It is hard to believe that Summer is upon us, together with all the problems that it brings!! But when ‘the problems’ come along you can’t help but love them!!

I will start with some of our ‘Happy Tails’ of which there have been many:

‘MeMe’ 6 years old came to us when she was 2 due to a marriage break-up. She had actually been homed by us when she was a kitten, in fact they had ‘Susie’ 9 years as well so they both came back to us for re-homing. ‘Susie’ went to a new home last November and just loves being the only cat and being the centre of attention! This then left ‘MeMe’ and young ‘Marmite.’ ‘Marmite’ had come into our care when she was about 5 months old, but she also was being continuously passed by – why we will never know. Life changed overnight for both of them though, as a family came along in May, saw ’Marmite’ and fell for her immediately – the rest is history!! She has settled really well with ’Jess’ a very elderly dog and ‘Eric’ a cat of similar age to herself. So although she had waited patiently for over a year her time had actually arrived. At this time ‘MeMe’ moved in with Linda and Colin as a permanent resident. They have three other cats ‘Fred’ 17 years, ‘Smudge’ and ‘Roxy’ who are younger cats. All are really happy together, and at long last ‘MeMe’ has her life back.

‘Toby’ is now also in a lovely home. He has acres of land to roam in, with lots of hunting on the menu!! He has come a long way from being a hungry stray as he now has the world at his feet, with very loyal ‘human slaves’ to tender to his every need!!

‘Oliver’ 2 years old and ‘Daisy’ 3 years had been kept as house cats so it had been a while since they had the feel of grass under their paws. ’Daisy’ had apparently had two previous homes, and ’Oliver’ one other home. They are now very happily re-homed together. Their new owners adore them and never cease to be amused by their antics!!

