Over the last few years, cat shelters and rescues nationwide have been massively overwhelmed, with many cats who come into care having not been microchipped or neutered.
Considering these issues, I recently had the chance to speak to June, who runs the Ginger Cat House Rescue in Worcester Park, Surrey, to talk about the rescue and the impact that these problems have had on the cats and the shelter itself.
How and when did the rescue start?
‘We started seventeen years ago, and a cat found us – he just came into the door, and we found out he’d been kicked out of his home.’
From that point onwards, June decided that she was going to rescue more cats.
How has the influx of abandoned cats been a prevalent issue in your rescue?
‘We are overcrowded; but I can’t turn down an urgent case. We cannot cope with the demand anymore.’
‘Every day I reckon we have 20 people asking us to take their cats, and we’re having to choose who we take.’
She then talks about a recent case: ‘A cat had a crushed paw, but his owner had abandoned him. He had been on the streets, so he’s an urgent case because he needed help.’
How has the decrease of microchipping impacted your rescue?
‘The law hasn’t made any difference.’
‘People aren’t microchipping and most of the cats we go out to scan are not microchipped. It’s a problem because we can’t reunite that cat. I was really hoping that the law would change things, but it hasn’t because nobody’s enforcing it.’
What advice would you give to budding cat owners?
‘We really encourage people to insure their cat so that if they get sick, they can pay for treatment.’
What does the rehoming process involve?
‘We do a stringent online home check, where people can fill in an application form. They send pictures of their home that we have a look at.’
‘If we have doubts, we’ll go out and do a physical home visit.’
How can people help support the charity?
‘People donate their time, so every day we have volunteers come in, who help clean the cats and their pens.’
‘People also help us with their fundraising; it’s a big issue since we’re totally self-funded – we have to raise every penny for our vet bills.’
Anything else you’d like to say?
‘Rescue is just one of those things. It’s very hard to get out of. It’s very rewarding, but at the same time it’s really heart-breaking.’
‘There are days where I think, “I don’t want to do this anymore. I can’t deal with it.” And then next time, “Come on, you’ve just got to keep going.”’
‘We’ve got four kittens going out this weekend, who are going to be adopted to lovely families. That’s what makes it so worthwhile.’
Many thanks to June for an eye-opening discussion. If you would like to donate, click here.
