Appeal for new fosterers for rescued cats and dogs from Animals in Need

Animals In Need (AIN) is appealing to people who are interested in fostering a rescued cat or dog to
get in touch.
The situation regarding unwanted dogs is now completely out of control, not only in Donegal, but
throughout the country, plus spring and summer are always busy times for the cat rescuers as ‘Kitten
Season’ takes over, some of the more vulnerable or orphaned kittens having to be hand-reared.
AIN has a small group of dedicated fosterers but they can only do so much. The more fosterers the
charity has, the greater the number of animals that they can help.
Fostering a rescued animal is very rewarding as you watch them blossom as you provide the vital
stepping stone towards new, better lives for an animal that has often been neglected, abandoned or
mistreated.

Sailor has gone to his new home

AIN provides bedding and food and covers any veterinary fees whilst the animals are in foster care, so
if you can provide the time and TLC a cat or dog needs to get back on their feet, please contact either
the AIN helplines or send a message on Facebook for further information.
AIN took in two heavily pregnant cats this week, one of them being Leia, who is about to give birth
any time now.
Both mums-to-be were kittens themselves only last year.
Meanwhile, black cat Muffin is healing well after major surgery to remove her mammary glands.
Muffin had been pregnant when she was found but it soon became obvious that something was
seriously wrong as she had a number of mammary tumours that were growing visibly by the day.
Veterinary examinations revealed that her pregnancy was not viable and she was therefore able to have
surgery to remove the glands down one side, with the rest of her mammary glands scheduled to be
removed once she had recovered from the first surgery.
Muffin is in good spirits at the cattery and has even taken over looking after Emmeline and Ewan, two
abandoned, new-born kittens who arrived this week and are being bottle-fed.
This tiny duo was part of a litter of four kittens, but sadly one of the other kittens was stillborn and
another died shortly after birth.

Newborn Emmeline and her brother Ethan are being bottle-fed

Their mother left soon after they were born and did not return and they were therefore brought to AIN.
The first few hours after birth are a critical time for a kitten and their fosterer is feeding them
colostrum formula to replace what they would usually be fed by their mother as it is essential for their
survival.
It is currently touch and go for Emmeline and Ewan but their fosterer is feeding them every two hours
around the clock, including throughout the night, in the hope that they will survive.
A humane cat trap has been set in the area they came from to hopefully catch their mother so that she
can be neutered.
Mother cat Cookie was rescued with her four kittens recently but unfortunately she has developed an
infection with a temperature and has run out of milk.

Cookie’s kittens are being bottle-fed special kitten milk formula now as they are only a few weeks old,
meaning more sleepless nights ahead for their fosterer.
Meanwhile, the dog rescuers are overwhelmed with the sheer volume of calls coming into the helpline
from people who want to surrender their dog.
Rehoming dogs is also proving difficult as the demand for a canine companion has sunk to an all-time
low.
Despite the huge number of unwanted dogs, people are still breeding more of them, especially collies,
and appeals for people to neuter their pets and to stop producing rivers of puppies that have nowhere
to go, are falling on deaf ears.
Rescued collie Sailor is one of the lucky ones as he has found a fantastic forever home.
Sailor is a fantastic dog who was left in the Letterkenny Pound before being taken in by AIN.
Good luck in your new home Sailor!
To help AIN’s animals, please donate €2 to AIN’s ‘Help Us To Help Them’ fundraising appeal via your
phone by texting the word ‘KITTEN’ to 50300. Every last cent goes directly to the rescued animals for
their food, bedding, vet bills, worming treatment and vaccinations.
For further information on adoption, fostering, volunteering etc, please contact the main helpline on
087 1356188. For cat/kitten enquiries please call 087 7644420. Animals In Need Donegal is also on
Facebook and has a website at http://www.animalsinneeddonegal.com.