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Manchester Evening News

National

Thomas Molloy

Cat rescue 'desperate' for donations towards vet bills as it faces closure

Amy Lee

A Greater Manchester cat rescue, that has rehomed more than 1,200 animals in the past two years, is being forced to close its doors unless it can be saved financially.

Tameside-based charity Rescue Kitties has outstanding vet bills of £4,000, after donations dried up amid the cost of living crisis. In a post on the rescue's official Facebook group, owner Amy Lee pleaded for donations and said that as well as the debts, they currently have 75 cats that they are struggling to keep fed.

She wrote: "Thankyou and goodbye. From the very first day RK was founded the aim was to always help every cat and never let finances stand in the way of helping a cat get the treatment they needed.

"We always agreed that if finances ever got in the way of medical needs then we would close the doors, as we wouldn't be helping anymore. Today that day came, we have less than £300 in the bank, and vet bills of £4000, and over 75 mouths to feed.

One of the cats needs a £2,500 vet procedure (Rescue Kitties)

"We took in a cat with a broken jaw last earlier in the week and the initial quotation to repair the extensive injuries he has sustained and perform a partial mandibulectomy was £2,500. Which means we need to raise over £6,500 just to break even, which in todays current climate is just physically impossible to ask for.

"Obviously we are all heartbroken and will do everything we can to raise the funds in the next few weeks, and clear the bills we have, and rehome all the cats in our care. However Phoenix will more than likely be the last cat we take in at Rescue Kitties.

"Its been a pleasure, and thankyou all for all your help over the past six years. If you can please help us by donating to help us clear off some of this please consider doing so."

Heartbroken volunteer Chrissie Bradshaw, who has worked for the charity for the past six years, described the current situation as 'desperate'. She told the Manchester Evening News: "Each year we're helping hundreds and hundreds of cats and kittens, who are on the streets, strays or injured.

"We rescued and rehomed 751 cats and kittens in 2021 and 505 in 2022. The most recent one that we took in has cost us £2,000 alone with the situation he was in.

"The rescue is run from donations alone, we don't get any government funding or anything like that so it's got to that point - especially with the cost of living - where people aren't donating. People just can't afford it. They can't afford to eat, let alone donate to a cat rescue.

"We're having to sell our assets - the van, the pens - it's just not a very good situation whatsoever because the whole of Greater Manchester rely on us as a rescue. We're still getting messages every day from people asking us to help different cats and we just can't take any more in because we can't afford to feed the ones we have in rescue at the moment.

"It's getting to the point where volunteers like myself and Amy are having to take money out of our own wages to feed the cats. Amy has been in tears and we're just trying to rally round now. We're just desperate to get this bill clear.

"Unless we can clear the debt we have with the vets and get enough money in the bank to convince Amy otherwise, then it's going to close. "

Chrissie said that they are determined to rehome all 75 outstanding cats before closing their doors. "We will find homes for the cats that we've got which will take months and months," she added.

"Amy is trying to find an administrator to run it because it's cutting her up too much. We have some cats that have been in foster care for 18 months. It could take a year to close but as it stands no more cats are coming in."