Rescue Me: International

Owning a pet is usually for life.

But what happens when you're no longer able to?

In 2018,

19,235 cats were reported abandoned,

in the United Kingdom, which is absolutely scandalous,

and heartbreaking.

Fortunately, there are several organizations

that are dedicated to both rescuing

and re-homing these poor neglected felines.

Notably, the Marjorie Nash Cat Rescue Center,

which is both local,

and bespoke.

And also, the nationwide and historical

Royal Society for the Protection and Cruelty to Animals.

So Cindy, how many cats

have you got in your cattery at the moment?

14.

The Marjorie Nash Cat Rescue Center

has been re-homing unwanted cats and kittens

for over 25 years.

We have constantly got a list of cats

waiting to come in.

Never had a book empty, ever.

This cattery is 25 years old.

It's worn, it's fine for now, it's dry.

- We started the Marjorie Nash Cat Rescue in '94.

And I moved here,

and I decided to go foster for Marjorie Nash Cat Rescue.

And I knew Marjorie Nash because she was

part of the RSPCA at the time,

but she branched out and started her own charity up.

Basically, we take in cats

that for some reason or another,

people can't keep any longer.

So yeah, we're a registered charity,

and we're just all trustees.

- We actually did the roll, we had membership

with one of the bigger charities.

So, what is the

Royal Society for the Protection and Cruelty to Animals?

Or abbreviated, the RSPCA?

Well, it's the largest animal charity in the United Kingdom.

They rescue 100,000 animals every year,

have 162 branches nationwide,

and they employ about 2,000 people.

So all of the cats that you see in here

come into the RSPCA because they've been found

sick, injured, lost or abandoned

out on the streets of London.

This ward is currently three-quarters full.

We have on estimate about 21,000,

I think it was 20,816 abandoned cat calls in 2018 alone.

And we re-home over 25,000 cats every year.

I first started with the RSPCA,

that was the advert that I answered,

and they brought me a three-cat cattery

around to the house and put it out.

I imagined that it would just be the odd cat now and again,

but about a week after the building had been put up,

an RSPCA inspector came knocking at the door

with three cats,

so that filled up the pen.

From that day till now, which is nearly 30 years,

I have never been without a full cattery.

But we are very, very busy.

We've always got cats waiting to come in.

- Probably 200, 250 a year between Cindy and I

we re-home kittens and adult cats.

- I don't know, I've got a real bond with cats.

Maybe from my childhood,

we just had cats in our family all along,

and I treated them like babies I suppose

and it's just something I've never grown out of.

I love them.

Because we're better known locally now,

we tend to get calls

for all sorts of things and emergencies,

which sometimes we have to pass on to other people.

So what makes a person

want to become involved in animal rescue?

People from all walks of life take up the charge.

I've always had cats in my life.

Even as a child, I didn't have dolls.

I had cats in prams,

dressed in nappies I believe.

I've worked at the RSPCA for 16 years.

I was not working in animal welfare before that.

I was taught as a surveyor before I joined the RSPCA,

but I was involved with some voluntary work,

which made me come across RSPCA inspectors,

and I thought, yeah that's the job that I'd like to do.

It's a job a bit more worthwhile maybe

than what I was doing previously,

and I felt I could make a change and make a difference.

And then I went on to breed Abyssinians,

which is a beautiful breed.

I just thought you know,

we are breeding these beautiful pedigrees,

but there's so many unwanted

domestic cats out there

that really, really need homes,

so I decided, it was a bit of a decision to make,

that I wouldn't breed anymore with the cats.

My husband already had built

one of the catteries for the Abyssinians,

which wasn't being used anymore.

And that's when I phoned the RSPCA up

and said, you know, I have this cattery,

do you want to use it?

And that's how it all started,

that I was taking RSPCA cats in at the time,

and then of course obviously

when (muffled) to Marjorie Nash.

That's why I started doing it,

because I liked cats and I wanted to help.

But obviously it's ballooned into much more

then I ever thought it would to begin with.

- Has he had breakfast, I take it he had.

- Oh yes, in fact he's just had a little something,

so I know he's got a full tummy.

Ah bless him.

So he's got a good appetite?

Oh yes.

Okay, hello George.

Okey dokey, let's get him in.

My name's Penny, I'm local.

I live in Amersham,

and my circumstances have now changed,

whereas I leave the country quite a lot,

and my poor George gets quite distressed

when I go away and it's not fair on him anymore.

I've had him for five years.

It's very, very difficult but,

I have to do the best thing for him.

I discussed what I was thinking of doing with my vet,

and she said, Marjorie Nash is the place to go to,

and I had already met Cindy.

I knew about Cindy,

because my cat had boarded here,

for one weekend, when the whole family was away,

so nobody could look after him.

And he came home happy from her.

And she's a lovely lady.

And I was told that they never, ever

put a well cat down,

so that was a great comfort.

I know she'll find him a good home.

What's he like with children?

Would he be okay with a family

perhaps with teenage children or something like that?

What a happy bunny.

He's such a happy bunny.

You gotta be nice to me

'cause I've gotta feed you.

So I'll leave him for about half an hour,

then I'll give him a little bit of food,

'cause I don't want to worry him too much.

Take it, let him get his smell around.

What I will ask you to do dear, if you don't mind,

just do the form for me.

Riley, where do you think you're going young man?

Put up with a new neighbor.

Who's that?

He's a lovely cat.

He's lovely, and I think

he's gonna make somebody very happy.

- The elderly live for their pets.

So it's really sad when they have to give them up,

because they're no longer able to look after themselves.

You see, it's not just about companionship.

A pet improves their state of mind,

gives them something to focus on

and generally increases their exercise levels.

- It's sad actually, that people have to go into homes

and they can't take their pets with them,

and it's heartbreaking, it really, really is,

because maybe it's just a lady or a gentleman by itself,

and they've had their cat for many, many years.

It's been their companion for years.

Not only have they got to go into a home,

they've got to leave their best friend,

and that is sad, but unfortunately that's the way it is.

But all we can say to them,

is we do our utmost to get them into a nice home again.

Now some people say that cats

are very independent and therefore they don't need

as much looking after or care as other pets, such as dogs.

Yes, there is this thing

about cats being very independent.

I don't agree with it, quite honestly.

Cats love company,

they really, really do.

- They are one of the more abandoned animals

because people think when they leave home, for example,

or the circumstances change,

they can just put the animal outside the front door,

shut the front door, walk away,

'cause the cat will look after itself.

- I mean we do get people that phone up for cats or kittens,

and say I want a lap cat.