Animal Rescue with Marion Garnett
Dedicated animal expert Marion Garnett, founder of the Ealing Animal Charities Fair, continues her column
MOTHER, father, brother, sister, neighbour, stranger – unneutered cats aren’t fussy. They’ll roll in the hay with any cat who crosses their path.
Might sound as though they’re having fun but it’s worrying. After lockdown started, there was, because of social distancing, limited access to neutering.
Although some essential neutering was carried out, the number of cats neutered in the past few months has been far less than usual. Cats Protection (CP) estimate this could result in 84,000 extra kittens being born this summer.
As vet surgeries become fully operational again and catch up with a backlog of neutering, CP are reminding owners of what can be done to stop a cat getting pregnant. They recommend keeping unneutered cats indoors and away from other unneutered cats. They emphasise that kittens can breed from 4 months of age and that females can come into heat every 2-3 weeks. CP also encourage owners to contact their vet to get the earliest neutering appointment they can. You can see more of their advice at cats.org.uk.
Most people (92%) do have their cat neutered. Advantages of neutering include it reduces spraying, wailing, fighting and vet bills. Neutered cats are less likely to roam or get lost. Neutering also means there will be fewer unwanted cats and kittens looking for homes thereby reducing pressure on rehoming centres.
This column regularly focuses on where free and reduced cost neutering is available locally. I will do this again as soon as neutering services, including the animal charity clinics, are fully operational. But, in the meantime, don’t forget that, if money is tight, you may be eligible for a Cats Protection neutering voucher. Call 03000 12 12 12 (option 2) for more information.
Also, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria, you can have your cat neutered free under the London Cat Care and Control Consortium (C4) scheme. See cats.org.uk/C4 for details. A stray cat can also be neutered under this scheme, if you live in the required area and have been feeding it for at least 14 days.
Meanwhile, one homeless cat currently looking for a home is Mila. This gorgeous girl came into the care of the RSPCA Southall Cattery via Putney Animal Hospital (both under threat of closure) after being found abandoned in a box.
She loves being around people but can be cheeky at times. If you are interested in homing her, go to rspca.org.uk to see her details and complete the online Perfect Match Application Form.