Miss Hammond
Sir: I was deeply shocked by the scurrilous attack on Miss Celia Hammond in Alan Watkins's Diary in the Spectator of 14 March. In fact I immediately cancelled my subscription to the Spectator on the strength of it. Mr Watkins's remarks are not only inaccurate but grossly misleading and harmful.
Unfortunately in the UK poor owners of dogs and cats cannot afford the veterinary fees for spaying their animals, with the result that thousands of unwanted kittens and pups are born to perish in the streets of our cities from hunger or disease (for example in 1984 141,000 were caught by the RSPCA and destroyed). Miss Ham- mond's charity provides spaying for own- ers' cats and dogs for a tiny fee, thus rendering a great service both to animals and their owners.
Those of us who are actively engaged in the field of animal welfare have a great respect for Miss Hammond's work, and admiration for her initiative and dedica- tion. I am appalled that a paper such as the Spectator can allow a diarist to describe this lady as 'a poor, crazed former model' and suggest that she 'mutilates and imprisons domestic animals'. This is an outrage.
Miriam Rothschild
Ashton Wold, Peterborough Alan Watkins withdraws his inaccurate remarks in the Diary of our edition of 14 March about Miss Celia Hammond and her cat rescue work and unreservedly apologises to her. He now recognises that her work is widely acknowledged to be
LETTERS
valuable, responsible and compassionate. The Spectator has agreed to make an appropriate donation to the Celia Hammond Animal Trust. Should any of our readers wish to make a donation to Miss Hammond's appeal for establishing low- cost spaying clinics for dogs and cats, they should write to her at the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, Wadhurst, Sussex TN5 6LB.
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