From our Blog
Although The Mayhew can care for up to 150 cats at any one time we have had to close our doors temporarily to any more intakes from members of the public.
We are overwhelmed with the amount of unwanted litters and cats dumped on us daily and desperately need to get some of these felines into foster homes to free up space.
The Mayhew already has a network of foster carers but desperately needs more people to take temporary care of some of our cats and kittens. The summer months affect rescue charities greatly as the high numbers of abandoned felines during ‘kitten season’ puts great strain on resources to house and care for vulnerable animals.
JoAnna Puzzo, The Mayhew’s Cat Welfare Co-ordinator, explains: “Our waiting lists are full of people who wish to give up their pet into our care and we are also responding to many emergency requests daily from members of the public who are finding litters of kittens abandoned and in need”
Potential foster carers will need to commit to looking after one of our cats or kittens for 2-3 months. All costs and care equipment for the cats, such as bedding and food, will be covered by us – though any contributions towards looking after the cat, or kitten would be greatly appreciated as we are solely reliant on funds from the public to continue our work.
We also have many litters of kittens in our care who we hope to place with foster carers as soon as possible. One recent arrival, last week, was Darcy, a terrified cat found locked in a cage with her young kitten by some bin men in Wembley. Darcy has since given birth at The Mayhew to another litter of kittens. Over 60% of the cats now in our care are under six months old.
JoAnna added: “People may often think that kittens are easy to rehome and must put little pressure on our resources, but it is the sheer number of them which makes it increasingly difficult to find accommodation for them all. Kittens will benefit greatly from spending time in a foster home and it means that the next litter in need can be brought in and be cared for by our vet and animal teams.”
To find out more about fostering for The Mayhew, please contact Cat Welfare Coordinator, Joanna Puzzo. Email joanna@themayhew.org or call 020 8968 2343.