2020 December MVP: Kurt Clyde

Shortly after retiring as a lawyer for the federal government in 2014, Kurt Clyde realized that he had to find something to do with his new-found spare time, so he chose the Winnipeg Humane Society.

The WHS answered many of the ‘nice to haves’ for a retiree. It let him expand his life-long love of animals, he got to meet people and the location was perfect – a 15-minute walk from home, door to door.

He’d actually had a brief interaction as dog walker at the former location on Kent Street, “but because the location was so far from where I lived and because I was still working at the time and the workload got pretty heavy, I just said I better revisit this once I’ve retired,” Kurt explained. “Then I knew I would have some time. And apart from that brief stint, it’s been six and a half years.”

Because he’d spent that brief time at the old location, he’d met Volunteer Services Manager Kelle Greene at that time and felt comfortable calling her again to see if he could return to what was now the new location in south Winnipeg. “And she recalled me,” he laughed.

But when Kurt came back in 2014, the WHS had a strong corps of dog walkers. “At that time as I recall, they seemed to particularly need the attention more on the feline side, particularly during the day when most people are working,” he said. “Having had cats for 41 years, I said that’s fine – I’m very comfortable among cats. And I’ve stayed on the cats side of the operation ever since.”

His volunteer position in 2014 was a cat cuddler. That changed in 2017, when he was asked to train to become a Feline Behaviour Assistant, reporting to the Behaviour team in the WHS. “Our primary focus is cats that are having a bit of a hard time adjusting to the shelter environment,” Kurt explained. “It could be cats that have gone through bad experiences or perhaps are inherently shy of people.”

“Sometimes they just need a little additional attention. Usually these are cats that have trouble warming up to people or have some suspicion of people. So, it’s just trying to get them to come out of themselves, so to speak and get them friendlier and more playful.”

And while he has always loved animals, he didn’t get started with cats until he got married. “My Dad had a dog when we were growing up. He was always nice to animals, but just didn’t seem to be a cat person,” he laughed. “When we got married my wife had had a cat at home. About a year after we’d just bought a house and she said she’d like to have a cat. I said ‘sure, I’d never had a cat but that’s fine with me.’ We got this cat and two months later it was like we’d always had cats. Since then I don’t think there’s ever been a time when we haven’t had at least one cat. Sometimes two.”

He comes to the shelter two afternoons a week to work with these needy cats. Prior to the COVID pandemic, when the facility was wide open to visitors, he’d sometimes come in three or four times weekly. It’s this helpful attitude which has drawn the praise of the Behaviour Team.

“Kurt is such a wonderful volunteer! He has been a Feline Behaviour Assistant for almost four years,” said Behaviour Programs Coordinator, Nancy Bonde. “His quiet, calm, friendly demeanor makes him a real cat whisperer. He has an immense amount of patience, and takes the time to bring out the personality in our shyest, most sensitive cat residents. This is a huge help with the adoptability of cats who have a hard time in a busy shelter environment.  The Behaviour department appreciates all of his work, and I’m sure there are lots of cats in Winnipeg homes who do as well!”

Kurt said that he often gets asked by visitors to the shelter if he’s ever been tempted to take a cat home with him. “I would say over my time, I’ve run across 6 or 7 cats that I’ve said to myself ‘I would love to take this one home,’” he explained. “But in addition to our cat being a bit of a loner, he also requires a special diet.  It would be a bit of a pain because his food would have to be in one part of the house and the food supply for the other cat would have to be elsewhere. It would just make it more complicated.”

He pointed out that he’s often drawn to the older cats. “One time we had one that was named Boots, the same as our cat at home,” he said. “He was 14 and a bit of a scruffy thing but oh so cute. One day I was volunteering and I happened to have Boots on my lap. This lady walks in and she says ‘Do you happen to have a cat named Boots?’ I laughed and said ‘he’s right here’.”

“They were from Dugald and they were looking for an older cat. I gave them a good sales pitch because Boots had a nice temperament. And while I was still on my shift they were filling out the paperwork to adopt him. I was very glad to see that. I am partial to the older cats because most people, especially families and kids, are attracted to the kittens because they’re always cute. But an adult cat, to me, is good because what you see is what you get.”

There have been times, Kurt said, when he’s come in to volunteer and a cat he was looking to see again has been adopted. “You’re happy for them of course, but then you say ‘oh, that nice cat’s gone.’ And you miss it.”

Written by: Brian Kozak, Volunteer
Photo by: Jim Harvey, Volunteer