We have all seen videos on social media of excited kids being surprised with a pet puppy or cute kitten at Christmas, but this might not be as exciting for their new best friend.
Christmas is an exciting time, especially for families with young children, and parents can be forgiven for buying a pet for their little ones. But it's not as easy as just bringing in a cat or dog, they have to settle in like anyone moving into a new home.
Jasmine de Sinno, animal science student at Newcastle University, said: "From what I have learnt I understand that Christmas can be a too stressful time for the introduction of a new pet into a household, it's better they settle into a calmer environment to make the transition a better experience for owner and pet."
As well as the animals welfare, actually being able to get one around Christmas may also be an issue. Animal shelters are dedicated to re-homing their residents and see that they have a good life, but a lot of them will not allow adoptions around the Christmas time. And Willows Cat Adoption Centre is no different.
Maria Harrison, 64, of Willows Cat Adoption Centre said: "Christmas is the worst time to bring a cat, or any animal, into the home. It's too much of a stressful environment with all the excitement going on for a nervous animal to settle in and we don’t think it’s fair for cat, or any animal, to be subject that.
“We won’t let anyone adopt our cats too close to Christmas. I’ve had calls, in the past, on Christmas day, from people desperately trying to get a cat and I’ve told them that even if I had 100 they wouldn’t be getting one. But I do understand that pets can make a great Christmas present so if anyone asks me about it I’d say get a pet toy or a lead and write a promissory note saying that they’re getting a pet but once the Christmas hype has calmed down."
Willows Cat Adoption Centre offers a unique experience called 'Cat Café', this is where customers can book to go into the café and have a tea or coffee and a slice of cake with some new feline friends. See the visual tour below.
Willows has been around for 44 years and has even inspired a local vet to take the same. The cat café initiative was only launched in the last 10 years and lets adopters get to know their potential future pets. There are around 10 cats on site at the café at any given time and when one is taken to a home, a new cat from the 40-50 cat-long waiting list will take their place in the café.
Cat's of all ages go through the cat café, from kittens to elderly. Julie, a volunteer at the café, said: "We have a no kill policy, no matter how old a cat is or how long they have been here un-adopted, whether it’s a week or a year, we don’t turn our back on them."
The charity has seen cats with all sorts of afflictions and not only gives them a home, but also treats them. One cat currently in the café, MR Gently (pictured below), had sores all over his body as he wasn’t given the correct flee treatment and was left in pain. But when Willows they made sure he got the treatment he needed to nurse him back to health. Another cat in the café, Blue (also below), lost all his fur due to the stress caused by the death of his owner, which left him in a very bad way. But with the help of Willows Cat Adoption Centre, he is now back in heath and feels loved.
For more information about the cat café, call Maria Harrison on 07719605383. Or for information about the charity then visit their website on http://www.willows-cats.co.uk/.
