Woking Cats Protection Newsletter

Transcription

Charity No: 203644/SC037111
MEMBERSHIP
RENEWAL
FORM
2016
Felis Catus
ENCLOSED
Thank you for
your support
Our sprin
g fayre ra
ised
£1,718.80
- THANKY
OU!
Newsletter of Woking & District Cats Protection - April to October 2016
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Inside
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 Fost
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 Xma
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& Quiz
 The
Night R
Lost &
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 Cha
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 C at h
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 P e ts
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 Los
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
Have you seen ou
r FREE Neuterin
g
poster at the Br
ookwood
Sainsbury’s sto
re?
Josey, Sarah & Caroline
3 ladies with big hearts. See
their stories on page 24.
Please sponsor them.
Felis
Catus
Pass it on!
Page 2
Felis Catus
Editor’ Paws
Hello and welcome everyone to your first Felis Catus of 2016. I hope you will enjoy what has to be a
bumper edition this time with 28 pages packed with news, updates and stories from our wonderful
adopters. We have introduced some themed articles this time - “The Lost & Lonely Souls.” The
theme for the next edition is already being planned…..but I am not letting the cat out of the bag yet!
Please find enclosed your 2016 Membership Renewal Form, I do hope that everyone will stay with us,
our membership is up to almost 300 now! Please check out the five points in the yellow box on the
renewal form to check if you need to send a subscription.
2015 has been another successful year with 183 cats and kittens being given a second chance with
lovely new families. Just reading all your wonderful stories bears testament to that. All the Featured
Felines are on the centre pages. Our Christmas Fayre in October was amazing, see page four to find
out what we have planned this year.
Volunteers are crucial and without them, like any charity, it would be impossible to survive. Recently
we have welcomed three new members to the team. Amy McQuade, Tom Henderson & Emma Beer.
Check out our Fostering Feature on pages 16/17. Page 24 is all about three CHAMPION LADIES, all of
them doing challenges for us this year. Please spread the word and it would be lovely if you could
support one of them.
Usually I choose a star story but have to say this time it has been impossible, what I will say is that
we have had lots of young ambassadors that have welcomed cats and kittens into their homes. This
is really heart warming to all of us at CP. They are all the Feline Protectors of the future.
We all look forward to seeing old friends and hopefully some new ones at our events throughout
2016, all the dates are on page 4. Our work does make a difference and your support does make a
difference…..so together the difference we make is enormous!
Best Wishes
Mary, Branch Co-ordinator & Newsletter Editor
Lost & Found Update
https://www.facebook.com/wokingcplostandfound
We recently set up a separate Lost & Found Facebook
page on Facebook which is managed by Catherine, our
Social Media Volunteer (read her interview on page 7).
Catherine says “This is the harder bit of my role as it is
often the sadder part of what we do but - I am passionate about trying to help reunite people with their lost
cats; I know how upset I would be if it were one of my
cats missing.”
Social media is a powerful tool and it was clear that
more and more people are posting information about
their missing pets directly online. So, we decided that
we would make good use of this and steer this part of
our service in this direction. It is working very well and
people have an even greater chance of finding their lost
pets. We still provide support, advice and information,
which can also be accessed on our website:
www.woking.cats.org.uk
Anna’s Web
Have you checked out our new look
website yet? Anna Holland joined us last
year and took on the role of Website
Editor. Well, she has transformed the site
from the out of date tired looking place
it was to visit! It is now interesting, user
friendly with a professional and
appealing look. Well done and thank you
Anna! - If you have not visited why not
take a look and see for your self! Watch
this space as we have more exciting plans
for 2016.
www.woking.cats.org.uk
Page 3
Felis Catus
I am often saying about how the work we do reaches far beyond what some people may
think about a feline charity and the services we provide. What is also a fact is the many
people who support us in different ways…...here are just a few of our unsung heroes. You
are all just the ticket!
sh
hitmar
W
t
r
e
nts
Rup
r accou
u
o
g
n
ti
i
For aud
Maxine Hom
olka
For the Xmas
Cake
Michelle Cha
nd
For the Yoga
Auction Prize
e
Matt Hulm
owmen &
For the sn
uchers
garden vo
evano
Adrian L
me
selfie fra
&
g
n
ti
For prin
Beena Sharm
a
For the photo
-shoot
Auction Prize
ele
Roger Ste
eur Limo
For Chauff
rize
Auction P
Sheila La-Vallois
For annual open garden
Vanda Ashbo
lt
For storage sp
ace
nn
nd
e Ta
n
i
Cha
r
e
e
l
l
h
he
Cat
Mic
g
n
i
sk
or a
F
Heather
Cook
For book
sale don
ati
ons
rewer &
Pauline B
For cat b
Julie Jone
s
lankets
VOLUNTEER ADVERT
We are looking for someone with good DIY skills to help us
occasionally with odd maintenance tasks. This WILL NOT include
any electrical work. Must have own transport and tools, we will
purchase any materials required. If you or someone you know fits
the bill, please get in touch with Mary, Branch Co-ordinator.
Page 4
Felis Catus
2016 Branch Events Calendar
January
No Events
February
Saturday 27
Quiz Night
New Haw
Community
Centre
Great
Success
July
Sunday 10
24 Slade Rd
Ottershaw
Garden
Party
11am to
4pm
August
No Events
March
Saturday 19
10am – 1pm
Spring Fayre
Brook Hall
April
No Events
May
Monday 2
Chobham Carnival
June
Saturday 11
Shepperton
Fayre
Sunday 26
Bisley
Strawberry
Fayre
Great
Success
September
Sunday 4
RSPCA Millbrook
Animal Centre
11am to 5pm
October
Saturday 29
Branch Xmas Fayre
NB: NEW TIME
11am – 2pm
NB: NEW VENUE
New Haw
Community Centre
November
No Events
December
No Events
STALL HOLDERS ~ STALL HOLDERS ~ STALL HOLDERS
Do you have crafts or product to sell?
We are moving our Christmas 2016 Fayre to a bigger venue at NEW HAW COMMUNITY
CENTRE, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3ND on Saturday 29 October.
LATER TIME 11am to 2pm
Because of the incredible support we continue to receive from the community, our members
and supporters, our regular hall has just become too small to fit everyone in! We have taken
the decision to try somewhere much bigger for this year.
This is a great opportunity to invite some new stall holders to come and join us. So, if you or
someone you know would like to have a spot with us then please get in touch with me ASAP.
Having a wide variety of stalls is the aim, and any with a particular Christmas theme would be
very welcome, although that is not absolutely necessary. This will be more than a fayre but a
Christmas Extravaganza, with lots of activities, fun, music, fancy dress and lots more!
Tina and her homemade
jams & pickles are a real
favourite at our fayres.
A fayre with
Bells on!
For more information or to book a stall please send an
Email to Mary with Christmas Stall Holder in the subject
wokingcatsprotection@gmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you
Page 5
GUMtree is “GLUM” Tree! By Amanda Erritt
I had been thinking about getting a kitten for
a year or so and had contacted Cats
Protection about it, but then my husband
(very romantically) decided to buy me 2
kittens for our 20th Wedding Anniversary
from Gumtree. We bought the 2 gorgeous
little beautiful tabby sisters from a local
Gumtree seller and naively paid them what
they asked which was £300 for the 2 kittens.
We didn’t meet their Mum and they were
brought out onto the driveway for the first
viewing - when I went to collect them, the
seller told me they were “a bit hissy” and she
bundled them into my carrying box and I took
them home…..sadly my husband very
quickly became very allergic to them and
was sneezing and his eyes streaming when
he came anywhere near them, so we had to
ask Woking Cats Protection to help us re
home them. Pauline was amazing and came
over 2 or 3 times to help the kittens become
less nervous - we realised that their father
was a farm tom cat and so they were not
used to being handled and had been bred to
sell, rather than being the product of a family
domestic pet. We realised that buying a pet
unseen and with no background checks from
a seller who was only interested in the
money and not the animals welfare was a
very naive and stupid thing to do - I did
contact the seller a few days after we had
brought the kittens home and asked her if
Dora & Mabel By Judith Griffith – (helped by Emma)
We very sadly lost our lovely fluffy Maine
Coon last year, but just before Christmas we
thought it was time to find our other cat,
Treacle, a new friend! Me, my mum and
sister spent a long time looking for a new
addition to the family. We wanted to rehome
a kitten so kept an eye on the Cat Protection
and RSPCA websites. Then one day we
saw a photo of two very sweet tabby kittens!
My mum rang Woking Cats Protection and
we arranged to go and see them. They were
two lovely little girls called Dora and Mabel
and we fell in love with them straight away.
They were sisters and they liked cuddling
each other. They were so tiny when we
brought them home, but they settled in really
well. They are very funny and keep us
entertained, running madly about the house
and climbing the curtains! Dora likes to play
fetch with the plastic washing liquid holders
and Mabel is very affectionate and follows
my mum around. They purr all the time!
Treacle is getting used to them and they all
like to stretch out on the under floor heating
together.
she would take them back as my husband
was allergic to them - I even said I didn’t
want the money returned but just for her to
take the kittens back, to be back where they
came from - she texted me back that I
should sell them on Gumtree!
Luckily the 2 gorgeous kittens have gone to
a lovely new home and are happy and well
(re homed by Woking Cats Protection) and
giving lots of pleasure to another family - and
my husband has stopped sneezing! I would
urge anyone interested in buying a cat - or
any other animal - to do so through the
proper channels and not via a seller only
interested in making money…..
“Dora & Mabel are two of the lucky
ones, thanks to the Griffith family.
Thanks also to Amanda for sharing
her experience with buying kittens
from a totally unregulated source
like Gumtree. Many more kittens
and indeed other animals are bred
and kept in appalling conditions,
without appropriate health or social
welfare. Let alone the misery of the
mothers forced to breed and breed,
many of them probably just young
animals themselves. Please help
educate about the horrors of pet
sales like this. Go to a regulated
charity, where the animals welfare
is the priority….not a quick buck!
Toby and the Baker Family By Anna Baker
After growing up with cats myself, I really wanted
the opportunity to teach my own children how to
look after and love animals too. We decided that our
children Max (5) and Theo (3) were ready to have a
cat and so we contacted the Cats Protection to
begin the adoption process. We knew that given our
working hours and our children, an adult cat would
be best suited to our family and we were happy to
wait for the right cat to come along; not every cat
likes lively young boys! After meeting the fosterer
Kim once before, she contacted us as soon as Toby
came to her. He had previously lived with a large
family and she thought he would be a good match
for us. As soon as we went to visit, it was love at
first sight for us - he could not have been more
friendly and happy to be stroked by the children.
