Early start to kitten season this year - Animals in Need Donegal

Kitten Season 2022 has begun, with the arrival of the first heavily pregnant cat of the year at Animals In Need (AIN).

There was no real end to ‘Kitten Season’ last year, with kittens being rescued all over the county throughout the year.

It is unusual to find small kittens during the winter as the majority are born from April to October, but the extended mild weather we had in the Autumn meant that cats continued to breed.

Kittens born outside in winter have little chance of survival without help. The cold nights often lead to sickness or hypothermia and many will perish unless they are brought inside.

WHEN YOU LET THE LITTLE ONE HAVE THE BIG BED 

This young pregnant cat is now settled in the warmth of AIN’s cattery, where she will have her kittens any day now.

Last week an extremely sick kitten was found in a skip behind a hotel in Letterkenny by a member of the public.

The kitten was taken to the vets by her finder, who then decided to keep her as their own cat had been missing for a while.

Out of the blue, the missing cat turned up two days later so now there are two cats in the house.

There is good news regarding a big kitten called Alice.

She was rescued recently, along with her mother Kendall, after they had been dumped in a remote area.

Alice clearly had something wrong with her eyes and it was feared that they had been damaged by an untreated eye infection and that she was suffering and would need to have her eyes removed.

ALICE AND MUM KENDALL ARE LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME

However, further tests by a vet determined that her eye condition is a birth defect which is not causing her any pain or discomfort, which had been the main concern.

Alice has limited vision but her other senses are fully operational and she does not let anything hold her back from living her best life.

She is still only a kitten, having been born last summer, and has been neutered and is ready to find a special, indoor only home. Her mother Kendall is a beautiful long furred black cat and Alice is semi-long furred.

Both cats are very tame, quiet and gentle and would ideally like to be rehomed together. If you can offer that home, please contact the cat helpline.

AIN will provide veterinary cover for any future issues arising from Alice’s eye condition for her new owners.

When animals go missing, it is heart-breaking for their owners, as was the case when a young tabby cat vanished from his Ramelton home at the start of the year.

THE FIRST PREGNANT CAT OF THE YEAR ARRIVED AT AIN

Twenty-six days later, AIN was contacted about the very same cat who had turned up on the Donegal Town side of Ballybofey as a stray.

Luckily for him, his finder took him to the vets to have him scanned for a microchip, which unfortunately was not registered, but then continued to ring around local rescues in an attempt to reunite him with his family.

AIN recognised the cat and he is now back home in Ramelton. How he ended up 40km away from home remains a mystery and he isn’t telling!

Meanwhile, AIN’s dog foster homes are completely full. Many of the dogs in their care are elderly or sick and cannot be rehomed yet, which means the foster homes are at bursting point.

The volunteers continue to collect any dogs who have completed their five mandatory days in the Letterkenny Pound each week and have an extremely long list of dogs waiting to be surrendered by their owners when there is room for them.

After a quiet period for dog rescues during the various restrictions, when so many people bought dogs and there was such a demand that puppy farmers went into overdrive, churning out puppies to sell at extortionate prices, as predicted by Rescues, there is an avalanche of unwanted young dogs now that things are getting back to normal.

The charity requests that people who wish to hand in their dogs be patient. The dogs from the Pound have to take priority, but they will help with the rehoming of your dog as soon as possible.

To help AIN’s animals, please donate €2 to AIN’s ‘Help Us To Help Them’ fundraising appeal via your phone by texting the word ‘KITTEN’ to 50300. Every last cent goes directly to the rescued animals for their food, bedding, vet bills, worming treatment and vaccinations.

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.