Shocking discovery of box of Kittens dumped at end of laneway

There was widespread shock, when a sealed box of kittens was found dumped at the end of a laneway in Inishowen, last weekend.

A heartless person had taped the box shut so that the kittens had no chance of escape and it was only by luck that the box was in the shade or the kittens would have suffered horrific deaths in this heat.

It is uncertain how long the box had been there but it had been spotted the night before, so it was in situ for at least 20 hours.

When their finder opened the box, they found five tiny, terrified faces looking up at them.

The kittens were very subdued, dehydrated, starving and covered in fleas. On top of all this, they were all suffering from cat flu and had eye infections.

The young kittens after they were rescued 

The five kittens were transported to Animals In Need (AIN) where they are receiving treatment and plenty of fluids and good food.

The AIN volunteers also had trips to the vets this week, firstly with Muffin, who had had to have mammary tumours removed but unfortunately her wound opened and she need to have it surgically closed again.

Cat Elvira, who had major surgery last week due to pyometra, developed a hernia and also had to return to the vets.

Meanwhile, it has been a good week for dog adoptions, with five terrier pups all finding homes.

AIN has a long list of people waiting to adopt small dogs but sadly, the majority of the dogs that the charity rescues are collies and other large breeds, for whom there is little demand at the moment.

Maggie May, a Staffie pup who was rescued from the Letterkenny Pound last month, has also been adopted by a lovely family.

Finding homes for older dogs has always been a challenge, but AIN are delighted that Lucky, an elderly Springer Spaniel, has found a wonderful home.

Lucky was traumatised when she arrived at AIN, after being found lying beside her deceased owner, who she would not leave.

After months in an AIN foster home, she is finally living up to her name and has gone to live out the rest of her life in a 5* home.

Lucky has gone to a loving home

With the good weather set to continue, AIN would like offer a few reminders on how to keep your pets safe.

It should go without saying by now that dogs should never be left in cars during warm weather as the temperature inside a car skyrockets in minutes, yet every year there are reports of dogs dying from the heat due to being left in a car.

Dogs should be walked early morning or late evening to avoid heatstroke or burnt paw pads.

The golden rule is, if it’s too hot for you to walk along with bare feet whilst wearing a fur coat, then it’s too hot for them too.

If you do notice signs of heatstroke in your pet, such as panting heavily, difficulty breathing, drooling, lethargy, coordination problems or if the dog has collapsed or is vomiting, then immediate action should be taken to lower their temperature.

Bring your pet into the shade and pour cool (but not cold, to avoid shock) water over them, avoiding their face in case the water is inhaled, and encourage them to drink.

A visit to a vet is then essential as even if your dog seems to have recovered, they may have suffered organ damage and this needs to be checked out.

This can also be a tricky time for homeless cats and wildlife as their usual water sources dry up.

Please consider leaving out a bowl of water for any thirsty, dehydrated animal that may be passing. You could be saving a life.

Finally, AIN would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part as a volunteer or donated to their bucket collection in Donegal Town on Saturday last.

The collection was a great success thanks to the generosity of the people of Donegal.

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.