Of kittens and puppies

It is kitten and puppy time again - a time when all too many unfeeling pet (?) owners take the easy way out and dump their unwanted litters of puppies and kittens in an unending variety of locations. These can range from inaccessible spots in the heart of the country to - more frequently - the local skips and tips. In a few short weeks, we have had boxes of animals brought to our Rehoming Centre from all over the island.

Many of the kittens are dumped immediately after birth and have no chance of survival without their mothers' milk. Those that can be reared are cared for at the centre or passed on to one of our foster carers, who devote the constant attention that is needed to these tiny scraps of life, if they are to have any chance of survival. It is amazing how quickly these kittens develop and within a matter of a few weeks can be offered up for adoption.

Depressing as all this irresponsible and cruel behaviour is, life is not all doom and gloom; there is another, very positive aspect. More and more people, including many teenagers, find abandoned animals and do not look the other way but take a lot of trouble to bring them to the safety of our centre. To cite just a few: there was young Alex, who was walking with a friend in the Lunzjata Valley when he found a box of 13 (yes 13!) new-born kittens. Another good Samaritan named Manwel found a month-old German Pointer puppy sealed in a box on the Xaghra tip and saved it from a lingering death.

A few days ago, a group of boys from St Aloysius College were hiking through the Ghasri valley when they came upon a box of five lively kittens. They gathered them up and using their initiative, located the number of Gozo SPCA (thank goodness for mobile phones).

They continued their hike with the kittens nestled in their T-shirts until they met up with the SPCA officer at Qbajjar Bay. By this time they had become very concerned about the kittens' future and were relieved to hear that they were quite strong and healthy and would soon be able to be rehomed. Young Mark became so fond of his little charge that he intends to come back to Gozo to adopt "Stevie", as he named him. Well done to them all, especially to Ivan, the boy who coordinated the rescue and rendezvous.

May I take this opportunity to make a plea to The Times readers? When you go to the local skips, please listen for a moment or two for telltale mewing or whining before you dump your rubbish. Your observance could help save many animals from a painful or lingering death. If you are unable to bring any animals that you find to us, please give us a call and we will pick them up.

A final word for those who dump these defenceless animals. If you must get rid of your kittens, why not bring them straight to the centre? Better still, Gozo SPCA, along with many other animal welfare organisations offers financial help with the spaying and neutering of owned pets. A neutered pet is a happy and healthy option - it is far better to prevent these unwanted births with a simple and safe operation.

For information contact us at Gozo SPCA Strays and Rehoming Centre, Victoria (tel. 2155 3769).