Vets worried cats could be dying trapped in outbuildings

Tuesday 26 January 2016

Local vets are urging people with sheds, garages and outbuildings to help give our moggies who may be trapped in them a chance to get out alive.

They say they are getting a large number of calls from owners whose cats have gone walkabout and they say many could end up dead from starvation and dehydration if they are stuck somewhere where they can't escape.

Jersey Village Vets Partner Adele Trott said: “A number of them are getting trapped in outbuildings and sheds and I think there’s a lot of cats dying from starvation and dehydration.

“We’re getting three or four missing cat calls a week at the moment.

"If you have a garage or outbuilding, just leave the door open for an hour or so and leave an escape route for the cat. Cats are usually terrified and might be weak or just scared so this would give them a chance to get out."

Dr Trott said she'd lost her own cat one winter a few years ago and sadly he wasn't discovered until the Spring when her neighbour had gone to get a lawnmower out of the shed. 

She said: "Neighbours are happy to look if your cat has gone missing but they don’t always consider that they might be hiding away. Cats need to make their own escape.

"Keep on asking your neighbours to keep checking their sheds. If they can get water they can survive for longer but it must be a horrible way for cats to die."