The Cat Spring 2014 by Francesca Watson

Spring 2014

Building the future New centres open in Leeds and Warrington

Chapter and purrs

We peruse the pusses in print

Posh paws Meet the millionaire mogs

Taming the wanderlust How to keep your cat close to home

Plus Support against snares, neutering campaigns and great giveaways

From the Editor  www.cats.org.uk/thecatmag www.facebook.com/catsprotection www.twitter.com/catsprotection General enquiries  Cats Protection, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT.  03000 12 12 12 (calls charged at standard rate) @ cp@cats.org.uk Subscription enquiries To change your details, subscribe, make a donation or become a member of Cats Protection:  Supporter Services, Cats Protection, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT.  0800 917 2287 @ supporterservices@cats.org.uk Editorial submissions  The Editor, magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT. @ editorial@cats.org.uk We reserve the right to edit material for clarity or space. Cats Protection is not responsible for the opinions, advice and factual content of contributed items. The views expressed do not necessarily conform to those of the Trustees. Advertising enquiries  Karl Humphreys, Cats Protection, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT.  07939 017 035 @ karl@dalbiacmedia.co.uk Advertisements are accepted in good faith and we endeavour to check their accuracy. However, the charity gives no guarantees or endorsements of the products or services advertised. Cats Protection cannot accept responsibility for any correspondence between the parties, nor can they be expected to arbitrate should any dispute arise.

t’s a Tale of Two Kitties, this issue, with new CP centres opening in Leeds and Warrington. Our new Gildersome Homing Centre (pages 32 to 34) is situated to the south of Leeds and unlike our usual adoption centres, ALL its cats are immediately ready for homing. The centre’s team have done amazingly well since opening in October with over 60 cats (at the time of writing) already having been rehomed. Padgate in Warrington is a relocated new build centre as the old building was deemed no longer fit for use. It is nestled in a residential community and provides a bright and welcoming CP presence in the city. Both staff and cats are very happy with the relocation and you can read more on pages 38 to 40. Neutering has been a key objective of the charity since its inception in 1927. It’s a message we’re still keen to promote over 86 years later and on pages 26 and 27 our Neutering Manager, Jane Clements, takes us behind the scenes of some of her team’s latest campaigns around the country. We’ve all heard about devoted owners ensuring that their pet is provided for after their death and on pages 30 and 31 we learn more about some of the millionaire mogs that need never worry where the next cat treat is coming from. From Jellicle cats to Garfield, Dick Whittington’s faithful feline to that mischievous kitten called Tom, there have been a myriad of cats that grace the literary world and on pages 18 and 19 Steve Ainsworth delves deeper behind these characters. It will be hard for many to read John Walker’s piece on page 29. Sadly he is going through what so many have experienced before, a missing cat. He explains how his life is on hold as he waits for news about Dexter. We hope he gets good news soon, but we’re glad to know that Lucy the kitten continues to entertain and distract him. The topic of snares elicits a very strong response particularly among animal lovers. All too often these cruel devices inflict horrific injuries or death upon animals and there are many reports of cats being caught in them too. Our Advocacy team are asking for your help in making these snares illegal. There are two petitions you can support and you can learn more on page 41.

Francesca Watson Editor

Published quarterly by: Cats Protection Printed by: Pensord Press Ltd.

The Team Editor F rancesca Watson Creative Designers R us Hudda, Sam Roberts, Martin Green

Please recycle this magazine when you have finished with it

The Cat Spring 2014

SPRING 2014

Building the future New centres open in Leeds and Warrington

Chapter and purrs

We peruse the pusses in print

Posh paws Meet the millionaire mogs

Taming the wanderlust How to keep your cat close to home

Contents Spring 2014

Plus Support against snares, neutering campaigns and great giveaways

Cover photo: istock.com/elenaleonova

Regulars 6

Augmented reality

News

Letters

Cats’ tales

Playing detective

Ask the vets

Ali’s cats

Walker on the wild side

Our favourite things

Coffee paws

Paws for thought

Making memories

CP in action

Diary of events

Find your local Cats Protection

Kids’ corner

Remembering cats

Book reviews

The Cat Spring 2014

Feature articles

11 AGM notice Book your place for our Annual General Meeting

18 Puss in books Feline literary lovelies

26 Behind the scenes It’s nicer to neuter

30 Pampered pusses Some very posh paws indeed

32 A new type of centre Gildersome opens its doors

38 Starting anew Our Warrington cats are on the move

41 Speaking up for cats Stop snares now!

Cats Protection’s vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs. Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) SC037711 (Scotland)

The Cat Spring 2014

AR FEATURE

Scan to discover even more! Welcome to this augmented reality edition of The Cat magazine! By simply holding your smartphone or tablet over pages where you see this symbol youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discover a whole lot more to the story. You may be forgiven for thinking that this is the stuff of dreams, but it really does work!

