A Berruyère association, La Patte Cuddlee offers identified, vaccinated, castrated or sterilized cats recovered in Bourges and the surrounding area.
Founded in mid-November, in Bourges, to collect stray or abandoned cats and try to place them in foster families, the Cuddly Paw
already has some 65 felines to offer to owners who will love them.
Ursine, a black European cat, was brought in pain to a veterinarian by a lady who already has several cats and could not get her back due to lack of funds. She was operated on, sterilized, fixed up, overcame pneumonia… In short, she’s a miracle. “At seven months, she is in great shape,” assures Charlotte Hannequin, president of the Cuddly Paw. She just has a little asthma, but she is adorable, and adoptable. »
Also adoptable Rosie, three months old, gray-white hair, European type. And Ugo, his red and white brother. Both are staying with the vice-president, Marie Schultz, are identified by chip and will shortly receive the first dose of the vaccine against typhus and coryza. Another vice-president, Delphine Gaillard hosts five kittens and two “teenagers”, male and female. One was narrowly saved “in the mouth of a dog”, two others “are in the process of socialization”.
A healthcare bill of more than 3,000 euros
Because most of these adorable little purring balls of fur lived rough lives, to say the least, before being taken in by the association. “Last summer,” explains Charlotte Hannequin, “the mayor of Moulins-sur-Yèvre called on us. In his town, people were feeding the cats and they were swarming everywhere, causing nuisance, getting run over by cars. It had become unbearable?! »
This is how the Cuddly Paw, not yet established at the time, ended up with around thirty cats on its hands. ” What a story?! sighs Fabien Chaussé, mayor of Moulins-sur-Yèvre. The municipality covered the veterinary costs of sterilization and castration. A bill of more than 3,000 euros?! »
In Bourges, associations take in stray cats, sterilize them and care for them to have them adopted
As revolting as it is, the abandonment of cats – and dogs – has always existed, with notable peaks during vacations, in particular. “But our big problem is the people who feed them, outside or in the garden, thus attracting all the cats in their neighborhood and encouraging their proliferation,” laments Charlotte Hannequin. And then, especially those who don’t sterilize them, because it’s expensive. »
Sterilizing a cat costs 150, or sometimes even 200 euros for an individual. To castrate a male, count around a hundred euros. “For several months, the price of animal feed has literally skyrocketed,” emphasizes Ms. Hannequin. As a result, many cat owners are no longer able to cope with their daily maintenance. »
Cats offered for adoption are identified, vaccinated and spayed or neutered
Thanks to preferential rates granted by a Berruyère veterinary clinic, La Patte Cuddlee offers the adoption of animals that have been identified, vaccinated and sterilized or castrated, with a valid veterinary certificate. It costs 210 euros, or 240 euros with the addition of tests against cat AIDS and leukosis.
To fulfill its missions, the association, which recovers 60 euros per placed cat and 30 euros per cat, works hard to find not only host families, but also support and partners. Every first Saturday of the month, she collects donations, in kind or food, at the Dolchardian pet store Maxi Zoo. Ditto, occasionally, at the Carrefour hypermarket in Bourges and, from next January, at Animalis, route de La Charité. “Because adopting a cat requires availability, involves costs… In short, is it work?! »
Emmanuel Letreulle
The Cuddly Paw is on Facebook and Instagram or at 07.60.41.91.12.
