The number of stray cats we are seeing is spiralling unfortunately. This could be a symptom of the financial crisis as owners abandon pets they can no longer afford, or decline to pay for neutering and then find themselves with unwanted kittens.
It’s a sad state of affairs but abandonment should never be an option. Charities such as ours can either help by rehoming cats, or by paying for neutering (cats, rabbits and dogs), and even assisting with unexpected vet bills. If you or somebody you know in our area has issues such as this, please contact us (see our contact page).
It is of course a costly business to offer animal welfare, so if you are able to donate a few pounds to our cause, please hit the donate button below. Our furry, scaly & feathered friends would really appreciate it.
Our Animal Welfare Officer Cheska recounts a recent stray cat capture.
Meet Bob, a beautiful white and black boy who started hanging out in a garden belonging to a lovely lady named Liz living in Clapham who just wanted the best for him!
She got in touch with us and wholeheartedly agreed to foster Bob if we managed to catch him together. Luckily Bob likes his food so it was nice and easy to set up a trap in the garden. Liz fed him in the trap for a good week or two with the trigger unset, and this was so he would feel comfortable going in and out before we set it properly.
Finally we all felt ready to set the trap and eventually we managed to catch him! Poor Bob spent a couple of days hiding under the kitchen cabinets once released in the house and got himself very dusty.
This made things very difficult for everyone involved to get him out and to his first vet appointment, but again it was food that saved us because who knew cats love tuna? With lots of gentle coaxing we got him to the vet to make sure there wasn’t anything immediately wrong with him.
We tested his blood for FIV/FeLV (the feline version of HIV and Feline Leukaemia Virus) which he was thankfully negative for, and he also receive flea and worm treatment and his first vaccination.
The vet was very impressed with how healthy he was, and said he must be less than 2 years old!
After bringing him back to Liz we had a little bit of a cuddle on the kitchen floor and he suddenly blossomed in front of us and became madly addicted to head-rubs! This was a great sign, and following Liz and Bob’s progress over the next few days, it’s amazing to see that he’s just become a very loving pet cat right before our eyes!
Bob is not yet up for adoption because we need to officially hold him for at least 7 days before microchipping and neutering him, however we feel that as soon as this is done along with his second and final vaccination, he should get a home in no time because look how handsome he is!
We are so excited about being able to help the animals in our branch area, however the costs to get them ready for rehoming can be high, especially when they have further medical conditions that need exploring first.
If you’re able to give us a donation through our JustGiving account, we would be very grateful so we can continue helping cats like Bob! You can find our JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/rspcacroydon-crystalpalace.
Even though it’s very early to talk about adoption for Bob, if anyone is interested in giving our lovely Bob a new home do feel free to get in touch with us at enquiries@rspcasouthlondon.org.uk.
RSPCA South London - For Every Kind Of Creature 