Claw is reaching out to the community to prevent unwanted litters
Claw has taken the responsibility of many unwanted litters on their shoulders, which is why they are encouraging owners to have their pets sterilised.
Statistics show one unsterilised female dog can have up to 10 litters of puppies in their lifetime depending on their breed, health and size. Furthermore, each litter can consist of either one to 12 puppies with an average of five to six.
Cats on the other hand can have up to five litters per year, with an average of either three to six kittens per litter.
In our community, this is a major concern as so many of these litters are discarded, either because the owners do not have the means to care for them or because they simply do not want to have the responsibility of so many animals.
On July 2, Cora Bailey, founder and owner of Community Led Animal Welfare (Claw), received three litters of puppies all in one morning.
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She explained one of the litters were found in two paper bags. She said according to the people who brought them in, they were found on the side of the road in Hoy Street, Florida. She explained she finds it hard to believe they were found on the side of the road as their tummies were quite full. She estimates they must be under 10 days old as their eyes aren’t open yet and they still needed to be bottle-fed.
They asked any person with information regarding the puppies to please come forward.
Aside from this litter, they also received two other litters, one of which was brought in by children, with a trolley, she said their neighbour had told them to take his six puppies.
She noted another incident that occurred over a month ago with a litter of kittens.
“It was during heavy rains that they received a phone call that said the kittens were swept away by the rain and were about to go down a stormwater drain.”
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She adds phone calls such as these are a common occurrence.
Shortly after that, they received a call about a litter that was found in the veld in a sealed box. She explains those that who called said they heard crying coming from the box. She added they were Siamese kittens and also in need of bottle feeding.
Cora continues to say this is why they encourage people to have their animals sterilised as there are so many unwanted puppies and kittens in the world.
Claw can be contacted on 082 926 3627.
