New appeal to help cats

Nov 26 2009 by Marjorie Kerr, West Lothian Courier

FUNDRAISERS at a West Lothian animal charity are thanking people who have made donations to help the group’s work.

Cats Protection West Lothian are funded solely by donations from the public and since all the charity’s workers are volunteers, all the money raised goes towards caring for the moggies in their care.

And while the group are grateful to everyone who has donated cash in the past, volunteers are asking local people to give money to help with their ongoing work.

Among the cats helped by Cats Protection West Lothian recently is a young cat called Woody.

He had been hit by a car and was left, unable to walk, lying in the road – watching as oncoming cars drove over the top of him, not knowing if the next car would end his short life.

Luckily, one of the group’s foster carers happened to drive along the road where he had been knocked down and got to him before he was hit again and killed.

Woody was taken to the vet, where it was found that he had a broken ankle and a snapped tail.

In addition to this, the vet confirmed that Woody was only four months old.

Despite being in a lot of pain, he was very friendly and made fans out of all the staff in the vet’s office.

Woody had his tail amputated and his leg pinned – and a few days later was released into the care of the foster carer who found him.

As he was a stray, he had to be held for 14 days before he could be rehomed.

He was neutered, vaccinated and was also chipped to prevent him from getting lost again.

Happily, Woody has now found a new home with caring owners – and he lives away from busy roads.

However, the group say many other cats need their help.

A spokeswoman said: “It broke our hearts that Woody had been left on the road for dead.

“Fortunately, a wonderful home was found for him very quickly, but this would not have been the case if it weren't for the donations we receive at Cats Protection.

“We rely solely on donations from the public to pay our vet bills and to look after the cats we have in our care.

“To date, the bill for rescuing Woody is approximately £700 and there may be future bills if he needs his leg pins removed.

“Everything you can do to help towards this bill and the bills for future Woodys would be very much appreciated.

For information on how you can help cats like Woody, or to rehome a cat, contact Cats Protection West Lothian, on 0845 371 2719.