Family who turned home into cat rescue centre win support of Burgess Pet Care

Burgess Pet Care is excited to announce a new partnership with Filey Cat Rescue, which will see the Yorkshire-based independent food manufacturer helping to feed all the residents at the rescue with regular donations of Burgess Complete Dry Cat Food.

Tina Lewis and her family started adopting cats after the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020 and now run Filey Cat Rescue, a registered charity that rescues, rehabilitates and re-homes cats in need across North and East Yorkshire. The family sold their business, their car and even their wedding rings to fund their cat rescue mission.

The launch of the partnership coincides with this year's World Spay Day (27 February). Burgess and Filey Cat Rescue are keen to encourage owners to neuter their cats and reduce the number of unplanned cat litters, with the latest research revealing that 12% of the UK's cats aren't neutered.

As there are around 11 million owned cats in the UK, that equates to more than a million (1,320,000) felines that are currently unneutered and missing out on a whole host of benefits.

Tina explains: - "World Spay Day helps to highlight the importance of neutering animals – including cats – not just today, but all year round. Many people don't realise that kittens can actually get pregnant, resulting in many unwanted litters and rescues like ours being overwhelmed, which is so avoidable through neutering. Since we set up our rescue, we have cared for and neutered hundreds of cats and kittens; all of the gorgeous cats that we help are neutered once they are in our care and ready for their forever homes.

"We are delighted and so grateful for the support of Burgess Pet Care. Their generous donations and support will make a huge difference."

Coinciding with World Spay Day, Burgess has put together some FAQs to help owners understand the many benefits of getting their favourite felines neutered, while dispelling a few myths, such as the belief that female cats should have a litter before they're neutered.

Cats Protection, the UK's leading cat welfare charity, recommends neutering as the only effective way to reduce the number of unwanted cats in the UK. As prolific breeders, it takes just one female cat to be responsible for a staggering 20,000 kittens in just five years, resulting in thousands of unwanted cats and kittens in animal charities up and down the country in need of loving homes.

Dr Suzanne Moyes MVB MRCVS, Deputy Managing Director and in-house vet at Burgess Pet Care, said: -

"World Spay Day is a great opportunity to highlight the many reasons why animal lovers everywhere should neuter their pets, especially when it comes to their cats. Owners are often unaware that cats should be neutered at four months old. Not only is it the responsible thing to do, but it's also the kindest thing you can do. Neutering is a simple operation that will really benefit your pet's overall health and wellbeing, helping to prevent the risk of serious diseases and avoiding unwanted pregnancies.

"It's really important to the whole team at Burgess Pet Care that we support the wonderful work of charities and organisations like Filey Cat Rescue, and to see first-hand what a difference it makes to their vital work."