Download the FREE layar app, from the Apple or Google Play stores, onto your phone

Open the app and scan any pages which feature the

logo

After a few moments, watch as the story comes to life!

We have several augmented reality sections in this magazine and plan to have more in the issues to come, so watch out for the symbol! An internet connection is required and therefore data charges may apply.

The Catâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; Spring 2014

Putting the record straight

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On 12 January the Mail on Sunday printed a misleading and factually incorrect article about Cats Protection. With the two or three contributors to the article accusing the charity of ‘prioritising cost over the care of cats’ the article made misleading statements regarding branch closures, cuts in vaccine spending and changes in home visit policies. It also queried our level of donations, staff salaries and neutering and alleged that to save money, cats were put down if treatment would be too costly or if they were over 10 years old. The charity immediately issued a rebuttal of these allegations, and a full response to the questions raised in the article can be found on our website www.cats.org.uk/news/setting-the-record-straight Chief Executive, Peter Hepburn, said: “We have many thousands of people, volunteers and staff, who do an amazing job of helping cats and cat owners right across the country. They work tirelessly to rescue cats, feed orphaned kittens, raise funds and give school talks, as well as doing essential administration such as looking after branches and answering supporters’ letters. Many people have said to me that joining Cats Protection was one of the best things they have ever done and it is sad that their fantastic contribution to cat welfare has been overshadowed by such a misleading article.” Chairman Heather McCann, added: “We are extremely proud of the work Cats Protection does across the UK and although it was disappointing to see the allegations in this article, it was also very heartening to receive so many messages of encouragement and support. Whether it was phone calls or emails, letters or posts on social media; so many supporters, volunteers and partners have declared their faith in the charity. As a volunteer myself, I know only too well how committed our people in branches and adoption centres are to working together for the benefit of cats.” Although this has been an upsetting incident for everyone involved with the charity, Cats Protection will continue to champion the cause of cat welfare. It is a challenge that we have met for over 86 years and a commitment that will prove far stronger than page 25 of the Mail on Sunday .

Belles of the Belfast Ball!

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Cats Protection Belfast Adoption Centre held its first ever Black Cat Ball in October at the Stormont Hotel Belfast. Over 170 guests were treated to a sparkling drinks reception, a tasty threecourse meal followed by top class entertainment. The compère for the evening was Mr Peter Cardwell, a presenter from Ulster TV, who gave his time freely to help raise much needed funds for the centre. The total raised from the sponsorship, the sale of tickets and the raffle was around £13,000! Grateful thanks must go to the event’s sponsors Cedar Grove Veterinary Practice, Paula Emenegger and David Graham (in the cat’s head) for their invaluable help. Hard work but well worth the stress!

Although many of our supporters tried, just hours after publication it became impossible to post comments below the online article. Others wrote letters to the Mail on Sunday , one of which was published, from volunteer Mrs Nixon:

A caring charity As a volunteer at my local Cats Protection adoption centre, I can state that, contrary to the claims in your article last week, no cat has ever been considered unworthy of treatment during my time. In some cases, the medication or treatment has continued once the cat has been rehomed – with the cost met by Cats Protection – and monitoring of their health is commonplace. No cat is ever euthanised solely on the grounds of age. In fact most elderly cats are fairly easily rehomed. I have witnessed the love, care and attention to detail that the dedicated staff and volunteers have given these animals. Manager Bell Livingstone and partner

The Cat Spring 2014

And the winner is….

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Photo: Paul Maven Photography

The National Cat Awards are back and we’re on the prowl for your nominations. Do you own a fantastic feline who deserves to be the nation’s top cat?

