AN urgent appeal for people to become feline fosterers has been made by the local Cats Protection branch.

Volunteer fosterers for the Okehampton and District group are in sharp decline and new members are desperately being sought in order to safeguard the future of cats finding their forever homes within West Devon.

‘It gives all of us who volunteer for Cats Protection a huge boost when we find an unwanted cat or kitten a new and loving home,’ said Pat Sawyer, co-ordinator of the Okehampton and District branch. ‘It’s also a wonderful feeling when people that have taken those cats come back and say that they now have “a wonderful and loving” furry friend.’

Explaining what being a fosterer entails, Pat said: ‘Being a fosterer involves taking cats and kittens that need to be re-homed, getting them vet checked and ready for homing. You receive full support from other members of the branch and there is always someone to turn to for help and advice. And, of course, you will make many new friends — human and feline.’

Cats Protection is one of the UK’s leading feline welfare charity and under its banner ‘Our vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs’ aims to find the perfect future home for the felines.

The local group began with the Cats Protection in Hatherleigh and District and then one was set up in Okehampton. The two groups joined in the 1980s and gradually morphed into Okehampton and District group by 2008.

Pat, who joined the branch in 2000, said: ‘We have lost helpers over the years and I am asking anybody that’s willing to help out where possible to contact me.

‘The volunteer pool is diminishing and all my pens are full and I only have one space left, which I have to keep in case there is an emergency. Fosterers need to be able to drive and to know the area as they have to get the cats to the vets and need to be someone who has space for a pen as they are big — 11ft square is the smallest size we have.

‘The only cost to fosterers is time and TLC.’

Most of the cats who go to Cats Protection are either unwanted, or there might be a problem within the family home.

The cats go into the pens and are allowed a fortnight to ‘settle in’. If the animal needs neutering then the charity will pay for the cat to be neutered and then look to rehome the animal once recovered.

Pat said: ‘We help with the feral colony which are living wild and catch them and as we can’t re-home these animals due to cross contamination, we neuter the cats for free to control the population of feral cats.’

Okehampton and District Cats Protection also invites all farmers in the area to take advantage of its free trap, neuter and release scheme this summer. Pat added: ‘Neutering your farm cats not only keeps the numbers down to a manageable size for you but also improves the welfare of your cats. Your cats are less likely to fight, thus reducing the risk of catching life-threatening diseases transmitted by bites and saliva.’

Pat added that she enjoys hearing all the success stories from when a cat has been matched to its owner.

One such story which Pat remembers was of a 92-year-old lady who had lost her cats and had to move to a small location. She called Cats Protection asking if they could help. She took on a cat called Socks who was an indoor cat, and it was a match made in heaven.

‘The lady called the branch later on and she was in tears saying “thank you very much” she was very happy,’ said Pat.

Another success story from Cats Protection was Henry, a large ginger cat who had attitude, and had been to two homes who had sent him back as they could not handle his temperament, but the group managed to find him the perfect home and he finally found his place in a home that loved him and he loved them.

Fosterer Jenny Reynolds from Cats Protection said the best thing about volunteering for the charity was that she was ‘part of the mechanism that rights wrongs’.

For people thinking of volunteering, she said: ‘Be prepared to have lots of fun, because Cats Protection is also people-oriented as well as cat-directed and volunteers become good friends, a source of wisdom and offer staunch support. Be prepared to work hard when you can; the more you put in, the more you’ll get out. Be prepared both to laugh and to cry. Be prepared to keep going, because there will always be a cat out there whose life you can change for the better.’

Her most memorable incident in her life as a volunteer was: ‘The day I realised my “blind” foster kitten had recovered her sight. I was told by a specialist oph-thalmic veterinary practice that both of Kylie’s eyes were damaged beyond repair and would need to be removed. One had to be excised as an emergency after she developed acute glaucoma. She was so tiny and so anaemic; it was thought that she might not even survive the removal of one eye. Not only did she survive, she recovered vision in her remaining eye and was invited back by the vets to participate as a ‘patient’ in subsequent exams in ophthalmology. I cannot convey the joy I feel to this very day that this little kitten triumphed.’

For more information on becoming a fosterer, volunteer to help with fundraising events, or becoming a new member call 01837 55409 or visit the website www.oke hampton.cats.org.uk

For those who shop at Waitrose, Okehampton, Cats Protection has been selected as one of the three local charities to benefit from their Community Matters scheme during July, 2016.

l A coffee morning is being held at Endacott House, Chagford this Saturday (July 2) from 9.30am to 12.30pm.