Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information and Advice

[Lisa-D]

The current situation with coronavirus (COVID-19) is challenging for all of us, including rescue centres. In light of this, we have launched a new web page over on the main Cat Chat website with information and advice on coronavirus relative to rescue shelters and cat homing.

You can read our Coronavirus Information page here: https://www.catchat.org/index.php/coronavirus

We will update the above web page regularly, so please check back often for the most up-to-date information.

[Mollycat]

A fellow dog walker pointed out to me this morning that a pet's fur is just another surface where the virus could potentially be spread. Probably best not to pet other people's pets and wash hands asap if you do, and give dogs a shampoo more often. This isn't anything official, just a bit of common sense I certainly hadn't thought of.

[fjm]

I have put emergency care boxes for my cats and my dogs into my garage, which is isolated from the house. Each box contains food, medications and other essentials for 14 days, together with contact details for family members, and i have arranged one set of neighbours to care for the cats and a second set to care for the dogs. I hope they will not be needed, but I live alone and it was preying on my mind that no one would know the dietary and other needs - Tilly-cat has CKD, Pippin is arthritic and in pain without Metacam, Poppy-dog is recovering from acute liver failure and diet and medication are key to her survival. Making it as easy as possible for others to swing into action reduces stress and risk all round.

[mr_frisky]

This link may be of interest:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52011915

It says that vets and pet shops will remain open after tonight's announcement.

[Mollycat]

I thought we would have got 24 hours notice, instead we get this conflicting advice

so if we're not a key worker and can't work from home, now what?

[Ruth B]

From what was said on BBC Breakfast this morning, if you are in a job that can safely be postponed or closed for a while then that is what you should do, if it is a job that involves peoples health and safety or general well being then you can do it. The example he gave was a plumber shouldn't be starting general work on a bathroom but could go out to repair a boiler. After having my bathroom redone there is still a problem with the basin and the light switch, the replacements for both have arrived, if it was just the basin I would ask the plumber to wait, the one that is in works fine it is just that the overflow cover isn't fitted properly, the light switch however does have a tendency to turn on or off by itself, so that to me is a safety issue (I'm always wary of electrics) so I wan't him in to replace that, if he is coming here he might as well do both jobs and we just make sure that hands are washed and surfaces wiped well.

in the end, these measures have had to be brought in because people were being stupid over the weekend and decided that the social distancing didn't apply to them. Most people are sensible about it, and unfortunately they are the ones that will take this new legislation too much to heart, be sensible and keep safe.

I've just read an article on the BBC site about how they are finding care homes in Spain that have been abandoned with residents left in their beds, some of them dead. I pray that we never get to that stage.