Two is the Magic Number

When reading the latest Winter edition of "The Cat", the quarterly magazine published by Cats Protection, I was reminded of the great poster encouraging the adoption of pairs of cats.  We have many pairs of cats in care at the moment so I thought I'd take this opportunity to showcase them! 

As the poster states, bonded pairs keep each other entertained and clean, they learn from each other, are often less demanding and are great fun to watch.  This does not often occur when introducing a new cat to an existing cat so save yourself the trouble of introductions as our pairs are already in love!  Many worry about double the work but two are usually as easy as one.  Double the money? True.. but double the love in return!  

Jimmy and Bonnie are two beautiful black and white youngsters with lots of love to give.  They were found in Tal-y-Cafn when they emerged after their mother was sadly killed on the road.  At around 7 weeks old they we were able to take them in and socialise them and now they are much more confident and very lively!  Jimmy and Bonnie would appreciate a home without small children or dogs as they have no experience of either.  

Jimmy (left) and Bonnie (right)

Misty and Bethan are two very sweet sisters looking for a quiet mature home.  At 8 months old they are still growing in confidence with new people and will need a patient and understanding home.  Our branch coordinator Mary has had the long task of socialising these lovely girls and can offer any prospective adopters advice on the best way to settle them in.  

Bethan (left) and Misty (right)

Oreo (male) and Cookie (female) came into our care when their owner needed to move abroad.  They are devoted as brother and sister and must be homed together.  These two have always been solely house cats so would need to live in a safe and quiet area if they were to start venturing into the great outdoors. Oreo is the more outgoing but both are very loving once they get to know you.  

Cookie and Oreo

Rose and Bella are the final two kittens from a large litter rescued from Prestatyn High School.  These pretty girls have been reserved already and unfortunately the adoption did not go ahead but these beautiful cats should not be overlooked again.  At 6 months old they are neutered, fully vaccinated, microchipped and have been treated for fleas and worms.  These are the standard treatments for all our cats so for £40 per cat we believe you get a great bargain!  

Rose (left) and Bella (right)

Will and Grace are two special little kittens who will need a safe indoor home to grow up in.  They both only have three fully functioning legs, both having suffered injuries when very young leaving them with feet missing on the same back leg. Originating from a caravan park in the Towyn area these two were rescued by one of our dedicated neutering volunteers who gives a lot of time to trapping and neutering feral and stray cats.  The site manager had found them in a box just inside the park gates! 

The vet who has been treating Will and Grace has recommended her hind leg be amputated as the limb is currently affecting her mobility.  It is logical to do this when she is speyed in a few weeks time.  The operation will cost the branch upwards of £150 and we all would be so grateful for any donations towards this.  Donations can be sent to our treasurer Joan Jones at 23 Bryn Heulog, Old Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, LL29 9NY.  Every little donation really will help this gorgeous playful little lady get back up on her remaining feet.  

Beautiful Grace

Grace's injured hind leg

Handsome Will

You too can support Cats Protection by subscribing to The Cat magazine.  For just £15 per year you will receive quarterly magazines full of news from the charity's branches and centres all over the UK, reader letters and photos, success stories, informative articles on behaviour and veterinary issues and knowledge that you have helped us to help more cats!  Please take a look at the website to find out more.

"Double the love, adopt a pair" poster in the latest edition

Black Cats need a Boost

Recent Colwyn Branch foster kitten, Eric

National Black Cat Day 2015 is being held on 27th October to raise awareness of black and black and white cats in rescue organisations looking for new homes.  

According to Cats Protection it takes a monochrome moggy 13 per cent longer on average to find their new home than more colourful cats - that’s one week longer in care!  This is why I have a special love for black cats and is partly the reason why I adopted my own black cat - his more colourful littermates were adopted very quickly, leaving him on his own, and I can vouch that he was just as lovely!

There has always been a lot of superstition surrounding black cats, some people believe them to be associated with witchcraft and bad luck, others believing them to be good luck.  Simply, luck has nothing to do with the fact they all need homes!  Here are 10 fantastic reasons to adopt a black cat...

http://www.animalrescueandcare.org.uk/

Black cats are featuring in the media more and more - Tom Cox, author of "Under the Paw" and more titles, has 294,000 followers of his Twitter account @MYSADCAT featuring his 20 year old black cat "The Bear".   His new book "Close Encounters of the Furred Kind" continues the story of his life with his four cats and gives such an endearing insight into his bonds with all of them; black, black and white and tabby alike. 

