Longer-life cats are left on the shelf.
Cats are living longer, but the homeless feline senior citizen is being overlooked.
Improvements in cat care have greatly raised the life expectancy and quality of life for cats across the UK, including the older cats, aged ten and over, being looked after by the Swindon Branch.
However, the bad news is that owners still appear to choose a cute, fluffy kitten or young cat over an older cat – and this puts a massive strain on us.
Whilst ten years ago the household moggie could have been expected to live to around thirteen, today’s life expectancy is much higher, and we have seen many cats surviving to their late-teens and early-20s in remarkably good health.
However, their longer existence places Swindon Branch under strain because older cats can block up pen spaces for many months, which means we are unable to help other needy cats or kittens until the older ones are found new homes.
It is a shame because older cats have a lot to offer, as they tend to be lap cats and have much more settled natures. Though we do our very best to care for older cats, life in a cat pen is no substitute for a permanent home so I would urge people to consider adopting an older cat.
To offer a cat a home please call us on 01793 644536 or use our
Contact Us form.