AIN Donegal share tips to keep pets safe during spooky season
AIN is appealing to people to keep their pets indoors throughout the Halloween period, as so many animals panic from the fireworks and extra visitors to the house and run off and get lost
Halloween may be fun for the family, but it is also a day of terror for many animals.
It is one of the busiest days of the year for the volunteers at Animals In Need (AIN), with numerous dogs and cats being lost or found.
In previous years, even high, seemingly unscalable fences have been cleared by terrified dogs.
AIN advises dog owners to walk their dog before it gets dark, create a safe, quiet space in the house for them and always make sure they are secured indoors. To mask the noise from outside, having a radio or the TV on can help.
Cats are not fans of Halloween and fireworks either, so please keep them safe indoors, especially black cats, who can be deliberately targeted for cruel abuse at this time of year.
Also make sure that your pets cannot reach hazardous decorations or sweets. Apart from the well-known dangers posed by pets eating chocolate, raisins or certain nuts, many sweets and biscuits contain the artificial sweetener xylitol, which is extremely toxic for pets and is a medical emergency if consumed.
If your pet should go missing or you come across a spooked pet that is clearly lost, contact your local animal rescue, the vets, the Gardai and the Donegal Dog Shelter and post the details in local community social media groups.
Constantly dealing with cases of animal suffering takes its toll on the unpaid volunteers at AIN, and this week they faced a heartbreaking situation when Millie, an emaciated heavily pregnant cat, was found at the roadside in Newtowncunningham.
The kind people who found Millie took her to the vets to be scanned in case she had a microchip and then looked after her until she could be transferred to AIN.
However, Millie was sleeping a lot and hardly eating, so AIN took over her care and rushed her straight to the vets. Tragically, Millie was too far gone, and she died on the consultation table. Apart from her huge pregnant stomach, she was skeletal.
This was extremely upsetting for all involved but sometimes rescue comes too late. RIP Millie and her unborn babies.
As has been the case every week for the past few months, kittens were found dotted around the county this week, many of them injured due to falling from the engines of moving cars.
There is an outbreak of cat flu at the cattery at the moment, meaning the charity is unable to take in more cats there, and any kittens rescued will need to be found separate foster homes.
In better news, the frozen kittens, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf, are doing very well in their foster home and continue to improve after being found on a bitterly cold roadside last weekend.
Black kitten Olaf may have permanent damage to his right eye, as he arrived with cat flu and an eye infection, but his eye is still too inflamed for the vet to examine it properly yet.
Meanwhile, AIN was delighted to find a fantastic new home for rescued dog Finn. He had already been rehomed once, but unfortunately that home did not work out, so Finn returned to AIN. Finn has now moved in with his new family in Ballintra, where he has quickly settled in. AIN wish Finn a long and happy life in his new home. Finally, AIN has received a very kind donation of beautiful, hand-crafted sea glass jewellery from The Kinnegar Pirate.
These unique pieces can be purchased in AIN's Donegal Town Charity Shop. Every purchase will help support AIN’s work, providing care, compassion, and a second chance for animals in need and rescue animals. So why not shop for something beautiful and support a wonderful cause at the same time? All the volunteers and animals at AIN would like to say a huge thank you to The Kinnegar Pirate.
For further information on adoption, fostering, volunteering, etc., please contact the main helpline on 087 1356188. For cat/kitten enquiries, please call 087 7644420.