Right from the first day he came to live with us, he
seemed happy. He loves to be the centre of
attention and tries to join in with whatever we are
doing; playing a game, bathing the children, reading
stories or playing in the garden. He was totally unphased by the endless stream of guests coming in
and out of the house over the Christmas period and
would lie in the middle of the room surrounded by
children, purring with delight at all the attention. We
are a busy family and so adopting an older cat
meant we didn't need to worry about teaching him
how to use a litter tray or not to scratch all the
furniture. He is robust enough to withstand
enthusiastic cuddles and the occasional accidental
foot on the tail and takes it all with good humour. He
wakes us every day with a nuzzle and a dribble and
is a much loved member of our family. He's also
rather handsome and the children are delighted to
have their own real-life Mog the Cat.
Page 6
Felis Catus
Story 1 - The Lost & Lonely Souls
The Lost & Lonely Souls featured in this
edition is all about mothers and their kittens
we have rescued from different gardens.
Their stories are your stories, the finders, the
CP teams and the adopters. Together we
turn them into Loved and Lucky Souls!
COCO by Catherine Spratt
We adopted Coco, aged 2, in Sept 2015.
She was being looked after by Woking Cats
Protection after being found heavily pregnant
in someone's garden and had 4 kittens only
a few days later.
She was a great mum and we were lucky
enough to see her with all her kittens before
they were also adopted.
After the kittens had left for their new homes,
Coco was spayed and vaccinated and then
came to live with our family.
She settled in very quickly and is a really
affectionate cat and loves to curl up on your
lap. She is also often found snoozing next to
the radiator or on our daughter’s bed,
surrounded by teddies. She is very playful
and likes to chase balls and toy mice around
and had great fun with the baubles on the
Christmas tree!
She was initially very nervous to go out in
the garden but gradually she started to use
the cat flap and has started to spend a little
more time outside, although never ventures
too far from home. She loved having us all at
home for Christmas and enjoyed the extra
attention from visitors.
It feels like she has always been with us and
we can't imagine our home without Coco
now.
HECTOR & MAISIE by Muire Williams
On 15th August last year Hector and
Maisie came into our lives! Hector is
black with a white patch on his
tummy and Maisie is black and
white. We visited Pauline during the
week, fell in love with them straight
away along with their beautiful Mum
Coco.
They are beautiful kittens and once
they discovered my lap, love to curl
up together for as long as they want.
As they grew they played around the
house but always loved a stroke and
cuddle. Having two kittens has been
a challenge but so much fun!
Coco, Hector, Maisie,
Posey & Ferris…. Lost &
Lonely Souls but not
Now they are nearly 9 months and
can now go outside and play. They
POSEY & FERRIS by Nick Gravenell
We had no hesitation in contacting Cats
Protection when we decided that we would
like two kittens in summer 2015. As a
family, our only wish was that they were
black. We were in luck! Only days after
registering with Cats Protection, we were
contacted by the Woking branch who had
taken in a non-domesticated mother of
four kittens, who had been abandoned
some time before.
We had no concerns regarding the history
of the mother, and were happy to be
guided by Cats Protection Welfare Officer.
On meeting the four kittens, the only hard
decision was which 2 of the 4 kittens we
took home. Posey and Ferris adapted
extremely well to our home, and are now
an integral part of our family. We had
researched how to make a cat a 'lap cat'
but as it turned out there was no need!!
love the garden, hiding from each
other and playing in the apple tree!
Maisie is smaller but more adventurous while Hector contented to
stay on the warm, preferably on my
lap! Two happy and contented
kittens.
A big thank you to Cats Protection
and especially to Pauline for all her
help and continuing support.
Waitrose Tokens
We received £280 from the Waitrose
Community tokens recently. Well done Gill
Parker for organising this on our behalf and
thanks to anyone who put their little green
tokens in our bin! “Every Little Helps” whoops
wrong supermarket!
Please note that articles that give out facts
are written using the most accurate
information available at the time of
publishing. Also views expressed are
individual and not necessarily the view or
policy of the charity and its supporters. We
cannot be held responsible for any incorrect
information inadvertently published. Charity
Number 203644/SC037711
Page 7
Helping a Feline Friend by Judith Hesford
We're a family that have had lots of animals as my daughter
has been growing up. Recently we lost Monty a beautiful Maine
coon, who was sadly run over and that meant we had Tabitha
who was used to having a play partner (even aged 6) feeling a
bit lonely. Enter Sylvester - Sylvester came from the Woking
Cats Protection. I spent a few weekends looking at websites,
making calls & eventually spoke to Pauline who was incredibly
helpful.
The cat I was interested in was not available but after a couple
of days Pauline rang back & said that although Sylvester had
not lived with another cat, he had been cared for at a house
with a kitten and he seemed fine. We went to visit & it was love
at first sight.............
Riddled with fleas!
“We feel even
more proud now
knowing about
Sylvester's sad
plight.”
We followed all the advice from Pauline
about introducing him to Tabitha & now
they are best buddies, regularly chasing
each other up & down the stairs and they
play hide & seek. Yes they really do!
Sylvester is a cat who likes to be around
people. When we have friends round for
dinner, he always come to say hello (unlike Tabitha) to show off
his fantastic fluffy coat and tail. We're so glad we had the courage
to take Sylvester. It did require a little patience to start with particularly the phoning & trying to find a suitable friend for Tabitha
but it was so worth it plus he came already vaccinated & chipped.
Eventually Pauline told us of Sylvester's plight before we took him
& that made me feel even more proud that we had helped a sad
little moggy.
I thoroughly recommend taking a cat for re-homing, their advice
has been invaluable. Thank you to all those lovely people who
give their time & effort to keep our animals safe. Guess which
one is Sylvester in the photo - yes he's the one who looks like
Sylvester!
Sylvester certainly had a sad existence
before being taken in by Judith and her
family. Someone very special alerted us
about him originally...thankyou Lisa G! He
was in a terrible state, riddled with fleas
and very forlorn. He is a different cat now ,
a very happy ending for this lovely boy.
Rescued & safe at last
Volunteer Spotlight ~ Catherine Orezzi, Social Media Editor
Q. How long have you been a volunteer for Woking & District Cats Protection?
A. Nearly 5 years. I have always been a home visitor in that time and I was the branch Homing Officer
for a year too. I have been Social Media Editor for 3 years.
Sub Editor - Oscar!
Q. How did find out about volunteering for the branch?
A. We had adopted 2 rescue kittens and I wanted to help other cats in need find loving homes too.
Q. What is it about cats that attracts you to them?
A. I have always loved cats. I had 2 as a child and I remember my cat Sweep, curling up in the crook
of my neck every night to sleep. While cats can be super independent, they are also extremely
clever and loving.
Q. What aspects of your volunteer roles do you love most about being Social Media Editor and Home Visitor?
A. Being a home visitor is really rewarding when you meet some lovely families and match them with the right cat. Being Social
Media Editor means I get to talk to a lot of people who I have never met but have the same love for cats and want to support the
branch in everything we do. Our Facebook page has over 1300 likes and people comment every day! It’s great to be able to share
the happy stories about our cats and get interaction from people. We also won a Cats Protection competition for the most number
of likes for a homing story and since then the most number of likes for a photo is 105 for Florence and Romeo!! People love to see
pictures and read stories and Facebook is the perfect way to do that. (See Florence & Romeo’s story on page 25)
Q. I am sure all the cats are special but are there any that have left a particular impression on you and why?
A.
There are lots of cats that have been in our care that I have such fond memories of and some have been adopted by friends
who I see often. The one I remember the most is Bella, who was the first cat I found a home for when I was Homing Officer.
Bella is a fluffy black and white cat who was very nervous at first. She was fostered by Carol and I looked after her when Carol
was on holiday. Bella didn’t much like me (or anyone really) at first but she became my friend and was a lovely little cat. She
went to live with Anjie and Bob who absolutely adore her. Anjie posts regular updates on Facebook and she is clearly a happy,
much loved cat. She certainly landed on her 4 fluffy paws!
Q. How many cats do you have yourself?
A. I have two, Oscar and Mollie. They were a present for my 30th birthday and came into our lives at 10 weeks old. They are brother
and sister, black and white (I love B&W cats) and they are my babies, despite what the vet says about them being mature at 7
years old!
Q. What would you say to someone else thinking about becoming a volunteer for Woking Cats Protection?
A. Do it, it’s so rewarding! We are a small, close team and everyone works really hard to make sure we help the cats.
Page 8
Felis Catus
For the Love of Cats
Back in the summer of 2012 a
stray cat appeared in our garden,
he was a regular who would walk
through our garden. This time he
was different before he wouldn't
want any contact with us but he
now wanted to come into the
house. It was clear that this cat
needed some help and after
contacting
many
by Charlotte Turner
Here is the bit about Lilly, I will
probably be in tears once I finish.
I started collecting donations to
give Cats Protection but while
collecting these I sadly had to
have my lovely Lilly put to sleep
so even though I started doing
this in memory of Casper it is
also in memory of Lilly.
organisations,
a hamster and she had got out of
her ball, Lilly kept coming into
my
room
and
meowing
and
I
thought she wanted food so I got
up and she lead me to where the
hamster was sitting. It was like
she was telling me the hamster
had got out of her ball. She
accepted the 3 others cats that
moved in with us, she was the
Cats Protection were the only
I adopted Lilly from another
boss and they all knew it, she
ones who offered us help. We
organisation in 2003 and she was
even liked sitting on the sofa
were asked to take him to
such a big character with a strik-
with Button Bunny.
Spinney Hill vets which we did
ing look and a lot of chat. She
and that is where he was named
was a Persian cross and was found
I
Casper. I had said to Cats
matted so the first time I saw
about
Protection I would be willing to
her she had a funny haircut which
wished for a better cat, I know
take him on if he required a
included her own Ugg boots (well
it sounds strange to say but she
home, Casper was an old boy and
that's
was
had some health issues and the
There was a sign on her pen
helped
kindest thing to do for him was
saying she had been in care for
times and the bad. She is well
to put him out of his suffering.
some time and people laughed at
and truly missed by me and she
If it wasn't for Cats Protection
her because of her drastic haircut.
will be in my heart forever.
he would have continued to
This didn't put me and my dad
suffer. So since I received help
off reserving her and we were
from Cats Protection for Casper,
told that she felt comfortable
once
around us as she was eating and
a
something
month
from
I
have
their
bought
Amazon
wish list to thank them.
what
we
called
them.)
so
many
great
her
and
couldn't
like
my
me
stories
have
best
friend
who
through
the
good
she continued to have a big
appetite. I remember that I had
Bella By Graham & Kim Dew
We write to tell you about our very
successful adoption of Bella, which started
back in September 2015. We had just
retired and having always had cats, we felt
that our lives were missing one thing - being
able to offer a home to a cat in need.
