Hedgehogs start to come out of hibernation in March and they wake up hungry, so please be prepared to feed them if you’re lucky enough to have one or more visiting your garden.

They enjoy dog and cat food (but not the fish variety), white meat, nuts and raisins and some hedgehog experts recommend scrambled or chopped up eggs as a particular favourite.

Hedgehogs also need a fresh supply of water in a shallow bowl.

The ManxSPCA works closely with several very dedicated hedgehog rehabilitators on the island, and between us we are able to give sick or orphaned hedgehogs a second chance. If you are worried about the health of a hedgehog you should place it carefully (ideally using gardening gloves!) in a cardboard box and bring it either to Ard Jerkyll or to your nearest vet.

The loss of hedgehog habitats, such as hedgerows and open woodland, and road deaths are the main causes of the decline in the hedgehog population.

It’s estimated that overall numbers have dropped by more than 30% in just over 10 years.

But a recent survey by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) gives some cause for optimism. It helps to co-ordinate an annual survey based on recorded sightings of hedgehogs in urban gardens, and the most recent survey shows that these sightings have increased by 20% since 2014.

Increased public awareness about the plight of hedgehogs has helped stem their decline in numbers in urban areas. Not only are people feeding hedgehogs they are also taking other measures such as stopping using slug pellets, leaving fallen twigs and leaves for the hedgehogs to hide and sleep in, and keeping an eye out for them before using strimmers or lighting bonfires.

The Hedgehog Street (www.hedgehogstreet.org) project has also contributed to the increase in numbers

The project promotes the creation of hedgehog ’highways’ between gardens, and encourages us all to ensure that we have gaps and holes in, or under, our garden fencing that are large enough (13cm by 13cm) for hedgehogs to fit through.

A hedgehog will travel about a mile every night in his or her search for food, and enabling them to travel freely between gardens helps make their foraging more efficient.

For a wonderful overview of this amazing little creature, visit https://diygarden.co.uk/wildlife/ultimate-guide-to-hedgehogs/

Holly and Molly’s roaming days are over.

These adorable, chilled-out cats are in their early teens and they like nothing more than to curl up on a sofa and snooze the day away.

They live in one of our socialisation rooms and so they have a sofa of their own, but what they really need is a human being to call their own and a lap to sit on.

They have been with us since last September and are our longest-term residents in the cattery, but we can’t work out why.

Perhaps it’s because Molly is black and, statistically, this is the least popular colour when it comes to adoptions.

Holly is tortoiseshell, which is a sought-after colour, and so you’d think this would even out the odds.

They really are the most gentle and people-orientated cats you could wish to meet, and they are in excellent health.

If you are looking for a pair of cats who will be very much a part of your life from day one, rather than wandering off and coming home when they choose, then Holly and Molly are for you.

The average length of stay for a cat in our cattery is 50 days and in that time we spend approximately £200 in veterinary and food costs. =#

Given we rehome around 250 cats and kittens every year, that amounts to a staggering £90,000.

We can’t do this work without the support of the Manx public, and one of the ways you can help is to vote for the ManxSPCA when you are shopping at TESCO with your ’Bags of Help’ blue token. Please encourage your friends and family to do the same.