75 years of cat care (From Stroud News and Journal)

75 years of cat care

THIS year sees the 75th anniversary of Cats Protection, formerly the Cats Protection League. Reporter Ben Falconer spoke with members of the Stroud branch about life with our feline friends.

STROUD'S Cat Protection branch was founded just five years ago but its members have covered so much during that time that it is a wonder there was not one much earlier.

Since it founded with three pens and £500, the branch has fostered and re-homed 1,000 cats and there are now 11 fosterers with 15 pens.

The welfare of cats, be they strays, unwanted, feral or just from people who cannot keep them any more, is the prime aim of all the branch members and this is only made possible with a strong band of fosterers.

Welfare and homing officer Anna Walden is responsible for taking cats in, addressing health problems and neutering, ready for people to take them on as pets. This usually means passing them on to fosterers who see to the day-to-day care, then finding the right owner for the right cat - or as is often the case, letting the cat choose the right human.

Cats become strays for all sorts of reasons, said June Edgar, fosterers' liaison officer.

"People move away and leave cats behind, elderly people sometimes can't cope or move to where they cannot keep them, or sometimes families split up and for whatever reason they cannot keep their pets," she explained.

"That is particularly heart rending," said Anna. "Because they don't necessarily want to lose their cat."

"And we do get people who've lost everything including the house and we have to take the cat for them," said June. "But we have to do what's best for the cats."

Sometimes though, cats decide for themselves where they are going.

"There was one cat which was the first re-homed, because the family had split up," said Anna.

"It ran all the way home from Whiteshill back to its old place in Haresfield."

Volunteers

Fosterers are a dedicated bunch, looking after everything from orphans just weeks old to mothers with litters, to those in the autumn of their lives.

"People often don't see the other side of it," said Anna. "Our fosterers work 24 hours a day. They are all unpaid volunteers who gladly give up their time to cater for the health and welfare of the needy cats in care."

Anna's husband Don, the branch co-ordinator added: "They are second to none."

Some cats are not suitable for fostering however. Feral and farm cats live in quite large colonies around the Stroud area, just like any other country area.

"You cannot keep a feral cat, even in a pen," explained Anna. "They are wild animals and must be treated as such.

"If we catch a feral cat, it will be health checked, blood tested for feline aids and feline leukaemia and neutered. Then with the landowner's permission it will be released again. Stroud branch helps to feed several local feral colonies."

Supported by local vets, Stroud branch has a strong neutering programme, which ensures that all adult cats are blood tested and neutered before being re-homed.

In other instances Cats Protection issue vouchers to those who cannot afford what is a crucial measure in regulating the cat population.

Funds

Clearly, with so many cats passing through the branch, even though willing helpers give hours and hours of unpaid time, operating the branch successfully comes down to brass tacks. The Stroud branch has several money-spinners, plus a useful way of bringing in cat food and goods in kind.

There's a stall in the Shambles Market every Friday and Saturday, literally bulging with cat goodies, essentials, ephemera and free-of-charge information leaflets which are well worth a read even for an experienced cat owner. Up-to-date advice on cat care diseases is always available. It is a good point of contact for people looking for advice. Supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury's allow the branch to place collecting bins in their stores and judging by what's in them, many customers are very generous, handing in not just food but milk, bedding and even toys.

Fosterer's events also keep the cash wheel spinning and the branch is topped up with an annual grant from HQ. Founder member Jeannette Bond even ran a half marathon to raise funds to build a new pen.

The motivation of the branch boils down to a love of our clever feline friends and a desire to keep them healthy and prevent suffering.

They are unpaid and every penny they receive is ploughed straight back in to the welfare of the cats.

"We get lots of Christmas cards from people who are happy with their cats," said Anna.

"We had a call from a woman who said we had made her life complete again after the death of her cat."

Events

Anyone who would like to join the Stroud Branch of Cats Protection can call Jan Hargrove on 01452 545585. It costs £5 a year (£9 family, £3 concessions). Also, a fundraising organiser is urgently required - anyone who would like to help can call Don on 01453 890113.

The Stroud Cats Protection newsletter, Valley Cat, sponsored by Stroud stationers James & Owen is produced by editor Anne Cummings.

The Stroud branch of Cats Protection holds its Easter Fair this Saturday, March 23 at Stroud Subscription Rooms, with crafts, cakes, Cats Protection goods and quality bric-a-brac on sale.

And July 7 sees the Fosterers' Open Day at Rou-Tok, Gaineys Well, Stroud. All are welcome to see how Stroud Cats Protection operate.