Sanctuary Life
Kitty City, Puddle Duck Ranch and Sweet Little Dogs
It’s been all hands on deck over the last week. We seem to be busier than we have ever been. The problem of unwanted pets continues with abandoned cats and unwanted dogs. We receive requests for help for them on almost a daily basis. Pets are important to us, we depend on them for companionship and to keep us in touch with the natural world. Yet at the same time, when pets are inconvenient or we struggle to afford to keep them, many of them are thrown out. The Pet Samaritans are here to help and have been for over twenty years. We never put a healthy animal to sleep and our mission and founding principal is to ‘Save them all’.
Cats in particular are having a tough time at this time of year. The number of feral cats is on the rise and litters of kittens are being found when mums can’t feed them due to health and hunger. A cat who came into us recenty had been surviving (just) in some back gardens for several months. Neighbours were told, by more than one animal welfare organisation, ‘don’t feed him and he’ll go back home’. The cat was starving and it was only when he began breaking into hutches and eating rabbit food, that he was brought into us. Please don’t ignore abandoned and hungry animals. Feed them and get in touch with us. We’ll help if we can.
Cats in the Kitchen
We now have ‘Kitty City’ back up and running – it’s all cats in the kitchen area and beyond. The refurbishment of Kitty City is nearly complete and occupants have already moved in. Mr Big was first to make himself at home and it wasn’t long before a chowder had setup shop. Every cat is different though and watching out for them getting along with each other is a bit like trying to organize the United Nations! It’s made such a difference to the cats at the sanctuary, so thanks to all those fabulous Pet Samaritans who helped and donated to the project. We’ve still got shelves to put up, climbing frames, ladders, worktops and a bit of painting but we are nearly there.
You are welcome to come and visit with the cats when we are open – between 11 am and 3 pm Wednesday to Sunday. Pouches and cat treats are always appreciated!
Tortie – one of the elderly permanent residents smiling at Kitty City
With our newly refurbished facilities, we’ve been able to help even more cats in need with feral kittens and elderly cats being some of the first to benefit. We are happy to report the rescued kittens are all doing well and some are ready for adoption. Get in touch if you would like to come and meet them.
Abit and Gigabyte are two adorable kittens. Explorers, climbers, bright and intelligent. We are positive it will be love at first sight with these two characters! They’ve had a rough start to life but someone just like you could change their world forever.
Puddle Duck Ranch
With all the wildlife being brought in recently, emergency plans had to be drawn up for extra accommodation. Our bottom car park at the sanctuary had become quite overgrown and needed some attention before plans could be put in place for Puddle Duck Ranch. Byard Plant Hire came to the rescue with a team of JCBs and spent a day tidying everything up and re-creating a space for the ducks. There is still a lot to do, but with your help we hope to be able to continue to offer emergency assistance for them.
The JCB arrived at the crack of dawn. It took them the best part of the day but the lads at Byard Plant Hire were brilliant and worked without a break to get the job done.
Pound for a Duck Appeal
We urgently need to get Puddle Duck Ranch finished but need to raise some more funds for fencing and housing materials before it can be completed. The next phase will cost £1500 for the secure fencing, ponds and housing accomodation. Could you spare a pound or two to help some of our feathered friends such as Duck Norris and Quackie Chan. You can donate to them (and say hello) by visiting the Sanctuary during our opening hours 11 am till 3 pm or online via our paypal page below.
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Ferret in a bath
Towards the end of the week, we received a call from a man down at the RSPCA. He’d taken a ferret down to them he’d found wandering outside his house. He was in a bit of a panic as nobody could help and he was going to have to let him go. Luckily, they told him to ring us. After a quick phone call, we told him to bring him straight up to the sanctuary. The poor little thing had been on quite an adventure and if it wasn’t for the kindness of the man who picked him up, would no doubt have ended up dead. He had a nasty injury on his back and had probably been living out rough as he smelt awful. A bath was ordered so we could clean him up and treat the wound.
He was so well behaved and took it all in his stride. Clean and dried we treated his wound with some purple spray.
Happy as Larry for a wash and feed, he soon made friends. He is very gentle and we hope to be able to offer him for adoption soon.
Dog Rescue
We’ve had a couple of dogs brought in this week. A lovely little Jack Russell which has settled down beautifully and an adorable 12 week old pug x shitzu we’ve decided to call Gizmo – he just looks like a Mogwai from the film Gremlins. They will both be up for adoption soon but we thought you’d enjoy these pictures of Gizmo settling in at the Sanctuary.
Tired out after all the excitement and fuss at the Sanctuary. He’s been a big hit, with everyone wanting to take turns to hold and cuddle him. We’ve had to implement a queuing system!
We often get asked about how to deal with problem dogs and how do we enjoy so much success rehabilitating rescued dogs that come into the Sanctuary. A well behaved pet has more chance of finding a new family, so we follow the same route with every dog that comes to us. Some problem dogs just need a little time in re-hab. This isn’t as harsh as it sounds. First we change their diet and then establish a calm routine. Lots of love, praise, good grub and understanding will persuade most dogs to behave well. Exercise is essential but we don’t do anything special. Sooner or later, even the most difficult hooligans turn into model citizens – well almost!
Why alter the food? This makes the biggest improvment. In spite of all the advertising and hype, dog food is a ready-meal. Yuk! The pet food industry is not regulated to the same standards as human food. Do we really know what’s in those shapeless chunks? No idea. Animal derivatives are on most labels. This could mean anything – remember they put poultry manure in cattle food. It is an animal derivative after all! If you’d like advice on pet nutrition please get in touch, we’ll be pleased to help.
We hope you enjoyed this weekly roundup of events at the Animal Sanctuary. Opening hours for jumble drop offs and food donations are 11 am till 3 pm Wednesday to Sunday. Stop by if your passing, no appointment necessary – you’ll most likely find us nursing a kitten or tending to injured wildlife. You are always most welcome to pull up a chair around our table at the Pet Samaritans.
