Rescue centre needs kitten help

Rain Rescue recently took in a stray female feline who gave birth to three ginger and six black offspring.

The Rotherham charity said it had already been inundated with stray cats and kittens, with two expectant mums also due to give birth soon.

Rain, which rehoused 331 cars and kittens last year, faces huge vet’s bills of £1,500 a week, which includes neutering and vaccination costs.

The charity has appealed for help covering its growing outgoings — and also to pet owners to make sure their animals are neutered.

Press officer and Rain volunteer Pat Davey said the charity expected to exceed last year’s record number of rehomed cats.

“The problem seems never ending and is frightening,” she said.

"All babies are beautiful and these kittens were no exception but each female kitten, if left un-neutered, is capable of mothering 20,000 descendants in just five years.

“With male kittens, it could be even more.

“This is why we must get across the message that cats, both male and female, need neutering before they reach kitten bearing age at four months.

“This also protects them from some terrible diseases.

“We can and do help to try and solve the problem by issuing neutering  vouchers to anyone with a Rotherham postcode.

“To apply for a voucher, people need to go to the Rain website.”

Pat said feeding, vaccinating, microchipping and keeping kittens free of worms and fleas would cost £100 per animal before they were rehomed.

“The numbers we rescue, and therefore the costs, just keep on rising because people do not realise what happens when they let their unneutered cat out during the day,” said Pat.

“We are a small animal charity — one with a well-earned very good and caring reputation — and have to rely on the good will of the public for their donations to carry on our work.   

“We certainly suffered during the Covid pandemic and now we are suffering because of the ending of the pandemic.

"We have seen an increase in the numbers of pets that are ‘having to be let go’.

“We have got an explosion in the number of both older cats and kittens being found straying and scavenging for food, thus pushing up our costs considerably and unfortunately as inflation bites our income diminishes.

“These cats and dogs don't ask a lot — just to be cared for; to have love; to have their injuries or illnesses sorted and to be saved from starvation.”

Visit www.rainrescue.co.uk/cats/catneutering to request a neutering voucher. You can also donate to the charity’s Kitten Appeal on the website.