Yesterday I got to attend the Big Cat Sanctuary Members’ Open Day.
As part of the day there is always a talk, and yesterday’s was led by Ian Jones, Head Keeper of the Big Cats.
This was the most amazing talk I have ever heard at The Sanctuary, no disrespect to any that have gone before. But this just resonated with me on so many levels, with the work I do with domestic cats and pets and their needs, with my own personal experiences of owning cats, my personal experiences of end of life and of the point of euthanasia, and more.
The talk was all about the cats’ welfare from the moment they are coming to the Sanctuary through to the moment a decision has to be made in their best interest for euthanasia.
I walked in to Ian discussing the 5 domains model, which I have recently learnt about in my Grief Coach for Pet Loss course too! Coupled with enrichment, seeing every cat as an individual with their own needs, quality of life assessments and talking about end of life – I was nearly in tears as it was very emotive to hear how much care is taken with each cat there.
Later hearing other aspects, after one of the specific species talks, that just solidified a match in values!
Their welfare is so important to me, and to hear this talk and all that is being done genuinely blew me away emotionally, and I did have to hold back tears more than once!
So much so, I went up afterwards and congratulated Ian on the talk, because I think it is important to feedback when something has really touched us because I know they will put a lot of effort into these talks for us the public.
If you aren’t a member and would like to become one, then please visit their website at https://thebigcatsanctuary.org/membership-7/ where you can do so for as little as £5 per month.
Recent Comments