Plea to pet owners as numbers of unwanted cats and kittens rise
Mum Leelou with three of her kittens and, right, one being bottle fed
STAFF at Margaret Green Animal Rescue sanctuary have urged pet owners to think responsibly after confirming they’re struggling to cope with the numbers of unwanted cats and kittens.
One heavily pregnant cat was recently abandoned just days before giving birth.
The ginger and white cat called Leelou was handed over to her vet when the owner realised she was due to have kittens.
Unfortunately, after giving birth to six hungry kittens, it became apparent Leelou was in difficulty.
She only has three teats – and with six hungry mouths to feed, staff at the Church Knowle sanctuary had to step into help.
Despite hand feeding the kittens day and night since their birth, one of them has already died.
Margaret Green’s Church Knowle manager Claire Ross said: “Leelou is an absolutely fantastic mum. We are helping her by giving additional feeds to the kittens every few hours, day and night.
“At the moment, we are doing all we can to save the remaining five kittens.”
The charity says it has cared for more than 120 kittens already this year, with even more on the waiting list.
Claire stressed: “We would strongly advise anyone thinking of getting a pet to consider it very carefully.
“Caring for an animal is a big commitment and unfortunately we are seeing increasing numbers of unwanted pets as owners are struggling to cope.
“Pets that are re-homed from Margaret Green Animal Res-cue are vaccinated, neutered and microchipped before they go to their new homes.
“We would urge anybody who has not neutered their pet to do so to help stop the spread of unwanted and abandoned animals across the county.”
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Plea to pet owners as numbers of unwanted cats and kittens rise
