Winter Heating Appeal

It is vitally important to Gables that we provide our animals with the very best during their stay with us and their pens must be kept warm and comfortable at all times. During the winter months we use lots of donated duvets and blankets to help keep the animals warm and cosy, but our heating bills increase dramatically. There are 81 cat pens and 61 dog kennels to keep warm, which previously cost us over £5,000 each year. However in November 2022 we saw a huge increase in these bills and our winter heating costs were estimated to rise over £15,000.

It is sadly becoming normal practice to have to ask for help with our winter heating costs and our wonderful supporters always amaze us with their generosity.

Queenie

In June 2022 Gables took in a cat with severe skin issues. Queenie, as this regal girl was named, had sadly suffered with skin issues for several years. Unfortunately we discovered that Queenie had the bacterial infection, MRSA and she had to be moved to the isolation area and start some very intensive treatment. Thankfully she made a full recovery and was ready for adoption.

We estimated it would cost Gables £1,000 for all the treatment and medication she needed at the time and into the future. We were amazed by our wonderful supporters who donated a fantastic £839 towards her care.

The wonderful news is that Queenie finally found her forever home in January and is settling in very well.

Her new owner says “Having Queenie (now Smudge) home initially was quite an eye-opener. We lost our last cat Pumpkin at 18 years old and sadly she’d been poorly with hyperthyroidism, was deaf and suffered from arthritis, so hadn’t been very active for a while.

We settled on Smudge the moment we saw her photos and we knew she’d had a tough time with skin allergies and had been at Gables for 8 months whilst they did an amazing job of getting her ready to adopt. When she came to us I expected a very shy and nervous cat but she certainly wasn’t. Every cupboard, shelf and corner had to be explored, she’s very nosey and we frequently have to scour the house to find her. She’s not gone outside yet, that’s her next treat and I’m sure she will love the exploring.

As you can see she has now settled down. She adores a bit of attention and to be with ‘her humans’, she follows us everywhere and has her favourite sleeping spots. The best news though is she has a beautiful shiny coat and no sign of over-grooming due to stress”.