The Awards are sponsored by PURINA® and the competition is open to all living cats in the UK celebrating the achievements of the country’s fearless felines and miraculous moggies! From Monday 3 March to Friday 30 May owners can nominate their cat for one of the following categories: Hero Cat – cats that save the day Most Caring Cat – cats that have a positive impact on an owner’s health or wellbeing Most Incredible Story – belief-defying, true stories from the cat world Outstanding Rescue Cat – felines adopted from animal welfare organisations Purina® Better Together – celebrating the special bond that has transformed and enriched the lives of both a feline and a human The winning felines, and the overall National Cat of the Year, will be announced at a glamorous awards ceremony at London’s Savoy Hotel on Thursday 7 August 2014. The event will be attended by celebrity judges who will present the awards and pay tribute to the nation’s top cats. The winner of this year’s National Cat Awards will inherit the title from previous winner Jessi-Cat from Greater Manchester who helped Lorcan Dillon, a young boy with selective mutism, to communicate his emotions more effectively. So don’t delay – enter your marvellous moggy’s story today! To enter your cat’s story, please visit www.cats.org.uk or contact Cats Protection’s national Helpline on tel: 03000 12 12 12 or helpline@cats.org.uk to request an entry form.

A cat can look at a lord

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In October last year Lord Black of Brentwood, a member of the House of Lords very kindly hosted a reception for Cats Protection in the Lords to showcase the essential work that Cats Protection carries out in homing, neutering and education across the UK. Among those attending were CP’s Chief Executive, Peter Hepburn, Chairman, Heather McCann, Director of Veterinary Services, Maggie Roberts and representatives from our North Birmingham Branch. Lord Black, a cat owner and passionate advocate for companion animal welfare, has been very supportive of CP’s work and has led some important debates about cat welfare in the Lords. We were especially delighted that Lord de Mauley, the Defra Minister responsible for animal welfare, was also able to join us at the reception. He spoke about his Department’s commitment to working with us and with the newly formed Canine and Feline Steering Group on a range of issues including responsible pet ownership, online advertising of pets and the importance of animal welfare education. During the reception three volunteers from our North Birmingham Branch spoke inspiringly about their work with the local community to encourage more neutering of cats in specific Birmingham post code areas where there are high numbers of strays and ferals.

The Cat Spring 2014

Lord de Mauley, Heather McCann, Lord Black and Peter Hepburn

CP’s Maggie Roberts, Heather McCann, Emma Truman, Shaki McFarland, Jane Holt and Peter Hepburn

NEWS

All a twitter about cats

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In early January this year Cats Protection’s Director of Veterinary Services Maggie Roberts joined Alick Simmons the Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in London for a joint #Askdefra tweet session. Examples of questions posed to Maggie and Alick allowed them to say that it is rare for foxes to attack cats, cats do not necessarily need feline friends and are happy on their own, cats cannot be vegetarians under any circumstances and that we are opposed to cat cafés as they are not conducive to a happy and stress free existence for cats. Maggie reported back, “We had a fantastic response to our tweet session. I’ve never tweeted before but it made me realise that social media is a great way of promoting the charity’s messages and aims and this session gave us a wonderful opportunity to focus people’s minds on cat welfare. Although it was a struggle at times to précis everything into just 140 characters we managed to answer many queries. We’d like to thank Defra for this joint opportunity to encourage better cat care.”

Cats at the Cliffs

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ats the musical has been C touring the UK during 2013 and in October you could hear the patter of paws in Southend, Essex. The cast were appearing at the Cliffs Theatre who kindly allowed the Southend Branch to have a table in the foyer for each performance, providing information, raising the profile of the charity. Janet Hancock, said: “We spoke to some very nice people during the week and were able to provide lots of advice on cat care. We wished we had been allowed behind the scenes to see all the children sitting in the audience wearing the cat masks and badges which we gave out, but were very happy to have a photo shoot on the stage before a matinée performance with some of the cast.” Pictured beside the ‘cats’ are volunteers Sue Bennett and June Lee. We extend our grateful thanks to the S outhend Echo for allowing us to use this photo.

Nominate CP for an award!

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Photo: Southend Echo

Last year Petplan and the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) launched the first ever Animal Charity Awards; a celebration of the hard work and dedication of the animal charity world. They have now launched a nationwide search for the UK’s best animal charity staff and volunteers for the second time, and Petplan is calling for nominations to recognise and reward those who go above and beyond in their mission to improve animal well-being. Conceived by Petplan and the ADCH in order to recognise incredible enthusiasm and commitment to the animal welfare cause, the Animal Charity Awards focus on three key categories; Team of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and Employee of the Year. Making a nomination is straightforward – simply visit www.petplan.co.uk/charityawards and tell Petplan why your nominee deserves to win. Nominations will close on 31 March. Petplan’s Head of Sales and Partnerships, Simon Masding said: “Last year we received more than 3,400 nominations from adopters, charity staff and volunteers. We were delighted to receive so many and it was inspiring to read all the examples of remarkable dedication in animal charity work up and down the country. We would love to exceed that number this year, so if you have encountered true devotion to the improvement of animal welfare, please don’t hesitate to make a nomination.”

