Lovely Buzz came into our care after being found living as a stray. Following a vet check, it was confirmed that Buzz was an older boy and he was in need of a dental. Along with a biopsy on abscesses in his mouth.
Buzz took everything in his stride and coped really well with all of his treatment. His fosterers fell completely in love with his loving nature and charm. Buzz went to his forever home at the start of July following the all clear from the vets.
In total Buzz’s veterinary treatment in total cost nearly £1000!! Without your continued donations to support us, we wouldn’t be able to help cats like Buzz. We are so grateful that with your help we can give these cats the second chance, that they so desperately deserve😘
We can’t believe the wonderful generosity of our supporters!!
Thank you all so much, we have currently raised £715 towards our £2,000 target! All of the money raised will be going towards helping us with our veterinary bills.
You may have noticed we have started to share individual stories of the cats we have helped, what veterinary care they have received and how much it cost. To show you all exactly how your money continues to help us help the cats of MK.
There is still time to donate to our funding page, or if you would prefer you can donate via Facebook or PayPal.
This lovely boy is called Ash. He was an entire tom, not microchipped and had been hanging around in Stantonbury Fields, Milton Keynes. Ash had clearly been in the wars, he had bumps all over his face and a split on his ear. He had missing fur on his head, neck and shoulders. Ash was covered in scratches and cuts. Poor lad was in a really poor condition and was not keen on humans at all.
Ash was checked over by a vet who suggested it was possible he would FIV+. He moved into foster care with Mandy, shortly before the UK went into lockdown. With vets closed unless it was for emergencies, Ash patiently waited for his tests. Mandy used this time with him to gain his trust and to show him that it Is okay to trust people. Since then, Ash has come on leaps and bounds.
Luckily, the vets recently started taking appointments again. Ash has now been neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. The vets also confirmed that Ash is FIV+, meaning he would need an indoor home.
Ash is currently recovering from his dental, and will hopefully be ready for a new home in the coming weeks. He has become quite the celebrity with MK Cat Rescue and we can’t wait to see how much further he progresses.
Today we are celebrating 5 wonderful years of MK Cat Rescue! ❤️
MK Cat Rescue was launched in May 2015. By people who had volunteered in cat welfare for other cat charities but wanted to set up a local cat charity, one where cats always came first, and would be community based.
The charity during this time has flourished and we are incredibly proud to have rehomed nearly 600 cats and kittens. From entire toms, to cats in need of a new home. Pregnant females to feral colonies. Emergency cases to elderly cats in need. We’ve seen it all. Thanks to the amazing first hand care of our welfare team and fosterers, who provide around the clock support and love to the cats in our care.
Alongside our four trustees, we now have over 40 volunteers who assist in a variety of roles within the charity to help the cats of MK.
And of course, without the support of all of you MK Cat Rescue could not be what it is today. All your countless donations, shares, positive messages during hard times, adoptions, the list is endless.
Thank you to everyone for being a part of something beautiful, and allowing us to continuing the work we do and love. ❤️💞🥰
Part of being a cat owner, is ensuring they are kept as safe as possible. Especially, with cats who can access outdoors and may wander or go missing. Ensuring your cat is microchipped is a responsibility that is heavily encouraged.
Key reasons for microchipping your cat:
Provides a very safe, permanent form of identification
Increases the chance of being reunited with your cat if they go missing.
Procedure is quick, painless and inexpensive.
Increases the chance of being informed if they are involved in an accident.
Reduces the number of unidentified strays.
The month of June is dedicated to raising awareness for microchipping. Whilst it is not currently a legal requirement for cats to be microchipped. But it is essential to ensuring your peace of mind and a safety aspect for your cat.
About a week ago Alvin, who was the fiercest of the kittens, suddenly became very docile and he was rushed to the vets who discovered a blockage in his bowel. He seemed to recover from the op but continued to have diarrhoea, and when returned to the vets, another blockage was found, and he had to undergo a second operation from which he is recovering fine. He returned to Angela’s, he is taking medication and he has no diarrhoea. He looks brighter doesn’t he? xx
25th of November
Angela has made an amazing progress with our 3 Chipmunks in this month. All of them gained enough weight to be ready for the surgery, Theodore had his eye removed which healed nicely. Whilst they had Theodore under anaesthetic, they tried to neuter him which meant another exploration, into his groin this time, as one of his testicles had not lowered. We are waiting to see if both Simon’s testicles descend so that he can be neutered without having to operate up into his groin. Alvin made a complete turnaround, now he is happily accepting strokes and answers to it with kind purrs.