Looking at adoption sites we came across
Woking Cats Protection website. All the
cats and kittens were adorable; personally we
could have adopted them all! But one little
cat stood out for us and her name was Bella,
she was 2 ½ years old a semi long haired
Tortie. On contacting WCP we were
helped by Pauline Welch - who I have to say
have
was quite amazing. Bella was going to be
adopted under the “Direct Homing Scheme”
which means she was to come to us directly
from her previous home. Pauline helped us
secure Bella for adoption which I have to say
was not entirely straightforward, at one
point we didn’t think it was ever going to be
possible. But with Pauline’s determination
and to our delight Bella came to live with us
in October 2015.
She was quite a feisty little monster at first
but she soon settled in to her new home, we
can’t imagine life without her now. She is
the most intelligent and loveable little cat;
Extraordinary Charlotte!
she follows us around the house and snuggles
up on the nearest chair available to be in our
company. She likes to venture outside now
and is happy exploring her new garden and
she’s in her element when we are in the
garden too. She is now very sociable to any
visitors and she seems to be very content in
her new home. We cannot thank WCP
enough for making it possible for us to adopt
Bella and we wish Pauline and the Team all
the very best for the fabulous work that they
do.
Page 9
Savannah makes a big difference By Amanda Benstead
I grew up with cats; my parents
ran a cattery in Hertfordshire and
were keen supporters of our local
Cats Protection branch fostering
numerous cats over the years.
When my father died four years
ago my mother, who is dependent on a wheelchair, had to
move into residential care and
didn’t expect to be able to see
her “grand-cats” in her new
home. However the home is a
supporter of the Cinnamon Trust*
and was happy for me to bring
my cats to visit. They have a lot
of canine visitors but mine were
the first cats they had seen. All of
our cats are trained to wear a
harness and lead and are very
confident and outgoing and love
to meet new people so they love
their visits as much as my mother
does. They can take as much
affection and adoration as they
can get so revel in being told
how beautiful they are and how
soft their fur is.
My mother loves to spend time
with the cats and watch them
playing or curling up on her bed.
In the summer they can even go
out and stroll round the garden
wearing their harnesses. Of
course it may look as though I am
taking them for a walk but in
reality they decide the route and
expect to be carried back when
they are tired! They are very
popular with other residents and
staff. Many of them have come
a long way to live or work at the
home and have had to leave
their family and cats behind
when they moved to Guildford so
they love the chance to meet
our feline crew. Other visitors are
always amazed to see a cat,
although more than one has
initially thought that they were a
new breed of small dog!
I am of course known by all the
staff and residents as the mad
lady who brings her cats to visit.
To give a different perspective I
have asked Savannah to add a
few words of her own.
Savannah goes visiting
My name is Savannah and I am
4, I live in Woking with my big
brother, Orlando and my little
sister, Maya and our two humans.
My favourite hobbies are eating,
finding the warmest places to
sleep and keeping my fur looking
beautiful. I love to go out in the
car and visit my human’s mother.
She lives in a big house with lots
of other people but they don’t
have any cats of their own there
so I love to go and visit them and
show off my beautiful fur and
lovely green eyes. I wear my
special pink harness so that I can
sit on my human’s shoulder and
catch a ride down the corridors. I
love it when people come up to
me and stroke my fur and tell me
how gorgeous I am.
*The Cinnamon Trust supports
older people and their pets and
encourages care homes to be
“pet friendly”.
Billie & Benjie - Brothers in Arms By Lesley Everett
Billie (black and white) and Benjie
(apricot and white) arrived in their
basket in September last year, brought
by Pauline from the Cats Protection. I
had only seen them the day before with
my 23 year old son, Josh and fell in love
immediately. We had lost our lovely 16
year old cat, Benson the year before.
Before Benson we had had William who
came to us in 1985 when my husband
and I bought our first flat. Both cats
were from Cats Protection so it didn’t
occur to me to get our cats from anywhere else. All of those who work for
Cats Protection or foster the cats have
been lovely.
A close friend said to get two kittens as
she had always had two cats and they
kept each other company. It was the
best advice I had received. Billie and
Benjie are brothers and at 6 months old
are still very close. They still cuddle and
play-fight and go on adventures together in our garden. Fortunately, they have
stopped climbing trees and then not
being able to get down! Unfortunately,
they have discovered that catching mice
is fun!
My 84 year old mother lives next door
with us and has her own cat flap so they
have two comfortable homes to go
between and when I am at work, they
are often in with my Mum getting lots
of fuss. Billie is bigger than Benjie but
Benjie is probably the boss – always
pushing Billie out of the way when food
or treats are put down. Billie is very
patient. They are very playful and love
to play in empty boxes and the new
tunnel they got for Christmas. They
make us all laugh and we can’t believe
how much we love them. Such
characters, we hope they will always be
close.
Page 10
Felis Catus
Story 2 - The Lost & Lonely Souls (all found in a ditch in a garden)
Moppet is a Friend Indeed!
By Yasemin Roland
My name is Wacka and I am part of a very
warm, fun family. Unfortunately last year I
lost my sister in a car accident and despite
my humans best efforts, I was very lonely
and stopped engaging with them like I used
to. You see, I am not a normal cat, I'm very
special. I had viral meningitis when I was
little and this has left me with special needs
and a list of ailments as long as my tail.
After much discussion and a little patience,
Cats Protection came to the rescue and
found my new friend, Moppet. She had been
abandoned as a young kitten and was
looking for a new home. She arrived with
bundles of energy and an inquisitive nature
one Saturday afternoon. I didn't meet her
straight away but I knew she was around - I
could hear her and smell her nearby! While I
can't say it was love at first sight, there was a
mutual curiosity and it was only a few weeks
before we started having romantic meals for
two. She was a bit timid around my toddler
human who was super excited by her arrival.
I explained to Moppet that he is completely
harmless and actually really good at cuddles,
so well worth making friends with.
Four months down the line and we are
inseparable. She gives me reason to get up
and play each day and brings the kitten out
in me. She knows that I am the boss but she
is much quicker and stronger than me so
often I find myself pinned down on the
kitchen floor with her licking me all over. She
has a very irritating habit of playing with my
tail, I don't like it, but I humour her as she is
really very cute. I've told her all about our
humans and she's a fast learner.
Unfortunately I am unable to jump up high so
I use her to sneak food off the counter top
and drop it onto the floor for us to share.
Clever eh? She has also got used to our
toddler, and helps put him to bed every
evening.
This is a rather long way of saying thank you
to Woking Cats Protection for my new friend.
She is beautiful, loving and has brought me
back to life again and for that I am very
grateful.
Bailey & Harvey - Twins for Twins! - By Roz Burgess
Considerable thoughts were taken
before we made the decision to get a
pet. A cat would be best suited for us
and we could offer it a great home.
One cat...no no, two would be even
better, today mates for each other
and the more the merrier. And so we
went to meet Edward and Carlisle,
whom at about 13 weeks old would
be perfect. Pauline was wonderful and
all of our basic and strange questions
were answered without laughter. We
chose new names for our two
brothers, Bailey and Harvey. Our twins
had new twins in the family. Exciting
times came as from the start Harvey
loved to explore. Bailey was and
remains more reserved and has
plenty of love to share but often
needs collecting to join us. Both are
individual and very different cats,
enjoying the attention given and
providing so much interest and fun. At
five months old now, it feels like they
have been part of the family for a long
time.
Mhairi “Bears” Witness that Cats are Cool!
By Mo Forgan
I’d never thought of myself as a cat person at all - very much, and
very firmly in the “dog” camp. My husband was of the same view,
which was why we had ended up with a very large Gordon Setter
puppy – a huge, lolloping, daft, gentle dog called Hamish. Our eldest daughter Mhairi had, however, been running a “kitten campaign”
for some time and was getting more and more persistent as her 14th
birthday approached. Neither of us had ever had a cat, and we took
the view that a big dog and a small kitten would be a disaster. Our
daughter persevered, providing anecdotes and information on (what
felt like) a daily basis on how it could be managed and how it would
They have the run of the house and
both explore and we have many
games of hide and seek. Sleep is of
course vitally important for them and
they achieve this anywhere, on our
knees, on a chair, in fact absolutely
anywhere. Curled up, together or in a
bundle of underwear!
Quite simply we love our kittens and
they seem to rather enjoy our
company too.
work. Without telling her, I contacted Woking Cats Protection to see
what the options were and whether it really was possible (and not
just wishful teenage thinking). Despite my concerns, I was
reassured that all could be managed with care and planning … and
so… we took the plunge!
Godalming and Woking Cats Protection branches were both
marvellous – helpful, informative and encouraging (a huge thanks to
Jenny, Jean and Pauline). Hamish behaved himself beautifully on
our home visit; and before I knew where we were I was taking a very
excited teenager to meet a kitten in his foster home. We were both
a bit bowled over by this beautiful white/tabby cat not least by his
extraordinary eyes….. one blue, one amber. So, of course, we said
'yes, please'.
Cont::
Page 11
Story 2 continued
We have now had Bear (as my daughter called him) for 4
on and they now spend large parts of the day in Hamish’s
months and he is hilarious and far more affectionate than I
bed together. Bear will come and lie down next to Hamish
thought a cat could be.
on the rug in the evening. My daughter was delighted to
Hamish and himself bowl along together, with Bear holding
the upper hand. We took the advice given by Woking Cats
Protection and took the introduction between the two very
slowly. Bear was quite alarmed by Hamish initially – he is
large – and we had quite a few “shocked cartoon cat”
moments! Hamish tried to treat Bear like a puppy to play
with … batting him with his nose and trying to get him to
play chase. Bear is very good at putting him in his place!
Our only problem is with feeding … in that Bear likes
Hamish’s food, and Hamish likes Bear’s. A regular sight is
Hamish standing next to his bowl, looking forlorn, while Bear
tucks in, standing between his legs. If Hamish gets to Bear’
s food first, it is gone in a lick.
Until last week I thought that this “working relationship”
was as good as it was going to get, but things have moved
report Bear licking Hamish’s nose yesterday - I think it was
the remains of his lunch rather than affection - but it is
clear that it can and has worked.… and the only cloud on
the horizon?…my very persuasive (and now rather smug)
daughter thinks that what we really need is another
kitten……
Editor’s Message to Mhairi
Hello Mhairi , we certainly think you are a real great
ambassador for cats and Bear has to be a very lucky boy
to have found his second chance at happiness with you.
One day perhaps you will be managing a CP branch. We
need special people like you!
Best wishes
Mary
A Tale of Two Kitties By Andrea Ridge
We lost our old cat Katie last year on Valentine’s day. She was 16 years old and our two girls (6 and 4 years) were devastated as they had
both grown up with her. We decided not to have another cat as we couldn’t go through the upset of losing another pet, but as the months went
on the house did not feel right. Nothing to welcome you home from work, nothing to curl up on your lap in the evening, nothing to bring in little
presents from the garden!
