Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home launch appeal highlighting journey for rescue pets

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home has launched a fundraising appeal by telling the story of pets who came to them during the coronavirus pandemic.

The home’s appeal aims to raise awareness of the journeys some of these animals go through, in particular a young Tabby cat called Rosie and Terrier Cross named Bella.

Following a challenging 2020 with rehoming services pausing and restarting several times, the local animal welfare charity were finally able to start rehoming again at the end of March.

During lockdown, the dedicated team have continued to work tirelessly to prepare the animals for when measures were lifted and rehoming could restart. Many animals have been brought in and were in need of care.

The home’s appeal aims to raise awareness of the journeys some of these animals go through, in particular a young Tabby cat called Rosie and Terrier Cross named Bella. You can read about Bella and Rosie’s lockdown journey HERE.

Gillian Graham, fundraising manager, said: “For the mistreated and unwanted dogs and cats, we will continue to be their voice. The appeal highlights two particular animal’s stories – Bella and Rosie and we have tried to tell the story from their perspective.”

Anyone who can donate can visit HERE or text ‘JOURNEY’ to 70460 to donate £5. Texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message and opting in means hearing more about the charity’s work through texts and phone calls. Anyone not wanting to receive this communication but still wanting to give £5 should text JOURNEYNOINFO to 70460.

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home was founded in 1883 and works in partnership with police and local authorities to rescue, reunite and rehome lost, stray and abandoned dogs and cats across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

In 2020 the home was hit hard financially due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with projected losses of over £650,000. A recent emergency fundraising appeal has attracted over £170,000 in donations from the local community to help the home and the animals it cares for.

It costs around £2 million a year to run the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. In 2019, they cared for 2,821 dogs and 1,081 cats.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription at https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions.