Here for The Cats

Before COVID-19 we took many things for granted, being able to visit family and friends, hug a loved one, come and go from our homes as and when we wanted to and so much more.  In our case this included helping to rehome unwanted cats and kittens, it was something which we did day in, day out, year after year thanks to the support and generosity of our donors and supporters and the hard work and commitment of our staff and volunteers.   We set out at the beginning of 2020 determined to help more cats than we ever did before and the year started well with 299 cats rehomed from the 1st January to 18th March.  As the COVID-19 crisis developed, we soon realised that our plans for the year would be changing drastically to keep our people and cats safe whilst continuing to #HereForTheCats in the best way we can. 

Following guidelines from the government and Cats Protection Operation team the centre closed for all homing and cat admissions.  This was an extremely difficult adjustment for all of the team to make as this was the fundamental part of the work at the centre, especially as the realisation hit that the cats in our care could be with us for weeks/potentially months.  Despite the fear and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, we were determined that the welfare of the cats in the centre would not be compromised so we adjusted our rotas and processes to ensure that we were able to social distance effectively and ensure that all the cat’s needs are met on a daily basis.  We put into place a daily socialisation programme to ensure the cats in our care have as much attention and variety during the day as possible. Food is split into 4 smaller meals and fed using puzzle feeders, and morning and afternoon sessions used for grooming, play time and general socialisation.  The puzzle feeders and toys were changed regularly to keep cats interested and our cat carers got busy making cat toys and forts out of cardboard boxes for extra enrichment.  

Cat Carer Sophie socialising one of the cats in our care

To take the pressure off the team caring for the cats, all our calls were diverted to the main Cats Protection contact centre, who dealt with the calls and referred any emergency cat intake requests to us.  Initially we didn’t have any requests for help in our area but on the 30th April, we had our first emergency referral.  A couple had been caring for a stray cat believed to be abandoned for three months and she had given birth to 4 kittens.  The mum cat, who we called Nightingale was very lethargic and crying in pain, she also showed little interest in her kittens.  We knew we had to act quickly but safely in line with the new cat admission and transportation guidelines.  I contacted the couple who were caring for Nightingale to complete the admission questions, explain the collection process, get the acceptance form digitally signed and to arrange the collection. 

Nightingale spent 6 days being treated at our vets.

Our Cat care assistant Sophie was briefed beforehand on the situation and given time to read through and familiarise herself with the new transportation guidelines.  We put checklists in place as this was a completely new procedure with a lot to remember and sent her armed with all the PPE, she needed to collect Nightingale.  Nightingale was in a pitiful state and was clearly in a great deal of pain so Sophie’s first port of call after collecting her was our vet.   After examination the vet decided she needed admitting and she remained there for 6 days before being well enough to move into our maternity wing and we are happy to say they are all thriving.  We chose the name Nightingale as a tribute to the NHS and decided to ask our Facebook supporters to help us choose names for the kittens to reflect this.  We had many suggestions, after reading through them all, we chose the names put forward by Denise Jones a Healthcare Assistant for Cwm Taf University Health Board as they had received the most likes.  Denise chose the names Diana after the Princess of Wales Hospital on Coity Road in Bridgend, Charles for Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, Nye for Aneurin Bevan who founded the NHS and Florence to complement Nightingale after the founder of modern nursing.   

Nightingale and her kittens thriving after 3 weeks of TLC

 We have admitted 29 further cats and kittens since Nightingale came into our care and this number is increasing daily.  All the cats have their own sad story and upsetting circumstances.  Bugsy was admitted after his owner passed away from COVID-19, this was very difficult emotionally to deal with but our team is resilient and working with a family member, Bugsy was collected by one of our cat carers and has settled well in our care.  

Bugsy was admitted after his owner sadly passed away

Newly admitted cats are routinely scanned for microchips, and a chip was found in Bugsy, it had actually migrated to one of his front forelegs!   A quick check revealed that Bugsy was registered to a different address, a phone call established that Bugsy has been missing for 2 years from the Cardiff area, 40 miles away.  Unfortunately the family’s circumstances had changed and they weren’t in a position to have Bugsy back, he has now been signed into our care, Bugsy is a lovely cat and it Is not surprising that he is reserved and will soon be on his way to his forever home. 

