Bart’s Legacy Cat Sanctuary issues advice on what to do if you think you have found a stray cat

When many of us see a cat outside, we assume it has a loving home, or is a well-looked after stray – but this isn’t always the case.

Sue Hancox, who runs local cat sanctuary Bart’s Legacy, is reminding people that although stray cats may be fed and sometimes provided with shelter, it can mean that not all their needs are being met.

She explained: “Over the last couple of years, I've had stray tomcats come in who have come in too late.

“The general attitude is that these cats are happy outside, and whilst some kind people feed them and sometimes provide them with shelter, all their needs are not being met.

“This can lead to cats not being able to eat due to severe tooth decay, undiagnosed kidney problems, cancer etc., leading them to a painful end.”

Sue explained the cases of three such cats which have come into Bart’s care: Ivan, Dobbie and King George.

“Ivan was a long-term stray who was entire [not neutered]. He came to Bart's after his feeder saw him with wounds to his face from fighting. Unfortunately, Ivan could no longer urinate by himself and had been suffering for quite a while, and I had to let him go. He was only between three and five-years-old.”

She said: “Dobbie was another lad who came in too late. He was found in a pub garden by a friend who runs a bird rescue. Upon x-ray, Dobbie had a healed hip fracture, and his intestines were in his chest cavity.

“He had an operation to put his intestines back, had a large hernia fixed, and was neutered. Whilst I was waiting for him to recover so he could have his fractured hip sorted, Dobbie went deaf and then blind before having a huge seizure. I sadly lost him and he was only about 18-months-old. He had been straying around Oldham for quite a few months.”

Sue adds that some seemingly stray felines have in fact become lost and never checked for a microchip before their death.

“I also see a lot of people being reprimanded by others for looking out for cats that may be strays. Yes, some cats are owned and just like having numerous meals a day, but some are actually lost, and again, nothing is done until they start looking ill, dirty and haggard,” she continued.

 

 

Sue went on: “I want to raise the awareness of what to do if you think you have a stray. Try to gain the cat’s trust. Post photos on social media and also to vets. Ask a local scanner to come out and scan the act for a microchip, or if possible, take the cat to a vet/sanctuary/rescue to be scanned for a microchip.

“If no microchip is found, then a paper collar – which can be downloaded from the Cats Protection webpage – can be put loosely on the cat, asking if he/she has an owner.

“If no answer is received, contact a rescue/sanctuary to see if they have space. If the person wants to keep it, get the cat neutered and health checked as soon as possible.”

Ending on a happier note, Sue mentioned King George – “one of the lucky ones.”

She concluded: “George came in after being a long-term stray. His fur was dirty and matted, he needed a dental, was skinny, had bad skin and was scared. George was tested positive FIV positive, which was most likely from years of fighting other Tomcats over females.

“It took many months of rehabilitation, treatments, love and attention, and now he has an amazing home.”

 

 

Bart’s Legacy was founded in 2018, an independent non-profit sanctuary which runs on donations in an effort to save and re-home stray local cats.

It was started by Sue Hancox, who has been rescuing cats from a young age, after receiving a call from a friend in May 2018, who informed her that a cat had given birth in the front garden of a house in Newhey. She rescued the three newborn kittens and their mother, who she had been trying to catch for over a year.

Sue transformed her cellar into a shelter, comprising of one double large pen for local cats in need, and another double large pen for ferals or strays that other rescues have trapped.

This summer it will hold its first ever summer fair to raise funds for supplies and veterinary treatment for cats in need at Butterworth Hall on 31 July.

For more information about Bart’s, please visit the Bart’s Legacy Facebook group.