We adopted Merlin on 1st December but it feels like he’s been with us for years – we can’t believe how quickly he has settled into our home. Merlin is our very first pet and we could not have asked for a more perfect furry friend for us. Despite a traumatic year before coming to us, he is the most loving, cuddly, people-loving cat. Many cats prefer to be left alone, but not our Merlin! We’ve learned he has four distinct moods: hungry, cuddly, silly, and sleepy. His favourite things are food, climbing on his hoomans for a purr-ific snuggle session, zoomies up the stairs, and naps, in that order!! He makes us laugh everyday and brings us warmth and comfort on these cold winter nights. Despite not having had an undisturbed meal since we brought him home, we can’t imagine our lives without him now, and we are loving watching his silly and sometimes daft personality come out. He is as much of a gift to us as we are to him and for that we are grateful!!
Saffy (Safiya) and Sammy (Samira) came into our care during the summer of 2018 as very pretty young kittens who were very much in need of some TLC as they were not in the best of condition. However, a few days with Jean and they were already looking much better and ready for re-homing. Along came Roger and Jane who decided that they would give these two sisters their forever home and they take up the story here.Saffy has always been the more outgoing and affectionate of the two, and that is still the case. She’s inquisitive, adventurous and bold but she can be pretty stupid sometimes. She is the smaller of the two and the size difference is now quite marked as she weighs 3.5 kg compared to Sammy who now weighs 4.3 kg. Saffy doesn’t miaow or purr, but makes a very endearing sort of squeaky yipping noise instead when she wants attention. Sammy has always been much more timid, reserved and somewhat frightened of people. If she hears someone coming up the drive she will run upstairs and hide under a bed and she doesn’t like newcomers. We have had to be rather more patient with her but the last couple of months have seen her really grow in confidence. Sammy does purr occasionally but most of the time she just likes to say “wah” at us. We had them spayed in November and we kept them indoors until about the middle of February when they were allowed outside – under supervision for the first couple of weeks. Now they absolutely love going outdoors although we are careful to keep them indoors in the evening and overnight – not just for their own sakes but also to limit their opportunity to hunt birds when they are at their most vulnerable. They do love climbing trees – Saffy in particular, even though her enthusiasm exceeds her ability. They are both really well settled with us now and we absolutely love the pair of them – they are a constant source of entertainment, amusement and affection. Thank you so much for rescuing these two little girls.Roger and Jane
Oscar
Oscar came in to Cat Rescue when his owners could no longer keep him. We thought he was going to be with us a very long time as not many people want a middle aged, black cat and to make matters worse he tested positive for FIV/FeLV. However a miracle occurred and someone phoned wanting an indoor cat as they lived on a main road, their previous cat was FIV positive too. It sounded too good to be true but in this case it wasn’t. We have since received reports that Oscar has been the centre of attention at their young daughters birthday party and loved all the fuss. Two years later he has everyone trained to his high standards. His owners say, “ Reuben our younger Dalmatian stood for ages over the bed while Oscar was asleep in it, contemplating whether he was brave enough to squish in with Oscar! Oscar still is very much the king of his castle here with us, loved so much, the best cat ever.”
Polly
In June 2017 we received a phone call about a cat that had given birth under someone’s decking. We confirmed that we could take them in and so all our experienced foster mother Jeanne needed to do now was catch them, which was easier said than done. She caught one unsuspecting kitten but the other two were not going to be as easy and they dived back underneath the decking as soon as anyone arrived. It ended up that the house owners had to dismantle their decking in order to catch them! Finally she had mum and her 3 kittens safe in the cattery. Then the hard work began because the kittens had not been socialised or handled and Mum was feral. Eventually the kittens showed some progress and were rehomed to very patient owners who were prepared to continue the work we had begun to tame them.Mum was a different matter though and she ended up staying with us for 11 months as it is so difficult trying to find a good home for this type of cat. We had one offer but this fell through when Polly developed a bad eye needing veterinary treatment. During the time she was with us she did start to calm down and showed signs of enjoying a limited amount of contact with us. Out of the blue Jeanne received a phone call from a lady to whom she had rehomed a cat before. She was looking for a friend for her existing cat and had seen Polly on our website. This looked like it could be a very good match as the cat she had from Cat Rescue before had been almost feral and she had worked wonders with him.
So with patience and lots of TLC from her new Mum, Polly has had her happy ending. She is happily settled in with her new brother which shows that even the more challenging cats are very capable of adapting to a new home when given the chance to do so.
Polly and her new Mum – Feral? I don’t think so!!
Frankie and Dotty
When a family has to give up their well-loved cats as was the case with Frankie and Dotty as one of their family members had an allergy to cat fur you always hope that they find the right forever home. In the case of these two stunning felines this certainly has turned out to be the case.
Karen and Nick came to Cat Rescue looking for some furry friends and were very taken with ginger and white Frankie and the tortoiseshell Dotty. However they were just about to go on holiday and so held back making a final decision until they returned. Luckily for all they were still up for rehoming and the decision was quickly made. Karen now takes up the story…….
“They have been so wonderful and fitted in with us quickly. On their first night we shut them in the kitchen together however Frankie opened the door and settled down on our bed. In a few days Dotty decided to follow suit and so now they love to sit in with us watching TV and then race down to get the best spot when we are going to bed. Dotty always sleeps between Nick’s feet and Frankie by my side.
Frankie loves constant cuddles and likes to patrol around the house and protect Dotty when she’s outside. We always have a great welcome when we get back from work. Frankie sits on the tumble dryer by the back door waiting for us to come in and gets really excited.”
They have been fantastic little characters and we love them a lot!
Thank you for allowing us to adopt them!
Karen and Nick