Tales from the Riverside
Newsletter November 2016
Downham Market Adoption Centre
Registered Charity No 203644 (England & Wales)
Welcome to the Newsletter of
Cats Protection Downham Market
Adoption Centre
We have a busy month planned, with two big
events which we have organised, so please come
along, have fun and support us:
Shop Online?
If you haven’t done all your Christmas shopping
already and plan to shop online, then did you
know that you can raise funds for us at the same
time without it costing you anything extra?
www.easyfundraising.org.uk features thousands
of retailers which pay us a percentage of your
online purchase amount, at no extra cost to you.
So please, the next time you do an online shop
just log in to easy fundraising first and type in Cats
Protection Downham Market as your chosen
cause, then select the website you wish to visit
and complete your shopping as usual. Thank you.
Cat of the Month –
Heidi
Heidi is a typical young cat
who enjoys spending time
playing and hunting. Her
previous owner tells us that
her specialities are frogs
and spiders! Heidi isn't
much of a lap cat, but she
really loves to have a fuss.
New Shop Coming Soon
We have a new charity shop opening on the A10
at Tottenhill. This is currently being refurbished
and we hope it shall be operational by the
beginning of next month selling clothes, books,
toys, furniture, etc.
The True Cost of Kittens
Fundraising
Cats Protection has launched a campaign calling
for a change in the law to protect young kittens
being sold sick and underage.
Last month we held our Black
Cat Rehoming Day and The
Great Black Cat Bake Off, which
as well as raising funds for the
Adoption Centre helped to
rehome 9 cats, including 4
which were black/black and
white.
The True cost of Kittens campaign was created
in response to a growing commercial market
resulting in kittens being bred in poor welfare
conditions and landing new owners with hefty vet
bills. It calls for urgent action to update the law
on pet sales and clamp down on those who put
money before basic welfare.
Cats Protection’s Advocacy Manager, Jacqui
Cuff said: "While there have always been
individuals prepared to cash-in on the appeal of
a young kitten, it is the growth of the internet and
social media that has made access to kittens
quicker and easier than ever before."
She adds: "All too often, unsuspecting
purchasers buy kittens which are sick and in
many cases, younger than eight weeks old – the
age at which they’re ready to leave their mother.
The end result can be emotionally and financially
draining, with significant suffering for the kitten
and hefty vet bills for the owner. In some cases,
the kitten may not survive."
Cats Protection is calling on the Government to
bring in regulations which would ban the sale of
kittens under eight weeks old, regulate repeat
breeding from the family cat and define
commercial cat sales.
If you’d like to get involved with the campaign,
then please pop into the Adoption Centre and
pick up a campaign postcard or visit
www.cats.org.uk and sign our e-petition.
The Government is reviewing the law governing
the sale of pets for the first time in over 60 years.
Cats Protection wants better safeguards for the
commercial sale of all types of cats across the
board whether they are non-pedigree ‘moggies’
or pedigrees. We know that there are
responsible sellers out there and that good
practice and high welfare standards exist,
particularly within membership organisations like
the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF)
that register pedigree breeds and advise on
welfare.
We had some fabulous creations entered into the
Bake Off competition, so thank you to everyone
who helped out on the day and to those who came
and supported us.
Also, thanks go to our fabulous volunteers who
attended a collection at Pets at Home in King’s
Lynn and also a craft fair at Stow Bridge for us,
which each raised over £70 – well done.
Educational Talks
Do you know of a group who may like an
educational talk from one of our speakers? Groups
can be children’s groups such as schools, brownies,
scouts, etc, or adult groups such as WI of U3A, etc.
Our Educational Speaker will then give talks tailored
to the relevant age of the group and aims to raise
awareness of how the charity makes a big
difference to the lives of thousands of cats and
kittens in need every year. So if you would like one
of these talks, then please email the Adoption
Centre with the subject line “Educational Talk”.
We also are in need of more voluntary educational
speakers. As an Education Speaker you will act as
an ambassador for Cats Protection and play a key
role in raising awareness of the charity. You will
inspire others, develop learning and understanding
of feline welfare and be the voice for cats in your
community. So if this sounds like the purrfect role
for you then please check out our websites
volunteering page where the full role description is
given, together with other volunteering opportunities
which we have to offer.
Tel: 01366 382311
Facebook: CPDownhamAC
Web: downhammarket.cats.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
The Centre is open 6 days a week,
closed Tuesday’s.