Cat rescue charity 'desperate' for help as it faces £9,000 vet bill that could mean the end
A cat rescue charity facing a vet bill of almost £9,000 will have to close down if it cannot find a way to pay it, volunteers have warned.
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The volunteers at Kat's Cradle in Coven are 'deeply concerned' about the bill, which they say is the highest it has ever been, especially considering that kitten season is about to begin.
Its closure would mean that countless pregnant cats are left out on the streets. They are now desperate for any donations.
Debbie Brookes-Hemans, owner and proprietor of Kat's Cradle, established in 2004, said her and a team of 13 hard working volunteers are 'very worried' and cannot see a future for the charity if they cannot pay the bill.
One cat in particular, Lucy, is needing extra treatment after she was found in a resident's garden with a belly 'the size of a football'. Debbie said her and a few of the volunteers spent hours in the rain trying to catch Lucy, who they believed was pregnant.
Debbie, 53, said: "She was enormous, but as time went on, we realised her due date had passed."
Debbie took Lucy to the vet for a scan, and was told some shocking news.
"The vet found that she had an enormous pyometra," Debbie continued, "which is an infected womb, and it was full of pus. She had an emergency operation to remove her womb which weighed two kilograms. The vet said they had never seen anything like it, she was very lucky to be alive. She's a tough cookie."
But no more than six weeks later, Lucy was found to have diabetes, which requires her to be injected with insulin twice a day.
Debbie said: "She is costing us a lot of time and money but we are determined to come out the other side with her, she has fought for so long."
The rescue currently had 15 kittens and 60 adult cats, most of which are taken in by the foster carers who make up the volunteer team.
Debbie, who lives at home with her husband and two children, but devotes all of her time to rescuing and caring for cats, said: "We are all normal people who have families and jobs, and are devoted to cats. We spend all our spare time in putting all the effort we can into looking after the stray cats that are out there.
"Unfortunately, I cannot see a future for Kat's Cradle if we can't pay off this vet bill.
"We have been going for an awfully long time, and we help hundreds and hundreds of cats and kittens, but with the increased prices and cats coming in with quite serious conditions, it has bumped our bill up way over the odds.
"It is the beginning of the kitten season, and as summer progresses we will have more and more kittens coming in with pregnant cats, and we do not want to close.
"We need to get this bill sorted. We have a brilliant vet, but a bill is a bill."
Debbie has launched a GoFundMe page which has reached £1150. To donate, visit gofundme.com/f/lucys-life-saver
People can also donate to the charity by emailing kats-cradle@outlook.com for bank transfer details or details to pay the vet clinic directly, or by calling Debbie on 07944 105033.
