Animal Rescue with Marion Garnett
Dedicated animal expert MARION GARNETT, founder of the Ealing Animal Charities Fair continues her column
THE till was empty and the white board was full. The hot weather was taking its toll.
I was visiting the Southall RSPCA Cat Adoption Centre where names of the cats and kittens waiting in their cabins for a home are displayed on the white board in reception and there were not any spaces anywhere.
Nor were there any visitors making reservations. The centre had never known it so quiet – too hot for people to go out – but staff and volunteers were there looking after the residents, and very much needed they were too.
I was there visiting Josephine, a gorgeous, friendly girl with the biggest greeny gold eyes ever seen.
This gentle creature had been found abandoned in a box by rubbish bins with two tiny kittens.
How some people sleep at night, I don’t know.
Josephine has the potential to make the most wonderful family pet.
If you would like to meet her, she is waiting at the RSPCA Cat Adoption Centre, in Burket Close, Southall, for her new home.
So what are you to do if you find yourself in the difficult position that you have a pet that you can no longer look after. Definitely do not abandon them.
Apart from being against the law, the animal may not be found or may fall into the wrong hands.
Several animal charities such as Battersea Dogs and Cats Home (battersea.org.uk), National Animal Welfare Trust (nawt.org.uk), Dogs Trust (dogstrust.org.uk) and CatChat (catchat.org) give advice on what to do if you need to give up your animal for adoption.
Once the decision has been made, you need to contact a reputable animal rehoming centre as soon as possible as, although the urgency of each case is likely to be considered individually, the animal may have to go on a waiting list before it can be taken in.
Some rescue centres, such as Mayhew (themayhew.org) and Blue Cross (bluecross.org.uk), operate a scheme whereby an animal who needs to be relinquished can be kept at their owner’s home until a new home can be found.
This can be less stressful for the animal.
When we get a pet, it should be for the lifetime of that pet, but the issue of what to do if, unexpectedly, you can no longer look after the pet highlights one of the advantages of getting a pet from a rescue centre. If you can no longer keep them, a reputable rescue centre will usually take them back.