What is SHUA ?
SHUA is an acronym for Safe House for Unwanted Animals. Started in September 2001, we are a very real rescue organisation specialising in emergency rescue, re-habilitation and re-homing of kittens & cats in Cardiff and the Vale. SHUA is a registered charity.
We are hoping this website will help with the never ending flow of lost and found kittens and cats who come to us; it should also help in rehoming the many unwanted or needy cats. This will also hopefully be the most effective way of networking with other like-minded organisations.
Who do SHUA help ?
We help all members of the community - cat lovers and haters, but especially cats. Statistics for the last ten years suggest that the cat is replacing the faithful dog as mans best friend and is fast-becoming the number 1 pet in the UK.
Unfortunately, not every pet owner is responsible enough to have their animal neutered. Inevitably, this leads to the birth of unwanted kittens. This in turn results in an ever-increasing population of stray cats, and the number of feral colonies.
Strays and ferals are a nuisance to gardeners, wild bird lovers, and cat lovers alike. An unchecked feral colony can cause high levels of overcrowding, inbreeding, ill health and disease to the colony, other strays and domestic cats in the neighbourhood.
SHUA helps unwanted pets, strays and ferals alike. A feral cat is a cat that has been born in the wild. Adult feral cats will never be tamed. Some young feral kittens can be tamed with intensive hand-rearing but the chance of success is often slim.
How does SHUA help ?
- SHUA actively neuters and spays ALL adult cats that come through our doors. We trap, blood-test then neuter all feral cats before either relocating or returning to their terrority. We liaise with neighbours in the area to ensure that the feral colony is kept healthy and will be monitored. Sick feral cats are often nursed back to health and returned back to the colony; the ever increasing number of terminally sick and infected feral cats are put to sleep.
- Kittens from stray cats and feral cats are nursed, some often hand reared - all are tamed, health checked, wormed, de-fleaed, and then homed (a condition of rehoming is that the kitten will be neutered). We cannot afford to vaccinate, however we have been able to purchase a microchip kit with the grant from the VCVS.
- Stray cats which are 'tame' (i.e. homable) are health checked, neutered, wormed, de-fleaed and are then put up for adoption or re-homing. No healthy cat is EVER put to sleep. SHUA ensures a careful selection process to find each cat a new home. In several cases we have been successful in reuniting lost owners with missing loved ones - we advertise all strays in local papers, shops, vets etc.
- Between 2004 and 2005 we rehomed more than 450 kittens and cats! Then there are the numerous ferals and strays which have been neutered, treated and returned. And of course those who sadly didn't survive or had to be put to sleep on medical grounds.
How is SHUA funded ?
Despite offering a totally free emergency community service 24hrs a day, 365 days a year (everybody at SHUA volunteers their services and time free of charge) there are no government funds or grants available to us. We rely entirely on financial donations and donations of goods for us to sell at our charity shop and at fetés and fayres. Donations of food for the kittens and cats are always welcome but we still have to finance approx. £1000 per month on veterinary services and medication, £580 per month on litter and food and approx. £240 per month on bedding, cleaning products and equipment, waste disposal, heat-pads, cages, traps etc. Running SHUA's car costs another approx. £125 per month.
What can you do?
We aim to increase the number of volunteers to help us with fund-raising events, fostering, nursing, trapping, community work etc.
