Well here we are again with yet another year drawing to a close – and WHAT a year it has been – in fact still is, with little likelihood of things changing for the better. You will know from our Summer Newsletter how the first part of the year had gone, well it has continued in the same vein. The demands on us and other Rescue Centres continue on a daily basis, not just on the Island but Nationally as well. As soon as you answer the phone you fear that you will hear those words ‘I don’t know if you can help me but …….’ It may be a kitten, or the entire litter and maybe Mum as well, or an adult cat who they can no longer keep. There are a variety of reasons why people are parting with their pets, but the most common seems to be that they are moving and the new landlord does not allow animals at the property. Even if they have only had the cat or kittens for a few days or less, very few will find it possible to return the animal to the person they purchased it from. Some give very little notice that their pet needs to come into care, and all too often are moving leaving their pet(s) behind, so the problem is then just transferred to someone else living in the vicinity.

We seem to be in a no-win situation. We are very, very grateful to everyone for offering our furry friends a loving home and a secure future, but it is soul destroying knowing just how many cats are waiting to fill that space. We have many ‘Happy Tails’ to tell, and as always endeavour to help as many of our feline friends as possible. You can visit us on our website: www.felinewelfareiow.co.uk and see some of our success stories and of course those still waiting patiently to catch someone’s eye.

I will update you on some of those in our Summer edition:

‘Mitsie’ and her two remaining kittens ‘Amber’ and ‘Jessie’ have become permanent residents at ‘Bo-Jangles!’ They were being bypassed continuously so the decision was taken to move them in! They have settled very well, in fact have taken over – the kittens will curl up with the other cats and are now part of a happy feline family!

‘Annie’ and ‘Freddie’ are now in caring homes. ‘Freddie’ is now in a lovely home and he didn’t go alone! ‘Pickles’ had come to us having been found in a country lane when she was barely 6 weeks old. She may only have been very tiny but she has a massive character!! Once she was tested and checked by our Vet I tried her with ‘Annie’ and ‘Freddie’ and dear ‘Annie’ took her under her wing instantly and within an hour was letting her feed!! The rest is history! Both kittens are now living with Alison and Barry and their other two cats – ‘Milly’ who came from us originally – and ‘Oscar’ who was a long term stray. Alison spent a lot of time with the kittens while they were here, which is when she realised she couldn’t just take ‘Pickles’ and leave ‘Freddie’ behind!!

‘Annie’ was fostered by Jim and his mother on a ‘temporary’ basis, but after a very short time knew they couldn’t imagine life without her! She was abandoned by her previous owner when they moved house, and left her to find a safe place to give birth to her kittens. The garden she chose has opened a door to us as Jenny and family are now fostering for us, and have been very supportive ever since we met. So ‘Annie’ this is all thanks to you!!

‘Honey’ 9 years and ‘Misty’ 6 years were being fostered by Chris and Alan. Both cats are very nervous, but very loving once they get to know you. Again we had little or no interest being shown in them and last month Chris and Alan offered them a permanent home which is AMAZING. The girls are obviously very happy that they are staying and we are so grateful that Chris and Alan have made this lifelong commitment to them – I am sure now their family is complete and they will continue to be very happy together. THANK YOU!

‘Tiggs’ our little ginger person still waits patiently to catch someone’s eye. She is a sweetie; very playful and affectionate so if you feel you would like to come along and meet her please do give us a call. ‘Tiggs’ is being fostered by Linda and Colin in Ryde.

‘Daisy’ 3 years came to us when her owners had a baby, unfortunately the baby had breathing problems and the doctors thought having a cat in the house may well exacerbate the problem. She is being fostered by Leah, also in Ryde, and she hopes one day someone will come along and offer her a loving permanent home.

‘Taz’ 14 years – ‘Merlin’ 8 years – ‘Tabby’ 9 years also still await a loving home. ‘Merlin’ and ‘Tabby’ would take a little while to settle in a new home, but are both very loving cats. ‘Taz’ loves everyone! You know we are only a phone call away if you feel you can make their lives really worth living ……………..

‘Snoopy’ is still looking for a new home. In the meantime ‘Katy’ has moved in with him and they get on really well! Snoopy’ is 4 years old and young ‘Katy’ must be about 9 months old now. We would like them to go to a home together if possible. ‘Snoopy’ loves everyone but ‘Katy’ is very shy until she gets to know you – then you will be wearing her.

