Pawz for Thought, Howbridge House, Ferryboat Lane, Sunderland (2026)

29/08/2026

🐦🚒 THIS MORNING’S UNEXPECTED RESCUE! 🚒🐦

This morning it was all hands on deck when we received a call from our local Pets at Home about a young gull that appeared to have got itself stuck down a drainpipe.

Our brilliant volunteers jumped straight into action, and with the help of the amazing Pets at Home team Pets at Home Sunderland and our brilliant local fire service Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, we waited in anticipation to get the little gull safely out.

…only for there to be a rather unexpected twist! 😂

Once the rescue was complete, we discovered that our “young gull” wasn’t a gull at all… but a tiny baby pigeon who had somehow managed to fall down into the drain! 🐦❤️

Thankfully, the little one is now safe, warm and dry, with a crop full of food and some new friends to grow up with. 🥰

A huge thank you to everyone involved — our amazing volunteers, the Pets at Home team and the brilliant fire service for all working together to get this little one safely out.

Another unexpected rescue, but another happy ending! ❤️🐦

28/08/2026

🐰⚠️ MYXOMATOSIS AWARENESS – PLEASE READ & SHARE ⚠️🐰

We’ve recently had an increase in people bringing rabbits showing possible signs of myxomatosis into our centre, as well as calls from people who have found sick wild rabbits and aren’t sure what to do.
We completely understand that you’re trying to help ❤️ — but bringing a potentially infected rabbit into a rescue can put other rabbits at serious risk.

📖 A LITTLE HISTORY
Myxomatosis was actually deliberately introduced by humans to control wild rabbit populations. The virus originated in South America and was introduced to Australia in 1950 and France in 1952. It reached Britain in 1953, causing a devastating decline in wild rabbits.
Although wild rabbits have since developed greater resistance, myxomatosis has never disappeared and remains a serious and potentially fatal disease today. 💔

🦠 WHAT IS MYXOMATOSIS?
Myxomatosis is a highly infectious viral disease in rabbits. It can spread through biting insects such as fleas and mosquitoes, direct contact and contaminated hands, clothing, footwear and equipment.
People cannot catch myxomatosis, but we can accidentally carry contamination between rabbits.

🚨 SIGNS CAN INCLUDE:

• Swollen, red or crusty eyes

• Swelling around the eyes, face, ears or ge****ls

• Discharge from the eyes or nose

• Lethargy or weakness

• Loss of appetite

• Difficulty breathing

• A rabbit that is extremely unwell or struggling to move

💔 THERE IS NO SPECIFIC CURE
Myxomatosis can be extremely painful and distressing. A vet can assess the rabbit and provide treatment and pain relief where appropriate. Sadly, in severe cases, euthanasia may be recommended to prevent suffering.

🐇 FOUND A WILD RABBIT WITH POSSIBLE MYXOMATOSIS?

❌ PLEASE DO NOT BRING IT INTO A RESCUE CENTRE.

➡️ Contact a local veterinary practice and explain that you have found a wild rabbit showing possible signs of myxomatosis.

➡️ Do not take the rabbit into the waiting room.

➡️ Let the vet know you are outside and follow their instructions.
If you have pet rabbits at home, tell the vet — this is particularly important.

🧼 ALREADY HANDLED THE RABBIT?
Don’t panic, but take precautions before going near your own rabbits:
🧼 Wash your hands thoroughly.

👕 Change clothing that may have come into contact with the rabbit.

👟 Remove potentially contaminated footwear.

🧹 Thoroughly clean and disinfect carriers, towels and equipment.

🐰 Keep the rabbit completely away from your own rabbits and their food, hay and belongings.

💉 PROTECT YOUR OWN RABBITS
Vaccination is one of the most important ways to protect rabbits against myxomatosis — including indoor rabbits, who are not completely protected from biting insects.
Regular flea prevention, good hygiene and limiting contact with wild rabbits can also help reduce the risk.

❤️ PLEASE SHARE
We know finding a sick wild rabbit is upsetting, and we’re so grateful to everyone who wants to help.
But if you suspect myxomatosis, a vet should be your first point of contact — not a rescue centre.
By following this simple step, you can help protect the rabbit you’ve found, your own rabbits and the many vulnerable rabbits cared for by rescues. 🐰❤️
📢 Please share — the more people who know what to do, the safer our rabbits will be.

27/08/2026

Our gorgeous Daisy (and all her Pawz bunny friends) would like to say a huge thank you to Burgess Excel for their amazing donation of rabbit food and hay. As you all know we go through food so so quickly and it really does keep us going. Burgess were incredibly kind to donate this to us and we are very very grateful!

26/08/2026

Every day, we’re blown away by the kindness and support shown to the animals. ❤️🦔

We’re so lucky to have such amazing Pawz supporters out and about raising funds, and the wonderful Eve has been busy tackling a sponsored hike! 🥾⛰️

Eve sent us some brilliant photos from her adventure. Although she didn’t quite make it to Scafell Pike due to her own words, “god-awful navigational skills” 😂, she conquered Bow Fell and Esk Pike instead!

It turned out to be quite the challenge — around 200m more elevation than planned, plus some much more technical walking and scrambling! 😅

We’re incredibly grateful for all the effort, determination and support. Donations should be coming in over the next few weeks, and we can’t wait to see what she’s raised!

