Pleasing 4 Pets

A shelter which homes abandoned cats has been flooded with new additions as the declining economic climate in the UK drives pet owners to discard their pets.

The Cats Protection unit in the village of Nuthall in Nottinghamshire has the facility to shelter 30 cats but currently has 44 in house with a waiting list of at least 200 more.

The Deputy Manager at the unit, Debbie Heathcote commented:-

“There has been an increase in the number of people needing us – the phone calls have gone up dramatically.

We are starting to hear more that people cannot afford them.

This year will probably see more cats coming in.

This means the numbers on the waiting list will go up.

The quicker we can home the cats, the quicker we can get them off the waiting list.”

Over the course of 2008 the centre was home to around 84 stray cats, 33 abandoned moggies and 173 other cats whose owners decided that they were no longer able to keep them, mostly because they couldn’t afford to look after them.

The Cats Protection unit at Nutall covers the entire Nottingham area in addition to Long Eaton. Its doors are open from the hours of 11.00am until 3.00pm daily, including weekends.

For further information on Cats Protection in the Nottingham area call 01159
386 557.

In a bid to safeguard its countries domestic pets from neglect and ill-treatment, the Japanese authorities are considering imposing a ‘Pet Tax’ on its rapidly expanding pet industry.

At a time when the Japanese Government seems unable to improve its nation’s declining birth rate, the pet industry is growing at an astonishing rate.

The numbers of pet dogs kept in Japan has risen to around 13million over the past ten years - far surpassing the numbers of children aged 12 and under.

It is hoped that imposing a tax on the price of purchasing a domestic pet will allow the authorities to enhance the safety of it nation’s animals and reduce the numbers of abandoned or neglected pets.

Unfortunately the increase in the numbers of domestic pets has coincided with dramatic increases in the numbers of ill-treated and abandoned animals. In 2008 more than 374,000 discarded animals were taken of the streets by local authorities, and a massive 90% on them were put to sleep.

Cash raised by the Pet Tax will be utilised to support pet ID schemes across Japan, as well as helping to fund the growing numbers of animal shelters.

The RSPCA embarked on a considerable rescue operation at kennels in Brigstock recently after being contacted by a concerned dog owner whose pet was staying at the facility which had been abandoned.

As a result of the operation RSPCA officers were able to rescue in excess of 100 dogs, 98 of which were the St Bernard breed, from the Wardana Kennels and Cattery in Nottinghamshire.

One of the dogs found at the kennels was so sick that it had to be out down, and another unfortunately died as RSPCA vets fought to save its life.

Many of the animals at the kennels were housed in locked cages and it is thought that they hadn’t received food or water for a considerable time.

The kennels were being managed by Mary-Ellen Collis, a past Crufts winner, but the RSPCA have not been able to contact her and her whereabouts remain unknown.

The alarm was sounded by a Kettering man who had been attempting to contact the facility to arrange to visit his pet dog, Benson. David Nolan went to the kennels after he was unable to contact the owner by telephone. On his arrival Mr Nolan immediately contacted the local police authorities who in turn contacted the RSPCA.

He explained :-

“I was just concerned for my animal and eventually I had had enough.

It was horrific. I saw my dog, a Staffordshire bull terrier, and he looked like a Jack Russell because he was so thin.

I walked straight past him and only recognised him by the sounds he made.”

Attempts made by the RSPCA and the police to contact Ms Collis remain unsuccessful.

Local police officers in the market town of Arundel in the South Downs of West Sussex have been left bewildered after a finding a series of abandoned pets left in a country lane on the fringes of the town.

So, far a total of five pedigree rabbits and two dogs have been found abandoned in the country lane which leads to the neighbouring town of Burpham, just before the junction at the A27, close to the railway station at Arundel.

The latest animal to be found was a Staffordshire bull terrier puppy which was thought to be around 3 months old. The puppy, wearing a blue coloured collar was discovered roaming the lane alone and in the darkness. Local police confirmed that the puppy was very fortunate not to have been hit by a car in the lane.

In October, five rabbits were found abandoned at the same spot, but unfortunately had to be put down by a local vet after it was discovered that the bunnies had contracted myxomatosis from wild rabbits.

Shortly before that an elderly dog was discovered roaming the same stretch of road, but has since be re-homed with a local family.

Community police officer Lorraine Dixon confirmed that the Staffordshire bull terrier puppy found in the lane was being cared for at the Carleton Kennels in Ford, and that attempts to re-home the animal would begin shortly. She said:-

“He is lucky to have survived. A couple from Warningcamp saw him in the road after the vehicle in front of them swerved to avoid him. He was handed over to the Arun dog wardens, who checked the area, but no one living round there owns the puppy.

Now there have been three cases like this, we are asking people to keep a look-out in that lane and to contact the police if they see anything suspicious”.

Many caring pet owner pay a great deal of money towards the upkeep of a beloved family pet and would regard it as money well spent. However it would appear that increasing numbers of pet owners are not as compassionate as others when it comes to their animal companions.

The cost of looking after a pet can swell surprisingly in a number of ways. The most apparent costs include food, veterinary bills and standard care. In addition to this you can slot in luxuries such as playthings and treats.

Disappointingly, when things become financially challenging, some pet owners take for granted that their pet should be the first expense that they curtail. Suddenly, a pet’s basic needs can seem too costly. It’s distressing to think that in these circumstances people will abandon their pets but regrettably this can and does transpire all too often and is conceivably more frequent than you might think.

Recently the North Wales Reptile and Raptor Sanctuary in Denbighshire revealed that they have experienced a sharp rise of late in the numbers of abandoned snakes and other exotic pets.

The reptile sanctuary recently received into their care two separate African serrated-hinged turtles which had been abandoned locally.

Janice Dickinson the operational manager of the sanctuary said:-

“When times get hard, pets are often the first things to go. We’ve noticed a real increase in the number of reptiles we’ve had to take on and are very concerned that this is a symptom of the credit crisis.

As a sanctuary we are not immune to the effects of the current economic down turn. We rely very heavily on electricity and there has also been a marked increase in the price of the animal feeds.”