In July we decided that perhaps the time was right to have another cat. The only problem was that both of the girls (Alice and Freyja) wanted
to name them. To stop World War 3 breaking out there was only one solution ...two cats.
I was never keen on getting cats from breeders or pet shops. Katie had been a rescue cat and we all agreed that we wanted to give two cats
(hopefully kittens) a better start in life. A lot of the cats we saw were not suitable for young children but then we saw a litter of 4 kittens (3 boys
and a girl) at Woking Cat Protection and were put in touch with Pauline. They had had an awful start in life but had been rescued from a
ditch and were now doing well.
Alice and Freyja were very excited on our first trip to view them. The girls wanted to take some cat toys so the kittens would like us, so we
went equipped with toy mice, balls and feathers on sticks. All four kittens were adorable, running around and climbing over each other. However we instantly fell in love with two of them; Bella, the female who was white, grey and apricot and Jacob who was a mainly white, with grey
patches. Bella was the curious and outgoing one. Jacob was a lot more shy and it was only at the end of our viewing that we were able to
stroke him. Alice instantly took to Bella (and even better she liked the name), and Freyja loved Jacob. The only problem was she wanted to
call him Rupert (after a boy she liked at nursery). So Jacob became Rupert, though he didn’t seem to mind.
A few weeks later Pauline brought them to our house and spent a few hours with us while the kittens had the first taste of their new home.
They seemed to adjust very well and the girls were very good with them. For the first few weeks we kept them mainly in one room, but as their
confidence (and inquisitiveness) grew they explored further and further until they were happy in the whole house.
6 months on and I think it is fair to say they rule the house. Both are doing really well and love playing with each other. One very cute thing is
that they still cuddle up and sleep together at night. Rupert is still the shyer one but is the more affectionate. Bella is the mischievous one. She
likes nothing more than to grab a sock and run off with it in her mouth. We have so many odd socks now…and a sock thief to boot.
A big thank you to Woking Cat Protection for making our house feel whole again.
Page 12
Felis Catus
Hugo & Honey - Golden Oldies - By Della Johnson
My husband and I have always
shared our home with cats,
however for the first time in 19
years, we were sadly missing
their presence last summer. We
lost our gentle Queenie in the
spring at the remarkable age of
19 and over a period of weeks
in the summer, our second cat,
Dusty, was lost to cancer. Dusty
had been an unplanned visitor
who arrived 3 years ago and
decided to stay – and what an
eccentric character he turned
out to be! So a couple of
months later the house was
feeling decidedly quiet and a
certain something was missing.
We started paying a little more
attention to the “Looking for a
Home” posts and there were so
many beautiful deserving cats
who needed somewhere. Our
attention was caught by Honey
and Hugo who needed a home
together as their owner had
sadly passed away.
minute they are tearing up and
down the stairs and the next
they are sitting in front of the
fire washing each other (while
trying to get the best spot!)
Pauline from CP arranged for us
to visit and mutual introductions
made. It didn’t take us long to
decide that this lovely pair were
for us! They are both about 8
years old and are extremely
friendly affectionate cats. Honey
is a very fluffy tortie - mild
mannered and slightly scatterbrained and Hugo (who likes to
think he’s boss) tries to be
macho but can’t resist a tickle
behind the ears! They have
been with us for two and a half
months now and their paws are
firmly under the table. One
We are so pleased that they
have settled in very easily and
we are also very happy to be
able to offer a home to
“older” cats that can sometimes be overlooked. Please
do not dismiss the “golden
oldies” if you are thinking of
adopting!
Finally, I would like to say a
huge thankyou to Pauline,
Jenny, Mary and all of the
volunteers at Woking Cats
Protection who give up so much
time and energy to CP – you
are doing an amazing job!
Not just fluffy but “Georgeous!” By
Love from the Johnson
Family
Sue Back
It was a chance conversation with friends that led us to George, AKA “Stripes”. Having trawled the internet
cat rescue sites for over a year searching exclusively for a short haired female, it was love at first sight
when we were introduced to this friendly ‘Georgeous' long-haired male.
Within moments Kim was able to address the concerns we had regarding taking on a chap and a fluffy
one at that - then just a couple of days later we were ready to welcome Stripes into his new home.
Whilst having had some previous experience with other family cats, this was the first time either my
husband or I have been totally responsible. However, Kim patiently answered our endless questions,
provided a wealth of useful information and tips, whilst offering us continued support. This was all hugely
reassuring and much appreciated. From our initial meeting, ‘George’ has been an absolute darling - a
gentle, affectionate and much-loved addition to our family. He came to us with all the signs of having
previously been well loved and cared for, the result of which we have been blessed with his extremely
warm, well-tempered nature along with excellent training.
What a character! In addition to letting us know when he wants something, George is very communicative and enjoys a good verbal exchange! Left alone, he enjoys his toys but the moment we approach his
fishing-rod feather toy, cat laser or, of late, his harness and lead, he’ll appear like a shot from nowhere.
Cont:
Page 13
Even when he’s sleeping, he keeps us amused by the many poses and somewhat ungainly positions he
adopts, notably upside down, feet in the air, paw across the eyes. Rather than go to the effort of using the
cat flap, George has also successfully trained my husband to open the kitchen door for him.
We are currently working towards giving George free rein outdoors. We have been using the harness and
gentle lead while we familiarise him with our garden….and while we build the confidence to let him loose!
Following a very nervous start he is slowly gaining confidence, has learned to negotiate the microchip cat
flap to the garden and is no doubt ready to explore further. Our next hurdle is going to be how he will
handle the neighbouring cats.
Now he’s generally more settled, we have successfully taken him to my elderly parents several times for
some extra attention and places to explore. Hopefully he has come to recognise that not all car journeys
lead to the vets and that we always return to the same home.
Thank you to Ruth, Jenny and Kim at Cats Protection for all your support in steering us towards this, our
fluffy bundle of joy!
Peaches & Mika send the Cane’s over the moon By David Cane
My husband and I both grew up with cats as pets, so when we finally moved out of our one bedroom second floor flat into a
house the first thing we did was to go onto the Woking Cats Protection
website. We had both discussed getting a kitten but it obviously depended on what cats / kittens needed re-homing. As my
husband went onto the website, Peaches and Mika were on the front page as the latest featured cats and the minute I saw them
I told my husband to stop looking and to
enquire about them straight away. My main reason for adopting them, aside from having adorable pictures on the website was
the mere fact that they were 7 years old and came as a pair. I instantly knew that they were the least likely to be adopted - as
most people choose to get a single kitten.
After getting in contact with Cats Protection we arranged a visit with the owner to meet Peaches and Mika. We made sure we
didn't get our hopes up in terms of petting them on the first visit, but also just in case we didn't get along with the cats. As it happened, we were able to pet both cats and we fell in love with them instantly. It was also important for the owner to see us interact with them as well as them with us. It was reassuring for her to see that not only were the cats calm with us, but that they
were also calm with each other.
Hints and Tips for adopting older cats (especially if you get to meet with the previous owners):• Ask what types & flavours & brand of food they prefer, and if they have a special bowl they like to
eat out of?
• What call do you use to get them inside and or for food?
• How do they like to drink water/where do they drink water? Is it from a tap, out of a bowl or cup?
• Where do they like to sleep during the day and in the evenings?
 Do they have a particular routine with them?
After 3 weeks, we still had not introduced them to the outdoors as we realised in the short term that we owned them, they were
very sociable cats and were very wary of them wandering off to a new home and not returning. We wanted to be certain that the
cats knew this was their new home. As it turned out, once we let them out they seemed to prefer to stay indoors in the warmth of
the house. We let them out every day, but they spend very little time outdoors. One of the many advantages to adopting older
cats is that they are more than likely already litter trained. As both my husband and I work during the day, we would have struggled to find the time to train a kitten, so we were very glad that these older cats came litter trained and were very well behaved
with all furniture. They know not to claw the furniture and so far we've escaped any of the breakages that a pair of new kittens
would have wrought on the house. We are over the moon with Peaches & Mika, two loving cats with very different characters.
Page 14
Felis Catus
FEATURED
Poppy - 23
FELINES
Peaches - 13
Simba - 18
Bodie & Florence - 25
Mia - 25
Mika - 13
Little P - 24
Buddy & Hattie - 24
Savannah - 9
George - 12
Tom - 24
Minstrel - 19
Leo - 18
Bailey & Harvey
10
Lilly & Button Bunny - 8
Daisy - 26
Ninja - 23
Molly - 25
Horace
22
Dora & Mabel - 5
Page 15
Bear - 10
Posey & Ferris - 6
Moppet - 10
Toby - 5
Hugo & Honey - 12
Milo
25
Mabel - 21
Florence - 25
Bella & Rupert - 11
Bella - 8
Coco - 6
Una - 23
Sylvester - 7
Hector &
Maisie - 6
Alice - 18
Button & Skittles - 17
Billie & Benjie - 9
Esme & Tiffany - 23
Buddy & Holly - 27
Rosie - 20
Page 16
Felis Catus
Fostering is for me!
I've been an indoor fosterer for about 3 years and have helped cats to find forever
homes after a really sad and tough time in their lives....... But actually they have
given me much more! As an indoor fosterer the cats join me in my home (the rule is
that I keep them in 1 room - never was much good at rules!). What is not to love
about the job? Always a cat to talk to, to keep my knee warm when I watch TV, to
hear snoring on my bed at night, to greet me at the front door. "How can you give
them up?" is the common question. Because I know another cat personality is on its
way to me and I love that. To watch a frightened stressed cat relax and want to
beloved is a real privilege.
Janet Dunn - Indoor Fosterer
A friend of mine is a member of Woking Cats Protection and she receives the Felis
Catus newsletter. She gave me a copy and inside there was an article about
becoming a fosterer, I thought I would like more information so I called Mary and
that’s how it all started, Mary and Pauline came to see me and explained what the role
of being a fosterer entailed and checked out my garden for having one of their special
pens erected. I started with a single pen. I was a bit nervous and excited about getting
my first cat, and then they arrived two small kittens that were very tatty and timid. I
named them Spider and Jacko, Spending time looking after them and watching them
grow in confidence and turning into healthier kittens was so rewarding, I actually felt
very proud of them. It was lovely to see them go to their lovely new home. Now, Carol
has just had a double pen erected in her garden!
Carol Norman
Pen Fosterer
Alison - Pen Fosterer
I have been fostering for 5 1/2 years first as an
indoor fosterer then 2 1/2 years ago with a
single pen in my garden then last year I
updated to a double pen so I could be more
useful and foster more cats. I have always had
cats in my life and fostering for Cats Protection
allows me to help less fortunate cats than my
own. I would encourage people to foster as it
gives great satisfaction especially when the
cats and kittens come in sad and frightened
and they leave you all fluffy and confident, feels
like a good job done.
