This kitten was crushed when someone sat on him and has received surgery to help him walk again.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Courtney Motzek
June 22, 2019 - 7:30 AM
KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops woman is offering by-donation photo shoots of your family and pets, with all the proceeds going to help an injured kitten at the Humane Society.
Courtney Motzek is a professional photographer, and has been volunteering with the Kamloops Humane Society since last year.
She is a foster mom to cats and kittens, so when a severely injured kitten was turned over for care, she knew she needed to do something more. The little kitten had been sat upon and his hip was crushed, and the Humane Society staff worked quickly to get him back on his feet.
“The surgery was very expensive and we're trying to cover our costs, and I thought, ‘Well, I’m a photographer, and I’d love to donate some time,’” Motzek says. “Now I’m booked for almost four weeks.”
Originally, she was doing birth photography but realized she could shift her focus and spend more time doing what she loves most - being with animals.
Since she announced her project, around 40 people have already registered to have photos taken of their pets. Motzek recommends a $20 donation, but finds that most people are donating $50 to $100.
“My initial goal was $1,000 but I’ve bumped it up to $1,500 due to the initial response,” she says.
“The cost of the surgery was in the thousands, but we’re not done yet," Motzek says. "He’s still going to require a lot of medical supplies and a lot of medication, and potentially another surgery after this.”
Motzek has been travelling between Kamloops, Cherry Creek, Pinnatan and Paul Lake for the photo shoots, and isn’t using any of the money raised to cover her gas funds. She is passionate about supporting the Humane Society, and has no plans to stop this volunteer project.
“Moving forward, I’d love to keep doing photo shoots like these,” she says. She notes that she doesn’t only do dog and cat shoots, but is also photographing horses, goats and families.
She only recently started doing photography full-time, and says she has found a new purpose because of it.
“Photography was just a hobby I did on the side, and then I literally dropped everything and said, ‘Nope, I want to do this full time,’” she says. “It allows me to donate more time to the humane society and have a better life, as far as I’m concerned.”
She encourages people to donate, even if they don’t want to do a photo shoot. You can do so by contacting the Humane Society.
You can register for a photo shoot by emailing her at courtneymotzek@gmail.com or by phone at 250-571-2304.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jenna Wheeler or call (250) 819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
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