I try to get along to Animals in Distress at least once a week. On my last visit there I was shocked to see how full to the brim with cats they were.
It's always difficult when it's so full, as they have to tell people looking to bring cats in that there's no space for them. It's not a big sanctuary, but some people just don't seem to get that when they're full, they're full. There's literally nowhere else to put more cats. Of course that's so difficult for the staff, as they'd like to be able to help all the cats that people want to bring in. But it's just not possible. They'll always give the contact details of other rescue centres, but frequently they're full too.
What tends to happen is that the staff arrive in the morning to find a box containing a cat or kittens (sometimes both) dumped outside the gates, or left outside a vet surgery. I guess that if they're going to dump cats, those are the best places, but it causes more problems.
This had happened last week, and when I arrived they'd had to cram cats into just about every spare space they could find. So, a couple of rather large cats were in tiny cages that only had room for a litter tray, a small bed and feeding bowls. I really felt for them, as there was just not enough room for them to even stretch out properly. But what else could the staff do?
The problem has been made worse by the fact that recently there haven't been too many re-homings. When cats are homed, this makes space for new arrivals, but at the moment this is hardly happening. There are some lovely cats needing new homes, although admittedly some of them have some challenges. But there are also lots of cats who'd be perfect pets (and even the more difficult ones still need someone to love and care for them - it's not necessarily a lap cat type relationship).
So, if any of you reading this know of anyone who might be interested in giving a new home to a lovely new friend, please ask them to contact Animals in Distress, and just get along to see the gorgeous furries in their care. Phone number is 0161 775 2221, and address is 55 Silver Street, Irlam. Many thanks. x
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We just adopted a new kitten in August from Animals in Distress; and dispite the fact that she was a ferrel, she loves to get scratched, play with her big brother, and has settled into our home very nicely. I would definitely recommend the shelter to anyone considering adopting an animal.
ReplyDeleteFrom, "Enrico's" family
That's so great Trish. We've had a number of feral kitts in over the last few weeks, and I've been working with a few of them to help to get them socialised and used to people. Which one do you have, and have you given her a new name?
ReplyDeleteWe adopted Petula (the little tabby girl); we renamed her Dior. She is doing very well - she was a bit of a scaredy cat for the first day, but suprisingly that was about it; she loves her scratches now. I think having a cat already helped her confidence a lot because she definitely warmed up to him right away and she copies everything he does (LOL).
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