Snowy was straying for a while, a concerned member of the public contacted us as he had a tail injury and appeared to be uncomfortable, he was also dirty and dishevelled.  We had him vet checked soon after we admitted into our care, he has lost part of his tail and the remaining part needs to be amputated, he is comfortable and is due to have surgery next week.   

Snowy was admitted with a tail injury

On the 4th May we started the contactless pilot homing scheme, although we had trepidations about this at first, we all agreed that homing the cats in our centre was the best welfare for them.  We put aside our concerns and wholeheartedly embraced the process, imagine our delight at the huge response we had from the public!  We were initially overwhelmed with the number of enquiries but soon found our stride and had an efficient system in place for handling the requests with Cat care assistants and receptionists carrying out respective parts of the process.  By the end of the day we had 7 cats reserved, and by the 6th May, 17 reserved and 5 homed!  We have now homed over 50 cats with several more reserved, this is a tremendous achievement and a great reflection on our great teamwork and willingness to change and adapt to do what is best for cats. 

Floss was the first cat to leave the centre, Floss was admitted into our care on the 7th February 2020 because the landlord didn’t allow pets.  She was 2 years old and heavily pregnant at the time, she gave birth to three beautiful kittens whom she did a great job of rearing.  Thankfully, our vet was happy to continue neutering cats for us in line with the current guidelines and this was done once her kittens were weaned.  To avoid the public non-essential travel, we are currently delivering cats, the morning of the 5th May one of our cat carer’s wearing PPE took Floss to her forever home.  Her adopter Stephanie was delighted to welcome Floss into her home and it wasn’t long before Floss settled in very quickly.  Stephanie said “Floss, now renamed Freya seems to have settled in well and is very playful but also likes to keep me company when I am working.  Thank you for letting us have her! She is much loved.” 

Floss is very playful in her forever home

Fox and Badger were the second pair of cats to be adopted from the centre, these two lovely boys came into our care as they were found huddled together in a someone’s shed.  They are a lovely pair of cats who loved each other but despite our best efforts we couldn’t find an owner.  These two pulled on all of our heart strings but much as we loved them, we were very happy to see them leave our care to their forever home.   It was heart-warming to receive this lovely update from Emily on them “Fox and Badger, now renamed Harry and Marv seem to be settling in well and are enjoying having lots of space to run around in together.  They’re both lovely cats who enjoys a lot of fuss and cuddles.  Thank you so much for looking after them and for bringing them to us last week.” 

Fox and Badger enjoying the comfort of their forever home

We are now into our fourth week of admitting and homing cats, and the new way of working has quickly become the new normal.  We the same as everyone else are looking forward to the easing of the lockdown, but for now we are grateful to be #HereForTheCats.   

You can help us continue to carry on our work now and into the future by donating here

Thank you for supporting us

Bye for now!

Parasites and Cats

 

Ticks, Fleas and Worm

What are ticks?

Ticks are a type of arachnid they are more closely related to the spider than other insects. They are typically 3-5mm in size and have four pairs of legs. They do not have antennae. Ticks are a type of external parasite which means they survive by feeding off of the blood of other animals. There ae over 800 species of ticks around the world.

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How to safely remove a tick

Ticks can pick up and pass disease causing bacteria’s and have been known to carry lymes disease. For this reason, it is important to remove any ticks you do find on your pet.

Do not try to pull the tick off your pet!
The safest way to remove a tick is by using a tick twister. Tick twisters can be bought at your vets, at most pet stores of online.

The video below shows how to use a tick twister:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0ow_yWLZoM

 

What are fleas?

Fleas are small flightless insects that survive as external parasites on mammals and birds. They live off of the blood and hematophagy of their hosts. They are red brown in colour with compressed bodies, fleas are around 1 to 3 mm in length with females being the bigger of the two sexes. There are 2,500 different types of fleas.

