Arklow Cat Rescue

01/04/2025

31/03/2025

Very sad news coming out of the USA today, Our condolences to family and friends of this man who lived his life saving cats and lost his life trying to save his sanctuary cats💔may he and his cats sleep well on the bridge 🌈

30/03/2025

Happy Mothers Day to all the cat mums, carers and rescuers out there 😻 Thank you for all you do 😽

29/03/2025

Don't forget to put your clocks forward tonight ⏰
But tell the cats it doesn't apply to them 😁

29/03/2025

‼️‼️A very important warning from our colleagues in Cats Trust Adoption and Protection,
Keep your cats safe in whatever area you are in
Also feral cat colonies who have full time carers are Owned cats, it is an offence to remove these cats from their home areas.

FERAL CATS ARE NOT VERMIN sad to have to say this in 2025 when so many in animal welfare before us fought so hard to get this fact recognised.
The above description appears on several PEST CONTROL company websites, and in the last few days it has come to our attention again that pest control companies are working in residential areas where we have previously neutered cats, they claim to be trapping cats to bring to a lovely kind lady in a stables who gives them their best life ever 🧚‍♀️ 💩
We at Cats Trust are here to tell these companies that the information they provide is misleading, even the term feral cats is incorrect most cats they deal with are community cats looked after by members of the public and often have actual owners as cats have the right to roam.
Community cats and the true feral cats they will likely never see as they avoid humans vehemently, are still protected under Irish Law, protected against cruelty and harm the same as the cuddly cat on your sofa..they are the same species after all, not a special breed of wildcat..simply unsocialised moggy's. Trapping and removing cats and releasing them in "the wild" is causing their ABANDONMENT which is a crime under Irish Law.
Irish animal protection laws are actually pretty OK it's enforcement that's lacking, but here's the thing everyone of us can be the educators and enforcers for these most vulnerable animals, companies and "wildlife experts" yes cats when it suits them are wildlife!...cannot just remove established cats because they are causing a nuisance to a flower bed, there are plenty of humane lawful deterrents out there. Animal lovers often feel helpless when they encounter acts of cruelty and neglect but knowledge is power and we all have the power

29/03/2025

27/03/2025

Arklow Cat Rescue
🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛
Subsidised Neutering and Chipping Scheme continues,

😻 Males €20
😺 Females €30
😸 Microchip €10

All appts will be with Avondale Vets
Arklow, Rathdrum & Tinahealy

Please contact me through whatsapp 0868523542.☎️ for all details

PAYMENTS IN ADVANCE VIA REVOLUT ONLY

All appts will be made through myself, NO WALK INS ALLOWED

26/03/2025

Following on from previous post!!!
Another question we regularly get 🤔
Relocation of Community cats is in general not an option, the post below will explain why 👇
Relocation will.only happen in very extreme circumstances.
IF and only IF
The area is extremely unsafe, if the carer has passed away with no one else to look after them or of there is a clear and present danger to the lives of the cats.
All of these things are few and far between tbh
This will only happen with proper planning and vetting of their new homes.
Cats are NOT relocated for convenience, the only way to look after them is TNR, food and shelter.

It is not that relocation of feral cats cannot be done, but it is not an easy or always successful task. Let's take a closer look at the obstacles:

TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOR:
Feral cats form strong bonds with their territory and may attempt to travel long distances to return to their original home, putting them at risk of injury or death during the journey. There is a chance they will run away from their new location even if suitable acclimation was carried out. If there was no acclimation process, you can almost guarantee it.

STRESSFUL EXPERIENCE:
You will have to keep the kitty confined long enough so he can learn that this is his new home and you are the new feeder. This process is highly stressful for cats, especially since they are not socialized to humans and may not understand what is happening. It is also stressful for the human trying to care for the cat.

VACUUM EFFECT:
If cats are removed from an area, it is said that new cats will quickly move in to fill the space, meaning relocation does not actually reduce the population.

POTENTIAL FOR HARM IN NEW ENVIRONMENT:
A relocated cat may not be familiar with the new area's predators, food sources, or shelter options, increasing their risk of injury or starvation.

ETHICAL CONCERNS:
Many animal welfare organizations consider relocating feral cats as inhumane due to the potential for significant stress and danger to the animals.

🔸 What can you do instead? 🔸

TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN (TNR):
This method involves trapping feral cats, sterilizing them, vaccinating them, ear-tipping for identification, and then returning them to their original location.

PROVIDE FOOD AND SHELTER:
If you are concerned about a feral cat population, consider providing food and shelter in a designated area to help manage their numbers and reduce conflicts.

