More Tales from Cat Rescue:

Cat lover and proud owner of Lola, the pampered feline, Dr. DAVID CLIFF, continues his regular series on stories from the amazing cat rescue Yorkshire Cat Rescue (YCR) where he is a volunteer. Here, David introduces us to gorgeous ‘Gusta’.

By DR DAVID CLIFF

A regular writer in Pets Magazine, Dr DAVID

CLIFF continues his exploration of the work of Yorkshire Cat Rescue and some of the issues it raises for animal relationships with humans. In his latest article, the significant role of the foster carer is considered.

Charles Darwin once commented that the measure of any society was how it cared for its animals. Sure, of course we are a nation of animal lovers, but the reality is, it is not a universal human trait - neglect and misfortune often feature in the animal world. Thankfully, this is in part offset by the work of animal rescue charities.

The last couple of months have seen examples of the work of Yorkshire Cat Rescue (YCR), based in the heart of Yorkshire, yet pretty much serving the entire country. In the last issue of Pets Mag, we heard about the trials, rescue and convalesce of Hero; this month, another rescue features, Gusto.

'Gus' was a premature kitten whose mum was being looked after by a homeless person. Gus was ultimately the only survivor of an original litter of six, and was taken to Yorkshire Cat Rescue in a rather sorry state.

The philosophy of the service is "trusted by cats" and we can see why when little Gus was given a chance. The cat care team swung into action ensuring Gus was fed through the night, having to be careful he didn't aspirate the milk given to him, given that he had difficulty feeding.

This was quickly transferred to a foster carer as this would allow the one-on-one intensity of care that this tiny kitten needed. Fostering is potentially very rewarding, but equally demanding and fosterers quickly acquire skills and adaptability to deal with the myriad situations that are present with the kitten or cat in their care.

And their narrative is better than anything I can say, so here’s what happened from Emily, Gus's foster mum:

"At just over a day old, and weighing 68g, little Gus came to me, I have looked after many kittens for Yorkshire Cat Rescue, but this was my first hand-rear. I felt so sorry for him – so young and all alone in the world.

“I knew I had to do my best for the cute little ball of fluff that was so tiny that he could curl up in the palm of my hand. So the bottle feeding started. Every two hours for the first 14 days, Gus had to be fed special formula milk, and be snuggled up with a tiny furry dinosaur toy meant for babies. stimulated to go to the toilet every time too.”

“At two weeks old his pee suddenly smelt really strong. This is not normal. Not wanting to take any risks it was straight to the vets - two days later it still hadn’t cleared up, and he had an infection in his bladder. “So at just 2 weeks old, we started a short course of the tiniest dose of antibiotics that you can imagine.

Emily continued: “It was a balancing act to make sure he was getting enough milk to gain weight, but not too much as that can make them ill, but he was strong, and very loud when hungry! He liked to sleep

“I can’t tell you how sleep deprived you get having to feed a kitten every two hours. It is a crazy experience, especially as by the time you have boiled the kettle, made the formula, cooled it, fed and toileted the kitten, settled the kitten, and fallen back to sleep, you only get about an hours sleep maximum before you need to get up and do it all again!”

The YCR’s cat care team were at the end of the phone for every problem, no matter how small. Infections repeatedly returned with antibiotics continuing to the point where Gus had been on them for most of his life. Later tests and specialist referral revealed E. coli, a bladder problem and an uncertain future for little Gus.

After a Christmas when the possibilities had included the worst and the determination to give the little chap a lovely time, a further specialist referral discovered that Gus was actually female! Gus became Augusta or Gusta for short!

Bladder abnormalities were discovered which may account for the recurring infections she gets and anti-inflammatory medication was prescribed with the possibility of surgery in the future.

Emily continued: “My hope is she can live a long happy healthy life. She's overcome so much being that tiny kitten with little chance of survival to being a thriving energetic, naughty little youngster that loves to play and make us all laugh.”

Emily is right; kittens and cats and in the wider animal species, often need considerable care if their survival is to be assured. A ‘no kill’ policy such as that espoused in the value set of YCR means that fundraising has been ongoing to support Gusta’s costs and will continue to do so.

Just as healthcare has advanced for humans, it has for animals but it is necessarily costly and there is no NHS for them. Equally, if Darwin's quote above is to be true, then the expediency of euthanasia simply because of cost when interventions exist that can secure life, creates a human moral and values-based debate that YCR decisively resolve by compassion for cats, hard work and a strong supporter base.

Emily ably demonstrates the challenges that fostering animals can engender and the partnership that proceeds between good rescue centres and those in the community that seek to provide care. It's not for the fainthearted but can be incredibly rewarding. It also requires a particular mind-set as ultimately having given exceptional care such as in Gusta's case, the bond develops that they can result in having to say goodbye to the foster animal either for rehoming or if fate is unkind medically. Fosterers however, give an animal a fighting chance that would not otherwise exist.

Want to know more about fostering? Visit your local charity's website and see if they are looking for people to help.

You can find your local cat charities here - https://adch.org.uk/find-arescue/ https://www.catchat.org/ index.php/cat-rescue-centresuk-ireland

Every good wish to Emily and Gusta!