Though fleas are flightless they have incredible jumping abilities which allow them to jump up to eight inches into the air making it easy for them to hop from the ground onto a cat! Fleas will consume around fifteen times their body weight in blood each day and excrete partially digested blood which the larvae will then feed on. Flea dirt is a good indicator that your pet has fleas.

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How to treat fleas
We recommend a licenced product. This will come from your veterinary surgery in a spot on, injection or tablet form. Flea collars and unlicensed products should be avoided. Do not use a product intended for dogs on your cat as it can be toxic.

To control a flea infestation the adult fleas must be killed and the environment treated. The most common product used to treat households is in a spray form. This spray should be applied to carpets and furnishings. This spray should never be used on the cat itself. Regular vacuuming will also help.

To prevent re-infestation monthly treatment of your cat is recommended. It can be hard to get an infestation under control, sometimes taking weeks or months. This is why it is important to take the necessary steps to prevent fleas before an infestation can occur.

 

What are worms?

Parasitic worms are large macro parasites. They can often be seen by the naked eye and are usually transmitted via the soil and infect the gastrointestinal tract. They survive by living and feeding on nutrients inside hosts such as cats.

They can’t reproduce totally inside the host so some of their life cycle includes stages that take place outside of the hosts body. Some worms are able to survive inside their hosts for years because of their ability to manipulate the host’s immune response by secreting products that prevent rejection of the worms by the body.

 

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How to treat worms

We recommend using a licenced product from your veterinary surgery.  Avoid any product that is not licenced as these may not work. Do not use a product intended for dogs on your cat as it can be toxic.

This will come in a spot on or tablet form. Different treatments will treat different types of worms so always check with your vet which treatments will be the most effective for your pet.

To prevent re-infestation your pet should be treated regularly.

 

Roundworm

Tapeworm

 

Elderly Cats

This blog is written by our wonderful receptionist Rhian who has a senior cat, she has written up some tips and tricks on how to help adjust your home to give the best to your elderly companion:

When I started working for Cats Protection I was shocked to learn that my cat of 15 years is classed as an elderly cat.  What!? But he’s still my little baby??  Once I recovered from my shock and did some research on this I soon came to realise that this is nothing to be sad or worried about, it just means there are some positive changes I can make to help improve my cat’s quality of life and further enhance our very special relationship.  Here are some of the handy hints I’ve learnt.

 

 Arthritis can affect many older cats.  It may get worse in the cold so I have provided additional warm and dry places for him to sleep on soft, padded bedding, some near radiators.  All areas are easily accessible but if this proves to be an issue in future with his mobility then ramps and stools can be an option.  Older cats can find it difficult to make calculations when jumping so this is a great excuse for me to go online and order some extra cushions to strategically place around the house.

Extra grooming is recommended in-case our OAP’s are struggling to get to all areas, this is great news as my cat will enjoy this and it’s a great stress reliver for me.  Regular play times will provide a nice routine for my cat, will help in moderating his weight which can help with arthritis, provide him with some mental stimulation, get me off the couch and release those happy hormones for both of us.



I have added an extra water bowl downstairs as I hadn’t considered the extra effort it was taking him to have to go upstairs just for a drink of water.  I hadn’t considered his ageing teeth and I wonder if this is why he likes his pate so much? Warming his food to enhance the smell and mushing this up may be something else I can consider; he already prefers having his treats and cooked chicken handed to him which is a good strategy to encourage eating.  A trip to the vet will be a big help to us in assessing his teeth and how best to help him with these.

My cat does not have a litter tray!  I’ll buy him a new tray as soon as possible, ensuring the sides are low enough for him to climb into, there’s plenty of space for him to move around and try a variety of litters that are soft enough for his elderly paws.  He might still prefer to toilet outdoors but he may feel intimidated by other cats in his old age so I could make a toileting area in the bedding close to the house which would make him feel safe or accompany him on his ablutions.

I have learnt that the vet need not always be a scary experience for me and my cat but that the vet can help me to find ways to improve my cat’s quality of life.  The vet can weigh my cat to help us with weight management, give me the option of a blood test to check kidney function and give me practical advice about how to manage his claws now that his wandering days are behind him.

For more information on Cats Protection Cats please check out our guide here:

https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/health/elderly-cats