Russell and Howard’s case is one that is happening all too often. These poor chaps were abandoned in a woodland together and were terrified.

These British Shorthairs were clearly not used to the outdoors and were covered in faeces and fleas. If it’s not bad enough that these boys were dumped, we also discovered that they were suffering with horrendous diarrhoea and had a few issues with their breeding. We had come to the conclusion that these youngsters were likely from a breeding farm or similar, where someone is breeding “purebred” cats and selling them for large sums. When there are cats that become ill or cannot be sold or bred, they are often abandoned or sometimes even worse.

Thankfully, a kind member of the public brought these little guys to us after finding them while she was out on a dog walk. They were both very friendly, snuggly and had very sweet personalities.

After a check with our vets they started a special gastro diet (we get through a lot of gastro-intestinal food!), we gave them flea/worm treatments and antibiotics, as well as a few other surgeries and tests that were required. After all this, the pair started to feel better. A poo sample found that these boys were carrying four nasty parasites in their gastrointestinal tract, and needed some very expensive treatment. Another test confirmed they had ringworm as well, which is time consuming to treat and needs thorough barrier nursing to prevent it from spreading around the shelter. We started their treatment and began what would become a long road to recovery.

Poor little Russell was only around 4 months when he came in and had lots of issues that needed addressing. Howard had an umbilical hernia that needed repairing, he had an ongoing issue with his ears, and needed lots of TLC throughout the process.

These little chaps were with us for 150 days! That’s how long it took to get them back on their paws and ready to be adopted by a loving home. We are so grateful that someone was kind enough to adopt them and the boys are now living their best lives.

Their treatment cost a total of £3,288 during their stay at the Shelter, which wouldn’t have been possible without the generous donations from our supporters.

Buying from “breeders” for the sake of a specific appearance, convenience or because it’s fast contributes to the unnecessary suffering of animals. Adopting from reputable shelters like The Sheffield Cats Shelter means that the cat has been health checked, treated for any issues found, they are flea/worm treated, neutered, chipped and vaccinated, making it more cost effective as well as much more responsible.

Recovery Tails Christmas Campaign

This Christmas, please help to raise £10,000 to help us care for and heal cats like Russell & Howard and keep this crucial work going. Your support will help to pay for vet treatment, special foods and medication for all the cats and kittens who arrive in the Shelter sick and in need of a warm bed this winter.