Pam talks pets at Hall Green Primary ...
11 June 2018
NBCP Education lead Pam Wood braved the elements on the rainiest morning in May to give the pupils of Hall Green Primary – a school in Sandwell - a fun and informative presentation about cats and their care.
Says Pam, who lives in Erdington and has worked in speech and language therapy: “The children were great. They had lots of questions and wanted, much as they always do, to talk about their own cats. As well as stressing the five welfare needs of felines, I covered the origins of our domestic cats by explaining that they ‘come from’ the African wild cat – and just what that means. This was especially relevant as the children were busy with a project about the life cycle of various animals, and because ‘feline origins’ underlies so much of the instincts and behaviour of our pet cats today.”
Teacher Mrs Wiltshire commented: “Our Year 5 children really enjoyed their visit from Cats Protection. They learnt about how to care for cats as well as their ancestry.”
Pupil Vanessa said her favourite part was 'seeing all the cute photos, especially the kittens', while Y5 Ben took on board the neutering message, saying 'I learnt that cats can have loads of kittens if you don’t take them to the vet!”
Pam is now busy preparing for her next education workshop in Oldbury. This time the audience will be sixty 4 to 5 year-olds. No doubt a noisy and lively affair.
*Anyone keen on cats and children who would like to join the education team, call the helpline and an education volunteer will be in touch. Any school or group wanting a workshop or presentation is welcome to call the helpline – 0345 260 1503 – too. Talks are free and can be tailored to suit all age-groups - from school-children to U3A, Probus and friendship clubs.