Your Cat Good Causes has donated 20 brand-new cat carriers to The Cotswolds Dogs & Cats Home to give the cats in their care a safe hiding place and allow safe and secure transportation.
The Cotswolds Dogs & Cats Home (CDCH) is committed to providing a safe place for abandoned, neglected, and abused animals in the Cotswolds. The charity has been providing care and support to vulnerable animals in their community for over 80 years. They work across Gloucestershire and support over 1,000 animals each year living in the community.
The majority of the animals that arrive in the care of CDCH are either public sign over (around 55%) or signed into their care via the RSPCA (around 45%). They are currently at capacity for cats and dogs and have a long waiting list of animals needing to come into their care. Some days, they can receive up to five calls from people needing help with surrendering their cats, so it’s highly important for them to have the necessary equipment to keep the cats happy and safe.
The cat carriers Your Cat Good Causes has donated will have multiple uses, as they will be used to transport the cats in their care to and from their vital veterinary appointments, and perhaps even more appreciated by the cats, they will also be used as safe spaces for the resident kitties to feel more relaxed.
Haley Medlock, Fundraising Manager at CDCH, says: “Our pod set up includes lots of hideaways for the cats to enjoy. The cat carriers will always be in place in their pods as we find this is the most comfortable sleeping environment for them. When they have vet visits (either on site or at our local vet’s), the carriers will be used to transport them safely to their appointments.”
As a popular hiding area for cats while they are in their care, they usually have blankets placed in and on top of them, and a lot of cats choose to use them as a bed.
Mina Fudge, Cattery Lead at CDCH, explains: “Doing this is also great for desensitising the cats to being in a carrier and we often spend time supporting cats to get used to being in a carrier so they are less scared when they have to visit a vet once adopted. On behalf of the team here at CDCH, we want to say a huge thank you to Your Cat Good Causes for supporting us and helping us give the best care to our cats.”
These specific carriers were requested by the cattery due to the sturdiness of the plastic shape, as well as the size. “A lot of cat carriers on the market are good for little cats, but we like to give them a little more space to help them feel as comfortable as possible (especially as we encourage cats to use them as a hiding space/bed). It is also an affordable and accessible carrier that our adopters often choose to buy for themselves so the cat is able to use the same type of carrier in the home once adopted,” Mina explains.
The staff also advise adopters to leave the carrier in an accessible place once in their new home, and let the cat use this as a bed, therefore the cat continues to be comfortable with the carrier, and it’s not just a strange object that they only associate with vet visits.
One cat in particular that will benefit from a new carrier is Rain (pictured above), a black cat who has been at CDCH for six months, which is a lot longer than average.
Haley said: “Rain came into our care as a pregnant stray. She found being in a pod compared quite different and it took her some time to settle. She feels safest in her cat carrier within her pod. So, being able to give Rain a new, larger cat carrier to feel safe in will make the world of difference for her.
“Rain has also helped us realise that it may help all cats settle in should they have a safe space like a cat carrier to relax in within their pod, for them to come and go as they please.”
The RSPCA reports that higher numbers of black or black and white cats ending up in rescue centres with a longer length of stay could be in part due to myths around black cats bringing bad luck. The charity says it takes an average of 28 days to find their forever homes, compared to a calico cat which takes 17 days.
Deborah Barron, Grants Fundraiser at CDCH, said: “I wanted to say on behalf of the charity, a massive thank you to Your Cat Good Causes for kindly purchasing 20 carriers. They have been put straight to good use, not only to provide hiding places for the cats in our care, but to also allow the cattery staff to safely and securely move the cats when necessary.”
There are many ways you can support The Cotswolds Dogs & Cats Home, visit their website www.cotswoldsdogsandcatshome.org.uk to find out more.
Did you know?
There are also seven Cotswolds Dogs & Cats Home charity shops throughout Gloucestershire that run Pet Food Banks to help those who are struggling to feed their pets through the cost-of-living crisis. If you’re in the area, and could you use some help, simply speak with a member of staff access the Pet Food Bank.