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There are too many cats and kittens to mention but I will tell you about some of those we have rescued this year – some are lucky enough to be in caring homes already, others still wait patiently for someone to fall for their natural charms!

‘Marmite’ was with us for quite a few months, but then completely out of the blue the ideal family popped up to see her. They instantly fell for her charms and within a few days she had moved in with her new family plus an elderly dog, who she very soon adored, and another cat of similar age. ‘Marmite’ although she had to wait some time, now has a home for LIFE and is dearly loved.

‘Poppy’ had had her kittens in a garden of an empty house. It was thought Poppy lived in the area, but when someone saw the kittens out in the garden playing reality hit home. The kittens were feral, as they were about 7 weeks when they first encountered a human being!! We trapped this little family as soon as we knew about them, and that is when the hard work started. ‘Willow’ and ‘Lillie’ now 6 months old, moved in with Jenny and her family earlier this month and are doing REALLY well. They were a little nervous to begin with but being with understanding cat people it wasn’t long before they knew they could relax and ENJOY!!

‘Poppie’ and ‘Tommy’ also have a lovely home to go to in just over a week’s time. ‘Oliver’ – the remaining kitten – will stay with us as a permanent resident. He is still very wary of people he doesn’t know – but hey – what difference will one more make!!

‘Alfie’ and ‘Pongo’ were about 9 weeks old when their owner went away and left them in the garden with no access into the house and no provisions. She was away for about 2 months, and then moved back in as if nothing had happened!!? It beggar’s belief what in fact went through her head (if anything!) – one thing for sure, ‘though – she should not have pets all the time she thinks behaving like this is acceptable. The kittens are fine now, although we had dreadful problems with their tummies for weeks, because it was several days before neighbours realised they were ‘home alone.’ They are now in a lovely home with Carol and Chris, in fact while they were in our care we had mixed them with ’Henry’ and ‘Lottie’ who were of similar age, and hey presto Carol and Chris fell for all four!!! It is so nice to see them all so happy and settled, knowing also they will never want for anything EVER again.

‘Smokie’ came to us having turned up on someone’s doorstep refusing to leave! He was micro-chipped so we were able to trace his owner – or so you may think!! They had moved house and had not updated their details. We eventually did trace them ‘though, and as it seemed that ‘Smokie’ didn’t wanted to stay with them they signed him over for rehoming. He is now in a lovely home with Judy, and he is absolutely adored. ‘Smokie’ only has three legs due to a road traffic accident just over a year ago – does it slow him down? – hardly! – he is jet propelled and follows Judy absolutely everywhere!!

‘Hermione’ and ‘Casper’ were left on our doorstep in a cat carrier one morning back in August. I had a message on my phone to tell me they were there!! They were very traumatised – and so was I (!!) as I didn’t have anywhere to put them!! I was begging people all day with the hope that someone would foster them for us. Chris and Alan came up trumps – Judy, a neighbour of theirs came to our rescue – so about 7 o’clock in the evening they set off to Judy’s flat. Just a few weeks ago Judy offered this lovely pair a permanent home! ‘Casper’ is a very shy boy and it took several weeks for him to come out from under the sofa for any length of time – but with patience and time Judy managed to win him round. They both get on with Judy’s other cat, and they don’t seem to mind the little dog that Judy regularly looks after. Thank You Judy for helping these cats when they needed it most, and for offering them a settled and happy future.

We haven’t had as many ferals us usual, but we have taken a little family from an isolated area in Whitwell. Mum was a little more elusive, but she is now visiting the people more regularly so we hope to trap her this week so we can get her health checked, spayed and micro-chipped.

‘Georgie’ had given birth to 4 kittens – where, we are not sure – and they were feral, because they just didn’t know what people were until she brought them to light when they were 6-7 weeks old. ‘Georgie’ had belonged to someone further down the road. In fact he had three cats – he NEVER let them into the house and he just put food outside for them. If that wasn’t enough he then promptly moved and left them behind!! One went completely feral – and we believe that may well be ‘Tilly’ – she had kittens last year, and has now been adopted by Jim and his mother. She is still unapproachable but a very happy and settled little cat. She lives in their garden with various beds and boxes to sleep in and has very regular meals!! At some stage she has lost half her tail, but all that was checked when we had her spayed, and it was obviously an old injury.

