The SPCA has been working without any power since Hurricane Gonzalo hit the Island, but the 40 plus animals in its care are faring well according to staff.

The animal shelter lost power on the first day of the storm and has been running on a skeletal staff since, but the public can still contact the organisation through its emergency phone line.

“The shelter is connected to Watlington Waterworks so the animals have had fresh water as well as plenty of food,” Jodi Corbett, Humane Education Officer at the SPCA, said.

“We have all been going in on shifts making sure the animals are well cared for and well fed. We have two dogs, one rabbit and about 40 cats.

“We are doing fine we are going in and doing what we normally would be doing — usually we would put in fresh towels everyday but we are turning them inside out to save on our laundry.

“Laundry is the biggest challenge at the moment we’ve managed to get down to the laundromat a few times. The animals have been unfazed as far as we can tell, they have all been inside.

“The shelter is closed but we are trying to help people as much as possible over the phone with our emergency line and when we get power we will reopen. If people have an animal they want to bring into us then they can call the emergency line.

“Knock on wood, we’ve only had one person come in with three kittens on the Saturday and we took them in.”

By Sarah Lagan The Royal Gazette