The wistful "The Bear"

Think you could say I'm a fan?

Simon's Cat, although white in the animated videos, is based on all Simon Tofield's cats but mainly his black cat, Hugh.  Sadly Hugh has recently passed away just this year - here you can read Simon's tribute to him, prompted by the international Black Cat Appreciation Day held on 17th August.  Simon talks in his video about his own cats how Hugh was likely the main inspiration for Simon's Cat due to his character as a kitten  - watch the whole video here.  He still has Ted, a striking black longhaired cat adopted from a rescue centre as a kitten - look out for him in the videos too! 

Simon Tofield's Hugh, inspiration for Simon's Cat
www.simonscat.com

Simon Tofield visited the Cats Protection National Cat Centre in Sussex in 2014 whilst working on his video and book entitled "Off to the Vet".  Nicky Trevorrow, feline behaviour expert, gave great advice about reducing stress and making visiting the vet less of a nightmare for both owner and cat!  Please check out the video here. 

There are a number of ways to support Black Cat Day online - 

• Tweet with hashtag #BlackCatDay
• Join the Thunderclap - click here to dedicate a tweet or Facebook post on 27th October
• Enjoy some beautiful black cats on the Cats Protection Pinterest Black Cat board and pin your own
• Enter the Cats Protection Facebook competition to be crowned Black Cat Champion and you could win some amazing prizes for you and your cat.  To enter, simply post a photo of your black or black-and-white rescue cat in the comments below the pinned post on the Cats Protection Facebook page, along with their story
• Download Black Cat Day social media covers through the main Cats Protection website 

If you are interested in adopting a black, or black and white, cat please see our website for the cats we currently have in care and also those available privately.  They all deserve loving homes so please share our cause and speak up for black cats!

My Taran, adopted from Wrexham Adoption Centre 2012

Need to rehome? Rethink... Part 2

Photo: www.catster.com

My previous post started to explore the possible reasons why cats are rehomed to us at the Colwyn and District Branch of Cats Protection.  I discussed urine spraying and inappropriate toileting and how, with some time and action, both problems can be reduced and eventually eliminated - find the post here. 

Another common reason for cats being on our waiting list is that the owner has become pregnant.  Cat owners are often told, apparently by doctors, that they should not be around cats during pregnancy.  This is because of Toxoplasmosis. 

What is Toxoplasmosis?
Toxoplasmosis is caused by an organism called Toxoplasma gondii - this is a protozoan parasite (single-celled organism) that cats can shed in their faeces. 

As you can see in the lifecycle overview below, cats are the main, or definitive, host for Toxoplasma.  They shed oocysts in their faeces, which are immature forms of the parasite that go on to infect further hosts.  Toxoplasma can also infect rodents (intermediate hosts) and larger animals including farm species and humans.

Diagram: International Cat Care www.icatcare.org 

So it is true that cats are essential for the lifecycle to take place but are not essentially the source of all infections.  Most infections in humans in fact result from eating undercooked meat, gardening and eating unwashed fruit and vegetables, due to the organism being present in soil.

Why is this a problem?
For people with fully functioning immune systems the symptoms are mild and flu-like, if experienced at all.  However, in immunocompromised people, including the elderly, the very young, pregnant women etc., the effects can be more serious. According to International Cat Care, in pregnant women infection can cause abortion, stillbirth, birth defects and other problems affecting the nervous system and eyes.  However, foetal problems can only occur if the woman is infected for the first time during pregnancy.  If infected, it will only be passed on to a foetus in around 20-50% of women.  In many cases, even if the foetus is infected, no symptoms will be seen but in a minority of cases the infection can result in the issues mentioned above.

