After attending one of Battersea Academy’s feline welfare learning opportunities, the South African cat rescue Save a Pet implemented impactful changes modelled on what they learned, resulting in a positive impact for their animals.
One of the first changes they implemented was to extend their cattery. By adding two extra rooms to allow better separation of anxious cats struggling in a group environment. Outdoor areas were also enriched with scratch posts, cat grass and more tools and toys to create calmer spaces for the cats. Additionally, Save a Pet’s staff training was enhanced to promote appropriate human-cat interactions and respect feline needs for privacy.
These in-depth learnings allowed the creation of tailored care plans for cats like Raita, who would fight with the latest introduction to his tightly bonded group, Sonic, necessitating constant removals before extra space was made available. Applying Battersea’s specialist behaviour strategies and using the extra space created allowed the staff to move Sonic to the new quieter cattery with a new resident. By removing him from the stressful environment with Raita’s bonded group. Staff also installed view barriers between the two rooms, stopping the cats from seeing each other and avoiding additional stress.
The expertise shared through Battersea’s Academy programme has enabled Save a Pet to implement positive protocols tailored to their rescue and animals. This has allowed cats like Sonic and Raita to feel comfortable while they are in the charity’s care.
