Cruel kitten dumping continues in Donegal, says rescue charity

Volunteers from Animals In Need (AIN) were called out to rescue yet another litter of dumped kittens during the week.

The first kitten was found by staff from a shop on The Diamond in Donegal Town on Tuesday and was taken in by AIN.

Two days later, another AIN volunteer noticed three more kittens in the car park and luckily managed to catch them.

The kittens are all around six months old and clearly from the same litter. 

There are two tabbies, a black kitten and a black and white boy. They are all friendly and are not feral, and their sudden appearance would point to their owner deliberately dumping them.

There has been an epidemic of abandoned kittens through the summer and autumn, with young kittens being found in remote forests and beside riverbanks, in areas where they would surely have starved to death if they had not been found by chance.

Witnesses have seen other kittens being thrown from car windows or have found sealed carrier bags containing kittens. 

Whatever the means of disposal, abandoning kittens is an extremely cruel act, as they have no chance of survival if they are not found and there is no excuse for it, there is always help available. 

AIN also took in two seriously neglected young cats during the week.

These fluffy cats, aged only one and three years respectively, were both in an awful condition, their fur clumped into thick matts. 

They are completely traumatised at the moment and it will take time to settle them and detangle their coats.

The youngest arrival this week is a tiny kitten called Kevin.

Kevin was less than a week old when he was found and had been abandoned by his mother.

Despite this, he is in good shape and has just opened his eyes. Fingers crossed for Kevin.

The volunteers have been busy with trips to the vets, including with a kitten who was found a couple of weeks ago with an umbilical hernia. 

Her fosterer has been keeping an eye on her condition, but the hernia is growing. The vet would prefer the kitten to be bigger before carrying out surgery, and so she is being closely monitored for now.

AIN are always delighted to receive updates on the animals that they rescue and rehome.

This week they had news of three pups that were found dumped as newborns in an old turf bag back in the summer.

The three girls were the sole survivors of a litter of 11 and were hand reared by one of AIN’s dedicated fosterers. 

Kimmy (Arwen), Lassie (Briana) and Molly (Shelby) are all living fantastic lives in their new homes and it is wonderful to see them grow and flourish.

AIN’s dog foster places are currently all full, with 15 dogs rescued from the Letterkenny Pound last week. 

The new arrivals come in all shapes and sizes and will stay in foster homes until they are assessed and receive their vaccinations and microchip and are neutered. 

Most of the 15 dogs were strays who had not been reclaimed. They had passed their mandatory five days in the Pound and had to find rescue placements urgently.

AIN would like to express their thanks to Minister Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, for the generous award of €55,200 funding towards AIN’s animal welfare initiatives.

This vital support will help the charity to continue their work in safeguarding vulnerable animals and is much appreciated.

Finally, AIN’s 2025 calendars are on sale now, featuring a selection of animal photos. 

The calendars cost only €6 each or two for €10 in store.

They can also be ordered online for €10 each or two calendars for €15 (price includes postage for within Ireland).

The calendars are available to purchase at AIN’s Charity Store (Donegal Town), Bluestack Vets (Ballybofey and Donegal Town), Old Church Vets, (Ballyshannon, Donegal Town and Grange), Pets'R'Us (Donegal Town) and Seaview Vets (Ballyshannon and Donegal Town).

To order a calendar online, please pay via either of the following links and send a pm to AIN with your address and receipt for payment:

For card payments, use Idonate on https://www.idonate.ie/1552_animals-in-need.html  or Paypal link https://www.paypal.com/IE/fundraiser/charity/4269614

All profits from the calendars go directly towards the care of AIN's rescued animals. Thank you for your continued support.

For further information on adoption, fostering, volunteering etc, please contact the main helpline on 087 1356188. For cat/kitten enquiries please call 087 7644420. Animals In Need Donegal is also on Facebook and has a website at http://www.animalsinneeddonegal.com

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