29/08/2026
📅 **29/08/26 — A rescue update I never wanted to write**
Something happened this week that may well be a first for us. I cannot swear it has never happened before, but I certainly cannot remember another time.
Not once, but **twice**, we were approached about mother cats with kittens who urgently needed rescue spaces. 💔
🐾 One was in the countryside—possibly a feral cat, or perhaps a long-term stray who had given birth outdoors.
🐾 The other involved a lady returning from holiday to discover a mother cat and **five kittens living in her shed**.
Both families urgently need to be caught or trapped and taken into rescue. Kittens left outdoors are often quoted as having only a **25% chance of survival**, while there is almost a **100% chance that each mother will become pregnant again** if she is not neutered.
One of these cases was just three miles away from us—very local indeed.
And yet, despite how desperately they need help, **we could not help them.**
Not *would not*.
**COULD NOT.** 😢
We simply cannot take in any more cats while continuing to care safely and properly for those already here.
This is not something that money alone can solve. Donations cannot make my home any larger, create rooms that do not exist or allow our fosterers to take more cats than they can safely accommodate.
And even if we somehow found room for these cats, where would we draw the line? There would be another urgent case tomorrow—and another the day after that.
We have had more than 100 cats in our care for several years. Why?
Because we take in feral cats who cannot be returned to where they came from. The location may be unsafe, there may be nobody willing to feed or monitor them, or the landowner may simply “want rid” of them.
Some of our long-term cats have chronic health conditions. We manage those conditions, give them the veterinary treatment they need and continue loving and caring for them—but people are generally not interested in adopting cats with health problems.
That is not hearsay. **It is a fact.**
Others are physically healthy but nervous, frightened or poorly socialised. Many are also black or black and white—the cats that so often receive little or no interest. 🖤🤍
We do not deliberately hold on to cats. We would love nothing more than to see them settled in suitable, loving homes. But when no adoption enquiries come, they remain with us year after year—and every permanent resident means one less space for the next desperate cat.
Some larger organisations manage their spaces differently, and the uncomfortable reality is that euthanasia may sometimes be used for cats considered unrehomable or unsuitable for release, removing what the rescue world bluntly calls a “bed blocker.”
That is not a stance we are planning to take—but even if we did, many vets would understandably refuse to euthanise an otherwise healthy animal.
I have tried to explain this problem to veterinary professionals over the years. With no disrespect whatsoever to the people who care for our animals, I am not convinced that everyone fully understands the impossible decisions faced by rescues.
We have sadly lost several cats to illness this year, but even that has not created spare capacity. Other cats have needed to move into the rooms or spaces they left behind.
My view has always been that if a feral cat has absolutely nowhere safe to go and no reliable food, shelter or ongoing support, releasing it—neutered or not—to fend entirely for itself can be crueler than humane euthanasia.
I know many people will find that deeply upsetting or unpalatable. I find it upsetting too. But I have to ask:
**Who will take that cat? Will you?**
A feral cat is essentially a wild animal. It may survive for a while by scavenging, but without proper support it may eventually succumb to parasites, disease, starvation, predators or a road traffic accident. Simply releasing it does not necessarily mean it has been “saved.” 💔
I do not have all the answers.
What I do know is that this country is facing a **massive cat population and rescue crisis**, and it becomes worse every single year. I am not exaggerating. Ask almost any rescue and they will tell you that this year is worse than last year—and sadly, we find ourselves saying the same thing every year.
Some rescues will eventually close because they can no longer cope with the relentless demand. When they do, there will be even fewer places for cats like the two mothers and their kittens reported to us this week.
A petition was launched earlier this month calling for government action. I personally do not believe it goes far enough, but I would still encourage everyone to read and sign it:
✍️ **[https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/777945](https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/777945)**
Being unable to help the two families mentioned at the beginning of this post has left me feeling utterly despairing. I sincerely hope the people who reported them manage to find another rescue with space.
If they cannot, the cycle will continue.
More kittens will be born. Cats and kittens will suffer. Some will die. And rescues will continue receiving desperate pleas for spaces that simply do not exist. 😿
Comments and constructive discussion are welcome. However, unless you work within rescue, I can honestly guarantee that you do not see the full scale of what is happening—or the heartbreaking decisions being made behind closed doors every single day.
