Leading animal welfare charity Battersea is urging struggling owners to bring their pets in to a rescue rather than abandoning them after a heavily pregnant cat was found dumped in a cardboard box.
Named Ivy by the charity’s staff, the one-year-old was discovered, trapped along with three other cats, by a member of the public on a housing estate and brought to Battersea’s Old Windsor centre.
While three of the cats, which staff believe may have been sisters, were quickly given a clean bill of health and sent to their ideal new homes, pregnant Ivy was sent to stay with a foster carer who helped her through the birth and first few weeks as a mum of two kittens, Ivan and Ivana. Once Ivy and her offspring were ready to go their separate ways, staff could finally find Ivy her perfect home. The young cat has now left the charity’s care almost three months to the day since she arrived.
Battersea’s Cattery Team Leader, Georgia Randall, said: “Ivy is such a sweet, sensitive girl and although it’s always a little sad to see our cats go after a long stay with us, we’re so happy that she has now gone to a new home where she will be a much-loved pet for many years to come. Despite her young age she proved herself to be a fantastic mum and now that her kittens have grown and gone on to new homes of their own, we hope this Mother’s Day she gets to put her paws up and receive the fuss and love that she deserves.”
Battersea has remained here for every dog and cat throughout the pandemic and while Ivy and her feline family are now all in new homes, this Mother’s Day Battersea’s staff and foster carers will be caring for many other kittens and cats in need.
The much-loved rescue is concerned that struggling owners may not be aware of the support available to them and could be risking their pets’ welfare or even their lives by abandoning them or selling them online to anyone that will take them.
Georgia continued: “We will never know what led to someone abandoning Ivy and her siblings, we can only imagine that it must have been a difficult or desperate decision. However, we would urge anyone unable to care for their pets to contact a rescue centre rather than leaving an animal alone and helpless, as this can put them at terrible risk. Battersea is always here to support struggling owners and we will never judge anyone for asking for help.”
If you can no longer care for your pet, please contact Battersea or your local rescue centre where help and advice is available. You can find more information on the Battersea website.