30th of October
Our little chipmunks have been little superstars over the past few weeks. With our two tabbies Theodore (left) and Simon (middle) needing surgery it was crucial they gained weight whilst receiving daily eye treatment. All 3 are still quite feisty so it’s a testament to Angela that she’s able to administer treatment in such circumstances. But Angela is making progress securing some purrs out of Theodore and Simon… so just Alvin (right) to convince
13th of October
We’d like to introduce you to Alvin (top left), Simon (bottom left) and Theodore (right). These three kittens were discovered in Stantonbury along with their mother. Sadly we’ve been unable to capture mum as yet, we fear she’s gone to ground probably already pregnant with her next litter.
These little ones are approximately 11 weeks of age and having been safely trapped, its clear they’ve had no physical contact from humans and both Simon and Alvin are suffering from ulcers in their eyes. All three are a little hissy but thankfully Angela can handle Simon and Alvin sufficiently to administer their eye treatment. We are hopeful that Simon won’t lose his eye that is ulcerated but Theodore will require enucleation, an operation to remove the badly ulcerated eye. We are hopeful that with regular lubrication we can safe his other eye.
You might remember Jasper who came into us in 2017 and found his forever home with our social media coordinator Sarah.
In February this year, Jasper had a blocked urethra (a potentially fatal condition that requires emergency veterinary treatment) and later was diagnosed with Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD). This is a common condition in male cats, and Sarah has written an account of what happened in order to help raise awareness of the disease…
Jasper is now around four years of age and a very happy, chilled cat so it was easy to spot when he first became unwell. He didn’t want to eat, he looked tense, he didn’t want to be touched, and he kept squatting to try and do a wee all over the house – in the kitchen sink, on the dining table, near the front door, and yet failed to produce more than a drop of urine. He was also licking himself a lot, and looked very sore. So I called the vets and they told me to bring him straight in.
There, the vet felt his bladder, which was full and hard.
Cats can get urinary crystals, which can block the urethra. This means they cannot pee, which can lead to the bladder leaking and causing kidney failure and death. Jasper was admitted and the vet anaesthetised him and inserted a catheter to empty his bladder. They flushed him out to clear any crystals, and to all accounts he woke up a much happier boy.
However, during the following two months, Jasper got blocked several more times and kept showing signs of having urine infections – he would pee more frequently that normal, and often ‘wet himself’ when sleeping/on his way to the litter tray as he couldn’t make it on time.
Jasper during one of his many stays with the vet.
He spent a lot of time staying at the vets being monitored, which didn’t seem to phase him, but most cats would obviously find this stressful! It was horrible being at home without him, worrying if he’d ever get better. One time he came home on a Friday, but we had to rush him back at 1am on Sunday morning as he was blocked again.
We even took him to see a specialist, who did a very thorough check up under sedation and couldn’t find a cause for the recurrence.
However, I’m pleased to report that eventually, after four months of medication and a specialist diet for cats with FLUTD (which he’ll be on for the rest of this life), Jasper is now doing very well.
There is no cure for this condition, but there are things we can do to help Jasper avoid getting blocked or cystitis again – firstly, feeding him the specialist diet, and secondly ensuring he has a stress-free life as possible. He also needs to drink a lot so we monitor this.
My advice to any cat owner, following this experience would be:
Encourage your cat to drink water (especially if on a dry food-only diet). You can try different things, including a cat water fountain and draining the water from a can of tuna, or mixing a little with their food.
Consider getting insurance for your cat if you haven’t already. Our vets bills are currently £4,895.
Look out for signs of a urinary blockage if you have a male cat (given above), and if you suspect, take your cat to the vets ASAP.
We’re hosting the inaugural MK ♥ Animals event; a free day out for local folk who love animals, from 11m-4pm.
We’re inviting friends from lots of other local animal charities and small businesses to celebrate our community’s love for animals. There will be:
stalls & games from a range of animal charities and local businesses
a bar
lots of food options – including a Vegan BBQ
a (fun) dog show
free parking & entry
and lots more!
Well behaved dogs on leads and children of all ages are welcome. Bring your friends and family, support some local animal causes, and entertain the kids for a day.
Milton Keynes Veterinary Group are sponsoring the event and we are very grateful to them for their continued support.
St Johns’ Ambulance will be providing first aid support throughout the day should you feel unwell and toilets will be available for humans. As for dogs, we ask that you promptly scoop any poop!
If you would like to join us as a vendor or charity please reach out to our volunteer events team using the Contact Us tab – we’d be glad to hear from you.
When you’re sick of turkey, cheesy music and flashing lights – bring along your competitive spirit, your cleverest friends and join us for a fun night out.
You might remember Jasper who came into us in 2017 and found his forever home with our social media coordinator Sarah.