I have been fostering for
Woking CP since 1983.
Back then I also had a
full time job as well, so it
was a 4am start to fit the
cats in before work! I
have so many stories
about hundreds and
Janice Aubrey - Pen Fosterer hundreds of cats and the
people that have been
helped by Woking CP. Fostering has always been an
important part of my life and I love the responsibility that
comes with the temporary caring I do and then the joy of
seeing them go off to a new life. I think with my 33 years
volunteering as a fosterer it is true testament to just how
fantastic it is.
Page 17
I have been fostering for Woking Cats Protection for 2 years now, I started in
December 2013. I started fostering because there are so many cats and
people who need our help. People do not realise that by fostering you are not
just helping cats but their previous owners too. A lot of the cats that come into
our care are much loved pets who have been given up due to their owners not
being able to look after them any more either due to ill health, allergies, not
being able to take them to their new accommodation or due to the owner
having passed away. The fact that we are able to provide their pets with lots of
TLC and find them new, loving homes is a big relief to them. We also take in a
lot of strays and cats living in not ideal situations. I have fostered nearly 100
Kim - Pen Fosterer
cats now and I can honestly say that all of them have been special to me for
different reasons - from the naughty kitten to the golden oldie. I absolutely love looking after the cats, seeing them
gradually blossom, their trust grow and their personalities shine through and finally seeing them settle into their new
homes with their new families. I even enjoy the mundane tasks such as emptying litter trays, cleaning the pens etc. I
know that I am making a difference to a cat's life but they are also making a huge difference to my life, they help me
to relax and de-stress. When I take them to their new forever home it is wonderful - the final piece of the jigsaw falls
into place where you realise that you are not just changing a cat's life but also people's lives as well. The excitement
on the new owners face when they answer the door and see you there with their new cat is reward in itself. Once
when I delivered one of my foster cats to their new home, the children had made banners welcoming the cat - it
warmed my heart!! I love receiving updates from their new families; every time I receive one makes my day. Just
writing this article makes me smile and realise how lucky I am to be trusted by Woking Cats Protection to do this role!
I saw an advert in Felis Catus, asking for indoor fosterers. Heather invited
me to meet the rest of her team at her pens. Benjamin allowed me to let
him sit on my lap and so, this gave the girls the go ahead to “accept” me.
Next was a visit from Jenny to my home plus an explanation on what would
be expected of me. I had to be prepared to keep any prospective charges
contained on one room, disinfect between inmates, take them to the vet if
necessary and to feed, groom and play with them. In return I had the
pleasure of knowing I was providing a safe haven, a calm respite from
further trials and tribulations and in time, surrendering them to a perfectly
matched for-ever home. I was eager to begin. It all seemed so simple, a
win/win situation. Initially I was entrusted with the oldies aged between 12
Mary - Indoor Fosterer
and 21 that are often much harder to find new homes for. I got to know
each of them very well as their stay was measured in months rather than
weeks. Their temporary home was my spare bedroom so it was easy to let them slip across the landing at night and
cuddle up on my bed if they so desired…..Simply Heaven! This summer everything changed with an influx of kittens
so I fostered my first litter of 3x10 week old pure black beauties. More kittens followed, mainly in pairs and I
continued with their socialising and rearing.
I've so enjoyed this past 7 years, my friends and family are all keen to know each new cats history and come and
visit them regularly especially the youngsters and a wonderful key holding neighbour will pop over if I am out for the
day to check, perhaps feed and definitely play for a while. Cats Protection provides me with all the wet and dry cat
food and litter I need, they pay all vet and medication costs. I am supported by a wonderful team of experienced
volunteers, so all the worry is taken out of owning a pet but I get all the pleasure..... and some!
Pauline’s double pens are the ones we relocated to Carol. See Pauline’s article on page 20 to
find out why she has decided after 7 years to hand over her poop scoop!
Page 18
Felis Catus
Story 3 - The Lost & Lonely Souls
Simba - Leo - Alice - The “Tales” of Three Kitties!
Simba
By Kate Henderson
We had been looking for a ginger kitten as a birthday present for one
of my daughters. She was very specific and it had to be ginger! We
already have two male cats (brothers) who are six years old and I
was rather hesitant to get another cat, not knowing how the other
two would react to it. I decided, owing to the very relaxed nature of
our cats, that it would probably be fine and that we would make it a
success. Having had a brief look on the internet, it was clear that
there were a great many ginger kittens for sale, but I was not entirely
comfortable with the idea of buying a cat from website and so
decided, on a what I thought was a very long shot, to see if any of
the Cats Protection Centres had any kittens available. I was
delighted to see not only a kitten, but a ginger one to boot, available
in our nearby area. He, Simba the ginger kitten, had been found in a
garden with his feral mother. She was being fed by the family who
owned the garden and surprised them one day by turning up with
three beautiful kittens. Knowing that by allowing them to mature in a
Alice
by Linda Caulfield
An unfortunate event brought Alice to our
door. In August last year we were burgled
just before going away on our summer
holiday. Among the things that were taken
was some of my Nan's jewelry which was of
great sentimental value to me. Her middle
name was Alice. My Goddaughter shared
The Cats Protection page with me and there
was Alice! She is so cute and so pretty.
We already had a cat that was found at 4
Leo
feral environment would be an unkindness, Cats Protection decided
to take the kittens in and find homes for them. From the description
of Simba’s temperament - far more friendly than his extremely shy
sister and brother - I felt sure that we could give him a loving home
and decided to go and meet him at the lovely Woking Welfare
Officer’s house where he was being cared for - and it took no time at
all for our hearts to be entirely taken with this beautiful kitten. He
arrived a few days later with all the relevant documentation and was
up to date with his inoculations and vets checks. On the advice of
Pauline, we kept him separate from the other two cats while he
settled into his new home, and once over his initial timidity at being
in a new environment, was the friendly, affectionate animal I had
hoped he would be. Within no time, he was fully acclimatised to the
house, to us (a family of five) and the other two cats, who were
fantastic with him. He is a wonderful addition to our family, is adored
by us all and I cannot imagine our home without his friendly
‘chirruping’ voice greeting us whenever he sees us. I found Cats
Protection to be fantastic, very kind and supportive and the whole
experience was enormously positive. Thank you so much to Pauline
for all her help and cheerful advice.
weeks old in a cardboard box next to a
Sainsbury’s recycling centre by my
daughters’ friend. We lost our beloved 18
year old cat Tigger a few weeks before we
took him in and named him Buddy Olly.
Expecting Alice to be re-homed I thought no
more about her. We had a trip planned in
October to New York and this was no time to
be introducing a new cat to Buddy.
Whilst in Central Park we came across the
Alice in Wonderland statue. When we got
back, another Facebook page was shared
with a desperate plea for a home for Alice.
So instead of replacing my Nan's things with
jewellery I decided to adopt Alice. I was
brought up with cats and had lots of
experience and after talking with my
husband thought we could offer her a home.
Time and patience paid off and she has
settled in well-being totally in love with
Buddy, although I am not sure he feels the
same but she is growing on him, she is
happy and content. My husband and I love
them both to bits.
by Stella Abbott
Our "fantastic wise old cat" (to quote the vet) went to cat heaven at the ripe old age of 24. Understandably we couldn't think of replacing him
for some time, however in September I thought I would just see what Woking Cats Protection had on their website.
The rest, as they say, is history, for there looking at me was the sweetest ginger furball you have ever seen. I have always shied away from
long haired cats as we were a crazy busy household, but with the "children" living in their own homes I reckoned I would have the time for
grooming, so we went to see Pauline at her lovely home.
An extremely nervous little boy and his sister were sharing a home... and eventually I picked Leo up, and pretty soon he was purring They say
cats choose their humans and that is how it felt. My husband was less keen as this was clearly a kitten with problems and not at all like the
ones we had had before, but agreed it was worth a try.
After the usual health and home check Leo joined us and promptly took up residence in the bookcase, or under his bed! Fortunately he is
driven by food and he got used to being out in the kitchen over the next week or so. He was not however going to be easily won over and to
get hold of him required a pincer movement by my husband and I, and I'm not going to lie... there were days when I thought we would never
have a pet... just a cat that stayed with us .
Cont:
Page 19
Christmas was a bit of a breakthrough, Leo discovered tree climbing, and football!! He also met a puppy, and I guess he felt at home enough
to join us on and off on Christmas Day.... or maybe it was the smell of the turkey!
Since then, he has had a friends Labrador to stay for a few days, and although not sharing a bed, they became friends enough to play hide
and seek around the island in the kitchen. My Leo is not the bravest lion though and is very nervous of going outside, rushing in if the crows
start making a racket at him, preferring to go out in the dark, for up to half an hour and always coming home, though shouting at the door
rather than using the cat flap!
Finally, I was showing a photo to a friend, and she said, “What a beautiful Maine Coon”, “Really?” said I. “Yes no doubt, his tail and ears give
it away.”, she says. Needless to say I googled Maine Coons. My husband summed it up by saying, "Maybe there's no point teaching him to
use the cat flap, if he gets that big he will need a key to get in!"
of
e get to see the photos
w
en
th
y,
d
ar
an
M
w
ie
nt
no
y
Au
er
r
Dea
lieve that? Ev
e
of The Sun, can you be
a lot bigger now, som
s
I’m
lap
.