The Cat Spring 2014

NEWS

Pets at Home – Cats Protection Fundraising Weekend, 21 – 23 March 2014.

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From Friday 21 to Sunday 23 March 2014 Pets at Home have offered Cats Protection another threeday fundraising event across all of their 360+ stores. Our 2013 weekend raised over £30,000 for Cats Protection which was a fantastic boost to the kitty! This is another great opportunity for our branches and centres to raise awareness of the charity and all the great work they do in the local community. For this event all Pets at Home stores will be: • Offering customers the opportunity to ‘round up to a pound’ at the till • Taking donations at the till • Selling Cats Protection trolley coins We would like to thank Pets at Home for this second weekend and for their ongoing support of Cats Protection through their ‘Very Important Pets Club’ (VIP Club). Cats Protection has also been fortunate to receive funding from ‘Support Adoption For Pets’, the charity established and supported by Pets at Home. Pets at Home and Support Adoption For Pets already support many of our branches and centres and we want to make the most of our second fundraising and awareness weekend, raising even more money in 2014 to help more cats. We’d love to see as many of our supporters and cat lovers as possible at their local Pets at Home store over the weekend in March. Our branches and adoption centres will be attending selected stores across the UK over the three day weekend, so please look out for them! Our branches and centres may even have a quiz available for children.

GET SOCIAL!

We asked our Facebook followers what the most weird and wonderful thing their cat’s brought home to them.

AMY – We had a little tiny female kitten who brought home the wrapping off a nine pack of toilet rolls… Wondered what all the noise was when she was trying to drag it through the cat flap! CHARLIE – Weirdest thing my cat has ever brought in to me was the neighbour’s cat that had been missing for a week. MARGARET – a thong. AMIE – A daffodil – he was so proud of himself too. GILL – My old cat used to bring in socks regularly. On one occasion, a neighbour came to our door to ask for her husband’s sock back, having watched Ginger take it from her washing line. My mum had to show her Ginge’s collection of about a dozen socks – the neighbour went home with three or four that she’d never noticed were missing! PETER – One day I was watching the TV and my cat dropped something at my feet. At first glance it looked like a hand grenade! After almost having heart failure... fortunately, I discovered it was a plastic imitation! MARGARET – My cat Duke brings home empty crisp packets, fag boxes, plus anything that’s lying around – best of all were a £10 and a £5 note. MIKE – A steaming hot kipper, straight off my neighbour’s dinner plate!

JENNA – Korma brought me a lottery ticket once, it wasn’t a winner though. ASTRIDA – A bag of frozen peas. ENFYS – My cat brought in a half a side of Turkey Crown in on Christmas Day – bet someone went without their turkey that day! Ooops hope the neighbours aren’t on this site! ALEX – My cat Enzo stole my partner’s car key on its leather key fob and tucked it under his blanket. My partner was late for work that day. SUE – A used nappy sack, needless to say he was more pleased with it than I was! CAROLINE – My male cat one brought home some other cat’s newborn kittens. Thankfully the neighbour knew where we lived and came around to retrieve the kidnapped babies. Trouble with our cat was that he thought he was a female. But he did make a brilliant babysitter when our other cats gave birth to their kittens! NEIL – fleas. LITA – my cat brought home his collar which he had lost a few days before. GARRY – Our old cat Monkey used to bring in bank and credit card statements from our neighbours’ bins. ALEXANDRA – A screwdriver.

Our Facebook followers get talking about a whole variety of feline-inspired topics, why not join them at www.facebook.com/catsprotection?

