Lincs Ark cat, kitten and rabbit rescue close its doors for the first time in 22 years - while also dealing with colonies of feral animals in Boston and Moulton
Heartbroken volunteers say they don’t know what the answer is to a cat crisis - after being forced to close their doors to the animal rescue charity for the first time in 22 years.
As a result of a ‘horrendous year’, The Lincs Ark cat, kitten and rabbit rescue organisation has made the difficult decision to stop taking in any more animals.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, volunteers have also been trying to deal with two feral cat colonies in Moulton and Boston - created by animals which have not been neutered.
Cat co-ordinator, Michele Franks said: “It’s heartbreaking. Every year we say it gets worse but this year has been absolutely horrendous.
“It is the first time in the 22 years we have been running where we have had to close our doors for cats. Unfortunately all animal rescues are experiencing this problem and there is just no room at the inn.
“There has been eight rescues in our area which have closed in the past eight years and the few that are left have to pick up the pieces – we have 27 foster carers and all of them are full, and until we can create space we can’t take anymore in.”
The animal charity operates across the South Lincolnshire area, including Boston, Spalding and Holbeach.
Michele explained some of the main problems they deal with is the lack of cat neutering, owners not being able to afford vet bills or the upkeep of their animals and landlords not allowing people to take their pets with them into a new property.
She added: “There is definitely a lack of education for cat neutering and what it takes to look after the animal before you commit to having one.
“In Boston there is a cat colony of 70 plus cats and in Moulton there is a colony of 40 plus cats. People have got to realise that taking on an animal is a commitment and they are not something you can keep for a little while and get rid of when you get bored.
“We have had some cases where people ring up and want to get rid of their cat because it keeps escaping or they want us to pay for their vet bills. If we can help we will but there are times when I do feel like we are a dumping ground for people’s kittens.
“Our vets bills range from £1,800 to £4,000 a month and we have to fundraise to be able to pay for it. Due to there being so many abandoned cats for us to cope with, it then stops the genuine cases which we can’t take in – it’s not fair at all and I don’t know what the answer is.”
Donington councillor Jane King, has previously called for pet owners to show responsibility following the rise in unneutered cats, she said: “The large colony numbers in Boston and Moulton do not surprise me.
“Unneutered tom cats can travel for miles in search of females, which can lead to them being run over or they can catch various diseases such as feline leukaemia, feline immunodeficiency virus and abscesses from getting into fights with other male cats.
“The colonies only start from people who have had a cat, be it male or female, and not had it neutered. There is also an awful lot of inbreeding in cat colonies – dads will breed with their daughter, brothers and sisters and sons and mothers.
“There is a good majority of people who are responsible and once your cat is spayed and castrated there you go, but if you cannot afford to have it done, don’t get a cat.
“I think there is also an old wives tale that female cats need to have one litter of kittens. In my opinion that is like saying every girl child needs to have a baby when they get older – they don’t need to have a litter of kittens as they will still hunt after being spayed or castrated – it’s in their instincts.”
Michele echoed the calls about the need to spay cats.
She said: “If people got their cats neutered that would be half the battle. It’s very stressful for us to turn down animals and say no. I used to have a waiting list but when it reached 25 cats I had to close it because I needed sleep – it causes sleepless night and we’re all very tired.”
Some of the health benefits for cat neutering include:
For advice on cat neutering from Cats Protection click here. Visit the Lincs Ark cat, kitten and rabbit rescue website and Facebook page for more information.
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