Snow: Dumped kittens rescued
Two kittens were rescued in the village of Syresham, Northamptonshire – having been left in just a card box with no bedding or food, reports the BBC.
To make matters worse the incident happened on Monday – in some of the worst snow the UK has seen in a decade.
[The kittens] used up one of their nine lives when they were found abandoned in a box as heavy snow began to fall.
The pair were dumped, without bedding or food, next to a bus stop in the village of Syresham, Northamptonshire, as temperatures plummeted on Monday.
Francine Wilkins discovered the four-month-old brothers and took them to the RSPCA where they were given a clean bill of health despite their ordeal.
Ms Wilkins decided to keep one and her friend plans to take in the other.
RSPCA inspector Claire Ryder urged people not to abandon unwanted pets, especially in the cold weather.
She said: “People who don’t want their pets for whatever reason should make sure they find a new home for them.
“There are organisations like the RSPCA who will help.
“You must never abandon animals, especially in this sort of weather when they have little chance of surviving for long.”
Ensure your will is up to date
The start of a New Year is a great time to get your affairs in order, but making sure your will is up to date and still relevant is one priority that is often overlooked.
Leading veterinary charity PDSA has developed a plain English guide to amending an existing will, making it a less daunting task.
PDSA Head of Legacies, Tina Norton-Tuck, says: “Individual circumstances do change so it is always advisable to review your will from time to time to ensure it still reflects your wishes.
“However, updating your will needn’t mean re-writing it from scratch. A codicil is a document that can be easily added if, for example, you want to add a new instruction to leave a gift to a family member or charity of your choice.”
The PDSA Codicil pack outlines the procedures that need to be followed to ensure the change is legally sound and encloses a blank form to complete.
“Gifts that PDSA receives from wills are extremely important to the charity’s work of providing free veterinary treatment to the sick and injured pets of people in need, as two out of every three pets treated are funded in this way,” continues Tina. “PDSA’s services cost more than £48million each year, so we rely on the kind people who chose to remember PDSA in this way.”
For further details on making or amending a will or to download a codicil form, go to www.pdsa.org.uk/codicil or phone the Legacy Team on 0800 591248.
This year PDSA will provide more than 1.8 million free treatments to sick and injured pets. The charity receives no government or lottery funding for its PetAid services and relies entirely on the generosity of the public. For more information about PDSA, please visit www.pdsa.org.uk
Dodge the dog house this Valentine’s Day
If you’re looking to impress your partner this Valentine’s Day, rather than buying predictable flowers, unimaginative chocolates or, worse still, not bothering at all, why not surprise the love of your life with a PDSA well-vetted gift?
Well-vetted gifts really show you care and are the ‘purrr-fect’ virtual present for anyone who cares about animal welfare.
Spirits high at 10th Global Pets forum
The pet market will remain robust in the global downturn, according to Euromonitor International head of pets research Lee Linthicum. Speaking at the Global Pets Forum in Amsterdam on Thursday, Linthicum said a shift in global attitudes towards pets will keep the market growing in the next five years.
This outlook was mirrored by many of the delegates at the conference, who claimed the position of pets at the centre of the modern family would keep the industry buoyant through the downturn.
The pet population is growing both locally in the European market and in countries like Brazil, India, Russia and China, Linthicum explained. He added that pets are now seen by many in these countries as members of the family and as such, these consumers were unlikely to trade down.
Group sues over a lack of shelters
A group of animal rescuers has sued the city Health Department for breaking its own law by failing to provide animal shelters in all five boroughs.
The nonprofit group Stray from the Heart said the city’s neglect has resulted in the “needless suffering and death” of homeless cats and dogs.
“Homeless dogs have been dying in unconscionable numbers because the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has not provided the shelter space required by statute,” the group charged in a lawsuit filed earlier this month.
More homes needed for animals
An animal charity is still appealing for people to open up their homes to a new furry friend.
RSPCA staff in Brent Knoll wants families to come forward and adopt one of the many animals at the centre.
The January 8 edition of the Weston & Somerset Mercury featured pictures of 20 pets that wanted a loving home.
Pet MRI scans
A technique more commonly used to diagnose medical problems with humans is being used for pets in south Wales.
A mobile MRI scanner visits Bridge Veterinary Group in Pontllanfraith, Caerphilly county once a month.
The scans, which cost about £1,000, use a magnetic field to produce a detailed image of part of the animal’s body.
Burgess Diagnostics, a company in Preston which owns four scanners across the UK, has previously carried out scans on lions and a shark.
Plea for all cat owners to have pets neutered
A Preston charity is appealing for people to get their cats neutered in a bid to stop the number of abandoned animals.
Cats Protection, based at Higher Greenfield, Ingol, has dozens of cats on the waiting list and in need of a loving home.
RSPCA: Lethal litter
Wild birds and animals are suffering and dying due to casually dropped litter and discarded fishing line and hooks. That’s the stark message from the RSPCA in the West Midlands as the charity makes a plea for people to clean up their act.
Not a week goes by without RSPCA officers being called out to rescue birds and animals that are painfully suffering due to the thoughtless actions of litter louts.
Recent casualties have included a dead coot caught in fishing line, a duck with fishing line wrapped around its body and leg, and a baby hedgehog stuck in the wire of a champagne cork.
Pet Owners Splurge on Premium, Fortified Food for Animal Companions
The premiumization trend in the global pet food market indicates that pet owning consumers are as willing to spend more on premium food infused with health fortifying ingredients such as glucosamine, omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and probiotics for their pets as they are for themselves.
Premium pet foods cover all bases — from natural/organic to functional/nutraceutical to special diet (segmented by lifestage, weight, health condition, breed, etc.) to gourmet — while also often reflecting trends in human foods.
Driven by premiumization the global pet food market reached an estimated $49 billion in 2008, according to market research publisher Packaged Facts in the all-new report, “Pet Food in the U.S.: Health, Humanization and High Quality Ingredients in an Increasingly Value-Driven Global Market, 8th Edition.” The 2008 global total marked a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 5% for the preceding five-year period.
North America accounted for the largest share of global pet food sales in 2008 with 40%. “Particularly in the United States, the premiumization trend goes beyond the tendency Americans have to be better educated about health and nutrition issues. In addition, the pervasive humanization dynamic cannot be underestimated. Pet owners often view their pets as part of the family, or even as surrogate ‘children.’ Thus they are looking for the safest and healthiest products possible,” says Tatjana Meerman, Publisher of Packaged Facts.
“Pet Food in the U.S.: Health, Humanization and High Quality Ingredients in an Increasingly Value-Driven Global Market, 8th Edition” examines the global pet food market (sales overall and by world region, marketer shares, new product trends, U.S. export trends, etc.); strategic directions for current and prospective marketers; high-growth product segments; and trends in pet food purchaser demographics and lifestyle pursuits (media and marketing psychographics, Internet usage, “green” involvement, etc.). The report has separate chapters each discussing food for dogs, cats, and other companion animals. For further information visit: http://www.packagedfacts.com/Pet-Food-1653956/.