‘Georgie’ and ‘Bobby,’ her little tabby kitten, are semi feral so may not suit a completely domestic home, but I think in time, with the right people, they would definitely become partly domestic, although their cry for the wild will probably still be there as well. ‘Cuddles,’ one of her babies has already started her new life in a home and we really hope that ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Bailey’ will also catch someone’s eye in the not too distant future.

‘Bertie’ 9 weeks old has quite a story behind him. He was really sick when we collected him just before midnight, and on taking him to the Vet he was put straight on a drip. I had responded to an Ad on Wightbay, but as I was at work had to leave all the running around to Jenny. All the time I was planning this rescue mission I had no idea where I was going to put him once he was discharged from the Vet!! Teresa had contacted us wanting to help us by fostering, so when ‘Bertie’ was well enough he moved in with Teresa, which is where he is now. ‘Bertie’ has been booked in the last week – the prospective new owners are on holiday for two weeks, so we will follow through with their kind offer on their return. They do not want ‘Bertie’ to be on his own, so we hope they will take either ‘Bailey’ or ‘Bubbles’ into their hearts and their home to make their family complete. It has taken us a while to get ‘Bertie’ back on top form, but we now hope he has turned the corner – such a small little boy to be that poorly. Bless Him.

‘Molly’ was left on someone’s doorstep in a cardboard box and was found at about 8.30 in the morning. She was probably about 6-7 weeks old – hardly old enough to find herself all alone wondering what fate held for her. Again we did not have any room at the time, so rather than turn her away we put her in a temporary cage indoors where she settled immediately! What a little character she is, and always will be no doubt! ‘Molly’ is now settling well in her new home with young ‘Cuddles’ – this really is the start of a new life for both of them. Thank You Rosie for giving these delightful little characters a loving home for life.

‘Patch’ – ‘Tom’ and ‘Heidi’ came to us recently. They are supposed to be 6 months old, but look more like adult cats! They were very nervous when they first came into our care, but the two boys are very loving and playful now, ‘Heidi’ still holds back, but I am sure she will be fine when settled into a loving home. If you feel you can offer these delightful little cats a home please do call us.

We are taking another stray in within the next day or two. He is living in someone’s garden – he is not micro-chipped and there has been no response from the posters etc. as yet. He is desperate to go into the house, but unfortunately the lady can’t let him in because of her cats. Unbeknown to him everything will be well very, very soon!

As soon as our next space becomes available we also have a little female coming in who was found wandering in the centre of Newport! She is being looked after at present, at least until we can take her, but, thank goodness, she isn’t out playing with the traffic!!

If we can there is a 14 week kitten needing to come in …… they have had him a week and it isn’t working out? And so it goes on.

If you feel you can offer any of our furry friends a loving and safe home for life please do contact us – if you would like to know more about us then please do go to our website – Al does a really fabulous job at keeping it updated, for which we are most grateful.

As a lot of you will know, we are really struggling financially. Because of the increased demand, our vet fees, food and cat litter costs have soared – and there is no way we can cut back on these very essential expenses – I suppose if we fed less food we would use less litter – but we have no plans to implement this ! ! Joking aside, it is a worry to us, because if the “kitty” is empty then we can’t help our very important feline friends.

We are MOST grateful to everyone who has committed to a regular monthly Standing Order payment – we can budget each month, knowing we have this amount going into the Charity account and this is a GREAT and very worthwhile way of enabling us to help the endless numbers of cats coming our way.

If you feel you could help in this way we can send you a Standing Order Form, which you would complete and take to your bank or building society. We are also waiting to be registered for Gift Aid – this, too, will add to any donations you may give us if you are taxpayer – it also includes any money made on items you may give us to sell.

We need £2,000 a month to be able to carry on as we are at present – if we are unable to achieve this we will go under and will be turning away many needy felines.

We are also very low on items to sell on our fundraising stalls. We are always looking for good qualify bric-a-brac – unwanted gifts – items suitable for raffle prizes – cd’s and dvd’s – gift sets – toiletries and perfumes, etc. – the list is endless !! If you can help please call Liz and Doug on 298882.