The Cat Spring 2014

AGM NOTICE

An invitation to the AGM O

Council – would you like to be involved? Would you like a say in how Cats Protection is run? Ever thought: ‘I could have told them that wouldn’t work’? Ever had a great idea to improve the charity but weren’t sure who to tell? If any of these things sound like you, then maybe you’re the sort of person who should be on Council. Council is Cat’s Protection’s volunteer consultative body, which reviews and comments on initiatives which affect cats and Cats Protection volunteers. Council meets four times a year (including the AGM) to consider and advise the Trustees on major issues affecting the charity and also to consider day to day matters and updates on ongoing activities and projects. Council also has the vital role of electing five of the charity’s nine Trustees from Council onto the Board of Trustees. The Trustees would like to make sure that Council includes a wide range of volunteers from throughout the charity, from fosterers and coordinators, to education speakers, to CP shop volunteers and members of Friends Groups. As a Council member you will meet a diverse range of people all committed to helping cats and the charity in different ways according to their skills and experience. You will be asked to consider a wide range of issues and to express your views at Council meetings attended by the Trustees and the other 13 members of Council as well as the Executive Management Team. If you are interested in becoming a Council member please write to Janet Revell at National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT or email janet.revell@cats.org.uk Please provide a brief CV with your contact details. We will then send you an application form. Potential candidates for Council need to be a member of Cats Protection prior to the AGM on the 12 July 2014. The deadline for completed applications is the 30 May 2014. Further details of the procedure and an application form are available from Janet Revell on 01825 741 211 or email janet.revell@cats.org.uk.

n Saturday 12 July 2014 we will be holding our Annual General Meeting at the Hawth in Crawley, West Sussex. The Hawth is located close to the centre of the town and is approximately 30 minutes’ drive from the National Cat Centre (NCC) in Chelwood Gate. The day provides an overview of the charity’s year through stimulating and relevant presentations as well as the opportunity to visit the NCC. You can meet some of the charity’s staff and volunteers and visit the cats at the National Cat Adoption Centre. The audited annual report and accounts of Cats Protection will be placed before the members. Voting members will also have the opportunity to vote in our Council elections and on the reappointment of auditors. Some proposed alterations to the Rules in respect of eligibility for Council and the co-option of members to fill vacancies on Council will also be voted on; more information on this will be provided nearer to the AGM. You can vote if you are a member, aged over 18 and have been a member for at least a year since becoming 18. Please register your interest in attending as soon as possible to avoid disappointment – this event is likely to be popular. To book your place, please complete and return the form below, phone 03000 12 12 12 or email agm@cats.org.uk. Once booked, we will send you further information including details of local accommodation, and will check with you regarding special dietary and disability access requirements.

Please reserve my place at the AGM on Saturday 12 July 2014.

Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Title: First name: Surname: Address:

Postcode: Membership no. (if applicable):

Please return this form to: Jo Perry, Cats Protection, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, Sussex, RH17 7TT by Friday 30 May 2014. Alternatively, email your details to agm@cats.org.uk or phone our Helpline on 03000 12 12 12 (calls charged at national rates).

The Cat Spring 2014

'c' is for cat, but also care At Cats Protection we offer free talks to nurseries and schools about caring for cats. One of our volunteers can deliver an interactive session based on the five points that are vital in keeping cats happy and healthy: • • • • •

Freedom Freedom Freedom Freedom Freedom

from discomfort from hunger and thirst from pain, injury and disease to behave normally from fear and distress

We also offer visits to our adoption centres across the UK. For more info, please email education@cats.org.uk or visit www.cats.org.uk/learn

Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland)

Do you have an interesting story to tell, a point of view you want to air or something that you just have to get off your chest? Send your thoughts, views, stories, funny photos and ‘mewsings’ to The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT or email us at editorial@cats.org.uk. Don’t forget to tell us your return address and contact details and please remember that your letter may be edited for length.

✪ STAR LETTER

Cats down under

Feral advice

From: a CP Member, Lancashire e your feature on ferals in The Cat Winter 2012, it is important to deflea and worm your feral cats. Please seek veterinary advice. A waterproof, warm rabbit hutch is ideal as housing, preferably off the ground. Ask your vet for suitable parasite sprays for this cat home. Vet note: Cats Protection recommends that cat carers seek specific veterinary advice for the most appropriate parasite control methods for cats in their care – treatment, dose and frequency may depend on the cats’ habitat, health, lifestyle and bodyweight. Veterinary advice is also important to ensure carers fully understand the risks and limitations of any treatment recommended. Feral cats cannot be handled to medicate so usually it is only practical to treat them for parasites when they are being trapped for neutering. There are also risks in leaving medications in food outside such as over or under-dosing and so veterinary advice is recommended – once neutered, in some cases feral cats may be best treated as wild animals with minimal intervention, other than provision of food, shelter off the ground and someone to watch out for signs of ill health. Regular parasite control of the shelter with the vet’s advice would be recommended, though feral cats may rotate their chosen sleeping location.

