Valerie Giles at the White Goose Bistro in Prince George Valerie Giles, a dear friend who passed away recently, contributed several stories to this blog. She shared the striking story of her seven cats when we first met at a Chamber of Commerce function in Prince George, B.C., in the 1990s. While sampling hors d’oeuvres at the airport diner, I found a fast friend with quick wit, an easy laugh and a devotion to cats that eclipsed my own! When her rescue cats, Muffin and Percival, had a litter of five kittens, Valerie couldn’t bear to part with any of them. “It was a huge commitment to take on vet care, including spaying and neutering for the entire seven-member family…. I later realized a return representing one of the best emotional investments I ever made,” she wrote in a 2001 tribute to the tuxedo-coloured mama cat, Muffin, in her “Remembering…” column in The Prince George Citizen. When work took Valerie 800 km (500 miles) north from Vancouver to Prince George in 1993, the felines flew in the best possible comfort: “Muffin and Percy were kenneled together, but each of their offspring (by then almost eight years old) was in his or her individual carrier. In preparation for boarding they were stacked on a large transport cart and moved through the airport. Although slightly tranquilized for their comfort, they were wide-eyed as people walked up to check them out. We flew in a Dash-8 so they could be in comfort at the back of the cabin. The AirBC flight crew good-naturedly checked on them four times during the hour-long flight.” A 2003 tribute to black-and-white Panda, one of the kittens, added: “When we moved to Prince George, we faced the adventure together. I was escorted through the Vancouver airport with seven wide-eyed cats in travel cases stacked up on a huge cart as we rolled through the check-in. Landing in Prince George, we were met by PG Lite Express who gently loaded up the precious cargo and brought everyone to our new house. Being together made the transfer less daunting….” Her feline friends were a lifeline when unexpected challenges arose. Valerie’s rewarding job at the new university soon ended. How hard she worked to stay in town! Her applications to far-flung locales were half-hearted. “I’m content here,” she often told me. “I don’t want to leave.” After all, she had painstakingly flown in her seven cats. “I’m not moving them again!” There was the added grief of losing a relationship. Valerie’s boyfriend had moved with her to Prince George, but soon left for more pay south of the border. She wrote to me, “I decided to focus on the things that delight me — my pets and fixing up my house and garden. I just hope I land something here so I can stay and not have to move away.” Her words encouraged me after a similar loss. Her garden became a haven, surrounded by a special fence that kept cats from roaming — until agile younger cats arrived, who used the upper barrier as a catwalk! “So I installed a cat ladder at the front so if ever anybody was outside the fence and getting chased, it would be easy to scramble back in to safety.” A pond was added which hosted koi fish in the summers. In July, 2000, The Citizen featured the pond, inspiring Ontario artist, Peter Bradacs, to create an oil painting based on the photograph by Brent Braaten. In November 1994, Valerie wrote “Persistence Pays Off" about the community’s help finding her pale orange cat, Angel, missing since August. She launched a massive search along with a newspaper ad. "The effort paid off…. There was the dear soul. I brought him home and opened the can of tuna I’d been saving for his return… It was a comfort to know that so many strangers would care and want to help.” July 2011 brought another rescued cat family. Valerie had taken in black-and-white Lucy after a friend’s baby developed severe allergies. One morning at breakfast, “I could see the outline of six sets of little kitten ears poking up from the cat bed atop Lucy’s stand.” She estimated the kittens were one month old, as all were able to scamper through the open window. Preparing some canned food, mother and kittens soon returned and gradually warmed to her attention. She would have placed this family for adoption, but as the local shelter was full and not no-kill, Valerie again took on spaying and neutering 7 cats. When my senior orange tabby died, Valerie wrote, “I’m sorry to hear that Kringle is gone from Earth but waiting for you. I know what this feels like because I’ve gone through this so many times. My triumph was Sparky, a grey and white domestic shorthair who moved up with me and six other cats from the Lower Mainland. Sparky got to 21 years and two months. Most made it to about 16 to 18 years, but Sparky had those good long-living genes. You certainly did the right thing to open your heart and your home to another dear cat who needs you.” Valerie achieved her wish to stay in Prince George, and became part of the glue of the community. Her local history column in the Prince George Citizen, which included two tributes to cats, was published as a book, Remembering…, in 2014. My sister, Kathy Plett, was involved as manager of CNC Press. Kathy also prepared the helpful index, where you can quickly find the entries on cats! In 2014, Valerie started writing for PG MinitMag, a weekly mag that filled a gap after another local weekly closed. But you won’t see her name there. Valerie explained, “I write the articles for it so that's why there is no author on it — a bit silly to have the same name on every one. I'm working my tail off to get 12 stories filed for next week's edition.” Some cat stories included: “How to talk to your cat,” “Cats in the White House,” and “Houseboats of Amsterdam.” The latter was written for my sister’s birthday last year, with the following for cat lovers: “A famous [houseboat] is De Poezenboot (The Cat Boat) which operates as a cat sanctuary. A kind woman, Henriette van Weelde, started looking out for cats in 1966. She took in stray or abandoned cats and eventually needed a place to care for them once her house became overcrowded. “An old sailing barge was available and became acquired for this purpose. It was fitted out to make it comfortable for cats and their caregivers to work there. Later, the old barge was replaced with a canal boat and its interior was designed and renovated to accommodate up to 50 cats. They also take in cats in need of veterinary care so they can be treated and nursed through convalescence and be adopted. Currently, 14 cats are permanent residents. The Cat Boat has become a tourist attraction for Amsterdam visitors who come by to pet the cats and leave donations. Animal lovers all over the world contribute to ensure that the sanctuary can operate.” When I asked Valerie if I could share some of her cat stories on my blog, she said, “Certainly – I am fine with having anything I send you posted. It’s all about promoting respect and caring about dear cats. It all helps people get the idea that cats matter and deserve kind treatment and help when they need it.” Valerie also loved dogs. She rescued Bernard the dachshund from euthanasia; his behaviour issues rendered him unadoptable. Valerie could never say no to such a request. When I visited in 2016, Bernard barked about the cake that Valerie had baked, but finally settled down. After Valerie dropped me off, she wrote, “when I returned home, the entire angel food cake had been consumed! We only had one and a half slices and Bernard got the rest. That was annoying enough – but my beautiful glass cake stand was at the very edge of the table.” Dr. Valerie Mary Evelyn Giles was born on March 29, 1949, and died on Dec. 9, 2021. Left to mourn her loss are her cats, Zoe, Panther, and Starry Night; her dogs, Bernard and Fluevog; and many friends and relatives. The pets are in the loving care of a friend. Irene Plett Valerie's cat Panther My kitty Kringle with Valerie's book, Remembering... in 2015
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