7
ed
ed
ar
et
sc
pl
d
m
an
co
all
ve
We ha
ey we look sm
a mouse, or
ed us to Bisley. By crik
er
liv
de
er
th
ea
H
od bowl, or I’ve caught
fo
ie
y
nt
m
in
d
rie
when Au
bu
is
e
my fac
her when
ver happier than when
t on top of the dishwas
ou
ed
lay
sp
or
nd
say too big, but I’m ne
po
e
fish in th
ve the
oulder or gazing at the
y brother) and I still ha
(m
er
dg
Ba
e.
tim
e
I’m sat on the Dads’ sh
th
fella most of
ly any
opy), but there’s rare
of it I’m quite a happy
lo
k
in
th
th
bo
to
us
e
s
m
nd
Co
se
.
ll
on
sti
s
it’
product (which
lly over a catnip based
ua
us
p
ra
sc
l
na
sio
ca
oc
of me here was
y enjoyed. The photo
all
re
ey
th
major nastiness.
ch
hi
w
,
ar
t ye
how pleased I
ur Christmas Fayre las
three! I can’t tell you
al
fin
e
th
to
Mum & Dad went to yo
d
ste
tli
or
got sh
mon the
ure competition and I
might be a friend of Si
k
in
th
I
ho
(w
t
entered into a best pict
ca
r
ge
fie the Gin
I hear it
pped at the post by Al
the other entries too.
all
to
ne
do
l
el
W
am about that. Got pi
al.
en in the fin
lookeat honour to have be
ell competition, so I’m
sh
ise
rto
To
d
an
y
bb
Judge!), but it was a gr
Ta
going to be a
ed. Next time there’s
ib
cr
bs
su
l
el
w
ry
is space.
ve
as
w
an
k another go - watch th
ea
sn
d
an
ie
es
nd the house rather th
on
ou
ar
te
ff
ria
sta
op
r
pr
ou
ap
g
in
an
t
er
ge
th
ing to
have started bo
g that they get up at a
now, so the two of us
rin
su
in
t
en
se
d
to
an
g
sit
in
rt
to
sta
ch
is
hi
r
Winte
laps upon w
re. They
bly involves insisting on
ria
va
in
is
Th
late and have visitors he
.
ay
ite
pl
qu
to
t
up
y
sta
ad
going ou
D
&
es Mum
of that.
our breakfast. Sometim
, but we’re having none
ng
ni
or
m
e
th
in
ep
decent time to deliver
le
as
try to stay
ange smelling stuff and
time.
drink quite a lot of str
bladder - works every
eir
th
on
g
tin
sit
is
ic
ct
,
ng up ta
eather called ‘The Old
H
ie
nt
The absolute best getti
Au
f
of
ok
bo
a
Dad bought
. Perhaps othfit and well. Mum and
is
ne
yo
er
ev
at
it really is a great read
th
d
pe
an
r
ve
cle
ry
We both ho
ve
s
e’
herself. Sh
ie Heather
bly’, which she wrote
ce to hear about Aunt
ni
y
all
re
as
w
It
d.
the Mad and the Wob
ne
t our one sig
ection.
copy too. We even go
a
y
bu
to
e
lik
ht
all at Woking Cats Prot
ig
ith
m
w
s
er
ng
alo
n
ow
kn
est people we’ve ever
as she is one of the kind
Badger).
strel (and on behalf of
in
M
,
all
to
es
ish
W
st
Love and Be
XXX
Story 4 - The Lost & Lonely
Souls (the fridge magnet saga!)
On return from a night away last Aug our friend who had been
house sitting told us she'd seen a cat in the garden carrying two
kittens. At the end of our garden there’s a border thick with tall
conifers. We kept watch and saw a pretty cat, who'd visited the
garden before, emerge from the bushes. My husband went out to
see her but she made it clear he was not welcome and should
leave immediately!
The following morning we saw mum again followed first by one,
and then a second tabby kitten. They were so tiny that she had
to lift them up a 9 inch high step onto the patio. Mum tried to sun
bathe but was thoroughly tormented by the two of them. About
20 minutes later a pale grey tabby kitten with 4 white feet joined
them. The first two were very lively and playful...I thought they
were boys and called them Tish & Tosh. I thought the other was
a girl and called her Baby White Socks. Most of the time they
spent hidden away but we spotted mum going off in the late
evening presumably to hunt. We decided to give them regular
feeds. Whenever we put food out Mum would appear always
closely followed by Tosh a minute or two later by Tish and
eventually by baby white socks who was sometimes stuck with
the leftover scraps. We decided to contact Woking Cats
Page 20
Protection, who we rate highly, having had a cat from them ourselves
(He will be 18 in March). Pauline came to our rescue bringing special
food for the mum and kittens and a plan of action to sort things out.
The first thing was to capture mum and get her neutered, at the same
time Pauline would assess whether she could be homed or be returned
to her outdoor life. The kittens also needed to be trapped and brought
into CP care where they would receive lots of handling and socialisation.
Pauline initially was just going to trap mum and come back for the
kittens. However, Tosh, who was never more than a tails length from his
mum decided to run into the trap with her so they both came straight into
care. Catching the other two kittens took another few days. It was trickier
as they were too light to trigger the trap so Pauline very ingeniously
used fridge magnets on the trip pad to increase the weight. This worked
well and, happily, Tish and baby white socks were caught together.
Pauline was kind enough to let us visit with them at her home. We
couldn't believe how friendly Rose, the mum cat had become. She was
obviously being 'tough mum' in her earlier dealings with us. It was
wonderful that they all found homes so quickly. The joy with their new
families must have been magical. It is just as it was for us with Rama all
those years ago and all the years since.
Ian and Pam Aitken
Hanging up my poop scoops
By Pauline Welch
Branch Welfare Officer
I started volunteering with Woking CP in 2009 as a pen fosterer and
joined the Committee soon after. Since joining the branch I have lost
count the number of cats that I have cared for, it must be in excess of
500. I have particularly enjoyed looking after the mums and kittens
and have had great pleasure in dealing with the more challenging
cats. Every single cat that has passed through my pens has been
special for one reason or another - even the naughtier ones, they have
all deserved a forever home. Since 2011 when I took on the Welfare
Officer role my workload increased significantly and has continued to
do so with a definite increase in the amount of unwanted cats, mums
and kittens and strays coming onto our radar. Due to this, I decided to
introduce direct homings as part of our service, being another way to
support people with rehoming their cats. Promoting free neutering,
trapping and working with multi-cat households are also other areas
that I have got more involved with over the years as the need has
grown.
When I first joined the branch, fostering was all I wanted to do and I
have absolutely loved every minute of it. However, due to the
demand on the services that we offer, I have made the tough
decision to give up my fostering/pens and concentrate on using my
experience for supporting our fantastic Welfare Team and focusing on
developing the services that we offer.
Note from Mary - Branch Co-ordinator
Pauline is known by many of you as she is out there on the front line and
testament to her dedication are the positive messages and feedback we
receive from people who have used our services. Her extensive feline
knowledge and the support she gives to our volunteer welfare teams is
without doubt one of the reasons we are all proud to be Woking CP
Volunteers and go from strength to strength.
Rosie is THE Boss! By Emma Beer
As soon as Rosie arrived home, she was keen to show us she was
the boss. Pauline brought her round, we did the paperwork, all
the while the newest addition to our family was
exploring the kitchen, jumping all over the sides and generally
making herself at home. We tried to limit her run of the house
that first day, so she wouldn't be overwhelmed. What we didn't
realise was that it was Rosie's house - we just pay the bills. Even
doors we tried to keep closed, she pushed open and marched her
way into the room.
That first night, as soon as the lights went out, she started doing
laps of the house. We could hear her little feet sliding all over the
laminate floor as she skidded along the hallway and thudded up
the stairs. She pushed her way into the bedroom and there were
points when she was on top of the wardrobe, all over the bed, and
definitely eyeing up the curtains as her next obstacle. So we encouraged her onto the bed, and that's where she slept. And still
does most nights.
She spent the first few weeks following her new mum around
everywhere - especially into the kitchen, just in case there was
food for her. She still prefers her new mum to her dad - she definitely has favourites. But she loves food more. We have to eat
dinner quickly and she'll sit there and watch every bite, just in
case there's something left over she could eat. So far she's helped
herself to bread, pasta, curry sauce and custard when we weren't
looking - we have to be quick to keep our food away from her.
She's a spoiled cat - we've bought her lots of toys but her favourites? Tin foil rolled into a ball, cardboard boxes and string. She
loves running in from the back garden, jumping onto a flattened
cardboard box and surfing it across the freshly polished dining
room floor. But it's a joy to have her in our home, our lives and
our hearts. She loves to play but she also loves cuddles. She's become a lap cat and loves hanging out with her new parents in her
new home. And we love having her
Page 21
to us and she started to settle in to her new surroundings.
For the first week or so she spent most of her time hiding
By Helen Wood
in our spare room but when we managed to get a cuddle we
In September, our daughter started secondary school. Her
were amazed with the volume of her purr. The whole of her
first day went really well, and but on her second day our
little body vibrated! Gradually she got used to us and startblack and white cat, Mickey, had been outside all day which
ed to play and play and play and play! When she curled up
was out of character – he always came home for food and
on our daughters lap and went to sleep contentedly, we
cuddles.
knew she was settled.
Sadly, we discovered he’d been hit by a car,
Thank you so much for The next step was to introduce Iris (who we
and our daughter’s excitement of starting her
renamed Mabel) to Minnie. It took a while. We’
new school evaporated. We said goodbye to our
d been advised to take things very slowly, and
giving us the
gorgeous boy. His sister, Minnie, a tortoiseshell,
we did. Gradually they got used to each other,
opportunity to give
sensed something was missing. She had been
they were happy to eat side by side and they
incredibly timid when we adopted her but living
both became braver in the other’s company.
Mabel her second
with Mickey had helped her trust us and she
We’ve now had Mabel for nearly 5 months and
had gradually been coming out of her shell. It
it’s been wonderful to see her develop. She is
chance in life.”
was heart warming to see her start to relax
a very affectionate little girl and loves nothing
and she had just started to venture on to our
more than to snuggle up on your lap and fall
knees for a stroke.
asleep. Now that the weather is colder she’s been known
So a week or so later I decided to contact Cats Protection to snuggle up with me in bed under the duvet!
and had a lovely conversation with Jenny. She asked if we
At times I think that Mabel doesn’t understand why Minnie
would consider adopting a kitten. Needless to say we
won’t charge around the house at a million miles an hour,
jumped at the chance. After checking with Pauline, it was
preferring to doze in the sun, but gradually they’re
agreed that we would go and meet Iris. What a difference a
becoming close friends. Only this morning they were curled
week made!
up together on our bed having a sleep.
We saw Iris with her mum and her sisters. She was
Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to give
absolutely tiny and completely beautiful, with a cheeky
ginger streak in between her ears. We fell in love with her Mabel a second chance in life. She’s brought so much
happiness and pleasure to our family. She really is our little
immediately and knew that she would fit in with Minnie
really well. A few days later Pauline bought a shy Iris home bundle of sunshine.
Mabel gets her second chance
Button & Skittles By Sheonagh Friend
"What beautiful cats!" - is what we hear when most friends come to visit. Of course we would say that about them, but it's lovely to hear and we are so
attached to them.
On returning from our summer holidays, we all felt it was time to think about getting some kittens. We had to say goodbye to our
old cats about three & two years ago aged 16 &18, they too were rescue cats from Battersea. Following a brief, yet thorough,
conversation with Woking Cats Protection we were deemed suitable potential parents. We were surprisingly called a few days
later saying that some kittens had been picked up having been feral in someone's garden in Woking. The mum, Rose, and her
three daughters Hyacinth, Iris and Gerbera were then visited by all four of us at the fosterer’s pens. - yes imagine all of us
squeezed into a small pen. At that time the kittens were about 6 weeks old and really tiny and cute. Our girls (12 &10) seemed
to feel very at home with two of them instantly so that was decision made! Having had two cats previously we knew the benefits
of having both together.
They arrived at our house a couple of weeks after, making themselves
completely at home after a few days with their new names Buttons & Skittles. We kept them in the kitchen/lounge to begin with
and they would find interesting places to hide, but soon settled into a secure routine with us. Our daughters have been fantastic
with them, picking them up, cuddling them, teaching them tricks and they all generally entertain each other for hours! It continues
to be great fun, especially at Christmas with all that wrapping paper. They didn't climb the Christmas tree, but did manage to
strip it bare where they could reach.
