2025 In Review

April 2026

Another year over and what have we done?

Let’s have a cuppa and take a quick look back at 2025 at KLAWS – to check out the stats and a few memorable moments with our fosters.

Okay, let’s get the stats out of the way first. In 2025, we rehomed:

137 cats

68 dogs

Completed 25 TNR cases

Our 2025 was another busy and quite varied year for us. Of course, all happy rehomings are great causes for celebration, but unfortunately the year did not pass completely without heartache.

We had a few dogs and cats who proved very hard to rehome, for different reasons. To a fosterer, that can be quite frustrating and demoralising, as you can imagine. Because it might feel like no matter what you do or how hard you try, it is never enough.

2025 was also the year that brought feline panleukopenia into one of our foster homes. That disease, sometimes referred to as parvo, is devastating for cats (especially when they’re very young), and it can be downright deadly. In addition, it is very difficult to treat, which again may leave the carer feeling helpless and disheartened.

But our volunteers are resilient and rather amazing, and they have managed to make their way to the other side of 2025 in quiet, hopeful anticipation of new adventures and challenges ahead.

So, let’s take a little glimpse at 2025 in some KLAWS foster homes.

Our long-time fosterer Annika remembers:

When pregnant feral Willow came into my care and had four babies a few days later, it turned out that she had no motherly instinct. I had to feed the three girls and one boy every few hours and keep them warm in the hood of a sweatshirt I was wearing backwards, to keep them facing me.

The poor mum had lived outside for too long, been neglected and had never seen a vet before, so she succumbed to the hardship of giving birth, and we had to send her over the rainbow bridge gently.

I will always be thankful for the present she gave us: I adopted one of the girls, Beanie, and she is now the whirlwind of our house ❤️

Our dog coordinator Gerry has helped to socialise quite a few dogs for KLAWS over the years and 2025 was no different, as she recalls:

Last year we fostered a number of puppies and a few adult dogs (short-term).

Let’s start with the puppies: it's an absolute delight! To watch them grow and play together or with their toys, and to see their characters develop. Some are curious and outgoing, others need a little time to gain confidence, but all are adorable😊

It’s lovely to train them on the lead, let them play with our own dog (just 10 minutes, that's enough for a little pup) and to let them meet our cat (they know instinctively that she's the boss!). We love them all and are still in contact with most of the owners. We're so happy to see them in wonderful homes where they can thrive😊

Our adult fosters came mainly from emergency situations. And even with the most anxious, frightened poor dog, we saw slow but steady improvement. All they need is love and patience.

Our latest foster Blackie is a HUGE boy, just one year old. The first few days he was wild, or rather bewildered: he had to transition from an outdoors situation and living mainly in a shed, to indoors with other dogs and a cat. But he's learning so quickly! And he’s such an affectionate boy. We're very fond of him and hope to find him a super home😊

Debbie has been fostering cats for KLAWS for a good few years now, so she’s got a story or two to tell, and this is what stood out for her from 2025:

This story is about Gus. He was a small ginger & white kitten found near Barraduff. He was the coolest kitten ever, brought to me by the finder, sitting on his lap in the car without a bother in the world😊

He strolled into our house and our lives, such a happy friendly little kitten.

We posted him on numerous Facebook pages for lost cats, but nobody claimed him. So, he was rehomed to a lovely lady in Tipperary, and of course he settled in straight away😊

I still get updates from her; she fell in love with him on sight and decided to keep his name – Gus for gusto!! A real success story😊

Yes, animal rescue work brings ups and downs, and no case is identical to another. And even though sometimes the lows can weigh heavy on your mind and heart, the positives are always guaranteed to pick you up and fill your soul with joy and light.

If you would like to try your hand at volunteering with KLAWS, please feel free to check out all kinds of volunteers we’re always looking for: