Vicky is a fosterer for Wear Valley and Darlington Cats Protection. She writes the following on her website:
I would not change it for the world, but what I would love to see change is people’s attitudes… towards cruelty, towards neglect, towards abandonment and towards NEUTERING.
Neglect, neutering and abandonment are big issues in the cat world. I have just written about the laws bringing about change to cat ownership in Tasmania (the country where Maggie lives, a former PoCer).
Those laws are about attempts to reduce abandonment and increase neutering and responsible cat ownership.
Vicky’s experiences highlight the problem areas of cat management across the globe. They are the same problems wherever you are.
Vicky has been busy these past two years fostering cats for Cats Protection. She has cared for a good number of cats, indicating the scale of the problem. She has quite a fancy facility at home (I presume she fosters from her home). She has two enclosures, I think you might call them that. Vicky calls them “pens”.
Always of interest to me is how hard it might be to rehome a cat that you have fostered and so it happened to Vicky when she cared for a starving, dehydrated, tabby kitten who was found by the roadside – a bypass. It is probably a busy road.
Marion cared for her the first night….You’ll hear the soothing, friendly, cat-loving voice of Marion in the video…
Then Vicky took over. At first, there was a chance this kitten would not survive. Vicky writes:
She had to be given fluids and nutri cal every few hours and was very scared and tired…
Well, she survived and thrived thanks to Marion and Vicky. When adoption time came around as it inevitably does, Vicky discovered she could not do it. She had lost her heart to this kitten while saving her life and nurturing her to full-health. Vicky named her Saeko.
Associated page: Chester! He’s famous. The link goes to a search results page on the topic of “Chester” who was abuse by kids and saved by Marion at Cats Protection.
Nice thought. You like the feral side because it is raw cat, the true cat. I understand that. I am the same.
It is very pleasurable too, to make friends with a feral cat. To gain trust. It is like connecting with the wild.
What can I say except that I am impressed. Very impressed. The more I know and understand about Cats Protection the more impressed I am. Thanks for the information, Vicky.
Darling little baby girl!
Any tiered feral is the best in my book.
My tiers are semi-feral, feral, true feral.
Wow Vicky I’m dead jealous of your setup. Where I live there isn’t much use for me since there aren’t really any stray cats around to begin with. I wish I could foster and take care of cats who need it – all the time! I’d give up my job anyday for full time cat work/care 🙂
It must be hard giving them away when the time comes. I know that I find it really hard to say goodbye to kittens I’ve gotten to know over time. But I have never fostered or anything and I think it would be the hardest part for me.
You gave her a really nice name. She must be wonderful to spend time with 🙂
Me too 🙂 – what a sweet kitten – she doesn’t look to scared all things considered.
I love being a part of this branch, Marion is a fantastic co-ordinator and has taught me a lot. I will get some pics of my newest foster for you all. Mum and four kittens, irresponsible owners again who had help from us on more than one occasion yet this poor girl still ended up pregnant again 🙁