Assessing and reducing the risk
According to Cats Protection, contact with cats does not increase the risk of people becoming infected with T. gondii. Cats only shed oocysts in their faeces for 10-14 days after being infected, and once passed, the oocysts only become infectious to people after the sporulation process which take 1-5 days.  The risk can be easily controlled by some simple hygiene rules:

• wear gloves to clean out cat litter trays and wash hands thoroughly afterwards 
• clean out litter trays daily - this will prevent oocysts becoming infectious 
• avoid cleaning out litter trays if pregnant or immunosuppressed, either ask someone else to do it or use gloves and wash your hands afterwards 
• litter trays should be washed out with detergent or catsafe disinfectant and boiling water, including 5-10 minute soak time 
• cover children’s sandpits to prevent cats toileting in them 
• avoid feeding cats raw or undercooked meat 

Find out more about Toxoplasmosis in this helpful Cats Protection Information Leaflet 

and in this video produced by Cats Protection

Need to rehome? Rethink...

Our Colwyn and District branch of Cats Protection runs a waiting list for cats to come in to our care.  We receive a number of phone calls every day from people needing to rehome their cats for a wide variety of reasons.  Many are unavoidable but sometimes action can be taken to improve the situation and even avoid the need for rehoming.  This is the first of a few posts offering advice on a few of the issues that are reported to us.

Spraying and inappropriate toileting

Image: cats.lovetoknow.com

Scent is a very important method of communication in cats.  They use scent glands on their body and the spraying of urine to apply different markers/messages around their territory to communicate with both themselves and other cats – for example, the facial scent glands produce a pheromone to indicate a happy and safe place.  

First we need to be able to recognise the difference between spraying and urinating: 

Spraying:  the cat usually stands and backs up to a vertical surface, the tail is held straight up and may twitch, back feet may paddle whilst “spraying” short bursts of urine

Both male and female, unneutered or neutered cats have the ability to spray.  This is usually performed outside to mark areas of their territory where they feel threatened in an attempt to remind themselves to be wary, re-spraying once the scent wears off.  When performed inside the house spraying is often an indication that something isn’t right.     

Tom cat urine spraying (photo: International Cat Care)

Urinating: both male and female cats will adopt a squatting position with their back end low to the ground to produce a puddle of urine usually in a private or secluded area

Cat in urinating position (photo: International Cat Care)

Spraying often results from a combination of many factors such as a change in the household, the presence of multiple cats or an underlying health issue.  If your cat is spraying it is important to consult your vet first and foremost to rule out any underlying health problems.  If the vet does not find any medical reason for the spraying then it is important to identify the cause.  Your vet may be able to refer you to a qualified behaviourist who can tailor a specific behaviour management plan.  It is important not to punish the cat for spraying in the house as the cat will then become more anxious and continue to spray.

Have a think about any recent changes in the household that may coincide with the onset of the spraying behaviour such as the arrival or departure of family members (e.g. new baby), DIY, decorating or furniture rearrangement (meaning your cat’s scent markers are lost or moved) or the addition of a new cat to the household or neighbourhood causing a threat to resources.

Image: housetohome.co.uk

Also, the location of the spraying can give an indication as to the problem.  Spraying in doorways or narrow hallways could be due to encountering other cats in the household and feeling threatened by them.  Ensure all cats have good access to their own resources (food, water, litter trays etc.) reducing the need for competition.  Spraying by windows, doors or the cat flap could indicate a threat from outside such as a neighbouring cat.  Aids could include the use of semi-transparent material to restrict the view of other cats, using a microchip activated or magnetic cat flap to avoid other cats coming into the house or deterring cats from the garden (see the link to “Managing your cat’s behaviour” below for information on humane deterrents). 

Once the cause of the cat’s anxiety has been dealt with (if it has been possible to) Feliway can provide some cats with reassurance as it mimics the facial pheromone indicating a safe or happy area within the territory.  Feliway can be used in a spray or diffuser form and is available from the Cats Protection online shop. 

Image of diffuser: www.feliway.com/uk 

To reduce the risk of territorial spraying it is useful to have your cat neutered – according to International Cat Care, approximately 90% of intact males and 95% of intact females show a significant decrease in spraying after being neutered.   If you are in receipt of any form of benefits (including tax credits), receive a low income, are a pensioner or student you will be eligible for one of our neutering vouchers – find out more by calling our neutering officer Dot on 01492 596555 between 10:30 and 16:30 or our main helpline 0345 647 2185 anytime.  This will also help us to reduce the number of unwanted litters, which also add to our waiting list!

