Consett Cat Rescue

21/06/2025

3 little cherubs went to their new homes today.
Albie and Vicky went this morning and all being well they will be formally adopted soon (I think it will work just fine)
Gina left this afternoon to live with her new big sister (a bengal no less). I sure do hope that one works out as poor Gina has been here for so long now - being an adult meant she was constantly overlooked but being black meant her chances of being chosen reduced dramatically. She is a little sweetheart though so I hope she does well in her new home.
They were all living at CCR HQ so you'd think oh 3 gone, what a difference. Hmmm I wish, remember 5 arrived after the trapping the other night. 3 out 5 in - the maths are not going the right way folks.
We now have 16 kittens all born in April and all will be ready for adoption around end July through to end August. Depends very much on their sizes for neutering but if I can get them all in foster care then they will thrive far better than here as having so many here is difficult enough already. Plus more chance of them picking up bugs etc - much safer in foster homes.
Thankfully one litter goes away into foster care tomorrow. Only temp foster care but long enough to get them big and strong for neutering and adoption.
Only one litter will be here and those are the scrapyard gang from the other night. Mum got spayed yesterday but is still happily feeding her kittens and is protective of them. Thankfully she is a long term stray so once she gets her 2nd vac in 3 weeks time, she will be able to be adopted (if anyone enquires of course).
I've temporarily called her Jelly and her kittens are Jelly Bean, Jelly Baby, Jelly Tot and Jelly Fish.
What is really sad is we still have the J kittens from 2024 (3 of them anyway). Now they did not arrive in rescue until July 24 so the fact we are up to the J letter kittens again and its only June means we are a month ahead of last years intakes. I could cry.
As always very grateful to everyone who supports us one way or another. I have no idea how we keep afloat at times and people are so kind.
We have a bunch of events happening in August and early September this year so I really hope we do ok at those to try and bolster up the bank balance.
August 16th is our fundraising day at Simplycats and we should have LOTs of kittens going for folk to come and meet.
August 25th we have 2 stalls at Blanchland Show. Always a lovely day out.
August 30th we have a table at Leadgate Cricket Club where a village fun day is being held - fingers crossed for nice weather.
Saturday 6th September we will have a fund raising coffee morning at South Moor Golf club.
At some point during the summer we will also be present at Pets at Home Consett but no dates have been given for that yet.
I shall soon start selling our raffle tickets for our raffle to be drawn on 16th August - no holidays as prizes this time but we have lots of b 00 ze to be won, thats for sure. Plus other prizes of course. I just need type up a list of prizes and get organised. If anyone is willing to sell any tickets on our behalf, please let me know.
Thats my brain dump of updates for now. I will of forgotten stuff but when I remember, it will appear in a future update.
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/vetbills2025?fbclid=IwY2xjawLDlMhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETBYd3J5bmF0ZDFCWVFyYTViAR5AYPmT5F5ztp3qmkDlGaxCWBHqYRdxJO-Fi5yuPDuZbzZPbV5bAfJTAr-kaQ_aem_FzLSfF981FkqLlOmncZ1Jg
is the link for our annual fundraiser for vet bills.
💜💜💜

A new campaign to help us raise funds to cover all the extras we have to pull out for with every cat. If we are lucky it's simply monthly flea/worm treatments but more often than not its treatment for illnesses.

20/06/2025

So after a frustrating Wednesday of a wasted 9 hours, yesterday we changed tack.
I got there just after 6pm and set up traps.
As I was still setting up the cavalry arrived and Tami turned up.
Quickly we caught mum and one kitten. Then you debate do you leave them beside the traps to tempt the other kittens who are tiny.
We did that.
Then after 7 more help arrived in the form of Emma who had messaged offering to help, or rather learn how to trap, as she had never done it before.
It took some time and I had to pop home to feed the cats here but no more caught by time I got back.
I thought we’re in for a long night here.
Then as it was getting too dark to see properly we caught another two kittens. Yesssss we though this is it surely
But no, the last one, the smallest and technically “the runt” decided it was happy to snuggle up to the cat carriers containing its mum and siblings ( it could not see them as they were covered up).
Frustration sets in and it’s pitch black by now and no street lights down here.
So multiple plays of kitten meowing noises from a phone app later, Tami thinks if she sits quiet in her van with door open, she could grab it.
Well being the hero of the moment, it worked. Not before little runty turned into a raging tiger and bit her well and good straight through her finger nail.
A 7 day course of Co Amoxiclav on the cards for Tami then!
Cat bites always hurt and almost always need antibiotics and importantly can be very serious if not treated.
So the mum cat who is not feral is at the vets now being spayed.
Because she is not feral that’s another cat to be rehomed (because we don’t have enough already right 🙄) as well as four more kittens in another couple of months.
Then at the vets, a chap in reception with 10 ferals to be sorted at Butterknowle.
And so it begins again….
Nearly 2am by time I got to bed last night (this morning) *sigh*
Oh new total on the books = 109 😭😭😭😭

