Local animal charity inundated with stray cat queries

A local animal rescue and rehoming charity is being inundated with callouts for stray cats and is suffering financially as a result.

The Athlone branch of Animal Haven Ireland has incurred veterinary bills upwards of €1,300 in recent months as a result of the issue and is struggling to fundraise for the costs as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

Speaking to the Westmeath Independent, Billy Gallagher from the charity said that the issue of stray cats and kittens is a “huge nationwide problem that can be seen in every estate in Athlone and every village.”

“It really is the worst I’ve ever seen this year. If we had the resources we could help another thousand of them locally, but we can’t.”

An appeal from the public to donate to the charity’s Paypal a few months ago raised only €300, with a more recent one raising €1,400. A GoFundMe page was set up for the charity at the end of October and has raised another €1,400, which is only now getting the charity back on track in relation to its bills.

“In a regular year our fundraising would get us about €25,000. We usually have dog shows, raffles, and fundraising on the streets. Fundraising in town on Black Friday could give us thousands alone. All of that was wiped out this year.”

Billy himself has put €7,000 into the charity this year just to keep it going.

“We have a group of about ten volunteers that help out, with six core volunteers, who help with home checks and the likes. We receive no government or council funding, and yet the council still calls on us when there are issues with strays or anything else like that.”

With the pandemic, there has been an increase in people getting dogs and cats as companions, but Billy says that some people do not fully understand the commitment involved in looking after an animal.

“People can get a pet and then when work comes back they might not have the time to look after the animal as much. We recently had to rehome a ten-year-old dog because the owners were downsizing into an apartment and they were told they can’t have pets. Things like that need to be taken into consideration.

“Similarly, with Christmas, there is always an issue with people getting rid of older dogs to make way for a new puppy. They might not say that directly to us, but we can read between the lines.”

Stolen dogs are also an issue that has arisen with the pandemic, with Billy mentioning a dog that was abandoned once the thief realised it had medical issues.

“We really are just asking people to be responsible, because there aren't homes for every kitten. Neuter and spay your pets. Keep your dogs in a safe environment so they don’t stray or get stolen. You can’t keep them in your front garden. No matter how much we say that there are instances every week of dogs going missing.”

The fundraising page for Animal Haven Athlone can be found at gofundme.com/f/animal-haven-athlone-vet-bills