Inappropriate toileting (away from the litter tray) is often caused by different reasons than spraying behaviour.  As before, we would recommend the cat is seen by a vet initially as it is important to have a health check before going ahead with behavioural alterations.  If your cat is said to be in good health then the following points may help.  If there is still a problem then the advice of a qualified behaviourist should be sought.

• ·         Position of litter trays – cats are very vulnerable when toileting so will naturally want to use a private quiet place.  Trays are not ideal in an open area, next to a washing machine, near a cat flap (threat of approaching cats) or near to their food and/or water resources.
• ·         Type of litter tray – shallow trays for kittens, larger for adults to provide room to manoeuvre, low sides for elderly cats and nervous cats may prefer hooded trays.  Cats have individual tastes so it may be a case of trial and error until you achieve success.
• ·        Number of trays – try to provide one tray per cat plus one extra in a variety of places upstairs and downstairs.
• ·         Type of litter – fine sand/grit litter is often preferred as it feels soft under the paws and is good for digging or wood pellets are also available.  Avoid using scented litter due to the cat’s strong sense of smell and 3cm is reported to be the optimum depth for digging.
• ·        Hygiene – tray deposits should be removed once or twice a day (or as regularly as possible) as cats are notoriously clean creatures and may not use a tray more than once

Cleaning up urine can be a tricky job as many household cleaning products contain ammonia, which is also found in urine so may add to the problem.   One idea is to use a warm 10% solution of biological washing powder and then rinse with clean water (recommended by Cats Protection and International Cat Care).  If the surface is suitable surgical spirit can also be applied to remove the last traces of urine (a patch test is advised first!).

The Cats Protection essential guide entitled “Managing your cat’s behaviour” includes a lot of this information and more about signs of stress, shy cats, aggressive cats and scratching. You can download it here. 

My first Cats Protection AGM

This year, the Cats Protection AGM was held in Knutsford at the Cottons Hotel on Saturday 11th July.  Our branch co-ordinator Mary Keenan, neutering officer Dot Nuttall, fosterer Barbara Larner and myself were all able to attend and had a fantastic day, with lots of like-minded people!

Fundraising stand

Registration was from 10.15, with lovely refreshments available and exhibition stands set up to explore.  There were members of staff and lots of information about many sectors of the charity - Veterinary, Fundraising, Volunteering, Branch Support Unit, Legal, Property, Training and Development and more.  This gave us a great opportunity to chat and ask some questions with the aim of improving our branch and the work that we do for cats. 

Veterinary stand with essential guides - find them all at:
www.cats.org.uk/essential-guides

To kick off proceedings, the Chair of Trustees Heather McCann presented her report, followed by the Chief Executive Peter Hepburn.  Two very interesting and informative presentations about progress and goings on in 2014 provided me with some great facts and figures to publish:

In 2014, Cats Protection...

• helped over 205,000 cats through the national network of over 250 volunteer-run branches and 31 adoption centres - an average of more than 550 cats a day!  This includes neutering, rehoming and reuniting. 
• helped to neuter 163,000 cats and kittens, including 28,000 ferals
• rehomed 45,000 cats and kittens
• reached over 16,000 people through education talks
• registered more than 800 people for the Cat Guardians Service
• celebrated 10 years of The Freedom Project, in partnership with Dogs Trust, helping take care of pets from families experiencing domestic abuse
• received interaction through social media from nearly 280,000 people!

We were also advised of the updated strategic aims of the charity: 

1. To significantly increase awareness of Cats Protection and our work
2. As the leading authority on cats, CP will help people better understand their needs in order to improve the welfare of all cats
3. Help to reduce the overpopulation of cats
1. through targeted neutering campaigns and education
2. directing more resources to the promotion of early neutering
3. do more research and gathering better data on the impact of our neutering work
4. To home more cats until our work on information, education and neutering reduces the long-term need for homing

After a lunch break Dr Maggie Roberts, Director of Veterinary Services, presented her talk entitled "Why does my cat do that", answering those widely asked questions such as "why does my cat wake me up at 4am?", "why does my cat hunt and bring it in the house even though I feed him?" and "why does my cat drink from a puddle rather than his bowl??".  You can find out the background to the answers of these questions by completing an E-learning resource - Understanding Feline Origins.

