This article isn’t all about cats although of course as always, Kays Hill is overflowing with cats and kittens at present. But it does affect cats, because Kevin has to find the money for the following licences he has been told he must have.
The more money handed over for these bits of official paper the less to spend on the animals and the less number of animals they can help at Kays Hill. But he has no choice.
- A Pet Shop licence – So that the public can be allowed onto the Sanctuary site more than 7 days in a year.
This one also covers asking for donations, such as at the forthcoming Halloween Party to raise funds, admission is free but donations are welcome. It will also cover the sale of pet carriers, litter trays, etc. - A performing animal licence – To enable Kays Hill volunteers to go into schools and to fund raising events and fetes, with animals allowed out of their travelling cage in public.
- A falconry licence – To enable them to take a bird out of its flight in an area the public may have access to.
- A vehicle licence – For transporting any animal around, be it to the vets, to events, or to collect when rescuing.
Each of these licences cost £100 (160 dollars) plus vets fees!
It’s almost as if DEFRA want to make it harder, if not impossible, for Animal Sanctuaries to continue rescuing and caring for needy animals and to raise money to keep going. Also to do the very important work of educating people, especially children, as to the right way to treat animals.
Many animals and birds live unhappy lives or are abandoned simply because of people not knowing how to care for them properly. Being able to reach out to children at schools and at events is very important to the future animals in the care of those children. Also children are very good at educating their parents too.
We visited Kays Hill the other day with some cat food we had for them and as always, Kevin, Leanne and Dan were hard at work, they and their volunteers put in long hours and with winter coming on it’s not at all pleasant working outdoors most of the time.
Bureaucrats sitting in their cosy offices don’t care about that, they just come up with more ideas to get money out of Sanctuaries like Kays Hill, knowing they will have no choice but to find it somehow.
It’s not so long since Kevin was ordered to put fences up between different species, thankfully in the recent gale force winds only one and a shed blew down.
Those people sitting in their offices making costly rules and regulations have no idea what hard work and worry is, I think they should spend a day at an Animal Sanctuary and find out.
Ollie is a beautiful loving friendly cat you could not wish for a gentler nature and she adores every new visitor to kays hill but her past is very shady she was brought to us by a guy saying she was so nasty he could not keep her it belonged his new girlfriend and hated his dog no good with his kids, if we did not take it, it was going to be put to sleep well we thought it must be a mountain lion the way this guy described her yet we felt so sorry for her as she has a damaged eye and metal plates in her leg from an old road injury so I agreed she could hopefully join our feral cats here well within hours we could see this is no bad cat she was a sweet baby and has been ever since it just goes to show people will tell you any old lie if they don’t want an animal any longer we don’t know her age for definite but she is around ten years at a guess and is beautiful we love her so much even when she brings back a wild rabbit for lunch but hey ho that’s nature for you cruel sometimes
It’s sickening the stories people make up to get rid of cats and it’s a sort of blackmail too, like with Ollie ‘If you don’t take her in she’ll be put to sleep’
He’d probably have dumped her somewhere if the truth was known rather than paid a vet’s bill.
Anyway she’s obviously happy at Kays Hill with her job as feline receptionist and who can blame her for fancying a rabbit for her lunch sometimes after the life she had before she came to you 😉
Ollie sounds beautiful. Gentle, loving character.
Also Kevin when a cat behaves “badly” it is not the cat who is behaving badly but the person who is making the cat anxious and defensive. Almost all bad cat behaviour is related to bad human behaviour in one way or another.
your getting confused in your old age mr. plummer. Ollie was about 10yrs when she came to us so will now be about 13 yrs. I agree she is a total sweetie though.
At max, I guessed 10 years old. She looks wonderful; a testament to how well she is cared for.
I would take her in a fast heartbeat; but, I think you would fight me for her. LOL!
Bless all of you and what you do.
this is a pic of Ollie our resident meet and greet cat she adores people most may have seen her with ruth and babz pictures but she had to be in on the party and loved the attention
I love Ollie, such a brave little soul too, bless her.
Such a beautiful girl.
She looks wise. Probably could tell a lot of stories.
How old? 8, 9, 10?
She looks like a solid, decent British ginger tabby cat. The salt of the earth 😉
people asked for a pic of Leanne well here she is after a long day at kays hill animal sanctuary as you can see all the stress turned her into a right witch
Lol does she know you’ve posted it Kevin? oh you are for it! I think it’s really good. I bet you are all tired today!
OMG IM GONNA KILL HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Heaven have mercy, glad you picked up on the satire!
I was merely wondering how someone can tap into a person’s savings account, nimbly deduct $700.00 or so (in our currency) and then, when the victim ventured to ask ‘What do I receive in return for that sum you’ve just snatched from my account?’ the grabber replied, ‘Why nothing, you pitiful fool!’
What has your town’s bureaucracy done, so far, on behalf of KH’s sanctuary? Something? Nothing? Or do they contend that KH is a public nuisance and must be made to compensate the citizens for the ‘annoyance’ they cause by displaying goats, etc.? (Never mind that people enjoyed seeing the goat.)
Again, the post-chat only expressed my failure to grasp the reasoning behind your bureaucracy’s sense of entitlement in concocting evermore money-making ‘licenses.’
A major part of licensing is to make money for the local authority – a form of tax. This seems to be happening more and more because money it tighter due to the world recession and banking crash which still affects us.
Kays Hill isn’t actually in our town, it’s a few miles from here in the wilds of wanny, but they do take in needy animals from all over the surrounding area.
They get no financial help, they depend on fund raising which is why it’s important to have the necessary licences and be able to leave the site to reach the public.
That goat just stood quietly and happily munching and being petted in one small area of the car park, it was only that jobsworth looking for trouble.
Its just so sad there ought to be a limit on how many licences are applicable and if its more than 2 for example they should have just one that envelopes all the others! £400 is such a lot of money when you are already strapped for cash 🙁
Its just so sickening when really they ought to bring back dog licences to make people more responsible! If they did then I’m sure less dogs at least would end up in shelters because only people who could afford them would get a dog!
All I can say is well done Leanne and Kevin for smiling in the face of hardship and adversity and up yours DEFRA!
Yes you are right Leah, they should bring back dog licences and make it compulsory neutering for pet cats and dogs too. Irresponsible people just dump their animals on flimsy excuses or abandon them at the gate and walk away and leave struggling Sanctuaries like Kays Hill to care for them.
I know Ruth and these people have no idea and nor do they care about all the work and money that goes into caring for the animals that they’ve dumped!
The Halloween party went ahead, I expect Kevin or Leanne will be along when they get a minute, to tell us about it. I saw on facebook an amazing photo of Leanne as a witch lol I hope she will share it here 😉
no I will not!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol
Ah billy bily buck go on, you looked lovely, really the part 😉
Yes get Kevin to put some photos on for us, including that one ….I dare you 😉