Happy Tails
Here are some of the 'lucky ones' who have found their forever homes. Many of these animals came to us having suffered neglect or abuse.
We are passionate about giving every animal a happy ending wherever possible, no matter their age, health or conditions.
When animals come to us we will rehabilitate them if necessary and give them any veterinary attention they might need. Once they are fit and well enough to be rehomed we will find them a suitable home that meets their requirements. On occasion this may be with pre-arranged support, if an existing medical condition needs to be managed.
We hope you enjoy reading about some of the animals that have passed through our doors over the past year or so.
2024 has only just started, but January felt like the longest month. We took in over 38 animals and were thankful to see fifty animals finding their furrever homes.
One of the late 2023 arrivals who kept us on our toes over the festive period was Little Mo. Born prematurely to a mother cat with no milk, Little Mo had to fight for his survival from day one.
His mummy was just a kitten herself.
She wasn’t interested in having a kitten to look after - and that is where our amazing volunteer and ‘queen’ of the cattery Sally stepped in. Little Mo needed feeding every two hours and regular cleaning, a hand rear kitten whose mummy occasionally helped…
Each day was a bonus when Sally awoke to find that Little Mo was still alive. Every day he showed what a resilient fighter he was.
Little Mo’s mummy has now been neutered and can really start to enjoy her life, just being able to cat.
We are also thrilled to say…Little Mo is absolutely thriving in his foster home!
RSPCA Milton Keynes and North Bucks Branch is a separately registered charity from the National RSPCA and we only receive nominal funding from them. We can only continue our work in the community through your support.
Please consider making a regular donation to the Branch today. Little Mo is depending on you.
With people becoming more aware of the costs and needs involved in ensuring rabbits have the best quality of life, it has become increasingly difficult to find suitable homes for them.
Add to this a bun who has not had the best start in life and it really adds to the challenge!
Lulu was one such bun.
Having been used as a breeding machine she was poorly socialised with humans, and had never experienced the companionship of a husbun.
Following an unsuccessful bonding process, we were thrilled when we received an enquiry for Lulu from prospective new adopters who were willing to accept all of her quirks and behaviours.
Lulu is now learning how to live alongside another rabbit with the hope that they can become bonded in the future. They are both enjoying the most wonderful environment and enrichment together.
Many of you are aware of the ‘Fin the Tin cat rescue. It wouldn’t be surprising, the case received an immense amount of media attention and the community involvement was fantastic.
We are regularly involved in cases where cats are in precarious conditions, but don’t gain the same support or media attention.
Injured or sick, if we know about it and are in a position to help, we will.
Cheeta was one such case. He had been popping up on local Facebook groups, but we were unaware until the same member of the public who contacted us about Fin made contact again.
We set up feeding stations and traps and made it a priority to get this severely injured kitty into safety.
Cheeta had severe necrosis. Trauma to his head and neck. Sore, infected and weeping, the skin was dying and we can only imagine how much pain he had suffered.
Thank goodness we were able to track Cheeta down. The vets could not believe the condition he was in and indicated the necrosis was so severe it was surprising Cheeta was still alive.
Unsurprisingly, Cheeta was like a feral when he arrived. The pain must have been intense and the only way he could express himself was through aggressive behaviour.
As time went on and the pain subsided, we started to see the real Cheeta. An affectionate loving kitty who had finally fallen on his feet
Many of you are aware of the ‘Fin the Tin cat rescue. It wouldn’t be surprising, the case received an immense amount of media attention and the community involvement was fantastic.
We are regularly involved in cases where cats are in precarious conditions, but don’t gain the same support or media attention.
Injured or sick, if we know about it and are in a position to help, we will.
Cheeta was one such case. He had been popping up on local Facebook groups, but we were unaware until the same member of the public who contacted us about Fin made contact again.
We set up feeding stations and traps and made it a priority to get this severely injured kitty into safety.
Cheeta had severe necrosis. Trauma to his head and neck. Sore, infected and weeping, the skin was dying and we can only imagine how much pain he had suffered.
Thank goodness we were able to track Cheeta down. The vets could not believe the condition he was in and indicated the necrosis was so severe it was surprising Cheeta was still alive.