To finish the presentations, David Newall, Director of Operations, spoke about plans for the future of Cats Protection, which sound very exciting for us as volunteers and staff members as well as the number of cats we will be able to help. 

Later on that afternoon we visited the new Warrington Adoption Centre by a coach trip.  The brand new centre opened in November 2013 after staff and cats were left with dampened spirits after the site suffered with frequent episodes of flooding. 

New Warrington Adoption Centre, opened November 2013

Homing pens at Warrington AC

We were taken on a guided tour by one of the very friendly and informative Cat Care Assistants who showed us around the bright spacious reception area, the carefully managed isolation area, the delightful maternity wing and the bright and comfortable homing and admissions areas.  We were very impressed with the whole centre, having brand new facilities including a veterinary treatment room, meet and greet room, interview room and most importantly of all fantastic pens and facilities for the cats. 

The pens were all very nicely kitted out, featuring the feline forts in every one.  See below for the theory and my photos of them in action at Warrington!  

Taken from Feline Fort: Information for Vets, Cats Protection

Feline Fort in use in the maternity wing

Ocean using his high viewpoint on top of the hide

We all definitely had an enjoyable and enlightening day and will look forward to the next AGM. In the meantime, it's back to looking after all our cats and kittens we have with our fosterers.  If you would like to take a look at who we have in our care at the moment and lots of other cats looking for new homes please see our website.

Thanks for reading :) 

National Campaign for Mature Moggies

On 10th July the National Cat Centre for Cats Protection is running a campaign to raise awareness of the senior cats in our care all over the country.

We are now right in the middle of kitten season, which usually spans from April until September. While these delightful, cute bundles of fluff are bouncing around it is common for the older cats to fade into the background to potential adopters. 

According to Cats Protection figures, on average, older cats take around five times longer than kittens to be adopted.  During kitten season, that time increases to, on average, six and a half times longer!

Tom and Chris, two adorable brothers

We believe older cats should not be overlooked in favour of their younger, cuter counterparts.  Tom and Chris have been in our care since early May as their owner was emigrating.  They are very attractive boys, both in great health.  Just because they are now 9 years old does not mean they have any less character or any less love to give. See Tom and Chris' page here. 

Older cats tend to stay closer to home so make great companions, their characters are fully formed so you know what sort of cat you’re getting and they’re less likely to scale the curtains!



Ash is a lovely 15 year old male looking for a new home since his owner passed away.  We are featuring him on our website as a private homing arrangement as unfortunately we do not have any spaces with our fosterers due to the number of kittens around at the moment. If you know of an older person who would like a feline companion please mention Ash as he is looking for a fur-ever with someone he can love, who will be loved in return - see Ash's page here.





Though all our fosterers at Colwyn & District Cats Protection look after all the cats in their care very well, life in a pen is no substitute for a permanent home so I would urge people to consider adopting an older cat. 

To find out more about caring for a mature cat, please see the official Cats Protection Guidance Leaflet. This is a very good resource advising about veterinary and everyday care, age related health issues and how to provide the ideal home for an elderly cat. 

If you are interested in adopting an mature cat, or know someone who would benefit from their companionship, then please go to our website to see the cats we have in care and also those looking for new homes through private/direct homing, thank you.

How You Can Help Stray Cats

For a cat to be termed a "stray", it will have previously been a tame pet cat that has become lost or been abandoned by its owner, as opposed to being feral, which means the cat has not been socialised with humans and is not tame.  Most cat lovers dislike the idea of cats being outside, homeless and alone and report them to charities like Cats Protection.  However, being a charity with limited resources means that we often need the help of the public when it comes to dealing with stray cats.

Photo: piccat.com

If you find what you believe to be a stray cat there are a number of steps that you can take to try to find the owner before adding it to our waiting list to rehome:

• Ask around neighbours - see if anyone else has seen the cat recently or knows of an owner in the area
• Scan for a microchip - if the cat is friendly enough to pick up and you can get your hands on a secure cat carrier please take it to your local veterinary practice to be scanned, vets should do this free of charge
• Attach a paper collar to the cat with your contact number on - the owner may then contact you to confirm the cat is owned. The collars can be sent to you by enquiring through our national helpline 03000 12 12 12, along with "missing cat" posters.
• Check lost and found columns in the local paper
• Notify local vets in case any cats reported missing
• Animal Search UK - register the cat on Animal Search UK and entries for lost and found cats can be matched up

If the cat is sick or injured please contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 or alternatively take straight to your local vets who can assess the cat, provide any emergency veterinary care necessary and also scan for a microchip. 

