YCR during Coronavirus

The Government's statement concerning a package to support charities was welcomed by many, but for animal charities such as us, the content was disappointing.

Founder Sara Atkinson says "There is obviously a need for the Government to support charities working at the front line of the Covid-19 epidemic, but many organisations working behind the scenes are often overlooked.  In our case, we are responding to appeals to offer respite care to cats owned by people who are unable to take care of them - and this all comes at a cost.  We want to be able to help and to provide a service so that people fighting this virus don't have to worry about the welfare of their beloved cats, but we cannot help indefinitely if we are not given central support.

"I founded the charity back in 1992 and it has always been able to find funds to run a good and proper service" continues Sara, "but I have very real doubts that it will continue to thrive beyond this epidemic if support from the government isn't forthcoming."

We also fear an increase in the number of cats being abandoned following the misquotes in the media concerning the transfer of the virus from humans to cats.  Sara adds "Misleading information just adds to the pressure we are under, and we are having to divert our much-stretched resources to responding to desperate queries about the safety of keeping cats".

Our charity is based at Cross Roads near Keighley and we offer a re-homing service throughout Yorkshire for unwanted  cats and kittens, and during the epidemic we have also decided to add a respite programme for people hospitalised by the virus. 

To find out more about the respite service, enquiries should be emailed to [email protected] or calls made to 01535 647184

Anyone wishing to find out how to to donate or to read about the work we do can do so via the our website - https://yorkshirecatrescue.org".