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Virtual event planned for those working with unowned cats
Recordings from the event will be made available at a later date in a range of languages.
More than 15 speakers will give talks over two days.

International Cat Care (iCatCare) is set to host a two-day online event for those working and volunteering with unowned cats.

Supported with a grant from Battersea, iCatConnect will take place on 13-14 November.

The free event will look at practical and inclusive ways for those involved with unowned cats to support each other, improve cat welfare, and find solutions to global cat overpopulation.

More than 15 cat welfare experts from around the world will give talks on topics including:
  • Understanding cat behaviour to improve care and wellbeing 
  • Effective ways to help more cats in homing centres, using the principles of Cat Friendly Homing
  • Cat friendly solutions for population management
  • Running successful Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programmes
  • Collaboration with veterinary professionals and other key stakeholders
  • Improving community engagement.
Each of these talks will include Q&A sessions. Recordings and educational resources will be released at a future date and will be translated into Spanish, Portuguese and Greek.

Vicky Halls, head of unowned cats at iCatCare, said: “It’s the event the cats in your care would want you to attend - a complete journey through the bigger picture of cat population management and the care of all unowned cats.

“So, whatever role you play, whether you do TNR, work in a shelter, foster cats, or run your own small cat rescue, you can see where you fit and get to appreciate that we are all part of a huge jigsaw puzzle with the common goal of improving the lives of cats everywhere.”

Simona Zito, Battersea’s grants and programmes manager, said: “At Battersea, we believe collaboration and community are key to helping cats around the world, and we’re proud to be supporting iCatCare’s brilliant new event as part of our Grants programme. We can’t wait to connect with fellow cat welfare champions in November.”

Those interested in attending can book a place on the iCatCare website.

Image © Shutterstock

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Strangles survey seeks views of horse owners

News Story 1
 With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.

The survey, which has been designed by Dechra, aims to raise awareness of Strangles and promote best practices to prevent its transmission. It includes questions about horse owners' experiences of strangles, together with preventative measures and vaccination.

Respondents to the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win two VIP tickets to Your Horse Live 2025. To access the survey, click here 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
DAERA to reduce BVD 'grace period'

DAERA has reminded herd keepers of an upcoming reduction to the 'grace period' to avoid BVD herd restrictions.

From 1 May 2025, herd keepers will have seven days to cull any BVD positive or inconclusive animals to avoid restrictions being applied to their herd.

It follows legislation introduced on 1 February, as DAERA introduces herd movement restrictions through a phased approach. Herd keepers originally had 28 days to cull BVD positive or inconclusive animals.

DAERA says that, providing herd keepers use the seven-day grace period, no herds should be restricted within the first year of these measures.

Additional measures, which will target herds with animals over 30 days old that haven't been tested for BVD, will be introduced from 1 June 2025.

More information is available on the DAERA website.