Moo’s Story

My name’s Moo – and this is my happy ending (with a bit of rust).

I lived on an industrial estate for a very long time. A kind human from a nearby restaurant left me food, and I did my best to stay hidden underneath a rusty shipping container. It was cold, loud, and lonely. My fur was orange from the rust, and everything hurt. My mouth was sore, my tummy was unwell, and my legs didn’t always do what I wanted them to. I couldn’t jump onto things. I fell going up stairs. I was so tired.

One day, someone new came. She crouched near my hiding spot and spoke gently. I was scared, but she smelled kind—and food is food, right! —so I crept out just a little. Then she reached over and scooped me up. I didn’t protest much. I was too tired.

She took me somewhere warm and quiet. A vet, I think. They said I had no chip. Then she started making lots of phone calls. Most people said there was no room for me. They said she should take me back to the scary place and maybe they’d call her if they found a space for me.

But then she spoke to Cat Rescue Chippenham—and they said “no way” to me going back there. They told her if she could keep me safe for the night, they’d find a space for me tomorrow. And that’s when everything changed.

At first, I stayed under the bed. That felt safest. But eventually the pain started to ease. I had my bad teeth removed, my tummy felt better, and some special medicine made the pain go away.

One day, I decided to be brave and have a look downstairs. I crept to the edge of the doorway and popped my head around the door. The humans were there. They didn’t move. They just stared at me—wide-eyed, like I’d just performed some kind of miracle. I blinked at them. They blinked back. It felt… safe.

Now? I chirp. I purr so hard during forehead strokes that I drool (which seems to make the humans weirdly happy). I get bossy about dinnertime, and I’ve even sat on a lap! I still don’t like being touched too much—my body remembers pain—but I love my gentle forehead strokes a lot.

Sometimes I do what I think are zoomies, but they’re more of a trot. Then I get confused and stop, pretending it never happened. My top lip gets stuck on my gums after I clean myself, and apparently that makes me look like an unimpressed seal.

But the best part? I’m safe. I’m warm. I’m home.

Thank you, Cat Rescue Chippenham. You didn’t just save me… you saw me. When everyone else said to let me go. You made space. You made a promise. You gave me safety, comfort, and dignity—things I never thought were meant for me.

Because of you, I’ll never go cold again. I’ll never go hungry. I’ll never feel forgotten.

I wish every cat who’s tired, hurting, or hiding under something rusted could have a Cat Rescue Chippenham. If they did… none of us would ever be left behind.

Love, Moo x

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A note from Moo’s humans:

When we found Moo, she was broken—body and spirit. Rust-stained, in pain, and quietly shutting down. We took her to the vet, checked for a chip, and then rang every rescue we could think of. Over and over, we were told the same thing: “We have no space. Put her back. We’ll call if anything opens up.”

It was devastating. How could we ever put her back and walk away.

Then we rang Cat Rescue Chippenham, and everything changed. They didn’t hesitate. They told us that if we could keep her safe for just one night, they would make sure she had a place the next day. And they did.

What they didn’t know then—what we didn’t even know—is that Moo had already found her home.

We tried to do the sensible thing. We looked for insurance to cover her urgent and ongoing veterinary costs. We explained her needs, her injuries, her age. Every door closed. But when we told Cat Rescue Chippenham, they opened the biggest door of all.

They said: “If you give her a home, we’ll cover her veterinary costs. That’s what we do for cats in need.”

Thanks to them, Moo stayed. Thanks to them, Moo healed. Thanks to them, she gets to spend her golden years warm, safe, and adored—drooling on our sofa, demanding dinner, and rediscovering joy.

She’s come into our lives during a time of loss—a time when something so precious has been taken. Moo hasn’t replaced that space. She’s gently, bravely, filled it with her own kind of love. We feel lucky every single day to have her.

To Cat Rescue Chippenham—we honestly have no words big enough. Thank you for not turning her away. Thank you for giving us the chance to love her.

To every single volunteer, fundraiser, and donor—thank you. What you give goes exactly where it’s needed. You don’t just help cats—you change lives, quietly and completely.

We are forever grateful. And so is Moo. X

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Dusty and Patch came into our care when their beloved Dad died and his family could not offer them both a new forever home.  Patch was so terrified she did not come out of her carrier for a week in her foster home. After being neutered and microchipped  it was time to find them their perfect forever home.

Well we certainly did that!!  They have been with their new family for a little while and we were delighted to get this update recently

They are well and truly a part of the family- it’s amazing how much more our house feels like a home since they’ve arrived! They have both got such different personalities.

 Dusty is the biggest softie and likes snuggling up on the kids beds for attention at bedtime. She sleeps with us on our bed every night (who knew I’d be such a soft touch?!) – she’s even started miaowing outside my bedroom door to tell me when it’s time to come to bed 

Patch loves chasing her laser and sitting on Alans desk while he tries to work

They’re such characters they make us laugh every day! We are just so lucky to have them in our lives and love them to bits.

‘Hello, My name is Suzie and I had been roaming the streets having been dumped by my owners as I was unable to produce any more kittens for them due to the cancerous tumour growing on my Mammary Gland. They could have treated it really early but chose not to so it grew to the size of a crème egg I was so happy to be taken into care by Cat Rescue and they  paid for my big operation to remove it and cared for me afterwards. Even better they have found me the perfect Mummy who I have never had before. I wake up every day thinking I have gone to cat heaven and then realise ‘ no not today, I have a lovely new life and am going to enjoy every moment’  Here I am enjoying my safe outdoors.

 

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