26/03/2025

We regularly get calls about stray/community cats that have "turned up" at someones house. 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛
We advocate TNR in those cases as this is the cats territory, their home and the place their used to. 🏡
There is no magic place to relocate cats to, and it is a last resort in certain circumstances, (we will look at that in the following post this evening)
Remember rescues are doing their best to help but rescues are All bursting at the seams too. 🙀

What is TNR? -- TNR stands for Trap/Neuter/Return.

TRAP refers to the process of catching outdoor stray and feral community cats in a humane trap.

NEUTER refers to having the community cats spayed (if they are female) or neutered (if they are male).

RETURN refers to returning the community cats to the place where they were originally trapped.

Graphic from Good Mews Animal Foundation.

26/03/2025

26/03/2025

This is a post from 2 years ago but nothing has changed unfortunately, rescues are still battling to try and educate people to spay and neuter and be responsible cat parents, particularly if a stray/community cat turns up get it neutered before you have a large colony explosion

Why are shelters and rescues always full when you turn to them for help? 😫

It's simple math:
The amount of animals needing assistance FAR SURPASSES the amount of organizations trying to help.

The overpopulation crisis can be overwhelming, but the good news is that the suffering and deaths of homeless animals is ✨100% preventable✨ through spaying and neutering. Despite recommendations and urgings from nonprofit groups, veterinarians, and public shelters and a growing number of free and low-cost spay/neuter clinics, many people still fail to provide their animal companions with this routine, lifesaving medical procedure.

How can individuals help?
✅ Educate with spay/neuter and TNR information; assist folks if you can!
✅ Foster, if you are able, to free up more space within shelters and rescues.
✅ Find out how to participate in TNR in your community. Even one kitty at a time helps tremendously!
✅ Spay and neuter ALL of your companion animals.
✅ Adopt from reputable shelters and rescues. Not only are you saving that life, but you are opening up a spot for them to intake another animal in need.
❌ Don't hand out free, unaltered cats/kittens without an adoption process.
❌ Don't acquire free, unaltered cats/kittens unless you know you can afford to have them vetted.
👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆👆
If you see this happening online, comment! Politely let folks know why this is risky and how it can add to the overpopulation problem. Don't be silent. We are their voice.

25/03/2025

🌍 Why Do We Talk About the Environment So Much? 🌱

You might be thinking that for an animal advocacy organisation, we sure talk about the environment a lot - but the reason is simple 👇

To protect animals, we have to protect the world they live in - and if we don't preserve the environment, all animals come under threat (humans included) 🚨

For example:

🔥 Factory farming is one of the biggest drivers of deforestation, habitat loss, and climate change.
🌍 Global warming is pushing millions of species to extinction.
💧 Industrial agriculture pollutes our rivers and oceans, killing wildlife and damaging vital ecosystems.

Animal advocacy isn’t just about individual animals—it’s about fighting for the ecosystems they depend on. If we don’t take action, habitats will be destroyed, species will vanish, and the very systems that support life on Earth will collapse 🌍

That’s why we push for real change—not just in how we treat animals, but in how we treat the planet 💪

25/03/2025

Seamus has really settled into his new home ❤️
He has Mandy wrapped, let's her know he's unhappy there's no fire lighting 😂 and delighted once it is.
I'm absolutely loving his gothic cat castle 🏰💕 isn't it fantastic, the bed is awesome
Thanks for the update Mandy 😻

25/03/2025

You've returned your community cat.

Lastly, you need to thoroughly clean the trap so you're ready to TNR again.
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STEP 9 of 10:

Action -
Thoroughly clean and sanitize each trap, trap divider, and trap cover after all trapping.

Use warm, soapy water and a scrub brush/sponge (don't use a metal brush) to remove all debris and rinse off the trap thoroughly with a hose.

Make sure to towel dry so the trap doesn't rust.

Cats are safest in clean, sanitized traps where they aren’t stressed by the smells of previous cat inhabitants.

We do NOT recommend using bleach; it can be damaging to the trap and bleach residue is dangerous for cats.

Please see our previous posts for STEPS 1-8.

24/03/2025

The community cat is fully recovered and is ready to be returned.

STEP 8 of 10:
Action -
Return (R) the cat to exactly where he/she was originally trapped.

🚫 Do NOT release to a new location as this is cruel!

It is best to return a cat at either dawn or dusk because the cat has more control of the area at these times. Point the trap away from roads or high-traffic areas so the cat doesn't run into those areas.

Continue to provide fresh water and food at the same location and time as you were doing before the cat was trapped. The cat may disappear for a few hours or days but should return when he/she has calmed down.

💝 Thank you for getting this community cat spayed/neutered and vaccinated. This unowned cat can now live a healthier life thanks to you!

See STEPS 1 - 7 in our previous posts.

24/03/2025

Let's have a bit of fun 😻

If I was a cat for a day, I would ______.
(:Fill in the blank :)