Unsurprisingly, Cheeta was like a feral when he arrived. The pain must have been intense and the only way he could express himself was through aggressive behaviour.
As time went on and the pain subsided, we started to see the real Cheeta. An affectionate loving kitty who had finally fallen on his feet
Sadly, many hamsters arrive to us in tiny plastic cages (small image) that pet shops suggest are suitable for hamsters.
In reality, they are well below the minimum welfare requirements and certainly don’t come anywhere near to a hamster’s natural habitat.
In the wild, hamsters are extremely good diggers and construct deep, dark, underground burrows. Your pet hamster will appreciate a large enclosure full of natural enrichment.
One lucky hamster was adopted recently and is now living its best life in hamster paradise (large image).
Big Boy Bruce is another special kitty who has a tale to tell.
Incredibly sick and roaming stray, he was reported by a member of the public to several rescues. Milton Keynes and North Bucks RSPCA was the only one willing to help.
We arranged for Bruce to be taken straight to our vets, where he received medication to control his flu symptoms and specialist care to get him back to full health.
Unfortunately Bruce was found to be an FIV carrier. A death sentence with some rescues, but we absolutely do not give up on our rescues unless a veterinary professional tells us otherwise.
Once rehabilitated and finally well again, we looked for the right home for Bruce - an indoor only home perhaps with a catio.
We were thrilled when Bruce was offered an indoor only haven with enrichment and a catio balcony which overlooks a racecourse!
Bruce is yet another kitty who has a Happy Ever After, thanks to our volunteers and the community supporting our work.
In 2020, when the whole world was coming to terms with Coronavirus and its associated restrictions, we were alerted to a number of dogs that were being removed from a property.
We don’t have a dog rescue in Milton Keynes or the facilities to board dogs, but one of our team offered to foster a couple of the dogs in her home.
When they arrived, they were heavily pregnant and needed a safe place to give birth.
Soon after, we had not two dogs in rescue, but thirteen!! Eleven little lives arrived between 31st March and 1st April as both mummies went into labour within hours of each other.
Three years on and the owners who adopted the pups are still in contact and we’re honoured to be able to share this special photo.
Thank you for your continued support. Without it we couldn’t possibly help the number of animals that we do.
Alfie was brought into our care by our Inspectors.
Despite being incredibly shy and nervous, we were thrilled when Alfie was offered the opportunity to meet a new neutered female bun called Beryl.
Once Alfie was neutered, chipped and vaccinated his new owner started the bonding process.
Bonding successful, Alfie and Beryl are now ‘husbun and wife’ and are all set to live happily ever after!
Another Happy Tail….
Not a lovely animal rehoming story, but still great news.
Our new pens are officially finished and are coming in very handy for the overwhelming number of cats and kittens we have taken in over the past couple of months.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us whilst this work has been ongoing.
It’s been a while since we posted a Happy Tail… but today we received the most adorable video which we have to share!
A few months ago, Weller was looking for his furrever home.
However, Weller’s stay at the rescue was a bit of a CATastrophe. He injured a few of our volunteer feeders and consequently we had no alternative but to find him a home where he didn’t put anyone else in hospital!
Luckily, we regularly source wonderful countryside homes for our kitties who are not suitable for a conventional ‘home’ life.
We hope you enjoy Weller’s Happy Tails video as much as us
It’s very difficult being involved in rescue at the moment. Many rescues will close because of: overwhelming demand, lack of; compassion, support and financial resources.
Our volunteers and staff at RSPCA Milton Keynes and North Bucks are working non stop to help animals in the community. One such kitty was Merrylegs.
Merrylegs arrived with a leg injury that the vets tried to manage with treatment and crate rest.
Sadly after several weeks, when Merrylegs was given his freedom it became apparent the ‘conservative treatment’ had not worked and his leg needed to be removed.
Merrylegs really struggled at first with just three legs. However, with the love, care and support of his wonderful foster carers (and lots of pain relief!) he was finally on the way to a full recovery.
Rescue is so critically important, but it’s the fabulous homes our animals move on to that we are so grateful for.
Merrylegs was a rescue cat, but now, can we introduce you to Wilf. He is home.
If you are interested in becoming a foster carer, please contact us through our website.
www.rspcamiltonkeynes.co.uk/fostering