From: Tamsin Williams, via email thought readers might be interested to read about a cat I met on a recent trip to Australia. Flinders, aka Garfield (because she just keeps getting bigger), is a 4½ year old ginger cat who lives permanently on board a ferry. The ferry, Fraser Venture , sails between River Heads and Fraser Island, Queensland. Flinders lives on the saloon deck and her bed is by the life-jacket locker. Her food and water dishes are positioned so that she can keep an eye on passengers using the stairs that lead down to the vehicle deck. Before setting sail, Flinders looks over the stairs and down to the vehicle deck, checking that all the vehicles are securely parked. She was found abandoned as a kitten and was adopted as ship’s cat and has adapted well to life on the ferry. In fact, she has only ever set foot on the mainland once! She does a meet and greet of the passengers and those with plastic bags that look as though they might contain food get extra attention. Having left my own cat in the care of a trusted cattery back in the UK for four weeks, it was lovely to have this unexpected cat-fix! In the attached photo, Flinders is lying outside the door to the kiosk and miaowing at the lady who runs the kiosk, because she knows a fresh supply of fish has just gone into the freezer!

Euphorbia warning

From: Mrs M McVie via email was reading the winter 2013 issue of T he Cat magazine, and my attention was drawn to the above plant. Marie Quinn of Qatar submitted an article to the magazine, showing her cat Monty relaxing in a plant pot, containing a Euphorbia plant which is also known as Crown of Thorns. It has spikes all over it, to deter insects landing on it, my garden centre said. They said the plant was dangerous if the cat ate the leaves, and they don’t think it will. However a book called the H ouse Plant Expert by D.G. Hessayon, says E.milii Splendens sap from the branches is poisonous. If the cat accidentally broke a branch on this plant, sap will ooze out and if it gets on the cat’s fur, the cat will lick it clean. Editor’s note: We have been in touch with Mrs Quinn who thanks you for the warning and reassures us that the plant is long gone and won’t be replaced. For more information about poisonous plants visit www.icatcare.org.uk

The Cat Spring 2014

YOUR LETTERS

A sad farewell

From: Phil Rooksby, Huelva, Spain aureen Rooksby passed away on October 29 this year in Rio Tinto, Spain. To thousands around the world, she was known simply as Maureen of M onkey & Sofia fame, the name she gave to the lovely knitted toys, many of them cats, which she loved to make. Among her other many talents and achievements during a far too short life, was working with older people. At the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds she pioneered many radical community arts projects, in particular Heydays, where for a whole day each week over 500 members have been attending for nearly 20 years, to experience a taste all the different media within the arts. Recently she had been writing. Particularly about the more natural way of life we have adopted here, and her internet site remains open for anyone who would like to read those inspiring blogs (monkeyandsofia.wordpress.com). She also created and self-published the Monkey & Sofia Knitting Book , specifically with CP members in mind, so that they could make things to sell and raise money (more details on p62). And now has left us with one last gift, an unpublished manuscript, this time a book about our travels together (with many cats) in Spain, Portugal and Canada. I am currently searching for a publisher to give it the widest audience possible, which is the least she deserves for being such an inspiration and wonderful soul-mate.

More cats down under!

From: Roger Jennings, Kalamunda, Western Australia recently read the article Friends Reunited in the Winter 2013 edition of The Cat . Your readers might be interested to know that compulsory microchipping of all domestic cats is now required in the State of Western Australia as from 1 November 2013. This is part of new legislation for the annual registration of all cats and also includes a requirement that domestic cats must be neutered unless used for breeding (where different regulations apply). The annual registration fee is Aus$20 (about £11) with a 50 per cent reduction for some pensioners. Every cat is issued with a registration tag which the cat must wear at all times. Our local Shire Council has placed a limit of three cats per household. Those who already own more than three cats will be able to register them but not replace them when they die. It remains to be seen how effective this legislation will be. I have not yet heard of anyone being prosecuted for not registering their cat. The feral cat population in many rural areas of Australia causes untold loss of native animals but this new legislation will do little to reduce this. In some National Parks feral animals, including cats who are of course not native to Australia, have been virtually eliminated by culling programmes. This has led to a marked recovery in the number of native animals (particularly small marsupials) and of birds. Sadly our CP rescue cat that we brought to Australia by way of a 7½ year stay in Malta died a couple of years ago but we still have one Maltese rescue cat. He was already microchipped since this has always been a requirement by the Quarantine authorities for the importation of cats to Australia. We enjoy still getting The Cat and reading all the interesting articles including about our old branch, Guildford & Goldalming, for whom we used to volunteer. The problem of abandoned cats and kittens is just as bad here in Perth and there are several rescue organisations including the Western Australian RSPCA.

