Retirement Scheme
Have you ever thought...
- What will happen to your cat if it out lives you?
- Will one of your family take it in?
- Can they afford to?
- Have they the time to look after it?
- Do they actually want the responsibility of an animal?
We are being increasingly
asked to take in cats where the owner has died and made no provision for
their animals future.
Frequently, no one in the immediate family will take them in and often there is the urgent necessity to remove them from a now empty property. People cannot just expect charities to solve the problem for them. Quite often, when an elderly person dies, the animals that are left behind, are elderly themselves. These animals are use to having an owner and a home. Would you want your lifelong friend to be put in a pen for the rest of it's life, with no hope of a home because of it's age?
If the answer is no, then you should be thinking of making some provision in your will and giving some indication of your wishes regarding your pet's future.
The Lincolnshire Trust For Cats have, for sometime, been running a retirement scheme for elderly cats. The retirement scheme evolved due to the number of phone calls from people going into sheltered accomodation, retirement homes or simply because they are going to live with a relative. In this situation, nobody wants their cat put to sleep but, if they cannot take the cat with them and if it is too old to be realistically rehomed, it is a very upsetting dilemma.
Often families relocating abroad have a similar problem when it comes to elderly pets. We all tend to think we will live forever but we need to remember that our pets deserve our consideration and may well outlive us.
Anyone thinking ahead to this eventuality, or wishing to bring their cat in, are encouraged to visit the Trust and see for themselves what is on offer for their pets.
Cats coming in for retirement must be neutered and fully vaccinated. If the vacinations have lapsed, they can be done on admission. The resident cats (on the retirement scheme) do not live in pens. They are, once settled, allowed out in the grounds, but have a 5 o'clock curfew. Even cats that have never lived with other cats do adapt, some find it harder than others, but they seem to make up their own minds where they want to be.
There is a huge wendy house with a veranda, which is very popular with the cats for sunbathing. There are also individual houses which are insulated and contain heated beds, this suits the more independant cats. Those more used to their creature comforts are found reclining on sofas and chairs in the reception area (These are the more outgoing characters, who like to mingle with the visitors) or lounging around in the office, helping Alice with the correspondence, or Jenny on book keeping day.
Others can be found draped over storage heaters or asleep on the bales in the sheep shed or in the barn with the horses. They all eventually find their niche and live happily along side one another.
The Trust employs full time staff and the premises are staffed twenty four hours a day. The Administrator also lives on the premises.
There is a one off sum, payable on entry, for the retirement scheme and thereafter the Trust bears the expenses of annual boosters, worming and any operations or veterinary treatment.
No animal is ever put to sleep unless it is deemed absolutely necessary by the Trust's Veterinary surgeon.
So if you think the Retirement Scheme is of interest to you then please give Jain a call on 01673 844628 for more details on how you can enrol.
