AIN Donegal makes several rescues with ‘Kitten Season’ in full flow
AIN has provided updates on several cats and dogs who needed surgery and rehoming
Animals in Need (AIN) has had another busy week as ‘Kitten Season’ is at its height.
A Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) was carried out on a colony of feral cats in Glencolmcille and six kittens were treated for cat flu.
Rehoming of fostered animals has been slow, but the lucky kitten Smokey was adopted recently and is loving his new home. Kittens Harry and Tiana are both healing well after their operations. Little black kitten Tiana needed surgery on her broken jaw and to have a leg amputated after being found in the middle of heavy traffic in Letterkenny. A very sick, unneutered tomcat was found on the street in Dungloe on Monday.
Now called Larry, the cat’s eyes were sunken and pale-rimmed; he was dirty, dehydrated and his coat was dry, smelly and rough.
Larry was brought to AIN, where he was delighted to have some chicken for dinner. He will be taken to the vet to be checked over. The volunteers at AIN are always delighted to receive updates on the animals.
Delightful Diago is a 9-year-old neutered male pug who gets on well with other dogs, is very friendly and loves to go for walks. Diago was rehomed through AIN’s private rehoming scheme when his owner could no longer care for him. He has found a fantastic new home, where he has quickly settled in and is already part of the family. AIN wishes Diago and his new owners a long, happy future together.
AIN regularly takes dogs from the Donegal Dog Shelter (Letterkenny Pound) if they have not been reclaimed or adopted. This week, AIN took in some of the Shelter’s longer-staying residents who require a little more handling before they are ready to go to new homes.
Finally, if you need support in providing food for your pet or are feeding a neutered colony of Cats, AIN can help. AIN does not have a sanctuary; the unpaid volunteers care for the rescued animals in their own homes, so space is limited. This means that AIN cannot take in every cat and kitten that they are contacted about, and the volunteers should not consequently be subjected to abuse from callers.
Dumping kittens at a vet's or elsewhere to force AIN to take them in is not the solution and it is unfair on the volunteers who are under enough pressure as it is. If feral kittens are removed from a colony by members of the public, it is vital that there is a plan in place to neuter the adults, or the cycle will continue.
Please contact the charity for further information. All contacts are completely confidential. 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.