It was great to have been recommended by Cats Protection and to have had the support from the team in settling them in,
checking they'd been neutered and that all was OK. We too have passed that recommendation on and friends of ours are hoping
to adopt some soon! And they indeed did! See Frida Metcalfe on page 25
Page 22
Horace - Our Cat for a Season
By Julie & Simon Judge
Back in the summer of 2014 I was at home reading a book when I
heard a cat run out of our open patio doors – I looked up to see
which of our two cats it was – but it was neither of them! A swift
white and tabby cat I’d not seen before sped away. Evidently he’d
been visiting to ‘help himself’ to some cat food. Now and then during
the summer he called by and looked keenly to come in the house
and whenever he managed to sneak in he was straight to the cat
food. Time went by and after that autumn we didn’t see the cat again
until March 2015.
Felis Catus
treatment. Woking Cats Protection has a constant stream of cats
needing their help thus unfortunately at the time there were no free
pens, so we decided that we could keep him safe in our utility room
until he had been seen by the vet.. Most weirdly on the evening we
were to take Horace to the vet last November he wasn’t about, we’d
last seen him early in the afternoon. We were concerned not to see
him as he’d been in the garden virtually every day for over six
months. It was as though he knew where he was off to! Next
morning I was about to leave for work when at last he appeared
down the garden, we were most relieved. However Horace had lost
his sprightly spirt and walked slowly. When he neared the back door
he was short of breath and vigour. He did eat a small amount
Simon generously said he’d take Horace to the vets. Later that
morning I received a call at work – the vet had found a large growth
around Horace’s kidneys. Any costly treatment was very unlikely to
save him and we didn’t think he would cope with being caged for a
long time even if the treatment had been advisable. Most fortunately
our Cats Protection contact, Pauline, was at the vets so between us
all we agreed that it was in Horace’s best interest that we had to say
Good-Bye. We grieved his sudden loss but with time it’s easing.
Now he seemed more in need of food and if our glass tri-fold doors
were left open he would do his best to come in, if not he’d sit looking
in on us for hours in the hope that food would be offered! I started to
feed him regularly as he seemed so hungry and in need – and as
time went by he was in the back garden more and more. By Easter
we felt we needed to find if someone knew him or was missing him.
Leafleting local roads resulted in one man saying the cat had been
around for at least 6 years and he thought was the
Two months on we miss him and his chirpy face and bold
father to his cat’s kittens! Another told us that the cat
attitude. However it feels perhaps he wasn’t meant to
had been sleeping in her shed for over a year and she
“Woking Cats
have undergone surgery and suffer being caged (if only for
also fed him, later she generously bought some cat food
a while). Perhaps he wasn’t meant to be other than how
for us to give him. I gained his trust in feeding him and Protection has a
he had lived. The time we took him to check if he was
gradually cleared away lots of his matted fur. He had a
constant stream chipped was greatly stressful to him, he developed
fine, strong attitude and a cute, engaging, and alert
irregular breathing. Although we wish the story had ended
face. I knew of Cats Protection, having previously
of cats needing
differently I’m thankful that he wasn’t left to suffer on his
attended their Christmas Fayres and other events, and
own in a hedgerow somewhere.
their help.”
contacted them to see if they could help us to find if he
had an owner. They advised us to take him to a vet to
We don’t know much about Horace’s life or why he was a
see if he was chipped – sadly he wasn’t - they
roamer. We do know that he gave us some worries and
advertised ‘Horace’ as I’d named him on their Lost & Found service.
stress but mostly many joyful moments when he purred in the sun, or
squeaked when I gave him food, or his total delight on being offered
Summer arrived and although our cats were cautious of Horace’s
catmint – he rolled around and around with pleasure and abandon.
face constantly peering in the window there were times when all
Happily our cats have started to go out into the back garden again,
three were happily in the garden with us gardening. He slept
contently in the garden sun whenever possible, always finding the and the elder one is looking less stressed and more his old self.
warm patches and moving around with the sun! After a while he was
We offer our thanks to Woking Cats Protection volunteers for all their
there when we got up and when we closed the curtains in the
unfailing support, knowledge, love and advice and for being there
evening – sometimes until dusk. I kept in touch with Cats Protection when it was hard to know what best to do for Horace, our cats, and
and the summer turned to autumn. We could no longer leave our ourselves.
patio door open so Horace would come inside, and we had to shut
Editor’s Note
off our cat flap. Our cats had now been frightened by him a couple of
It is us that would like to thank you Julie because without you and
times and as they are older and more timid they began staying in the Simon taking not only an interest but direct action, goodness knows
house. They only ventured out in our company. I think Horace had what would have been the fate of this big chunky lovely boy. We
an eye on our female cat!
wonder just what sort of a life he must have led but his ending was in
a place of care and love.
We needed to find Horace a new home and reduce the stress on our
cats. Cats Protection agreed to help with the neutering and other
Page 23
Felis Catus
Multi-Cat Households Rescues
Hi Kim,
Poppy has
settled so w
ell you wou
with us. Sh
ld think she
e is so rela
’s alwa
x
e
d and friend
We really c
ly it’s unbelie ys lived here
ouldn’t be h
vable.
a
p
pier! The ve
thought Pop
t visit went
py to be lov
v
e
ry well too,
e
ly and healt
mia injectio
the vet
hy and she
n, followed
h
a
b
d her 1st Le
y a booster
Poppy is itc
in 2 weeks.
ukaehing to go o
ut but we w
tion has tak
ill keep her
en hold wh
in until the
ich is anoth
has put on
Immunisaer 2 weeks
more weigh
a
ft
er the boos
t and the ve
either 1 pou
ter. She
t
re
c
ch a day or
ommended
less dry foo
cutting dow
moment. Th
n to
d
s
o we are try
e vomiting
only occurr
ing that at th
arrived so I
e
d
e
tw
think it mus
ice actually
t have been
after she firs
flap fitted in
th
t
e change. W
the next few
e are gettin
days so we
allowed out.
g a cat
will be read
This was he
y
o
r
nce she is
sleeping po
some sunsh
sition yeste
ine on the s
rday soakin
ofa.
All the best,
g up
Julia Dehoff
-Bourne
Una by Sallie Baxendale
mmer 2015.
cat at the end of the su
w
ger cat
We decided to get a ne
eady have an elderly gin
alr
we
as
k
tas
sy
ea
an
mber of
It wasn’t
d to choose the new me
ha
we
so
g,
do
e
cu
res
and a
fit in with our
ensure that she would
to
lly
efu
car
ily
fam
the
nitoring the
(aged 13) had been mo
gia
or
Ge
ts.
pe
ing
ist
ex
spotted lovely
ite for a while when she and dogs
Cats Protection webs
cats
al – she had lived with
Una. She sounded ide
l character. She
rea
a
e
lik
d
de
un
so
and
before she was rescued
e had lost an
sh
t
despite the fact tha
g two days
was also very beautiful,
din
en
sp
mber. After
pte
Se
in
us
to
e
cam
e
eye. Sh
re out. She
ed it was safe to ventu
cid
de
she
fa
so
the
r
unde
d our other cat
ends our dog Oggy an
fri
de
ma
y
tel
dia
me
im
ver we walk past
w so at home. Whene
Marmaduke and is no
does the same
a tummy rub, she even
she will roll over for
sn’t stopped her
st! Having one eye ha
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attached some photos of
toileting.
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explore and in
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teresting place
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what it’s like
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cats who run
we’ve trained
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them now.
imb but
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azing witches
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y Pratchett
Esme and Tiff
which suit us.
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urite time; w
sharing. Our
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goldfish and lik
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g out for
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we will stick to
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wl. This is hom
Lysa and Hugh
e; we have ea
. We are very
ch other,
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happy cats.
uch loved and
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Lysa Schwartz
Gifts in Wills
Many people now remember their favourite charities in their will by leaving a legacy. This is a fairly
simple and very effective way to make a difference. If you would like to remember Woking Cats
Protection Branch in this way we can give you advice on what to do.
YOUR GIFT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Page 24
Felis Catus
Champion Challengers ~ Three Amazing Ladies
We are so excited because we have not one, not two but three wonderful intrepid ladies taking on challenges
on behalf of Woking Cats Protection! Josey Tranter, Caroline Cockram and Sarah Nubeebuckus-Jones are
taking on different personal trials - and I hope you will spread the word and choose one of them to support.
You can see more on our website/Facebook and we will keep you updated on all their progress.
Thank you so much to all three of you!
Josey Tranter - Zambezi River Challenge
"I am so excited to be raising money for the Woking & District Cats Protection branch this year. I
am taking on the challenge of flying out to Zambia this coming October to canoe down the Zam
bezi and camp out overnight on the banks of the river. As a distance runner, I feel October’s
challenge is one I am ready and willing to take on, albeit perhaps with the abundance of crocodiles
and elephants a bit more scary than the Brighton Marathon ever was! So why Cats Protection?
There is not much in my life more important to me that my own two cats, Panda and Little P. But
the welfare of other animals, cats in particular is very close to my heart. A few years ago, when my
husband and I first moved here from London, Little P went missing. I was obviously distraught and
thought I’d searched everywhere, but it was advice I was given by the Woking branch of Cats
Protection that helped me to find her. This is one of my reasons for wanting to raise money for
them, so it could benefit our local kitty population. I have a lovely huge target which I am hoping to
smash! As I run my own business from home as a Clinical & Sports Massage Therapist, I have been able to arrange charity
days over the past 6 months, so that my clients make donations to the Zambezi River fund rather than paying me. Only 6
months to go till the grand adventure…..bring it on  "
https://www.justgiving.com/Josey-Tranter or text JCAT88??5 to 70070
Caroline Crockram - Ride London
I have always been a cat lover and have grown up with various numbers of cats in our
home many of them rescue cats. My husband and I currently have 2 cats both of which
were rescue cats (Buddy and Hattie) and we get so my enjoyment from them I
wanted to give something back. I am a keen runner and cyclist and ran the London
marathon last year for Cats Protection and loved wearing my yellow CP vest that day!
https://www.justgiving.com/caroline-cockram1
Sarah Nubeebuckus-Jones - Great North Run
I took up running last year in an attempt to get myself into holiday shape! I have a few
friends that run so partnering up was easy.. Running a pub and kitchen meant that I could
only run at certain times so I bought a treadmill so I could run when I wanted too. My Dad
took up running a couple of years ago and last year did his first half marathon. It was his
idea that we should run together. As he lives in Weymouth we cannot train together, and he
is a well accomplished runner now, entered into 4 half marathons this year! I have a lot of
training to do! Last year we lost our beautiful and beloved cat Tom. He was 14.5 years old, a Maine Coon cross. He was very
much a pub cat and was loved by everyone. He was always on the bar or on a bar stool, or lying on his back n the middle of
the floor. He is missed so much by so many people. He died suddenly last year from Cancer, less than a week after diagnosis. I
am running the Great South Run for Animal Cancer Trust also. I decided to run the Great North Run for Woking Cats
Protection as my very first cat came from the Weymouth branch back in the early 80's. I am very much a 'cat person' and am
taking this opportunity to raise funds for a local branch of a very worthy charity that is close to my heart.
http://www.justgiving.com/Tomtoms
Page 25
Felis Catus
A Rescue Story - Lottie (now Mia) & Her Kittens
A typical alert was made to us about a cat that had given
birth to four kittens and could we help. Fortunately Lottie
had ingeniously found some shelter in an old abandoned car
for the mum to have her kittens. Lottie’s finders kindly put
a nice bed, hotties and a blanket. Lottie as we named her
was taken safely away by us with her kittens and as you
can see...the rescue story has a wonderful ending for all
five of them, now in loving homes.
