A heart-breaking surge in surrendered and sick cats has left the Sheffield Cat Shelter in desperate need of reinforcement. 

This overflow in intake and a decrease in adoptions, likely due to financial concerns, have created a sad rehoming crisis.

The volunteers are forced to ramp up their efforts continually. However, their commitment to finding loving homes for these vulnerable creatures remains unwavering.

Rebecca Hollingworth, the cat welfare manager, said: “This year, we have seen an unusual number of kittens from early in the year, and they are still coming through now.

“Usually ‘kitten season’ is between April and September and slows down for the colder months when cats are generally less active.

“However, this was not the case this year and part of last year.” 

Rebecca said: “Due to the cost of living crisis affecting everyone, including charities, have had difficulty raising the funds needed just to keep our heads above water.

“Each month, we have around £5000-6000 in vet bills to pay, overheads at the rescue, cat food and cat litter to buy, which all adds up. “

Other concerns about having a more significant number of cats at once in the rescue is that there is more chance of cross infection.

The shelter has struggled to recruit short-term fosterers to house the mother and kitten litters temporarily.

This is until the kittens are old enough for neutering, which is around 11 or 12 weeks old.

They hope that more people will be open to helping them with this issue next year.

While financial donations are vital, Sarah and Rebecca both emphasise the importance of responsible pet ownership.

Neutering and microchipping cats are crucial to preventing unwanted litters and lost pets.

People can also consider adopting from shelters as it gives a loving home to a cat in need.

This then reduces the demand for commercially bred cats.

The demand is exceptionally high for short-term foster homes.

These are for kittens and their mothers until they are old enough for neutering before rehoming.

The Sheffield Cat Shelter seeks to raise awareness and funds through events like The Cat Video Fest, and other fundraisers.

Held at the Showroom Cinema in December, a portion of the ticket sales will be donated to the charity.

The shelter will also have a stall at the event, providing another avenue for support.

The festival promises hilarious and heart-warming cat videos, sure to bring a smile to any cat lover’s face.

Despite the challenges, the Sheffield Cat Shelter’s team and volunteers remain optimistic.

Sarah said: “We want to raise awareness through events, and we hope to find loving homes for all of these cats.”.

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