Heart-breaking end for Animals In Need rescue shows importance of neutering
Cleocatra and her kittens captured the hearts of her rescuers and their supporters
There was heartbreak at Animals In Need (AIN) with the death of Butterscotch, the final surviving kitten of a litter of four.
Their mother, Cleocatra, was a heavily pregnant, six-month-old kitten when she was rescued, suffering from malnutrition and seriously underweight.
She gave birth to four kittens, but the pregnancy and caring for the kittens took its toll on her young body and she became very ill with cat flu, spending a week in a vets, receiving intensive care.
Sadly, the kittens also became sick and died one by one, leaving only Butterscotch.
However, Butterscotch had developed irreparable lung damage from his illness and needed long term medication to allow him to breath.
Despite this, he was a happy little boy, who enjoyed bullying his fosterer’s dog, playing and being cuddled.
It was not known how long he had left, but this week his condition deteriorated rapidly, and the kindest solution was to let him go so that he did not suffer.
If ever there was a case to highlight the importance of neutering young cats, this was it.
Cleocatra lost all her kittens and nearly died herself, which could have been prevented by a trip to the vets before she became pregnant.
This has been a very upsetting situation for AIN’s fosterers, the only good news being that Cleocatra has been neutered and then adopted by a lovely family where she will finally have the opportunity to be a kitten herself.
AIN has had another busy week, with several cat families arriving, including a mother cat with three kittens and another cat with four kittens.
Unfortunately, two kittens from the latter family passed away due to fading kitten syndrome. This syndrome occurs in the first five weeks of a kitten’s life, when they fail to thrive for a number of reasons and eventually die.
AIN also rescued an injured kitten and a 12-year-old feral cat.
On Thursday, AIN received a call about a stray cat who had been in the area for a couple of weeks and looked pregnant.
Now called Grace, the black cat gave birth to three tabby kittens, and the cat family was brought to AIN, where they are doing well.
AIN’s dog rescuers continue to take dogs from the Letterkenny Dog Shelter.
We are lucky in Donegal to have Dog Shelter staff who care for the dogs very well and the Pound itself was recently refurbished to make the dogs more comfortable.
However, a dog could be at risk if they are not reclaimed or adopted within five days of their arrival, and AIN helps by collecting these dogs and bringing them to AIN foster homes until they are rehomed.
Just before New Year 2024, a stray terrier pup later named Hudson was found and brought to the Letterkenny Dog Shelter (Pound).
He was around 4 months old and when his time in the Pound was up, he joined AIN’s rescued animals.
Hudson was a lovely pup and soon found his forever home with a fantastic family.
Now called Blaze, he was at the vets to be neutered, and his new owner reported that he has settled in well and is a fully-fledged member of the family.
Finally, AIN understand that people can face hardship at times, and if anyone is struggling to buy cat or dog food for their pets, the charity can help.
Looking after a feral colony is expensive, so please let AIN help by providing food.
Pet food can be collected from Donegal Town or Letterkenny by arrangement.
Please note that all contacts are 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 at http://www.animalsinneeddonegal.com.