We are still trying to promote our Special Neutering, Spaying and Microchipping Scheme for low-income families. We advertise it continuously on Wightbay, and it appears at the end of each month in the “All Creatures” section in the County Press. We have various posters displayed around the Island, but still need more in prominent places – if you have any ideas where we could place more please do not hesitate to call us.

Neutering is the ONLY humane way of getting the cat crisis under control, and we NEED more people to come forward so that we can achieve this. Please help us to spread the word.

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

I would now like to thank everyone who has helped in so many ways throughout the year…………………. Jenny L has been donating most of her spare time to the cats in our care, whether they be at “Bo Jangles” or with Corinne or Lisa for nearly two years now. Jenny helps on a daily basis, even ‘though she works full time during the week. Most of her weekend hours are spent with the cats tending their needs and spending quality time with each and every one of them. She has seen many different characters pass through our hands and has even now become quite accustomed to our feral friends as well !! Thank you, Jenny, for your dedication to our very special furry friends.

Liz, Doug, Vanessa and Chris have worked really hard throughout the years raising much needed funds. The hours put into collecting items donated by our supporters, preparing the goods and turning out to numerous car-boot sales and fundraising events show great commitment – we could not exist without your help and dedication, and for this we are MOST grateful.

 

Al has spent a very busy year keeping our website up to date, as well as producing various posters etc., plus designing our new logo – all this is much appreciated. Both Lin and Al have been very supportive throughout the year in various ways – that is, when they haven’t been tending their own feline family – most of which being ex-Feline Welfare residents!!

 

Linda and Colin, Corinne, Lisa, Chris and Alan, Jenny O, Judy, Leah, Teresa, Julie and Dave at DJ’s Animal Boarding and Jenny and Chris at The Gurnard Hilton Cattery have helped us SO much with fostering this year – if it hadn’t been for all your help we would not have been able to save so many cats and kittens in need. Your support and dedication has been invaluable, and we have lots of “purrrrrry” people to prove it! We are also very grateful for the support you have given us in many other ways.

 

Lisa has been working hard to try and find funding for the Charity and has her fingers in several pies as we speak. It is all very time-consuming – especially as she works full time at the Hospice.

 

Katrina took over our accounts from June this year and has been working with Lisa on various projects to do with fundraising. Having this weight taken off my shoulders has been such a relief, and has given me more time to concentrate on our rescue work. Katrina has the headaches now instead!!

Nigel continues to support us in many practical ways – from helping with our furry friends to utilising his computer skills with our forms, invitations, etc., and of course copying and transforming our bi-annual Newsletter into booklet form – in fact, he is a “Jack of All Trades”!! Also, on more than one occasion this year Nigel and Katrina have fostered for us at very short notice!!

So many people have helped in so many ways.

We have this year returned to Pet Doctors Veterinary Hospital for some of our work. It is really nice being able to work with Neil Phillips again, and I think the other Vets are getting used to me as well!! We are also still with Green and Forster at Carisbrooke. I would like to thank both Practices for all their help, support and hard work with all our furry friends – some of whom are easier than others!! Although we hope next year will be a lot better for animals in general, we know in reality that, unfortunately, the present situation is unlikely to change dramatically – so I suppose that means we will be forever on your doorsteps!!

Creature Comforts have again provided a fantastic service – they never fail to deliver – in more ways than one!

 

Many thanks must go to the many kind people who have taken one or more of our feline friends into their hearts and their homes, and are making their little lives worth living, surrounded by all the home comforts they so clearly deserve. Rescuing is one thing, but you have made their lives complete by offering them a loving home for LIFE.

We will endeavour to continue our work and

hope you will help us to achieve just that.

 

CATS GET EVERYWHERE

Under tables, on your chairs

On your lap, on your head

In your armchair, in your bed

They eat your flowers, eat your food

You tell them off they go in a mood

 

They do what they want, go where they will

Yet no matter what, we love them still

They rip your carpets, they sick on your floor

You just get comfy, they want to go out of the door

 

They eat your food from off the plate

At least this saves you putting on weight

They take over your life, they take over your chair

They sleep all day and do not have a care

 

Whatever they do you will not be apart

Because the main thing they take over is your heart

 

Sue Southam