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Warning as kitten prices soar during COVID-19
"We're asking buyers to think very carefully when using online adverts to find a new kitten" - Jacqui Cuff, Cats Protection.

Buyers urged to think carefully when using online adverts.

National feline charity Cats Protection is warning potential owners about the perils of buying a 'lockdown kitten' this Christmas after figures revealed the price of kittens soared by almost 40 per cent during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cats Protection stresses that with prices for cats rocketing by around £100 in the past year, buyers could be duped into buying sick kittens from breeders exploiting the demand for pets. 

According to the figures, prepared for Cats Protection, the average price of cats and kittens rose throughout the pandemic to £349.41 in July - a 40 per cent increase from July 2019, when the average price was £253.23.

Jacqui Cuff, Cats Protection’s head of advocacy and government relations, said: “With all of us spending more time at home, it is understandable that many people would want to welcome a new pet into the household. However, we’re asking buyers to think very carefully when using online adverts to find a new kitten.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created the ideal conditions for unscrupulous pet sellers to thrive, as they appear to have a credible reason for not allowing buyers to view the kitten with their mother first.”

The warning comes after the launch of Defra's '12 Days of Petfished' campaign, which aims to educate the public on the risks posed by untrustworthy sellers at this time of year.

In light of the new research, Cats Protection is calling on members of the public to consider adopting from an animal welfare charity. Since lockdown restitutions were introduced in March, Cats Protection has re-homed some 10,000 cats and kittens via its Hands-Free homing initiative. 

The charity is also advising buyers to think carefully before purchasing a kitten from an online advert and refer closely to its Kitten Checklist.

Jacqui Cuff continued: “Before the pandemic, buyers may have heard alarm bells if a seller offered to deliver a kitten to them, or said it was not possible to view the kitten with its mother. But the guidelines and restrictions on visiting other households means it is now very difficult to be sure of a kitten’s background.”

 

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.