Memories of Mitzi From: Shiela Manning, New Haw, Surrey read with great interest the news of Mitzi passing away in M aking Memories section of the winter edition of T he Cat . It was I who contacted Heather Cook from Woking Cats Protection all those years ago. The people who lived near my mum in New Haw had moved and left Mitzi behind. She was always coming into my mum’s house so we used to feed her. We could not keep her as my mum already had a cat. I felt sad when Heather took her away but never dreamt she would have such a colourful and useful life. My mum and I did go to visit Mitzi at Weybridge hospital to see how she was and chat with the nurses. She was a lovely cat and I had been wondering what had happened to her.

The Cat Spring 2014

YOUR LETTERS

Till we meet again

Check, check and check again

From: Miss D Butterworth, Manchester n January 2010 my beautiful princess Chloe was put to sleep. I had her since she was eight weeks old and she died aged 19 and a half. I was heartbroken, although I still had four other healthy but aging cats. In November 2012 I was sitting in my front room when I swear I saw Chloe walk down the hallway towards the front door. I was amazed. It was definitely her but when I went to look she was gone. Two weeks later I visited the vet with Tabby, aged 18, as she was rubbing her mouth and I suspected she had toothache. I was devastated when he diagnosed a large tumour in the roof of her mouth. There was no hope for her and she had to be put to sleep. As I stood in my kitchen one morning, shortly after thinking about her, I suddenly realised why I had seen Chloe. I truly believe she had come for Tabby and it was comforting to know they were together. I miss them both so much it hurts. I hope this letter brings some comfort to others who have lost their beloved cats. I’m sure we will meet again.

From: Aileen Ireland, Crowborough, East Sussex y handyman related a story to me which I thought might be very useful to the safety of cats. A lady in his road was worried her cat had not returned one night. Next day and evening she searched the road, knocking on doors and calling her cat. One house was empty, having been sold but not yet occupied. After dark she made her way round to the back of the empty house calling and heard a faint reply. Going up to the back door of the house she could see her cat at the cat flap, which she was able to push open and let her cat out. The previous owners of the house had obviously thought they had locked the cat flap but had turned the screw improperly and this cat had got into the house but could not get out. This poor cat could have starved to death had she not entered the back garden. Another example of how we have no idea where our cats go once they leave home!

Poetical puss

e Cat magazine, winter 2013 mentions that black h or black-and-white cats are the most difficult to home. Yet they can reach the dizzy heights. I have just seen the film Bright Star which is about the love story of poet John Keats and it has a feline star too in the black-and-white cat playing the pet owned by his sweetheart Fanny Brawne’s family. I do not know whether the original cat was also blackand-white or even its gender, but Keats wrote this distinguished animal a lovely poem, here is an excerpt: Gaze With those bright languid segments green, and prick Those velvet ears

Our Star Letter wins their own SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap. All other printed letters will win a SureFlap cat mat for your puss to wipe its paws on! The SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap is ideal for cat owners needing a simple, stylish solution to the problem of intruder cats. SureFlap identifies your cat using his unique microchip number, unlocking only for your pet and leaving unwanted visitors outside. SureFlap is compatible with all European identification microchips and does not require your cat to wear an uncomfortable, restrictive collar. Available in brown and white, SureFlap can be installed into doors, windows or walls and fits into the hole left by most existing cat flaps. It runs on four AA batteries which last up to 12 months with normal use. To find out more visit www.sureflap.co.uk or visit their Happy Cats page on Facebook – www.facebook.com/sureflap.

The Cat Spring 2014

Funny, weird, or just plain photogenic; this is the place to show off your cat for the remarkable creature he is. If you think you’ve got a cat who deserves his 15 minutes of fame then write to us at Cats’ Tales , The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT or email editorial@cats.org.uk including a contact number and a photo of at least 500kb in size. If you would like your photos returned, please enclose a self-addressed envelope. Your letters may be edited for clarity and length.