 



If you are happy to feed the cat then please provide water and cat food - cow's milk is not appropriate - but be warned, once fed the cat is likely to stick around!  For kittens and pregnant cats please provide water and kitten food, which is high in protein and energy needed for growth. Also, if you are happy for the cat to stay in your garden you can provide shelter by simply using a cardboard (if not raining) or plastic box on its side, with a towel or even some straw for warmth. Even a plastic cover over a bench can provide respite from the weather. 

 

Photo: onegreenplanet.org

In an ideal world, all kittens need to be handled frequently from three weeks old to prevent them from becoming feral so it is important to ring our helpline 0345 647 2185 to report any stray kittens to us ASAP.  However, we may not have a space to take them in straight away so if you are able to handle them in the meantime it would provide them with the best chance of success.  If the mother will not let you approach the kittens then please leave well alone to reduce her stress levels and the risk of you receiving an injury!  Regular handling teaches the kittens important socialisation skills.  Kittens should ideally be weaned  onto solid food at around 4-5 weeks of age and once fully weaned (around 6-8 weeks) the mother can be spayed (see below for neutering details).

 

A rough guide to a kitten's age:

• 7-14 days - eyes closed
• Up to 6-7 weeks - eyes open and blue
• 6-8 weeks - eyes change from blue to yellow

We do advise that all owned cats should be microchipped as it is the only permanent method of identification available.  Scanning a microchip containing up to date contact details can mean the cat is reunited with a very happy owner the same day, or in some cases a couple of days - the recent story of George from Conwy being found 128 miles away in Yorkshire being a good example (read his story here)!  June is National Microchipping Month and charities and microchip database companies will all be promoting the benefits involved.  Enquire at your local vets now as a simple injection will mean your cat is registered to you for life.  Your details will need to be updated if you move house or change your contact number to ensure you are always able to be reached.

 

Unfortunately, many stray cats are the result of unneutered cats being allowed outside to roam or even being abandoned.  Females will become pregnant and have kittens that could then be feral if not handled, creating colonies of unhomeable cats in the neighbourhood.  Cats Protection can help with the cost of neutering owned cats before this becomes a problem. We can provide vouchers to cover part of the cost if you are on any form of benefits, tax credits, are a pensioner or receive a low income.  You may contact our Neutering Officer, Dot Nuttall, to see if you could be eligible on 01492 596555 (10:30 - 16:30).

We can also help to neuter stray cats.  If an owner cannot be found through any of the methods outlined above then we can issue a voucher to have the cat neutered.  This will avoid the possibility of a female cat having kittens whilst on our waiting list and creating another problem and may reduce the stress caused by an entire male in the neighbourhood fighting with the local cats. If the cat is not approachable or you cannot transport it to your local vets for any reason we can see if any of our volunteers are available to help.  Please contact Dot on the number above to find out more.

If you wish to report a cat to our lost and found list or wish to add the cat to our waiting list for rehoming please call our helpline on 0345 647 2185 and a volunteer will take your details and forward your enquiry to the appropriate department. You will find some of this advice documented in the following link from "The Cat" magazine, published by Cats Protection - What to do with a stray cat

Joy

Why adopt from Colwyn Cats Protection?

Hi all, and a very Happy Easter too!  I hope everyone has had a suitably fun and indulgent weekend and thank goodness that spring is well and truly in the air now.

In this my second post of The Cat's Whispers blog I would like to talk about the background to our adoption process and the benefits that both our cats and their new adopters receive.



Muffin's previous owner simply could not
keep her when her circumstances changed
beyond her control..

Cats Protection was founded in 1927 and has been working to help cats in need ever since.  There are about 250 branches (like Colwyn) and 29 adoption centres all over the UK run by staff and volunteers trying to find ideal homes for as many cats as they can. 

