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Battersea collaborates with iCatCare to improve cat welfare
The plans will support long term, global cat population management.
The CFH programme aims to promote more strategic rehoming.

Battersea has collaborated with International Cat Care (iCatCare) to develop a new programme, which hopes to promote more proactive and strategic working with rehoming.

The Cat Friendly Homing (CFH) programme will work to assist the rescue sector with becoming more professional and sustainable.

The CFH programme’s principles state that each cat should be treated as an individual case, with only suitable pets being rehomed and no cat being worse off from human intervention. It aims to limit the time cats are spent in rescue centres or confinement, and neuter all cats at the earliest opportunity.

The plans will see veterinary training provided on key subjects such as neutering and shelter medicine. It will also see experts and organisations from different disciplines contributing to handle cat population management together.

It is hoped that that these plans will support long term, global cat population management.

The programme has been funded by a three-year grant from Battersea, as the rescue charity marks its 140th anniversary. It forms part of Battersea’s Global Programmes strategy, which sees it work with organisations across the UK and internationally.

Last year saw Battersea award 20 grants to rescue centres and organisations across six countries, helping nearly 350,000 dogs and cats.

Vicky Halls, head of unowned cats at iCatCare, said: “Now is the time for us to adapt, stop the never-ending cycle of reactivity and make a change for cat welfare.

“Cat Friendly Homing, an iCatCare initiative, represents a shift to a more proactive way of working that will not only tackle the problem at a population level, but also help more unowned pet cats to achieve the outcome that best suits their needs.”

Roxanne Nazir, head of grants and programmes at Battersea, said: “We are proud to support such an ambitious programme and as we mark our 140th anniversary of helping cats, there couldn’t be a better time to announce this collaboration.

“We cannot wait to see the impact this work begins to have on feline welfare and the rehoming sector over the next three years and beyond.”

Image © Battersea

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.