2017 – NEWS FROM THE CATTERY

Firstly may we wish all our readers and pets a very happy and healthy 2018 and thank you all for your continued support of our animals.

2017 was a very strange year in the cattery in many ways. Other charities that I have spoken with also agree. It seems we were either very full and rushed off our feet or almost empty and quiet. Nobody quite understands why this should be but one reason we think is the increase in small, ‘pop up’ groups that are helping to rescue and care for animals in order to give them a better life. This will naturally impact on the work of larger charities like ourselves but it is good to see more support for animals out there and we work with these smaller charities when required.

This doesn’t mean we don’t have much to do!!! We are getting more difficult and needy animals to care for; cats involved in RTAs (road traffic accidents) that may incur the loss of a limb, strays that have been roaming for some time and need to be brought back to full health, animals that have an existing but manageable health problem that needs to be monitored and cured or stabilised. These animals desperately need our support and obviously take time and money to bring them back to full health and ready for a second chance in a loving new home. To this end the branch has had a very successful year having rehabilitated and successfully rehomed nearly 200 animals.

Alongside our cattery work we continue to run our clinic and support neutering (total 160 vouchers) and welfare (281 vouchers) for people in need of help. This is vital to prevent litters of unwanted animals that can then become sick, unwanted or worse abandoned, something that was, sadly, also on the rise in 2017 and help people to get veterinary help for their animals that might otherwise not be possible.

We also work extremely closely with Folly Wildlife who, for a small retainer from the branch, take all the wildlife that comes in via the branch thus making sure that it has the best possible chance of survival and release back into the wild. We thank them for their valuable work and help.

In summary the needs of animals is changing and we are determined to adjust with it. The cost and time of supporting more challenging conditions incurs more veterinary costs, boarding costs etc but with the continued help of our shop and supporters we still manage to give our animals the very best of care.

Finally on behalf of the Branch can I say a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped and supported us through 2017 – our Vets without whose support we would find it hard to function as we do, our Members, Friends, Volunteers, Staff and Supporters who keep us going on all fronts, our Shop Staff who help bring in much needed funds and of course our Inspectors who do such a magnificent job in sometimes appalling conditions.

Here’s to 2018 – watch this space!

Daphne Harris

Chairman