Kitten found in bin proves Torquay charity's value

As Torquay Cat Rescue charity celebrates its four-year anniversary, an incident in which three kittens were found in a bin in Torquay Academy highlighted how its services are needed now more than ever. 

Zara Oldfield started Hector’s House in 2020 following the disappearance of her own cat, Hector. Growing from a small operation in Zara’s house to being able to help over 100 cats at a time, Hector’s House and its army of 145 volunteers focus on rescuing, caring for, rehabilitating and rehoming from across Torbay and Devon. 

“If I’d known what I was getting myself into four years ago, I don’t know what I’d have said,” said Zara 

“I would always go out looking for Hector, but then I started volunteering for another charity. It was in lockdown that I realised how many stray cats there were and that something needed to be done.

“So I had a pen built in my garden and within three months we had three pens. And it went from there and we ended up with nine pens. And then in May of this year, we moved into a centre in Chelston where we have 14 pens.”

No case is the same for Hector’s House, but people tend to send in photographs of cats they believe to be in need of help. Volunteers will then go out to see if it’s microchipped. If not, they put a paper collar around its neck telling any owner to get in touch. Seven days later, if nothing has changed, the cat will go on the waiting list. As many of the cats that Hector’s House deals with are stray or feral, they’ll often need to be trapped. 

Once the cat comes in, it will be checked, cared for and given any veterinary treatment it requires. It’s then on to rehabilitation and eventually to a new home. 

“There’s not too many places that go out and do the work we do. The nearest place I know is the RSPCA’s Little Valley in Exeter.

“It’s amazing what we’ve achieved at Hector’s House but the tragedy is how much we’re needed.”

That need was shown just last week after Zara got a call from a cleaner at Torquay Academy, who had found three kittens in a bin. 

“We were shocked, but it’s not the first time we’ve had something like this,” said Zara. 

“We spent a long time trying to locate the mother, but she seems to have gone. We were very lucky to find them considering the school was closed.”

The kittens were found in a sorry state. They were very young, underweight and had to spend five hours in an incubator before having glucose and hydration.

Tragically, two of the kittens didn’t make it, but the third, now named Audley, has been recovering well despite an infection in his eye. 

“It was Audley who was meowing for the cleaner to find them,” said Zara. 

“Without him, they may not have been found. He’s already showing his personality and he’s got a good chance for the future.”

Having worked tirelessly for four years, it can feel like an uphill battle for Hector’s House, given that there are around 250,000 unowned cats in the UK. Over time, Zara says that legislative change is the only way forward. But for now, Hector’s House has clear instructions for anyone who finds a cat in trouble: 

“Take a photo and email it to us (hectorshousequeries@gmail.com). The on-call team always has their notifications on for email and we respond very quickly if it's urgent. A photo is always handy so we can assess the urgency of each case quickly.

“Other than that, we’re always looking for new volunteers and fosterers as well as help with donations. Get in contact with us or go to our website (www.hectorshousecatrescue.co.uk)”