Animals in Need reports tough week for rescuers, and tips for pet summer safety

To make the most of the current glorious weather, Animals In Need (AIN) has offered the following advice to ensure that your pets enjoy the warm weather safely too.

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-DOGS IN CARS - Every summer dogs die from heatstroke, most commonly when left inside a parked car. Within minutes the temperature inside a car can rise by up to 20 degrees above that outside, turning the car into an oven that bakes the dog from the inside out.

-VENTILATION - Dogs can’t cope with the heat by sweating like humans do and can only sweat through their paws or by panting. Leaving a car window open isn’t enough ventilation so if you think you’ll have to leave your dog unattended in a car for any time at all, leave them at home.

-HEATSTROKE - A dog suffering from heatstroke will need urgent veterinary care, but in the meantime, try to lower the dog’s temperature by moving him to a cooler area, wetting the coat and particularly the paws and face and, if possible, immerse the dog fully in cool water.

-BURNT PAWS - To avoid dogs sustaining burnt paws as asphalt pavements soften and melt or from contact with scorching metal or sand, walk them in the early mornings and evenings when it is cooler.

-SHADE - If your animal spends a lot of time outside, make sure they always have access to a shaded area and plenty of fresh water to drink.

-SUNBURN - Dogs and cats can suffer from sunburn, especially if they are light-coloured or white, and exposed areas such as their nose and ears are particularly at risk. Either keep them inside during the hottest hours or ask your vet for a recommended safe sunblock/cream to use.

-DEHYDRATION - Feral cats can become dehydrated during warm weather as their normal water source dries up, so please consider leaving out a bowl of water for any stray animals or thirsty wildlife that may be passing.

Meanwhile, it has been a tough week for the cat rescuers at AIN, with a number of sick cats needing veterinary care.

Last week, young mother cat Smokey passed away, leaving four kittens behind her.

Smokey was still a kitten herself, and the toll of pregnancy and motherhood on her young body was too much and despite spending five days in a vets, she did not survive.

Her sister Cleocatra is also a young mum, and gave birth to four kittens in her foster home last month.

They all seemed to be doing well until suddenly going downhill last week.

Cleocatra was rushed to the vets on Thursday, where she remains on a drip, fighting for her life.

Her kittens are nearly four weeks old but not yet weaned, and so her fosterer has had to take over feeding them special kitten formula milk from a bottle.

Sadly, by Saturday all four kittens were sick with cat flu.

The reason behind all this sickness is malnutrition.

By the time Cleocatra was brought to AIN, her body was already weakened as she had not received any antenatal care or extra calories to develop her growing babies. Instead, her undeveloped body was drained.

Cleocatra only weighs 2.3 kg, whilst a healthy weight for an adult cat is between 3.6kg and 5.4 kg.

She has received premium quality nutrition since arriving at AIN, but unfortunately the damage had been done.

Cleocatra and her sister Smokey were rescued from.a hoarding situation of 19 cats, with 16 unneutered cats being removed and taken in by AIN (10 cats plus 4 kittens born at their fosterhome) and the ISPCA (6 cats).

Also at the cattery, two cats, Java and Sleek, have had to spend time at the vets as they contracted cat flu.

Both cats had recently recovered from fungal infections and therefore had low immunity. Fingers crossed for the recovery of all of these poorly cats and kittens.

AIN rescued a stunning Exotic Shorthair cat this week, which is a type of shorthaired Persian.

Now called Casper, the cat had been straying around Bundoran for over a week.

As yet, no-one has come forward to claim him.

AIN has several gorgeous young adult cats who are looking for new homes, including Bertie, Garron, and tripod Percy.

For further information on these lovable boys, please check AIN’s social media pages or contact the cat helpline.

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

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