Harrogate Cat Rescue has said it is unable to take in any more cats or kittens.

The Harrogate charity shelter cats and cares for them until they can find their forever homes.

It said in a statement today it had received a record number of animals this year and due to slow adoption rates did not have the capacity to take in any more.

The organisation is not a traditional cat rescue with an animal shelter where it can host cats; it relies on foster carers for cats until they are adopted.

Technically it does not have a maximum capacity but the charity currently has more than 80 kittens in its care, not including older cats. and needs more volunteers to help shelter cats until they can be adopted.

Volunteer Lisa Francis told the Stray Ferret the cost of living crisis and education about the care cats needed were the biggest factors limiting the adoption process. She said:

“We know that times are tough, and this is very noticeably reflected in the rate of adoptions.

“Normally, there is a reasonably steady flow of enquiries and subsequent adoptions, which in turn adds to our resources and frees up foster space to allow us to take in other cats and kittens in desperate need.”

“Due to the incredibly slow rate of adoptions, we are currently stuck, unable to take in any more cats and kittens until we can free up space through adoptions.”

Many people buy young kittens without doing any research first and they the animals later end up in care. The charity currently has cats in foster care ranging from young kittens, older kittens (6 months+) to cats over 1 year all ready to be adopted.

The charity educates people on the advantages of adopting an older cat or kitten. Including that older cats do not need so much attention and are less demanding, they don’t have to be closely monitored with young children, they can be homed alone and they generally already know house rules.

Ms Francis added that pressure on the charity would be reduced if people considered adopting older cats. She also said cat owners can help the situation by neutering their pets.

She said:

“Many people don’t realise that kittens can get pregnant after four months and after having a litter they can be pregnant again within two weeks.”

The charity urged anyone considering getting a pet to speak to them prior to buying a cat.

Ms Francis said:

“People might want to buy a cat but can’t afford one at the moment. Fostering can be a great opportunity for this situation, we cover the main costs such as medical bills and someone gets a cat to look after.

“Please bear us in mind if you are looking to adopt a cat or kitten and talk to us about options. Quite often what people think will be right for them isn’t, and we can help you find the right new addition to your family.”

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Harrogate Cat Rescue has launched an urgent appeal for funding as it can no longer take in rescues until further notice.

In a post on its Facebook page, the centre said it was “bursting at the seams” with cats and kittens in rescue and no longer had space or funds to take more.

It added that it had 84 kittens which it had taken in  44 of which required neutering and vaccinating.

The rescue centre relies on adoption fees and financial donations to cover costs such as vet bills.

However, adoptions from the centre have been “extremely slow”.

It said in its post:

“The majority of our adoption requests are for young kittens, however, due to a lack of enquiries, a lot of the kittens (especially the black and white ones ) are growing up in care and becoming of an age that is not popular, taking up essential foster space needed to help those cats and kittens that desperately need it and using funds allocated for vets bills for their care.

“Your support over the last four years, has meant we have been able to give homes to over 800 cats and kittens.”

The centre, which was set up in 2020 by Celia Dakin, has appealed for donations as little as £1 a month.

It added:

“Small donations all add up and more of those will hopefully ensure we are never in this situation again.”

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With its “smiling” face, pointy gills and the ability to regenerate lost limbs — the axolotl is undoubtedly the most unusual animal to pass through North Yorkshire Council’s new pet crematorium.

It opened at Stonefall Cemetery on Wetherby Road in February with a promise of providing a dignified cremation for the region’s beloved pets.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the council through an FOI request for a list of all the animals that have been cremated there so far.

It’s been a modest start for the service, with 10 dogs, eight cats, two rabbits, one rat, one guinea pig, one hamster and one axolotl being cremated over the last five months.

Depending on the animal, the council charges a fee of between £76 and £125 per cremation.

Owners can then collect their pets’ ashes along with a memorial certificate.

What is an axolotl?

Axolotls are a species of salamander found in cool waters in Mexico but they’ve become more popular as a pet in the UK thanks to fame on the video game Minecraft and on TikTok.

But the recent trend has led the RSCPA to raise concerns about some owners not being able to look after them properly.

Axolotls require a large aquarium, live for up to 15 years and can grow as long as 120cm.

They are carnivores and their diet consists of live invertebrates such as earthworms, blood worm, black worm and shrimp.

Critically endangered in the wild, axolotls can also regrow lost limbs, making them popular with scientists who want to understand regeneration.

Jordan Mangham, owner of pet shop Peculiar Pets in Heckmondwike, told the LDRS why the creatures are becoming more popular as a pet in Yorkshire.

He said:

“Axolotls have become popular due to their simple care routine, long life expectancy and constantly ‘smiling’ faces. They found a little extra fame through Tik Tok and also the game Minecraft.

“Luckily the responsible selling of axolotls led to them becoming popular and not a disposable pet. There’s a huge amount of information available on Google, YouTube and through specialist pet shops like myself.

“They cannot be handled and are essentially treated like a pet fish, but they learn quickly who feeds them and most will greet their owners and accept food from tongs or fingers quite happily and become quite interactive little pets.”

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A pet crematorium opened in Harrogate today.

The crematorium, run by Harrogate Borough Council, gives pet owners the chance to say farewell to their cats, dogs and small animals.

Prices start at £72 for small animals and from £85 for cats and from £115 for dogs.

The ashes will be placed in a scatter tube, which owners can collect, along with a memorial certificate.

The crematorium is located at Stonefall Cemetery and Crematorium on Wetherby Road.

The crematorium is at Stonefall on Wetherby Road.

Councillor Sam Gibbs, the council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“Pets are like part of the family and they deserve an ending with dignity and respect, just like humans.

“The new pet crematorium will provide the most sympathetic setting for people to say goodbye to their pets.

“This service will also provide people, as well as veterinary surgeries, a local, trusted and reliable pet cremation service – operated by experts in bereavements.”

The Stray Ferret revealed last year the council was set to award a £40,000 contract to create a pet crematorium at Stonefall.

Further information on the facility is available here.

Inside the crematorium

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A new independent pet food shop is to open on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate this month.

HG Pets is taking the space previously occupied by the Refilling Station, which closed in August this year after three years of trading.

The new store will offer a full range of traditional dog and cat dry foods and a couple of ranges of raw food.

There’ll also be a range of toys, beds, leads and collars — plus flea and tic treatments and shampoos.

Owner Jon Bradley told the Stray Ferret:

“I’ve been looking for premises to set up either a pet shop or garden centre for 20 years but never had the opportunity financially to do it.

“I recently left the company I was working with and was able to set this up and do something I wanted to do.”

Mr Bradley, who owns a Dalmatian and a Labrador, thinks there is a market for higher quality dog food in Harrogate — a town of dog lovers:

“I think the main thing is that we are independent and that we’ll offer quality and value.

“We’re going to offer ranges that are different to the national pet retailers such as raw food and offer unique products which are better quality. They’re value for money as they last a lot longer.

“I’ve lived in Harrogate for nearly 20 years – my wife was brought up here and we know that Harrogate is a dog loving town and people are willing to spend on their dogs as long as they get quality.

“I think there is space for us in the independent dog retail and food market  Some of the offer pet stores offer different products– half of our store will devoted to feeding.”

HG Pets will also offer a delivery and subscription service. The store is set to open on October 29.

The new store’s logo 

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