19/06/2025

A totally futile 9 hours spent trying to trap yesterday.
Only one kitten came anywhere near the trap and only ate food outside it.
The problem is we can’t get access into the compound where the cats hang out so they get fed through the bars of a steel gate with razor wire on top to stop intruders.
The landowner is rarely there and lives away somewhere.
So we have to rely on the cat and kittens being brave enough to come out the gate and onto the roadside.
But it’s very busy, even after 6pm to 10pm last night with businesses open during the day and boy racers, dog walkers, horse riders going past on a night.
So all I can do is keep trying every evening in the hope they start trusting enough to come through the gate and into a trap.
I’m looking for volunteers to sit each evening for up to 4 hours to watch the traps as it’s impossible for me to dedicate every single evening to do this.
If you have a car and can do this between say 6 and 10pm any nights please let me know and I can start a rota.
All training given.
Pairs of people are better but if you sit with your doors locked then you’ll be fine.
Location Sacriston

17/06/2025

A quick update to thank the people who have dropped off food at the house recently. I confess I have no idea who you are (two separate people I think), but thank you.
We had some folk visit over the weekend and Gina got reserved and Albie and Vicky will go out to an existing adopter on a short trial to see which one they like the best.
One of the kittens we took in last week has a twisted foot so I took him to the vets today to see if we had to get him treatment. He is only 8 weeks old today so still very young. Thankfully vet said to just watch and wait as it may correct itself. I do hope so as it's hard enough finding homes for 100% fit cats never mind any with any deformities. He would have been born with this and it's often as a result of not enough space in the womb for the kittens so legs can get twisted at wrong angles. His mum was not very big and she had five kittens so I guess that did not help. Thankfully she is now spayed and no more kittens for her.
I injured my right shoulder a few weeks back and it's been painful to do the day to day stuff. Since then my left shoulder is playing up and I suspect arthritis in both as sadly my body is prone to it. It's very painful doing everyday tasks looking after cats never mind driving to vets and carrying cat carriers with fatty cats in them. But it has to be done. There is no choice. Maybe I'll go see a physio if I can find time.
The plan is to try and catch the cat and kittens over at Sacristan during the next few days. No idea how this will pan out but lets give it a go.
Thankfully I have found a fosterer to take the last litter of kittens we took in last week so I'll have temporary kennel spaces to place them till I can find somewhere better.
A couple of the jobs I had lined up were dealt with nay other rescues and I am so grateful they stepped forward and offered. Sometimes when you get loads of requests in you feel like you must be the only person trying to help these cats. You're not of course but its a lonely world at times.
If I ever get a minute then a petition asking for neutering to be mandatory is on my list of jobs to do. Yes it was tried before but it's a different government in now so worth trying again. Look how long it took to get mandatory microchipping - years. Does not mean they gave up, they kept going.
Oh dates for your diaries - 16th August is the open day/fundraiser at SimplyCats Vet Clinic, 25th August we will be at Blanchland show with a stall and 30th August we'll be at the Leadgate fun day at Legate Cricket Club - so a busy month.
Also sometime in the summer we will be at Pets at Home again fundraising but no idea of exact dates for that yet. All quiet from them at the moment.
For now, bed 🥱💤

15/06/2025

Our back garden is always a bit untidy but that’s because it’s in a constant state of flux as we try and do various “jobs”.
But this week we had the fabulous Paul in from PJ Developments to add a few more shelves and ramps for the kids.
Safe to say it’s getting well used although they’ll be disappointed as one day soon they’ll be getting kicked out so we can stain all the wood and touch up any bits they’ve scratched.

12/06/2025

OK throw the life jacket to me because I feel like I am drowning now and want to leave.
If any rescues can help with any of the following situations - PLEASE get in touch because I feel all alone right now trying to save the world and I know thats not true because other rescues will be having the same issues but if any of you have ANY spare capacity please HELP - we are up to 107 now and are well and truly up a certain creek and no paddle at present.

Cat with young kittens at an industrial estate near Meadowfield.
Several ferals to trap and neuter at a scrapyard at Sacristan - one with possibly a broken leg.
2 fairly friendly barn cats and 4 young kittens at Cockfield.
1 stray at St Johns Chapel
1 feral mum with at least 1 kitten at Staindrop.

Several messages asking "can you rehome my cat" - NO I CANNOT.
I'm sure I have others I have forgotten about but they will likely chase me up.

I took in these four yesterday taking us up to 107 cats. Can't find decent TRUSTWORTHY fosterers for love nor money - all the best are taken.
I am at the point of telling folks oh yes I can help, just tell me which ones I should euthanise here so I can help you!!!! Joke obviously but that is how bad it is. Don't worry non are being euthanised.

Can people just for goodness sakes neuter their bloody cats.
Off to hibernate till 2030

NOTE. Unless I personally know you, I do not take on people to foster for me. So many are offering to foster but I don’t know you and I can’t trust lives with people I don’t know. Sorry.