We deal with cats from a range of backgrounds including strays, those abandoned by their owners, those who cannot cope with their circumstances and those whose owners cannot keep them. 

Whilst with Cats Protection they all receive the same high standard of both veterinary care and loving care.  This benefits both the cats and the adopters - for an adoption fee of just £40 (this applies to the Colwyn & District branch) your adopted cat will be:

• seen by a vet for a full health check
• fully vaccinated (against cat flu and leukaemia)
• neutered
• microchipped
• treated for fleas and worms
• covered by 4 weeks free insurance with PetPlan

So as you can see, we are providing our cats with a good grounding for their new lives and the adopters receive a definite bargain! Also, by adopting a cat from us it gives us the opportunity to carry on helping others. 

Our fosterers do a wonderful job of caring for our cats.  This can sometimes involve necessary socialisation of kittens, appropriate socialisation of shy cats and simply making them as comfortable and content as we can during their stay.  If you are interested in helping us in our work to rehome cats in need then please consider becoming a cat fosterer.  All you need is  either a spare room in your house or enough space in your garden for an outdoor pen (provided by Cats Protection), time to care for a cat twice a day and a passion for helping animals.  You will receive support from our branch members and regional Cats Protection staff members and all expenses are covered by us.  If you are interested in this very rewarding position, or know someone who might be, please get in touch using my email address joy.colwyncp@gmail.com and we can go from there!

Two of our residents in the sleeping area of their outdoor pen

Over the past couple of weeks I have been lucky enough to hand rear four beautiful kittens who were found abandoned on 20th March in a cardboard box. I have seen them grow from helpless little babies who needed bottle feeding and toileting every 2 hours day and night to strong, spritely little tinkers who know how to communicate with us, use the litter trays to perfection and play with a whole variety of toys.  They are practising their hunting skills by stalking one another and are starting to take to solid food. 



Magnus, Eric and Alice

Rose

I will miss them immensely when they move to another fosterer to be rehomed but it has been fantastic to have a hand in their progress.  They are all lovely individual characters and will make fantastic pets for their adopters!  We would love to recruit a volunteer with hand rearing skills to be on hand for kitten fostering as it is very time consuming, especially if our fosterers already have cats to care for.  Again, if you are interested in this role please email joy.colwyncp@gmail.com, thank you.



In other news, we raised around £170 during the Pets at Home weekend at the end of February and the homing evening at Prospect House Veterinary Clinic on 26th February was also a great fundraising success.  The raffle was hugely popular raising £120 and it was a lovely opportunity to publicise some of our cats, two of whom have since been reserved!  After the raffle seemed a perfect moment to get a group shot of the Colwyn team with Peter Dickinson and Ann Owen, two of the fantastic vets who run the clinic.   

Back row: Joy Shutt (Welfare Team Leader) with Peter Dickinson and Ann Owen (vets)
Middle row:  Joan Jones (Treasurer), Benita (previous fosterer), Ann Cooksey (current fosterer), Dot Nuttall (Neutering Officer), Mary Keenan (Branch Coordinator) and Sue Cook (Homing Officer)
Front row: Betty Davey (previous fosterer), Dorothy Dolan (website, lost/found), Tracy Hughes (Facebook/Social Media)

I'm sure you can all appreciate that adopting one cat won't change the world but the world will surely change for that one cat.  If you are interested in adopting a cat from us then please take a look on our website and contact our Homing Officer Sue to make any enquiries. 

Simons Cat pin badge

Even if you cannot adopt from us but would like to support our cause then there are many ways in which you can do so; for example by making a direct donation, donating clothes and items to our charity shop in Llandudno or you can donate cat food and sundries for our fosterers also by leaving them at the shop. 

Cats Protection as a whole charity has recently been supported by the internet sensation "Simon's Cat" created by Simon Tofield through the sale of Simons Cat pin badges sold at Pets at Home stores.  I made sure I got mine at our fundraising weekend in the Llandudno store so keep your eyes open as there still might be a few to be snapped up!

Well that's all from me for now.  Thank you to everyone who is reading this blog and even if you tell one person about our work you might make a difference so please spread the word and share this post if you can. 

Joy

Next time: Found a stray cat?