Local business, Clearwood Cattery, of Dilton Marsh, provided a lifeline by offering a local Cats In Distress charity the use of their facilities recently.
The charity reports “Clearwood Cattery, a family run business, was hard hit when the holiday industry collapsed overnight and all their bookings were cancelled as no-one was able to travel. Despite being open for emergency boarding, they were empty.
“Run by Sue, her daughter Vicky and husband Ian, they were already involved with Cats in Distress, holding regular fundraising events for them, so finding themselves with an empty building, and time on their hands, they knew who to contact and have been thrilled to be able to help out.
“As well as admitting rescued cats and kittens for rehoming, the charity has also found itself helping out with welfare stays. This isn’t something we would normally provide but with the country in crisis, a call to help an animal couldn’t be ignored.
Two cats, Baby and Bear were made homeless when their owner, Jo Lewis of Warminster, ended up in a coma after a fire ripped through her home. A family member contacted Cats in Distress with a plea to help the cats, and keep them safe until Jo had recovered, her cats were her life. Cats in Distress stepped in and there were tears when Jo was finally reunited with Baby and Bear a month later.”
With veterinary practices not able to provide neutering during lockdown, the charity has reported noticing a worrying increase in the number of kittens admitted, so far this year they have had 42 kittens admitted, a large increase on the number in the same period last year and with the number of adult cats needing rehoming also on the increase, they believe it’s going to be a challenging time for the industry.
They said, “Being run entirely by volunteers, and having no costly salaries to pay, the charity’s overheads are certainly not high. But with an expected increase in the costs of food and vets’ fees, and a reduced capacity to carry out fundraising, we believe they we are likely to be facing a shortfall this year of around £5,000.
Since they first started in 2016 Cats In Distress have now helped in excess of 500 cats. If you know of any cats in need of help, for more information or to donate please contact Ginny on 07504 129955 or visit their website www.cats-in-distress.org.
