***PLEASE NOTE THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED, thanks to all who entered****

The lovely people over at Hepper have donated us this lovely cat pod, and you can win it for your fur baby!*

These washable pods are cosy and warm… you can remove the top if your cat likes a little more space, and they look pretty cool too! They retail for £149.

Here’s how to be in with a chance of winning*:

• Make a donation of £1 per entry (or £5 for six entries)
• Ensure you put ‘HEPPER’ in the comments field so that we know you’re entering the competition
• A winner will be chosen at random on 30 November 2017 so cross your fingers!

Enter now >

Thank you and good luck!

***PLEASE NOTE THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED, thanks to all who entered****

 

*Terms & Conditions – by entering our competition, you agree to the following:

1. You must type *HEPPER* into the comments section when making your donation, or your entry will not be counted.
2. Only one entry per £1 donated. Multiple entries are accepted for multiple chances to win. £5 donation = 6 entries, £10 donation = 12 entries, and so on.
3. A winner will be selected at random on 30 November 2017.
4. Winner will be required to collect their prize (from a Milton Keynes location).
5. No cash alternatives.
6. We reserve the right to amend these terms & conditions or withdrawn the competition at any time.

It’s Feral Cat Day, and here at MK Cat Rescue we help a huge amount of ferals each year.

Feral cats deserve care and happiness, just the same as domestic cats, here are some facts and ways to help them!

• Cats are naturally wild animals, that can be domesticated if they receive crucial human contact at a young age.
• Most kittens and cats will not be tameable if born outside, and they haven’t had human contact within the early months of their lives.
• Feral cats behaviour differs completely from those of the domesticated cats, they can be aggressive, prone to fighting and extremely smelly due to constant scent marking!
• Neutering feral cats will make their outdoor life ten times happier.
• Some entire toms may show some feral behaviours before they are neutered, however they can be socialised and rehomed. Purely feral cats are not able to be domesticated, and it won’t affect their behaviour towards humans after they are neutered.
• Groups of feral cats are called colonies.
• It is important to attempt TNR on ferals that cannot be tamed, this is a process completed usually by charities, called Trap, Neuter, Return. They are trapped in their outdoor environment, neutered and kept in care whilst they recover, and finally are released back into the area they were trapped from. Returning them to their original location, can be less stressful for them as they do not need to adjust a new environment.
• A lot of vets will ‘ear tip’ the cats, so once they are returned, they can be identified as neutered ensuring they aren’t accidentally trapped again.
• If feral colonies are not dealt with, it can have serious affects on the cats health. They will experience food shortages, they are a lot more prone to disease and can be a nuisance to surrounding humans if fighting constantly.
• Diseases such as FIV+ are extremely likely to be spread through fighting, making neutering even more important to reduce the risk of the disease spreading.
• Feral cats can easily adapt to a wild, free living lifestyle.
• It is estimated that the UK has 2 million feral cats living on our streets at this current moment!
• Some cats are classed as semi-feral (challenging cats), this means they may have previously lived as a domestic cat, but have lost trust in humans over time and are no longer tame, or they have lived as a feral cat and have been slightly tamed/domesticated since being neutered.
• Feral female cats spend their lives continuously pregnant, and feeding kittens (most of whom, sadly do not survive), and can cause serious health issues for them.
• Feral male cats fight constantly, as they are marking and defending their territory, they usually live unsettled lives if left unneutered. They roam far and wide, and can sire many litters in one year.
• 40 cats/kittens can be born from one queen (female) in just two years!
• Ferals tend to gather together around a reliable food source, despite their differences.
• It can be very important to determine if these cats are 100% not owned, charities and vets will always scan for a chip to be on the safe side, in case they have roamed and lost touch of their previous home.
• Feral cats are brilliant for rural areas, such as farms, stable yards and small holdings because they keep the vermin under control. All they ask in return in some food and shelter, and they can live a long, happy life!

 

We currently have two female feral cats looking for placements, to find out more please visit our Adopt A Cat section.

If you require any assistance with ferals you may know of, please contact us at mkcatrescue@gmail.com.

Thank you!

 

References;

www.catsprotection.co.uk

www.the-piedpiper.co.uk

www.pets4homes.co.uk

MK Vet Group!

Over the past few years, a lot of people have made the change and switched to a vegetarian lifestyle!

It is an increasing popular lifestyle, with teenagers making up the highest proportion of those who have switched.

As it’s World Vegetarian Day, and if you are thinking of making the change, here are 10 reasons why you should!

1. Studies show that a plant-based diet can actually increase the body’s metabolism. This causes the body to burn calories up to 16% faster, than it would if it was also on a meat based diet.
2. It is argued that humans are actually naturally herbivores, for example our molars are similar to those of a herbivore in shape and structure.
3. Several researchers advise that a vegetarian based diet, can feed more people than a meat based diet. An example of this, is approx 20,000 potatoes can grow on one acre of land. Compared to, only around 165 lbs of beef can be produced on the same amount of land.
4. Approx 25 gallons of water is used to produce 1 lb of wheat. Whereas, at least 2,500 gallons of water is used to produce 1 lb of meat. It is said that becoming vegetarian reduces the strain on the environment.
5. The lifestyle of vegetarianism begun in ancient India. Currently, 70% of the world’s vegetarians are Indian. And there are more vegetarians in India, than any other country around the world.
6. Vegetarians only have slightly lower protein, than those of meat eaters. It is wildly spread that if you are vegetarian you have low protein, but the difference is actually not as big as you may think!
7. Many people become vegetarians to avoid animal cruelty, they do not believe animals are killed in the most humane way, especially if they cannot be stunned properly before death.
8. Plants yield 10 times more protein per acre than meat.
9. Ironically, the original actor who played Ronald McDonald for McDonald’s takeaway, is now a vegetarian!
10. Poultry are not included in the Humane Slaughter Act, meaning it is not required to stun these animals before slaughter.

 

A few weeks back we offered our services to help a lost pet…..of the feathered variety. May seem odd, cat charity helping an escaped birdie but here at MK Cat Rescue we’re all about team-work and we were happy to help when we saw MK Vets- Lost and found pets and members of Dog Squad MK asking for help to capture Polly. Big thank you to Debbie and Claire for helping with this little adventure.

Some of you may remember that we run a competition a few months ago to win a pet portrait by the very talented Julie Cox at Franklin Pet Portraits.

We received lots of entries and raised over £100 – so thank you to everyone who entered!

The lucky winner was Helen Jones, who sent Julie a photo of her dog… as you can see, Julie’s drawing is really rather wonderful and a great likeness to the original photograph. We’re really impressed!

Congrats to Helen, and thank you once again to Julie.

If you’d like to commission a portrait of one of your pets for yourself or as a gift, you can email Julie here »

More examples of her work…

For those following the story of the kittens and 5 abandoned adults….Debbie one of our volunteers managed to track down and trap the other kitten late last night….whilst we’re pretty impressed with Debbie’s determination to find it – think its fair to say that the kitten wasn’t particular impressed!