an unwanted litter. Please help us to provide for the many cats in our care.

Petree is a three year old West Highland Terrier/Cairn Terrier mix. She was surrendered by her owner along with four other dogs, in February. During her check up, the OHS vet determined that Petree was not only very underweight, but also pregnant. Petree moved in with a foster family until her puppies were born. The four lucky pups were born on St. Patrick's Day morning—three girls and a boy, now given Irish names: Molly, Cait, Bree and Quinn. Two are black and white. Two are brown and white. Petree's foster family reports that although Quinn, the boy, was briefly stuck during delivery, mother and puppies are all doing very well! In four weeks, they'll be vet checked and vaccinated, then spayed and neutered at eight weeks. We'll post Petree and puppy updates on OHS social media sites so be sure to check out the OHS blog, follow on Twitter or visit our FaceBook page regularly.

Find out how you can help Petree and other animals like her through the Buddy and Belle fund.