I am most definitely a cat person. Having a cat as a pet suits my lifestyle and my personality. I love that they can treat you like you are a complete stranger, fixing you with a disdainful stare, then the next minute they are barging their way onto your lap even if you have a laptop resting on it.
Stroke me NOW, they demand. They reward your ministrations with a cheesy cat-grin and loud purring. Then, just when you are comfortable with a warm pile of purring fur, they stretch, claw your leggings and saunter off.
We currently have three cats, all rehomed. I have a bit of history with this! I am no #RehomingAngel but just a sucker for a feline in need of a new place to live.
When I met my husband I already had a cat, Mortimer, AKA Morty, named after Bob Mortimer, obvs! He was a real character with a talent for removing airtight plastic boxes from high cupboards and opening them, scoffing the contents. He sadly died of FiV despite inoculations.
The first cat my husband brought home for me was a kitten from a farm cat's litter. I named her Ratzy, after Cliff from Cheers- actor John Ratzenburger. Long story.
Of course Ratsy was the runt of the litter and turned out to be unable to retract her claws. Cue 20 years of torn tights. She had a good long life, even though she became quite senile in the latter years. She died quietly curled up in front of a blazing log fire with all of us around her watching TV. Couldn't have been better as passings go.
We were reluctant to get another cat as we found losing Ratzy so hard but a friend on Facebook put out a plea for a last-minute home for a cat who could not follow her owners to their new home abroad. The picture showed a cute cuddly black and white cat called Badger.
The reality was a scabby mass of bald patches and blood - turned out Badger had all sorts of issues! We sorted out his skin and he in turn adopted DS#3 as his constant companion which made it incredibly hard when we discovered Badger had stomach cancer and we had to have him put down. Badger's stay with us was short (and expensive!) but I am still glad we were able to make his last months happy and comfortable.
Fast forward a couple more months and when my friend said her sister had two elderly cats she would like to go to a more suitable home we couldn't resist. Sadly we lost Tilly early on but Oscar is our very own grumpy cat who stalks around like he has always been here. He has a good line in hard stares which are enough to make you vacate your seat so he can curl up in it!
Last year when a friend from church mentioned his niece had kittens she couldn't cope with we agreed to go and meet them. Well of course once I met them I fell in love and now Felix and Jasper are very much at home and thank us for our hospitality with regular gifts of mangled rodents.
I am so happy I could give these beautiful animals a home. Along with the joy of getting a new furry friend to love I feel satisfied knowing I have helped someone who might not have been able to give them the same life, and potentially prevented them from having to go into a rehoming centre.
At least I know the people we rehomed our pets from would never have abandoned them. Shocking new figures from the RSPCA show the charity received 3,851 calls about abandoned animals in England from January 1 to date - which equates to a total of 33 animals a day - or more than one an hour.
Each week six animals in need of loving homes will be
featured on the show. Viewers are invited to apply to adopt the animals via the
itv.comwebsite and if successful will feature on the show the following
week.
Stroke me NOW, they demand. They reward your ministrations with a cheesy cat-grin and loud purring. Then, just when you are comfortable with a warm pile of purring fur, they stretch, claw your leggings and saunter off.
We currently have three cats, all rehomed. I have a bit of history with this! I am no #RehomingAngel but just a sucker for a feline in need of a new place to live.
When I met my husband I already had a cat, Mortimer, AKA Morty, named after Bob Mortimer, obvs! He was a real character with a talent for removing airtight plastic boxes from high cupboards and opening them, scoffing the contents. He sadly died of FiV despite inoculations.
The first cat my husband brought home for me was a kitten from a farm cat's litter. I named her Ratzy, after Cliff from Cheers- actor John Ratzenburger. Long story.
Of course Ratsy was the runt of the litter and turned out to be unable to retract her claws. Cue 20 years of torn tights. She had a good long life, even though she became quite senile in the latter years. She died quietly curled up in front of a blazing log fire with all of us around her watching TV. Couldn't have been better as passings go.
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| DS#3 with Badger |
The reality was a scabby mass of bald patches and blood - turned out Badger had all sorts of issues! We sorted out his skin and he in turn adopted DS#3 as his constant companion which made it incredibly hard when we discovered Badger had stomach cancer and we had to have him put down. Badger's stay with us was short (and expensive!) but I am still glad we were able to make his last months happy and comfortable.
Fast forward a couple more months and when my friend said her sister had two elderly cats she would like to go to a more suitable home we couldn't resist. Sadly we lost Tilly early on but Oscar is our very own grumpy cat who stalks around like he has always been here. He has a good line in hard stares which are enough to make you vacate your seat so he can curl up in it!
 |
| Oscar |
Last year when a friend from church mentioned his niece had kittens she couldn't cope with we agreed to go and meet them. Well of course once I met them I fell in love and now Felix and Jasper are very much at home and thank us for our hospitality with regular gifts of mangled rodents.
 |
| Jasper |
I am so happy I could give these beautiful animals a home. Along with the joy of getting a new furry friend to love I feel satisfied knowing I have helped someone who might not have been able to give them the same life, and potentially prevented them from having to go into a rehoming centre.
 |
| caught mid-scratch! Felix. |
At least I know the people we rehomed our pets from would never have abandoned them. Shocking new figures from the RSPCA show the charity received 3,851 calls about abandoned animals in England from January 1 to date - which equates to a total of 33 animals a day - or more than one an hour.
The greatest number of abandonments reported to the RSPCA so
far have been in in Greater Manchester (709), with Greater London a close
second (632).
Some of these sad stories of abandonment have been featured
in this weeks ‘Give a Pet a Home’ on ITV, in which a team of celebrity animal
lovers including Julian Clary and Peter Andre help find new homes for some of
the animals who arrive at RSPCA Newbrook Farm Animal Centre in Birmingham.
If you haven't seen the programme, in a recent episode we met Guinea pigs Bentley and Daimler
(championed by Olympian Denise Lewis) who were seriously underweight when they
were abandoned in a cage outside a school; while beautiful Smoo the
Staffordshire bull terrier (championed
by Coleen Nolan) was left tied to a park bench in poor health along with
another dog. So sad!
“Every year thousands of animals come into our care because
they have been abandoned. With help from our fantastic volunteers and
supporters, we help these desperate animals overcome their past and prepare for
life in a new loving home,” said Abbi Moon, RSPCA Rehoming Operations Manager.
Each week six animals in need of loving homes will be
featured on the show. Viewers are invited to apply to adopt the animals via the
itv.comwebsite and if successful will feature on the show the following
week.
Since the show started on 15 April, it has received more
than 1,500 adoption applications for the animals featured in the show. Of the
19 animals who appeared in weeks one and two - all have found loving new homes!
Watch Give A Pet A Home on Wednesday nights at 8pm on ITV. If you are interesting in becoming a #rehomingangel, visit the RSPCA Find A Pet page.
If you are thinking about getting a baby animal, make sure you are fully aware of the effort and expense involved over what could be decades. Being sure you can cope and realistic about your ability to devote time and money to your pet could prevent the difficult decision about giving it up when you find you can't cope.
The RSPCA website has some excellent resources to help you decide which pet might be right for you, and information about what you should look for when choosing a new furry family member. Check out their advice about getting a puppy which has lots of useful and interesting information about breeds and suppliers aimed at ensuring no more puppies end up on the scrapheap.
Disclaimer; I received vouchers as a thank you for promoting this campaign. Views and opinions remain honest and my own.
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| Pic credit: RSPCA |
Disclaimer; I received vouchers as a thank you for promoting this campaign. Views and opinions remain honest and my own.