‘Bella’ was happily homed last year which left her ex feral kittens still homeless. ‘Ben’ and ‘Jerry’ moved in with Lin and Al at the end of last year and ‘Poppy’ and ‘Pixie’ stayed at ‘Bo-Jangles’ as permanent residents!! Unfortunately ‘Poppie’ lost her little life to a car last week which is SO sad, she was such an adorable little cat, full of character and fun, but sadly all cut short in a second. She will be fondly remembered though by all of us who were privileged to know her.

~~~~~~~~

‘Lucy’ approx a year old came to us as her owners had obviously lost interest in her and she was living outside trying to get food and shelter where she could. She hadn’t been spayed, but was beginning to ‘interest’ neighbouring cats!! We had her spayed as soon as she came into our care needless to say!! We only had her about 2 weeks before she was chosen by Ruth and Ben, so her stay with us was a short one, which was lovely. ‘Lucy‘ packed her suitcase ready to set off to her new life, but this time with caring people in a very loving and safe home.

Our next call was about a 1 year old and her 4 months old kitten. Their owner had moved and left them outside with no shelter or food!! Luckily a neighbour realising what had happened started putting food out for them, and eventually called us when the owner didn’t show up. They were really frightened when I went to collect them, but on putting food down for them they ran to the dishes so I was able to pick them up and put them into the safety of my baskets. They are now settled in a caring home – they have their own cat door and will never be shut out in the cold again, or left wondering where their next meal is coming from.

‘Kizzy’ 6 months old had always been a ‘flat’ cat, but it wasn’t working out at all well, so we were asked to take her for re-homing. We had quite a few behavioural problems with her originally, which was very worrying, but thankfully all these resolved themselves and she is now in a lovely home and is proving to be the perfect cat!!

‘Millie’ at least 12 years old had been sheltering under a bush in someone’s garden for 4 days, but when the call came through to us on a Sunday morning she had been out all night in pouring rain!! We had no space but I just couldn’t leave her in this situation obviously. So I decided she would have to go in the hallway at least until we could find somewhere more suitable for her. She slept solidly for hours, after filling her tummy of course!! ‘Millie’ is at present being fostered by Joyce – she has the run of her home, including the garden, and is one very happy little cat.

‘Lillie’ only about 6 months old, and again spending her days being surrounded by toms, came to us with her long coat badly matted. We had her spayed and clipped, so on her return from the Vet her appearance was a little odd, but she was comfortable. She is an absolute delight and her new owners agree with us!! She has settled well in her new home and will NEVER be out in the cold again wondering where her next meal is coming from.

‘Mollie’ 6 months old came into our care when her owner became unwell. Julie and David at DJ’s saved the day again by saying she could go to them, because as usual we were full to overflowing!! It wasn’t long though before she was snapped up by Ruth and Ben. They had had ’Lucy’ from us earlier in the year and wanted a playmate for her, and young ‘Mollie’ was the obvious choice. ‘Lucy’ wasn’t sure about the intrusion initially but it didn’t take long – they are now the best of pals!!

‘Flossy’ 2 years and ‘Rocky’ 1 year came into our care when their owners were evicted from their home and put into bed and breakfast. When I asked where the cats were I was told they were in the back of the car, as they had actually left the property the day before!! Panic then set in as I knew SOMEHOW I would have to think of something so we could get them out of this situation. Linda and Colin again saved the day!! These two were not neutered and spayed and I didn’t want them to go in a carpeted area, so we had to have a quick swap around to free up one of our units. That wasn’t the end of their ’tail’ though!! I rang the people to say I was ready to take the cats and they said they would be with me in about half an hour….. no one arrived …… the phone then rings … ’we have broken down at Arreton, but hopefully won’t be too much longer’ ……. still no one appeared!!… now nearly 3 hours late, so Jenny kindly offered to go and look for them. There weren’t many people on the side of the road having broken down, so she found them quite quickly!! ’Flossy’ and ’Rocky’ were safely transferred into Jenny’s car and they were very soon tucked up at ’Bo-Jangles’ both with full tummies – their ordeal had at last come to an end. Both, understandably, were very nervous, ’Rocky’ more so than ’Flossy.’ ‘Rocky’s’ disposition was obviously going to hold them back when it came to rehoming – but ‘giving up’ isn’t in our vocabulary so persevere we did, and they are now in a loving home together, with acres of fields to roam in beyond their very own back garden. Two very happy little cats – but they had a very long journey to eventually reach their happy ending.

At the end of April we were asked to take a stray cat, but unbeknown to anyone at the time she had a litter of 4 kittens under some decking. She didn’t bring them to light until they were about 6 weeks old – until then it was her little secret. The kittens could not be approached but would come up on the decking for food. We managed to encourage Mum and babies to go into the lady’s outhouse for food and after a few days managed to trap them in there – rotten trick really, but as we were about to make their life change for the better I didn’t feel guilty for too long!!

‘Chelsie’ and ‘Louie’ have been in a very caring home now for nearly a month, but ‘Amber’ and ‘Jessie’ still live in the hope of catching someone’s eye. ‘Mitsie,’ their Mum, is also ready to start her new life, and she too hopes someone will come along soon.

Our next call was from a family who had just found a mother and tiny kittens on the boundary of their property. The kittens were 3-4 days old and Mum was very hungry – I doubt whether she had eaten since having the babies.

This little family was safely loaded into the car and we set off to Linda and Colin, who had kindly offered to foster them, at a moment’s notice!!! It was later found that the owner had moved and left ’Annie’ and another cat, but luckily a neighbour had taken him in, and is in fact keeping him herself – thank goodness for people who ’care.’

