The Stray Pets Rescue Club is our monthly profile of Harrogate animals in desperate need of a loving home. Could you help Ernie, Toby, or Amber? 

Ernie

Age: Ernie’s passport says he is eight, but he could be older.

Ernie’s story: Ernie arrived at Miss Mollie’s Rescue from Romania, about five weeks ago. The team at Miss Mollie’s think he had a hard life before being rescued. He is stiff on his legs and has a nasty scar on his face, but since arriving in Harrogate he has been taking joint tablets and is improving every day.

Temperament: Ernie shares his kennel with another dog, and likes being around dogs. He has started enjoying walks but his favourite things are rolling in the grass, sitting in the sun, his dinner and his bed.

Ideal home: Ernie would be well suited to an owner who is happy to have short walks. He would love to have a garden and a cosy place to chill out.

If your family has space for Ernie, contact Miss Mollie’s Rescue. 

Toby

Age: 16.

Toby’s backstory: Toby is looking for a long-term foster home. He is currently living alone at Harrogate Cat Rescue, after his owners became unable to look after him. Toby isn’t in the best of health and is suffering from liver disease. He is stable on antibiotics.

Temperament: Toby is an affectionate, laid-back boy. He loves nothing more than sitting on your knee, or watching the world go by from a sunny window ledge.

Ideal home: Toby will benefit from regular, gentle brushing and companionship. All his food and veterinary treatment will continue to be paid for by Harrogate Cat Rescue.

If you could be a foster carer for Toby, contact Celia at Harrogate Cat Rescue on 07749 461042.

Amber

Age: Three.

Amber’s story: This labrador cross lurcher’s previous owners lost their home in a fire and could not take her (and her sister Jade) to where they were staying.

Temperament: Amber is incredibly friendly and energetic. She can be bouncy and excitable when she is playing, so will benefit from someone taking the time to train her and take her on lots of walks.

Ideal home: Amber loves to chase small, fluffy things, so needs a secure garden (where she can’t run off chasing rabbits) and a home with no cats. Because Amber is so energetic, she needs to live with adults and older children. She can live with another dog that is happy to be around her lively personality.

If Amber could be the perfect fit in your home, visit Saving Yorkshire’s Dogs. 

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Harrogate’s newly-established cat rescue is being crippled by vet fees as it takes in an unprecedented number of animals.

Celia Dakin, who set up the Harrogate Cat Rescue in April this year, says many come with hidden problems.

She has seen a big spike recently in abandoned adult cats in particular. Just last week the rescue took in 12 cats from Bradford.

Some of the cats have problems with their bladder or their stomachs and many need to be neutered. All of those treatments come at a cost.

On average at the moment Celia is spending around £1,000 on those bills. The rescue will struggle financially without more support.

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Celia told the Stray Ferret that she has never seen demand like it in all her years rescuing cats:

“It is insane, absolutely insane. Just now I have taken a call about another two cats that need to be rescued from a road in Darley.

“There are a lot of adult cats coming in at the moment. I cannot keep up with it all, I think it is just awful.”

Harrogate Cat Rescue owner, with one of her own cats Geoff.

While it is hard for Celia to know the reasons for the spike in rescue cats, many of the reasons she comes across are a direct or indirect result of coronavirus.

One woman gave up her cat after being made redundant following months on furlough. Many more come from relationship breakdowns, with coronavirus causing tensions.

The Harrogate Cat Rescue will always try to make room for the new cats but has asked people to donate to its fundraising page here.

While most independent businesses were forced to close down during lockdown, one local cat rescue has thrived since it first opened in April.

Celia Dakin, owner of Harrogate Cat Rescue, had always planned to open a centre for rehoming stray cats.

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, many national animal charities had to stop neutering feral animals, including cats, and this has increased the number of kittens being born without a loving home. Celia felt this was the perfect opportunity to set up a rescue business.

In just over three months, the rescue centre has rehomed 19 cats and kittens and is currently in the process of homing a further 10 kittens and three adult cats. Celia has always been ‘cat mad’ and has two 11-year-old cats of her own, Geoff and Lady.

Celia told the Stray Ferret:

“Initially, I was approached by a lady who told me that there was a fairly large colony of cats where she worked, and that she had seen kittens. So, I started my rescue.”

Celia runs her business from her home in Harrogate, which has a no-kill policy. This means that no healthy or treatable cats are euthanised or killed even if the shelter is at full capacity.

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She currently houses a poorly five-year-old shorthair cat, Mack, who tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), an incurable viral infection.

He has a large wound on the side of his neck caused by a cat bite, which has now become ulcerated. He also needs dental surgery to remove his rotten teeth. Despite his tough life, Mack has a friendly nature and is in need of a loving home.

The cat lover currently has 22 cats in foster care, including Emily, a six-year-old Ragdoll and Bengal crossbreed, who was sent to Celia when her owners chose to travel abroad.

The rescue encourages new owners to get their cats neutered at four months old, if they haven’t been already.

Celia said:

“I believe that every cat deserves a chance, as most stray and outdoor cats have been failed by humans. I am active in encouraging co-operation between me and other rescues in Yorkshire, with the aim of working together for the benefit of all cats.”

“Neutering cats is an extremely high priority; unneutered males age quicker and are more prone to disease, as they have to fight for food, females and survival. Unneutered females leave home as their hormones dictate and are repeatedly raped by the unneutered males, leading to multiple pregnancies, causing stillbirth, deformity and disease.”

All cats and kittens that are cared for by the Harrogate Cat Rescue receive a veterinary health check, flea and worm treatment, microchip and at the least their first vaccination. The adoption fee for an adult cat or kitten is £90 each.

To find out more about the adoption process, visit the Harrogate Cat Rescue website.