11/06/2025

Just your average week or so in the life of our fellow trustee and fosterer Tami.
She is great because she knows how to trap ferals and not everyone is good at this. It’s a skill that’s hard to teach and experience only makes you better.
But I’m not going to lie, life for me would be a lot easier if Tami was not such a brilliant pet sitter with her business, Crowther's Critter Sitter, because if she was not so good she could spend more time doing rescue 😹😹
Or we just need more like her. 💜

08/06/2025

Massive THANK YOU to everyone and anyone who came and supported us today at the Thrifting Event at Leadgate.
It was a win for us because we managed to sell loads of bric a brac that we’ve had for ages and in the process with the costs of the table hire removed we still took in £68.40p
Most of that was in donations as I was giving stuff away at everything for £1 or less as frankly we needed the space but that does not matter. The fact is people came, they bought, they supported. Also thank you to Leon who came and sold some clothing items which helped towards the £68.40 total.
Thank you so much.
Oh and NOT forgetting a thank you to Susan and her helpers for organising the event. I know from experience how much a pain in the backside that can be having organised many ourselves in the past. I do hope she raised plenty of money for the good causes she was supporting.

06/06/2025

Two days ago I started typing up an update only for me to leave it to come back to later. Then my laptop decided to reboot itself 🤦‍♀️ and I lost my post. Doh.
Anyway my post was listing all the requests for help I'm currently receiving (not naming names of course, I would never do that).
The point was I am literally inundated at present and I really could do with being cloned several times so there was more than me doing the work.
Of course a big part is admin so its not easy to get anyone to do it for you as everything comes into my messenger inbox or my email and I am not giving folk access to my email - however I may have an idea of how folk can help so if you may be interested in helping with a bit of admin around neutering voucher requests, rehoming requests, adoption requests or requests for help with strays/ferals etc, drop me a line. I only ask you are capable enough to be able to spell and use the correct grammar(I am a bit OCD on grammar and spelling - its the way I was taught and I still believe communicating in writing correctly goes a long way).
I have started keeping a list of the requests for help I am getting regarding feral cats (often with kittens). There are a good handful and they keep coming. Now I cannot with the best will in the world help every single case because we do not have enough space to take in every one of them, but I do try and get them neutered and advise on possible rescues who can maybe take kittens etc. Its not perfect but given people should ask for help the first time a cat appears (stray or feral) and not wait until said cat has multiplied into 6 or 8 cats is the message I need the public to take away.
It's no good saying oh I fed the cat from it arriving as a kitten and now its got kittens.
So WHY oh WHY did you not ask for help at the point of it appearing - so many kittens need not have been born. Rescues are bursting at the seems and many are struggling to rehome the ones they already have without more being added to the mix.
Now I know many will say they did not realise, did not know who to ask etc etc. Which is why I would love for a poster to be designed that can be stuck up in maybe vets waiting rooms with advice of what to do if a stray or feral appears on your property. This is not about finding a rescue to immediately take in the cat - although yes thats great if you can, but at least if that cat was neutered, NO BREEDING will happen and maybe, just maybe we can chip a bit more away at the sheer mountain of kittens being born unnecessarily out there "in the wild"
Remember 75% will die before they reach 6 months old - why would you not wish to prevent that suffering?
So potential folk who can help with admin - message me
Potential folk who can design. poster - message me
Vets who would agree to having a poster in their waiting rooms - contact me

02/06/2025

I meant to do an update yesterday but I've injured my right arm so everything is hard to do now, including typing.
An update on the cat with kittens we are using the tracker on - well not good news as she never led us to any kittens and her milk has dried up and she is in season again.
The people feeding are going to see if they can get a neuter voucher form CP (I think) to have her spayed and see if a rescue over that way will take her in. WE would have to be a last resort as we simply have not got the space. With 103 cats now we are well and truly stuff and still every week/day requests come in for help.
Yesterday Tami trapped a mum and kittens at some local allotments and I collected four kittens from a farm.
My four went straight into foster care and the very experienced Linda Robinson is taking care of those for now. We always need foster parents but finding people is hard because we mainly have feral cats and few people can deal with those. All rescues struggle to find fosterers, not just us and when we get folks offering who say they have fostered elsewhere but then will not tell me why they stopped then that raises my suspicions. People have to be open and honest or it will not work. I will always ask around other rescues for references. Would people be allowed to foster children if the authorities did not do due diligence, of course not, so I make sure I do.
I am wading through emails and messages and getting back to people but if I have missed you, chase me up. I get so many every day that it is easy to get snowed under and miss some.
Voucher requests - I get these and then people get so far and do not pay - do they think it's for free?? Nothing in life is free and I despaired yesterday when I spotted someone had a new kitten when they cannot afford pets in the first place. I really wish people would consider their finances before taking on more and more pets. On taking on a pet you are obliged by law to meet its basic needs and that includes vet treatment when needed. Sadly many people cannot afford this and the animals suffer. Think people, think. Plan ahead. A pet is a luxury not an essential.
We've hired a couple of tables at a good old fashioned jumble sale next Sunday at Leadgate Community Centre. It's only on for 2 hours on the morning so I do hope people pop in to grab a bargain. I know as well as anyone money is tight these days so you may well be able to get a few things you wanted for just a £1 or less.

31/05/2025

A date for your diaries - extra stuff may be added once confirmed. (Plant sales, tote bags, bric a brac)
Keep checking