Millwood Cattery was designed and built by my husband Dave and was opened in July 1994 by our excellent local Vet Alan Hickling. Millwood is a combination of McMillen and Woodsend.
Millwood Cattery is primary for boarding cats and kittens, owners can be safe in the knowledge that their pets will be safe and well looked after until their return. If you would like to view please ring for directions.
The Boarding logo was designed by Jim at Wots, Wot a local paper. The cats head is our Rescue logo. See our boarding link for more details.
Sadly many other cats and kittens are not so lucky to have caring owners and are often abandoned by their owners when they are no longer a fluffy little kitten. About 6 months after we opened the Boarding Cattery an abandoned cat that was having kittens at any moment was bought into us, we tended the mother and with the birth of the kittens the rescue centre was born.
Since then many, many, more abandoned and mistreated cats and kittens came to Millwood! (Approx 500 to 600 per year) Some old, some pregnant, some so young they have to be hand reared because they have lost their mother for some reason, It has built up over the years to the present day. We have inside and outside rescue pens and we also have "foster homes" where cats and kittens are looked after until loving responsible homes can be found for them.
We have people who will go and trap (wild cats) these are called feral, that means they usually haven't been handled within the first few weeks of their life and have had to survive on their wits. They trap them so they can be hopefully tamed and neutered or spayed, to prevent any more unwanted kittens, the stray population in the UK, is increasing so neutering is very essential.
Many more cats and kittens have passed through our hands in the last 10 years. The cost of the Vet bill was many thousands of pounds , that is without the money required to feed them and to provide cat litter, heating etc. It is hard work and sometimes the working day can be 15 hours or more if hand-rearing kittens but I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it and feel it is so rewarding and worth while. I also have a few dedicated volunteers, some who home visit or collect cats from various areas and some who help me clean out the rescue pens. With out there support I could not manage so well. To support us we have Open days 2 or 3 times a year if you would like to be on our list to come and see us on one of these days, Please enter your email address and subscribe in the subject box to join our mailing list.
Cats should be de-flead and wormed regularly by the Vets recommended products (Pet Shop remedies are not as affective) It is a great responsibility to care for any animal and you should be sure you have the time and money not only to feed the cat/kitten but to pay for Vet care if needed and if going on holiday someone responsible to care for it. A pet or a cat is a wonderful friend and lots of fun and lots of pleasure can be had by taking one into your home, the average age span of a cat or dog is approximately 15 years, so it is a long-term commitment.
Ronnie McMillen
