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Royal aspirations for six unwanted kittens
kittens
Battersea is betting the royal baby will be bundled up in blue and has named six unwanted kittens in honour of the birth.

Battersea names litter after bookies' outsider names for the royal baby

As the birth of the royal baby looms, there have been some pretty weird and wonderful name guesses - including Chardonnay, Romeo and Boris. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home have entered into the spirit by naming a litter of unwanted kittens after the bookies' outsider names.

The Duchess of Cambridge is expected to go into labour within the next two weeks, meaning the birth of the royal baby coincides with 'kitten season'. Due to the warmer weather, Battersea is currently inundated with pregnant cats and litters of kittens.

A litter of six recently abandoned kittens have been named Chardonnay, Olympia, Joffrey, Winston, Romeo and Boris.

Head of the charity's cattery, Lindsey Quinlan, says: “We’ve had a long association with the royal family and excitement is building here at Battersea about the second royal baby.

"We can’t wait to find out if her baby will be a boy or a girl – our kittens are certainly waiting for their own royal seal of approval.

"We care for hundreds of kittens, especially over the warmer months, so it will be nice to celebrate the birth with our own new arrivals."

Image courtesy of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

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Antibiotic Amnesty survey opens

News Story 1
 The Responsible Use of Medicines Alliance - Companion Animal and Equine (RUMA - CA&E) has launched a survey which seeks to measure the success of this year's Antibiotic Amnesty campaign.

Its results will help the group to calculate how many unused or out-of-date antibiotics were returned as part of the campaign throughout November. Practices are also asked how they engaged with clients to raise awareness of the issue.

Participating practices can enter a prize draw to win up to 100 in vouchers for taking part. Further prizes from BSAVA and Webinar Vet will be available for practices with the best input.

The survey takes a few minutes to complete and will be running throughout December. It can be accessed via this link

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue cases lead to restricted zone extension

Following the detection of new cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3), the restricted zone has been extended to include additional parts of Hampshire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and North Yorkshire, as well as Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and part of Dorset.

The zone now covers 28 counties and unitary authorities in England. As of 16 December, 185 cases of BTV-3 have been confirmed in England and Wales during the current vector period.

Bluetongue is a notifiable disease. Suspected cases must be reported on 03000 200 301 in England or 03003 038 268 in Wales. In Scotland, suspected cases should be reported to the local field services office. Suspected cases in Northern Ireland should be reported to the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or by contacting the local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.

A map of the area where movement restrictions apply can be found here.