A CHARITY in the Blackdown Hills needs to raise more than £12,000 to meet the rising demand for the care of abandoned cats and dogs.

Ferne Animal Sanctuary which rescues, rehabilitates and re-homes animals says more and more animals are arriving in need of neutering and urgent dental treatment.

The charity spent more than £25,000 last year on procedures for cats and dogs left in their care and has launched an appeal to raise funds to support its rising costs.

Animal Care Manager at Ferne Animal Sanctuary, Nikki Haddock, said: “We’re seeing more and more animals arriving in our care needing neutering or dental treatment.

“We recently helped a gorgeous older collie named Bill, who needed over £1,000 to treat his dental issues.

“Because of his age and a lack of routine preventative check-ups, his health had deteriorated.

“This wasn’t due to a lack of love at his former home, his owners had a series of unfortunate and uncontrollable changes in their lives.

“Another case is Pearl the cat, who came to us with a high-risk pregnancy. We believe she had previously had kittens, none of which survived. Pearl is a tiny cat and was exposed to un-neutered male cats by her former owner, who kept multiple cats.

“Once her kittens had been weaned, Pearl and her kittens all needed to be neutered before we could rehome them.”

Bill, an older collie, needed urgent dental treatment after a lack of regular check ups by his owner.
Bill, an older collie, needed urgent dental treatment after a lack of regular check ups by his owner. (PHOTO: Ferne Animal Sanctuary)

Ferne reports that more than 25 percent of the cats on its waiting list are over 12 years old, reflecting a growing trend of older animals being surrendered to the charity across all species.

This statistic puts added pressure on the budget for essential care, as older animals often present with more complicated and expensive health issues.

“We currently have seven lovely senior cats in our care, all of them are aged over 12. Each has been surrendered because their owners have either passed away or moved into residential care,” Nikki said.

“All seven need dental treatment because routine veterinary appointments have been missed for several years. We expect to spend around £1,000 per cat on the dental work now needed to help them enjoy happy and healthy lives.

“We want every animal that leaves us to have a happy and pain free life where they can enjoy the love they deserve. Without donations from our supporters, we can’t achieve our goal. We are truly grateful for every penny donated to this cause.”

The campaign is due to close at the end of November and is estimated will cover just half of its anticipated essential care costs for the next 12 months.

So far the charity has raised £3,544 of its £12,500 target.

Any additional donations generated will be used to cover wider veterinary costs for the cats and dogs in its care.

Located in a National Landscape area nestled in the Blackdown Hills near Chard, Somerset, Ferne Animal Sanctuary houses and cares for circa 300 animals on its 72-acre site.

To support the charity search Ferne Animal Sanctuary Essential Care Appeal on Justgiving.