The Toronto Humane Society is saying it never received any money from an online campaign to raise funds for the treatment of a kitten rescued from Highway 427 last month.
Passerby Mandi Howard rescued Pedro the kitten after she said the feline was tossed from a moving car on Highway 427. She brought the injured kitten to the Toronto Humane Society’s River Street facility.
Pedro has received treatment at the facility ever since.
A fundraising campaign for the kitten was launched on the crowdsourcing website Indiegogo on Dec. 6. and raised $9,595 by the time it was closed off on Jan. 5.
However in a news release issued Friday, the humane society said the total cost of Pedro’s care amounts to about $1,000 and that it hasn’t seen any of the money raised through the online campaign.
“The dollars raised through the Indiegogo campaign have not been directed to Pedro's care. Pedro's care was paid for by the generous donors of the Toronto Humane Society,” the organization said in the release.
The humane society released its statement Friday following a report in The Toronto Star that the woman who rescued the kitten is at the centre of a fraud investigation by Toronto police.
In its release, the humane society said it contacted police about the campaign after receiving questions from would-be donors and an email from one of the fundraising organizers on Dec. 16 that “caused us concern.”
In that email, the campaign administrator indicated that the funds raised would not be directed to the humane society after Pedro was released, Toronto Humane Society spokesperson Makyla Deleo told CP24.com Friday.
The organization said it was never associated with the online campaign and went on to say that it will not accept any of the money raised through it.
“The Toronto Humane Society will not accept funds that are raised under false pretense and therefore will not accept the funds raised through the Indiegogo campaign,” the statement said.
However Toronto Police told CP24.com Friday that there is in fact no fraud investigation into fundraising for the kitten and that they’re not sure where the suggestion came from. They also said they are not investigating Howard.
In the statement, the humane society also said the Howard remains first in line to adopt the kitten – currently being cared for in a foster home – when he is fully healed.
Deleo said there is no concern about Howard’s ability to care for the kitten.
“Our issue is with the indigogo campaign and the campaign administrator,” she said.
No further costs are anticipated in the kitten’s recovery, the humane society said.
It’s not clear what the funds raised on Indiegogo will be used for now. In an interview with The Toronto Star, Howard said she always planned to donate the money to the humane society, but was waiting for them to contact her.
According to paper, Howard is working on starting a not-for-profit organization dedicated to cat rescue.
Howard’s friends have said they plan to hold a rally to support her outside of the Toronto Humane Society on River Street at 2 p.m.
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