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Ginger tabby Jaffa was left abandoned at the side of the road in the cold |
Rescue centres face abandoned pets crisis
THIS ginger tabby, known as Jaffa, is just one of the dozens of unwanted animals dumped on Camden’s freezing streets in recent weeks.
Left to fend for himself, he was found in a cardboard box with no food or water by the side of a Highgate road just after Christmas.
His rescuers said he was a bit smelly but remains a friendly feline, who is in need of a loving home.
Jaffa is now in the Cats Protection North London Adoption Centre, in Archway, which is expecting a surge in similar cases over the next month, as people dispose of dogs and cats given as gifts.
Guy Chadwick, operations manager for Cats Protection, said an annual problem will be particularly bad this year due to the economic gloom, which is driving many pet owners to give their animals up.
“People are dumping pets through desperation in this crisis,” he said.
“They might have been evicted, or they might have financial problems which give them an issue about what to do with their animals.”
Properly caring for, a medium-sized dog can cost as much as £1,000 a year, and a cat can be as much as £567, he said.
The Cats Protection Centre in Archway is now full, as is the Mayhew Animal Home, in Kensal Rise, whose catchment area includes Camden. Both have significant waiting lists.
The centres are committed to housing all animals that are dumped on them, so they are reliant on foster carers to cope with the anticipated rush.
Foster carers voluntarily take a cat or dog into their home on a temporary basis, which frees up space in the adoption centres for new arrivals.
Sarah Dickinson, of the Mayhew Animal Home, said: “We expect a rise in numbers in the next six weeks and we are looking for more fosterers.
“We never put a healthy animal down and whatever condition they come to us in the animals’ welfare is our priority.”
If you see an abandoned animal or if you wish to be a foster carer, you can contact the Mayhew Animal Home on 020 8969 0178 and the Cats Protection Centre on 020 7272 6048. |
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