Putting the record straight
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On 12 January the Mail on Sunday printed a misleading and factually incorrect article about Cats Protection. With the two or three contributors to the article accusing the charity of ‘prioritising cost over the care of cats’ the article made misleading statements regarding branch closures, cuts in vaccine spending and changes in home visit policies. It also queried our level of donations, staff salaries and neutering and alleged that to save money, cats were put down if treatment would be too costly or if they were over 10 years old. The charity immediately issued a rebuttal of these allegations, and a full response to the questions raised in the article can be found on our website www.cats.org.uk/news/setting-the-record-straight Chief Executive, Peter Hepburn, said: “We have many thousands of people, volunteers and staff, who do an amazing job of helping cats and cat owners right across the country. They work tirelessly to rescue cats, feed orphaned kittens, raise funds and give school talks, as well as doing essential administration such as looking after branches and answering supporters’ letters. Many people have said to me that joining Cats Protection was one of the best things they have ever done and it is sad that their fantastic contribution to cat welfare has been overshadowed by such a misleading article.” Chairman Heather McCann, added: “We are extremely proud of the work Cats Protection does across the UK and although it was disappointing to see the allegations in this article, it was also very heartening to receive so many messages of encouragement and support. Whether it was phone calls or emails, letters or posts on social media; so many supporters, volunteers and partners have declared their faith in the charity. As a volunteer myself, I know only too well how committed our people in branches and adoption centres are to working together for the benefit of cats.” Although this has been an upsetting incident for everyone involved with the charity, Cats Protection will continue to champion the cause of cat welfare. It is a challenge that we have met for over 86 years and a commitment that will prove far stronger than page 25 of the Mail on Sunday .
Belles of the Belfast Ball!
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Cats Protection Belfast Adoption Centre held its first ever Black Cat Ball in October at the Stormont Hotel Belfast. Over 170 guests were treated to a sparkling drinks reception, a tasty threecourse meal followed by top class entertainment. The compère for the evening was Mr Peter Cardwell, a presenter from Ulster TV, who gave his time freely to help raise much needed funds for the centre. The total raised from the sponsorship, the sale of tickets and the raffle was around £13,000! Grateful thanks must go to the event’s sponsors Cedar Grove Veterinary Practice, Paula Emenegger and David Graham (in the cat’s head) for their invaluable help. Hard work but well worth the stress!
Although many of our supporters tried, just hours after publication it became impossible to post comments below the online article. Others wrote letters to the Mail on Sunday , one of which was published, from volunteer Mrs Nixon:
A caring charity As a volunteer at my local Cats Protection adoption centre, I can state that, contrary to the claims in your article last week, no cat has ever been considered unworthy of treatment during my time. In some cases, the medication or treatment has continued once the cat has been rehomed – with the cost met by Cats Protection – and monitoring of their health is commonplace. No cat is ever euthanised solely on the grounds of age. In fact most elderly cats are fairly easily rehomed. I have witnessed the love, care and attention to detail that the dedicated staff and volunteers have given these animals. Manager Bell Livingstone and partner
The Cat Spring 2014
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