ANOTHER JOB DONE!
Hi Pauline,
Hope you are well and the kittens and cats in your care
are finding loving homes!
Please find some snaps of Florence and Milo A.K.A.
Romeo that I said I would send over attached. They are
really settling in well. They are becoming more
affectionate with us which I'm really enjoying. I worked
from home today and that sat with me most of the day. It
was lovely. Florence has always been good with being
held by the girls and now Milo is showing signs of
tolerating it more. The girls are really pleased.
Kind regards,
Lee-Ann
Lottie’s Finders and Saviours
Would you
Alison’s New Pen
like to join our
Dear Cats Protection
Thank you for the gorgeous Mia who joined us on Friday 4th
March. Within a couple of days she's made herself right at
home as you can see. We love having Mia as part of our family.
Adrian, Rhiannon, Abby and Max
fostering
team? Take a
look at what
our teams say
about their role on pages 16 & 17. For
more information contact Mary on:
wokingcatsprotection@gmail.com
Molly is Much Loved
- By George (Aged 6)
As soon as we saw Molly’s picture on the website we knew that we wanted her. We were so excited to see her for the first time 4
days before Christmas. She jumped down to play with us as soon as we said hello. My little
brother cried all the way home as he wanted to take her home with us when we left. We had to
wait until after Christmas for Molly to join our family, but the wait was ok as it was worth it. Molly is
very cheeky and she loves to play with us and join in all our games. She loves batting our toy cars
around and sitting on our scalextric set when we try to use it. She also loves batting the balls off
our billiards table and digging them out of the pockets when we are playing. Her favourite toy is
one of my little brother’s cuddly toy sheep, which she carries around the house and plays with. Molly loves her food and climbs
up mummy’s legs when asking for her breakfast. Molly is very cuddly. At night she comes up to hear our bedtime story and then
climbs up into my top bunk to go to sleep with me. Molly loves playing hide and seek in the garden with us, and has fun climbing
the big tree at the bottom of the garden. As soon as I get home from school Molly comes downstairs to see me. She loves being
with us and we all love her very much.
Page 26
Felis Catus
Dear Mary,
We adopted our cat Daisy from Cats Protection on 5th May 2015. We were her third home after quite a troubled past but now she is really
settling in with us and starting to bond well with us.
DAISY
It was six months after our beloved cat Nella had died suddenly from heart failure. We missed her terribly but decided to give ourselves some
time before adopting another cat. After six months and when asking hubbie Alastair what do you want for your birthday?, and you’ve guessed
it, he wanted a cat. We then started to look on the Cats Protection Adoption site for a cat. We looked at various cats, including pairs, but each
time our eyes went back to a dark tortoiseshell cat called Daisy.
Finally, we decided to go and see her. It was three weeks before our holiday so not an ideal time, so we thought it might be better to wait until
afterwards before taking her, if we did feel we wanted to adopt her. When we asked the cat sanctuary at Woking about her we were told that
her current owner was moving soon, and so we decided to go and see her in her home. The owner, a professional business lady, was going
to live with her brother, who did not like cats, in Cambridge. She was obviously very upset to be leaving Daisy behind. We met little Daisy, a
quiet and gentle cat but just a bit nervous, we noticed. She let us stroke her and of course we fell in love with her and felt protective towards
her.
We then phoned Pauline the Welfare Officer at Woking and found out more about Daisy’s history. This was her second home and she had
only been there a year. Previously, she had been in a home for five years where she was put out every night and bullied and bitten by other
cats. Now, understandably, she did not like other cats. Pauline told us that during her stay between first and second home, she spent some
time in a pen which she hated. She was very upset and stressed about other cats being visible and around her. The best solution we both
thought for Daisy would be for us to take her on the day of the move in two days’ time.
We hesitated because of our holiday plans but because we felt protective of her, we agreed. We also agreed that going into a cattery would
be wrong for her and just as bad as being in a pen. The day came and Daisy arrived with Pauline together with a lovely veterinary nurse.
After hiding behind the sofa from us for a couple of days, she started to come out and look around, come to us and started lap sitting, albeit
for five minutes. We then found out our neighbour, who usually minds our cat, was going away at the same time. Help!
We kept in touch with Pauline who was so supportive all the way through this time. Could she go into a pen at the Woking Cats Protection for
this time? Pauline was adamant that poor little Daisy could not go through this. She then came up with a brilliant solution. There was a home
visitor in our area who might be able to help us keep Daisy in her own home. After a few anxious days, as the home visitor herself was away,
the answer came back, yes, and as a special favour to us it was all arranged.
It was an absolute godsend and together we breathed a huge sigh of relief, as we knew Daisy would be well looked after while we were away.
Daisy could not have been better cared for when we were away on our hols and after a lovely holiday, we came home back to our Daisy.
We’ve had Daisy for four months now. She has done brilliantly considering her history. She now rolls on her back and shows her lovely golden fur and ‘asks’ for tummy strokes each day. She is quiet and sweet, and loves our garden and makes no attempt to jump the fence and go
out further. She must feel safe at last in her forever home.
I cannot praise the dedicated team of volunteers at Cats Protection Woking enough. We still keep in touch and know they are always there
for us. There are so many unwanted cats advertised on the website, it is heart breaking to read some of their stories. Please anybody
thinking of adopting another cat, take one or perhaps even two, the support and help you get with their adoption from the Woking team is
marvellous.
Julia Naish
Baking ~ Baking ~ Baking
If you enjoy baking, would you
like to join our cake making team
please? We need lots of lovely
home made goodies for our two
annual fayres, garden party and
golf day. An email is sent before
the event and if you can bake for
us it is very much appreciated.
The Amazon Wish List
This is a special thanks to all the lovely
people out there that make donations to
us via our Amazon Wishlist. It is always a
lovely surprise for us and our feline
charges when something arrives with
the delivery man!
(Go to our website and click on the Wishlist to
donate.) www.wokingcats.org.uk
The Reluctant Fosterer!
Page 27
Felis Catus
On behalf of the concerned animal lovers in Bagshot and four beautiful kittens along with their mother and father, a huge thank
you for all your professional care and help. After several weeks of these babies surviving on scraps from a waste bin at the side
of a local pub, we were alerted to their plight - they were surviving in a derelict warehouse. Their living conditions were awful damp and cold - but we managed to force fleecy blankets inside through a gap and supply food and cat milk twice daily.
We took a large white trap cage and placed the food in it but just as we got close to catching them the cage was stolen. At this
stage we realised that professional help was required. It was so sad, the cats were so stressed.
After a call to Woking CP, an extremely dedicated and patient Pauline arrived. She spent hours
over a few days, waiting patiently for them to go into the traps. Eventually, success!! - all 4 kittens
and mum cat were caught safely in the traps, put on the van and were on their way to the vets for
neutering.
Then, as luck would have it, an amazing client came in to the RSPCA charity shop, who had heard
about the kittens, mentioned that a friend of hers who owned a stables locally was looking for
some feral kittens. So the family were relocated to the stables and are now happily settled in their
new environment. Gary, the father of these kittens was microchipped, so we were able to trace the
owner. It turned out that he was leading a double life and his owner had no idea. He has now been
neutered.
So, Woking Cats Protection, thank you for all you do for these creatures. I must say to Pauline - thank you for your amazing
patience, love and dedication given to these bedraggled babies, to a very special lady they send you purrs and thanks.
Marilyn Philips (RSPCA Bagshot Charity Shop Volunteer)
Editor’s Note
Marilyn very generously donated a £25 Boots gift card, which was one of our quiz night raffle prizes. Lovely that it was
won by Josey Tranter who is doing the Zambezi River Challenge for us. (See page 24) We also had a little torch from the
cats that is kept in our CP van and has turned out to be very useful. This rescue came about because Woking RSPCA
branch had asked for our help. As a thankyou they gave us a donation of £150.
Buddy and Holly By Jane Boyle
We lost our much-loved cat, Abi the Tabby, in December 2014, after 17 years. After a “cat-less” year, we were more than ready for some
new feline friends to come into our home. I’d met some lovely people at the Woking Cats Protection stand at Shepperton Village Fair in
2015 so this seemed the obvious placed to start our search.
In December, we saw pictures of a litter of four kittens on the Woking Cats Protection
“...big thank you to Woking CP
website. We visited Carol, who was foster Mum to the kittens, on 2nd January. Two of the
& in particular, to Carol for all
kittens had already been adopted so we met the remaining two, then called Noel and
her care & patience….”
Angel. They were living in a lovely comfortable run in Carol’s back garden. Noel was very
shy but purred loudly when we stroked him but Angel was very playful and enjoyed licking our
hands (which she still does!). Of course, we fell in love with them straight away!
After the necessary checks from Cats Protection, Buddy (Noel) and Holly (Angel) joined our family in the second week of January. They
have settled into our house very well and Buddy is no longer shy and enjoys chasing his sister and play-fighting. When they tire of tearing
around and chasing each other, they are very affectionate kittens and enjoy snuggling up with us and watching TV. They also love warming
themselves in front of our log burner (from a safe distance behind a new fire-guard, of course!). We have not released them into the “wilds”
of our garden yet, but that will be another tale (or two tails)!
We are so happy to have two new members of our family and we think that they, too, are happy to be with us! So, a big “thank you” to
Woking Cats Protection and, in particular, to Carol for all her care and patience in fostering them and helping them to develop into
confident, happy and sociable kittens, and to Pauline for her help and advice when she delivered them to us.
4th Branch Quiz Night, 27 February 2016
21 teams, raffle, auction, fun & games!
We raised
£2,000
- THANK YOU!
Xmas Fayre, 31 October 2015
We raised
£3,293
AMAZING - THANK YOU!

Woking Cats Protection Newsletter

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