More than 85 animals currently in the care of AIN Donegal

The volunteers at Animals In Need (AIN) currently have more than 85 animals in their care, consisting of over 30 dogs and 55 cats and kittens.

In the past week, the charity has dealt with a shocking increase in emergency cat rescues, with 24 cats and kittens arriving at AIN and the volunteers also carried out the Trap/Neuter/Return (T/N/R) of eight feral cats.

The new arrivals at AIN included a tiny kitten found alone suffering from cat flu that has to be bottle-fed special kitten milk formula, a kitten with a broken leg, a kitten hit by a car, a feral mother cat suffering from a brain injury along with her kittens, abandoned kittens, a heavily pregnant cat, kittens fallen from car engines and a very sick adult cat.

Thankfully, the dog rescuers had a quieter week than usual, but with more than 30 dogs to care for in foster homes, they were still extremely busy. Amongst the dogs fostered is a lovely hound/collie crossbreed called Jasper, who will be found a loving home in due course.

All the dogs that AIN rescues are microchipped, neutered and vaccinated before they are rehomed. In addition, they are assessed to ensure that they go to the right home. Most of the dogs that AIN rescues are larger dogs, like Jasper, which makes finding them new homes more of a challenge. There is a waiting list of people who want to adopt small dogs, but larger dogs often have to go through the Pet Passport process and are found homes overseas as there is not enough demand for them locally.

AIN received an emergency call last week when an unconscious tortoiseshell kitten was found lying on a grass verge near the road in Letterkenny, after being hit by a car. The kitten was still breathing and luckily the young people who found her rushed her straight to the vets, where AIN took over responsibility for the kitten.

Now named Tiger Lily, the kitten regained consciousness that evening. She initially could not stand or walk and had a concussion, but had no broken bones and was released to AIN. Tiger Lily’s remarkable recovery continued apace and just a few days later, she was bright and lively. Tiger Lily has a scar on the right side of her nose, but she has recovered from concussion and will soon be ready for a new home. A huge thank you to the young people who found Tiger Lily and got help for her straight away.

A ginger kitten called Ron also had trouble on the roads. He was found last week after falling from a car engine, which had left him with a facial injury and a broken fang embedded in his gum. Ron also had cat flu, but following treatment for both the flu and his injuries, he is feeling much better and is well along the road to recovery.

A one-eyed cat called Cyclops was rescued last week along with her three newborn kittens after she was spotted giving birth in a yard. AIN was informed that Cyclops had lost her eye in an accident a few months ago in which she also injured her leg, but thankfully her leg has healed. However, there is further concern as she has rapid eye movement in her remaining eye, which indicates a neurological injury. Cyclops is semi-feral and is not used to being handled, which will make examining and treating her difficult, but her fosterer is closely monitoring her condition.

With so many kittens in AIN’s care, the charity is running out of small toys for the fostered animals to play with. If you would like to donate toys for the animals, you can buy them at Pets’R’Us and SoLo in Donegal Town and drop them in the AIN donation bins in the stores. Donations can also be dropped off in Letterkenny by arrangement via pm or WhatsApp 087 7644420.

For further information on adoption, fostering, volunteering, etc., please contact the main helpline on 087 1356188.