Animal charity helps Wiganers neuter and chip their cats for free

Warrington Animal Welfare (WAW), ran the special two-day campaign in memory of a much-loved colleague and animal rights campaigner, Andrea Jeffries who sadly passed away late last year after an extended battle with cancer.

The event, held at the WAW on-site neutering clinic in Warrington saw 37 vulnerable cats from the community spayed or castrated, micro-chipped, health-checked and returned to their owners in a bid to help reduce the amount of unwanted and abandoned cats in the local area.

It also helped promote responsible pet ownership, with each cat being picked up and returned to their owner by the charity.

Veterinary Nurse, Claire Shepherd, said: “There is a huge need for community neutering in the North-West. There are not enough good homes for cats.

"Most people don’t realise that cats can get pregnant from four months, plus there are the benefits of neutering as neutered cats tend to live longer and happier lives and are less likely to roam and go missing and male cats are less likely to spray and fight.”

“We hope that the event will help reduce the annual spike in the numbers of unwanted and abandoned kittens, known as kitten season which lasts from spring to late autumn.”

Claire added: “There is no real excuse for people not to be a responsible pet owner and neuter their cats, there is so much help available.

"There are schemes like this available from both small local charities across the country as well as larger national charities, such as Cats Protection, schemes that offer free or very low-cost neutering.

"Projects like these break down the barriers people use for not neutering their cats, like affordability or access to transport.”

On her friend Andrea, Janet Thornton, WAW Trustee said : “We were proud to be able to do this campaign in the memory of Andrea, who worked tirelessly for animals throughout her life both here and abroad often in deprived areas, especially around the Wigan area.

“She was steadfast, kind and brave knocking on doors in the most challenging situations, greeting people with her big smile and unassuming manner, she saved the lives of thousands of animals who had suffered and become invisible behind closed doors.”