Thank you, Eve, and everyone supporting Pawz and the animals. ❤️🦔🐾

24/08/2026

A MASSIVE thank you to Heron Foods at Fellgate for their incredible donations! Heron Foods Fellgate🐾❤️

They’ve donated so many much-needed supplies for the animals in our care, including cat and dog food, puppy pads, bird food and cat litter. It makes such a difference to us and to all the animals who rely on us.

And to every shopper who has bought a stamp and helped contribute — THANK YOU! 🥹❤️ Every single donation, no matter how big or small, means the absolute world to us and helps us continue caring for all the animals who come through our doors.

We’re so incredibly grateful for your kindness and support. Thank you all! 🐾❤️

24/08/2026

🦇 Meet Our Little Whiskered Bat 🦇

What a little beauty — and what a lovely happy ending! ❤️

Pawz received a call at around 8pm on Friday night from a very distressed gentleman in Bishop Auckland. He had spotted a tiny bat clinging to the keyhole area of his door and, incredibly, it had been there for two days. He desperately wanted to help, but by that time of night there was very little we could safely do.

He was asked to give us a call at 9am the following morning — and, bless him, he did. And our little whiskered bat was still there! 🥹

We carefully used a yoghurt pot to safely box him up, and once he was secure I was able to contact Julie our bat rehabber who got through to Lauren from the bat group. Arrangements were made for him to be collected and properly cared for. 🦇❤️

When he was found, this little chap was dehydrated and very lethargic, but we’re absolutely delighted to say that he is doing really well. These before-and-after photographs show just how much brighter and happier he is now. 🥰

🦇 A few fascinating bat facts:

• Bats are the only mammals capable of true sustained flight.
• They play an incredibly important role in our ecosystems, helping to control insect populations.
• A bat’s echolocation is so sophisticated that it can detect tiny insects in complete darkness.
• British bats are tiny — some species can weigh less than a 20p coin!
• Despite their reputation, bats are gentle, shy creatures and generally want nothing to do with us.

Most importantly, this little fella had someone who cared enough to stop, ask for help and keep trying. ❤️

A huge thank you to the gentleman who spotted him and refused to ignore him, to Julie and Lauren for helping get him to safety, and to everyone involved in his care.

From a dehydrated little bat clinging to a door… to a much brighter and happier little whisker bat. 🦇🥰

Sometimes the smallest rescues make the biggest difference. ❤️

23/08/2026

🇬🇧🐾 The UK has an overwhelming cat crisis — and we need to act now.

It’s estimated that there are around 900,000 stray, free-roaming cats across the UK. Many were once owned and abandoned, while others are their generations of offspring — born into a life of survival on the streets.

Rescues, including ourselves, are receiving at least 10 calls every single day asking for help with stray cats, unwanted litters and cats needing rehoming. But rescues are overwhelmed, foster homes are full, and there simply aren’t enough spaces or resources to keep up.

We set up Project CatSnip to provide free neutering and help prevent more kittens being born into an already desperate situation.

But honestly, it feels like sticking our finger in a leaking dam. We are helping individual cats, but we are nowhere near the scale of the problem.

💔 We need a national programme of free or subsidised neutering to tackle this crisis at its source.

We cannot continue rescuing our way out of a problem that is growing faster than we can respond.

Please help us push for real change.

👉 Please sign the petition and share it with your friends, family and communities.

Petition: Introduce a national strategy to tackle the cat overpopulation and rescue crisis

This strategy should seek to expand affordable neutering, support overwhelmed rescue centres, strengthen responsible pet ownership education, and review measures to reduce irresponsible breeding and cat abandonment.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/777945

Every signature helps show decision-makers that the public wants action.

🐾 Stop the cycle. Prevent unwanted litters. Protect our cats.

Please sign. Please share. Please help us make a difference. ❤️

20/08/2026

When the unthinkable is discovered 💔

⚠️ Distressing images

A friend of the charity, who carries out house clearances, was horrified by what he discovered during his latest job and contacted us immediately for help.

In the rear yard of the property, these poor chickens had been left locked inside a puppy cage, standing amongst the bodies of their own siblings. They had no food or water.

Two older girls had also been left behind, with nothing but bare flooring beneath their feet. Again, no food or water — and their condition was beginning to show just how long they had been neglected.

Thankfully, these hens are now safe. ❤️

They are receiving the care, food and attention they desperately needed and are beginning to recover. But they have a long road ahead of them, and we will be with them every step of the way.

It is difficult to understand how anyone could leave animals in such horrific conditions. We are incredibly grateful to our friend for spotting them, refusing to walk away and calling us for help.

Please be mindful that the images accompanying this post are distressing, but they show the reality of what these animals endured.

They deserved better. They deserve a chance. And now, thankfully, they have one. 🐔❤️

20/08/2026

A big thank you to Just Eat & Sage! 🐾💚

We’d like to say a huge thank you to the teams from Just Eat and Sage for choosing Pawz for Thought for their corporate volunteer day.

They all got stuck in and helped our team with cleaning, feeding and looking after our cats, birds and hedgehogs. 🐱🐦🦔

It was great having you all with us and we really appreciate the time, hard work and support you gave to the animals in our care. It makes such a difference to have extra pairs of hands and we hope you enjoyed your day with us!

If your company is interested in booking a corporate volunteer day, please get in touch with our team:

📧 [email protected]

Thank you again Just Eat & Sage! 💚🐾

Pawz for Thought

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