This little family are now of an age where they can start their new lives without ’Mum.’ ’Charlie’ and ’Buddy’ have gone to the family who found them in their garden originally – so they are now with ’Chelsie’ and ’Louie,’ as on one of Jenny’s visits to see ‘Annie’ and the kittens, she spotted ‘Mitsie’s’ babies, and hearing of their plight wanted to offer two of them a home – the rest is history!! All have settled very well, and Jenny’s two adult cats are beginning to get used to the new family members!!

‘Alfie’ and ‘Pippa’ also set off to their new home this week. They too have gone to a two cat household and are settling well. Tracy and Tim have been having their cats from us over many years now, and it is so nice always to be called on by people we know and trust.

‘Freddie’ and ‘Annie’ are now looking for a home together – so we live in hope that a loving home is just around the corner.

‘Tiggs’ is a sweetie! Again the owner was unable to keep her. She had been injured about 2 years previously, and our Vet has recently carried out an operation to improve the movement in one of her hind legs, which has been very successful – instead of going at 80 miles an hour she now moves at 120!!!! ’Tiggs‘‘ is a ginger female and is waiting patiently to catch someone’s eye – could that be you? You can see her on our website – and I don’t think you will be able to resist her! She is really affectionate, playful and just loves life!!

‘Tiggy’ and ‘Benny’ came to us when their owners were moving and were unable to take them to the new property. They were both very nervous, ‘Benny’ in particular. Corinne fostered them for us initially. They were really affectionate once they got to know you, but you had to work at it to see what they were really like. We did have them for a few months but back in June they set off to live with Ann – and because she persevered with them, she now has their full attention, they adore her, and vice versa!! They really are lovely cats and all they needed was for someone to give them that chance – and Ann you have done just that – Thank You.

‘Chloe’ was abandoned with 7 other cats when their owner returned to the mainland without a backward glance!! None of the cats were neutered – in fact there are still two undoctored males needing to come into care when space is available. A kind near neighbour has been feeding the cats, and if it hadn’t been for her goodness knows how they all would have fared.

‘Chloe’ is under a year old, and is nervous of people she doesn’t know, but it doesn’t take her very long to come round, and then her favourite position is on her back with her feet in the air, and unlike most cats, she just loves her tummy being stroked!! We took ‘Chloe’ to the Vet to be spayed and blood tested and before we left the surgery she had a home!!! The quickest and most unexpected EVER!!!

There was a couple in the waiting room and they spotted ’Chloe’ in the basket, and when I came out of the consulting room they approached me saying they would love to offer her a home!! By the time we go to print she will be settling into her new home, and I am sure, given time, she will be an amazing companion for her new owners. One very lucky little cat – it is a shame though she had to be heartlessly abandoned in order to find someone who really cares.

‘Snoopy’ 4 years old needed help recently. His owner called us at 11.15 am saying she was catching a ferry at 2.30 and moving to the mainland and couldn’t take her cat with her. Here we go again I thought!! She had no transport, so after ringing round in a frantic panic Julie and David at DJ’s said they could take him for us. Nigel then set off to collect young ‘Snoopy’ and deliver him safely to the kennels. We haven’t heard any more from the owner, so I guess it is out of sight out of mind! Once we have had ‘Snoopy’ checked out at the Vet he will be looking for a new but permanent home with someone leading a more stable lifestyle!!

We had a call less than a week ago saying a tiny kitten had been found. Mark, her finder, knocked on doors in the vicinity to no avail – so this is where we came in!! As usual, we were full, but how could we turn her away? She was soon safely in one of our pens in amongst all the permanent residents!! Well what else could we do, apart from saying ‘no sorry, we can’t help!’ ‘Ziggy’ is barely 6 weeks old, and she certainly didn’t get to where she was unaided – I will leave the rest to your imagination, and you will probably draw the same conclusions as everyone else. The area was searched to make sure she was the only one, and it seems that she was. ’Ziggy’ will be checked by our Vet in the near future and she will then be looking for a caring home where she will be truly loved.

‘Daisy’ 3 years old came to us as the new baby had been quite unwell, and as she was suffering breathing problems they were advised to re-home their cat. They were very sad to have to make this decision, but really they no choice. ‘Daisy’ is quite a character and we are looking for a home with no young children.

‘Taz’ 14 years – ‘Tabby’ 9 years – ‘Merlin’ 8 years were all made homeless due to a marriage break-up – sadly they were all from us originally. In fact there was ‘Stumpy’ 16 years and ‘Bella’ 12 years as well, but they are now happily settled with Sally and her daughter Cally.

We would be happy for ‘Taz’ to go to a permanent foster home, and if this was the case we would pay for any treatment he may need in the future. ‘Tabby’ absolutely adores ‘Taz’ so it would be nice if they could go to a home together. ‘Tabby’ and ‘Merlin’ are timid with strangers, but are very loving once they know you, we just hope that in the not too distant future they will manage to catch someone’s eye, so they can all get on with their lives.

‘Honey’ 9 years old and ‘Misty’ 6 years came into our care last year and are sadly still with us. They are very nervous little cats, but after a while do begin to trust and relax more. They are both very playful and really are very easy cats to get on with. They will need a home without any young children, and ideally with someone who is at home at least part of the day. They are at present being fostered by Chris and Alan, they have the run of their flat and are really very happy now they have their feet under the table!! If you feel you have room in your heart and in your home for these lovely little cats please do give us a call.

We still have people asking on an almost daily basis if we can take cats and kittens into our care, but it is impossible to take them all, which saddens us greatly. We have to find space within the week for a female cat as the owner is moving, and can’t take her with him. Her kittens have now been sold, so lets hope they haven’t gone to homes where they will breed from them as well! Mum is not yet spayed needless to say!!

