Lifetime of love needed to care for new-borns
Published on 10th May 2007 in News
An abandoned kitten being cared for by the RSPCA.
Goole and District RSPCA is urging the public to think twice before responding to the influx of adverts in local supermarkets and veterinary surgeries that offer kittens 'free to a good home'.
Georgina Petty from Goole and District RSPCA told the Goole Times this week that now is the time of the year when veterinary surgery and supermarket notice boards are filled with offers of kittens free to good homes, but added that such advertisements can often cause a lot of trouble.
She said: "It makes kittens easy to obtain on a whim without a great deal of thought for the welfare and long-term future of a vulnerable bundle of fluff.
"Goole and District RSPCA end up taking them on when they are abandoned or unwanted as rejected kittens or lonely adults."
Georgina added that in the first six months of their lives, kittens need vaccinations to prevent illness, as well as ID chipping, neutering and pet insurance, but this can be difficult and costly to find when buying a kitten from such an advert, often resulting in the animal being abandoned.
But when taking on a kitten from Goole and District RSPCA, the animal will be neutered, vaccinated and ID chipped. This costs the branch at least £90 per kitten, but it charges new owners £60 per kitten.
All prospective kitten adopters are home visited by trained branch members to ensure that the prospective owners can give their new pet as much time and attention as possible, realising that their new kitten will be a lifelong commitment as cats can live to 12 and beyond.
For more information on adopting a kitten, or if you have a litter and don't know what to do, visit the Goole and District RSPCA website at www.rspca-goole.org.uk.