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05/08/2011 - One famous Kitten, Liz McClarnon, supporting another!
Just like many rescue centres across the Country, RSPCA Bristol Branch and Bristol Dogs and Cats Home is struggling to cope this ‘kitten season’ with over 60 cats at the centre, waiting to find new homes. Thankfully they have gained the support of a very famous Kitten, Liz McClarnon!
Not only is the Home full to capacity with more and more cats needing their help, but the RSPCA Bristol Clinic have had to step in to accommodate the excess of animals until room is made at the Home. The 20 healthy cats at the Clinic, which would normally be over at the Dogs Home, are taking up vital spaces needed by injured and ill animals. As a result the RSPCA Bristol Branch has announced that they can no longer take in healthy stray cats at the current time.
Mandy Stone, Veterinary Manager said, “We would like to direct anyone who finds a healthy stray cat to view the advice pages on our website. We would also like to take this opportunity to strongly advise owners to neuter their cats and avoid so many unwanted litters being born every year. Sadly, these unwanted cats are beginning to be, literally, treated like rubbish.”
On Tuesday 19th July 8 cats were admitted to the Clinic. One of these, affectionately named Skippy, had a very lucky escape. The 8 week old kitten was found by workers at a waste management plant in St. Philips when he leaped from a box that had been left unseen in one of their skips, moments before a tonne of waste was dropped onto it. Sadly he had not been alone in the box. Workers struggled to find the remaining kittens amongst the waste but his brothers and sisters had not survived. Skippy was understandably traumatized when he arrived at the Clinic but was otherwise unhurt.
Liz McClarnon, former member of Atomic Kitten who is starring as Paulette in Legally Blonde at The Bristol Hippodrome, has visited the charity to lend her support to their appeal for help.
“I was very sad to hear from Bristol Dogs and Cats Home that so many kittens in the area are unwanted and that some people can be so heartless in abandoning them, like Skippy. It’s just so unnecessary when great rescue centre’s like this are there to rehome them. If only people would get their pets neutered in the first place, this would avoid all the unwanted pregnancies”.
Lynn Gilman, Manager of the Dogs & Cats Home added, “We are incredibly grateful for Liz’s support as the situation is reaching a critical level. We always experience an influx of animals at this time of year along with a reduction in potential homers as they are waiting until after their summer holidays.
We would plead with anybody thinking about getting a cat or kitten to approach cat rescue organisations rather than private breeders. People who buy cats unfortunately create a market which encourages the breeding of cats for profit, and there simply aren’t enough good homes to go around.
So if you are planning on taking on a new pet, please consider visiting the Home to meet our many beautiful cats and kittens that are desperate for new, loving homes.”
RSPCA Bristol Branch is made up of the RSPCA Bristol Animal Clinic and Bristol Dogs and Cats Home. Together they give thousands of local animals in need a second chance for a happy life, free from pain or neglect. With so many animals to care for the charity’s annual running costs exceed £1.6 million. The RSPCA Bristol Branch is independent from the National RSPCA, receiving no funding from the National Charity, Government or the Lottery, relying on the support from the community through donations, legacies and fundraising events to continue its important work.
For more information on rehoming an animal from Bristol Dogs and Cats Home, please call 0117 9776043 or you can view a selection of these cats on our rehoming pages.