~~~~~~~~~

We are having a real struggle this year to make ends meet. If you have any ideas how we can raise more money, then PLEASE do get in touch. We are very low on items to sell also, so any donations of bric-a-brac – unwanted gifts – new or nearly new clothes – books – CD’s etc we would love to hear from you. If you could call Liz and Doug on 298882 they can then arrange collection with you.

There are, as you see, continuous demands on us to take needy cats and kittens into care – but we cannot do it alone. Perhaps you may be able to help by setting up a monthly Standing Order – this enables us to plan ahead, as we would have a secured amount we can rely on each month. To carry on as we are at present we need £2,000 a month just to cover our ongoing expenses. Our greatest expenditure is of course our Vet fees, but food and cat litter also take a large chunk of our funds, so anyone wishing to help can perhaps donate some cat food, to help fill our hungry tummies.

We have had three offers of people wishing to foster for us, but to take up these really kind offers of help we need to increase our income. The heart is willing, but the purse is struggling – as with a lot of Charities we are all hitting hard times, as with people in general. We must find a way to survive, and for the sake of all our less fortunate feline friends we need to find a solution.

Our Special Neutering Scheme really needs a sponsor so we can continue to offer this very valuable service.

Pet owners are struggling to find the money to get their cats and kittens neutered and spayed, so we are desperate to keep this scheme running – without it there will be even more unwanted, abandoned and neglected cats and kittens on the Island. We have recently approached several Island businesses regarding sponsorship, but so far the response has been disappointing – we will continue to look for ways of raising the money we need though, and again any ideas will be very gratefully received.

We need £1,000 a year at least to enable us to continue the scheme.

We have, in the past, been able to help low income families when they have been faced with a Vet bill they are unable to pay. This has only ever been on a very small scale, but unfortunately we are no longer able to offer our help in this way. This doesn’t rest well with me, but if the money is not there we can’t use it! Our priority every time though has to be the cats and kittens in our care, both present and future. We are committed in every way, and will not lower the standards we have set for their care.

 

We would like to Thank You for your continued support and help in so many ways. You are a part of the work Feline Welfare undertakes – without you we wouldn’t exist.

~~~~~~~~~

“Annie” is now 20 years’ old !

 

 

I don’t need potions, I don’t need pills

To get rid of any of my ills

I don’t need to lay on a couch to talk it all out

I don’t need to mime or shout

 

What I need is the sound of my cats purr

To stroke her head, to feel her fur

To watch her head go up and down

To listen to that beautiful sound

 

To watch her face so perfect and fine

To see her eyes close to a fine line

To see the patterns of grey brown and black

To stroke and run my fingers along her back

 

As her body sinks into mine

I relax and go back in time

I remember all the previous cats I have had

I remember the good times and the bad

 

All those beautiful creatures that have come and gone

How privileged I feel, this is where I belong

Mesmerised by their silent world of love

Especially this cat who coos like a dove

 

My mind is closed, my body relaxed

As this small creature sleeps on my lap

She is safe, I give her so much love

My fingers sink into her fur like a glove

 

My beautiful one sleep and rest

With your head upon my chest

As I fall into a sleep I feel so calm

No stress, all worries gone like a sleeping balm

 

Nothing can take the place of a cat

While it gently sleeps upon your lap

Nothing will sink your body so deep

As you are hypnotised into a world of sleep

 

I know her ways, she knows mine too

She talks to me with words so few

I understand her, she understands me

We are one, we are free

 

No I don’t need a pill or a patch

No I don’t need classes to relax

I just need my cat to comfort me

To sleep, to purr upon my knee

 

Sue Southam