Fat Cat Slim From: Richard and Shahnaz Zarif, Greenwich This is Olivia and she’s lost over a kilogram since she’s been with our family. She was 6.2kg at her last weigh in. She’s clearly feeling much more comfortable these days and even runs around a bit, although she still gets quite demanding and vocal before dinner time! Now she’s slim enough to groom herself she clearly wants to keep her fur and pedicure looking perfect. She loves cuddles and visitors and she’ll cuddle all day long if there’s someone home to cuddle with. She’s found lots of unusual places to fall asleep when no one’s in though!

The lick of love From: Trudy Hindmarsh, Skegness This is a tender moment between my two cats Harry and Billy. Harry had just been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and I was very worried about him. Billy seemed to sense Harry was unwell and spent about 15 minutes gently licking his head. I had never observed them doing this before and Harry certainly seemed to enjoy it. They were always quite friendly and loved to play together. Harry was 10 and Billy about four years old. I had Harry from a tiny kitten and Billy just came to stay one day about two years before. Where he came from is a mystery. Sadly, I lost Harry a few months after this picture was taken and Billy missed him very much (as did I). I have since adopted another companion for Billy and they seem to be getting along nicely after a few hissing spats for the first week or so!

Our ‘Golden Oldie’ From: Jacqueline Turley, Longfield We collected Buffy from a CP foster carer in April 1993 aged six weeks along with her mother, Biba, aged about nine months. Buffy is now over 20 years and is quite well apart from her hyperthyroidism for which she (sometimes!) takes a daily tablet. Our beautiful Biba died last year aged 20 and although we were anxious as to how Buffy would cope without her mother we needn’t have worried. Here she is in her favourite place in the garden on the last hot day of last summer. She still catches the occasional mouse and can intimidate any cat that dares to invade her territory.

The Cat Spring 2014

Distinguished Digby From Alison Sidebottom, Surrey We adopted Digby from Cats Protection East Surrey in January this year. We had lost our beloved cat Lily over Christmas to kidney disease and were heartbroken, we couldn’t bear the cat shaped hole in our household so we started to look around for a new companion. I spotted Digby (then known as Denzel) on the East Surrey website one weekend and fell instantly in love, they described him as a snuggle puss which totally won us over. We went to see him a few days later and took him home that day. He’s a very handsome fellow, I am particularly enamoured by his whiskers which turn up at the ends giving them the look of an eccentric gentleman’s moustache! He is as advertised, he loves cuddles and is excellent company for us both as my husband works shifts and one of us is often on our own. During the day he has our garden plus the allotments to roam in, cat heaven. At night he likes to sleep in his bed on top of the fridge freezer, we tried to move it down but he slept on top of the fridge without the bed in protest!

Corky’s a corker

Jeoffry’s jaunts From: Georges Ware, Bristol Jeoffry was rescued by Cats Protection in Bristol and adopted by us, along with his brother Alfie, in 2008 aged four. Sadly Alfie, although very well versed in the Highway Code, was killed on the road having been terrified by a youth coming along the pavement on a skate board. Alfie made a dash for it but was killed instantly. Jeoffry has now settled fairly well with our latest adoptee Lily. Jeoffry is a very loving cat who adores being stroked and nuzzled hard but after a while will let you know he’s had enough with a gentle bite. He spends most of the first part of the night, we think roaming the huge allotments, playing fields and woods behind our house; ultimately finishing on our bed. We are planning to get a Cat-Nav out of curiosity.

The Cat Spring 2014

From: Elisabeth Thomas, Sale We adopted our cat Corky in June 2010 from Trafford Cats Protection. As with many rescue cats, Corky did not have the best start in life – a kittenhood spent outside relying on the kindness of strangers for his next meal. He was a very shy and nervous cat and it took many months for him to fully trust us. Now, three years later, even after being very poorly last year with recurring cystitis, he is blossoming into a very happy and confident little boy with a huge amount of love and affection to give. A special diet means he’s had no cystitis for 14 months now so me and my husband hope that he won’t have any more problems and can continue gaining more confidence and losing some of his shyness. Corky is a very special little boy who has forged a very close relationship to both me and my husband and as you can see from the photograph, he likes nothing more than just relaxing and taking it easy now after his rather rocky start in life!

READERS’ CATS Ol’ Blue Eyes From: Annie Howes, East Sussex This is a photo of Frankie who was so named because he was born on the day Frank Sinatra died and had brilliant blue eyes. He has not stopped singing since. He is now 15 and sadly his sisters have passed on. Everyone loves him and he is just a big softie and very beautiful.

Velo handsome! From: Lynne Pothecary, Surrey The photo is of Velocette, although we call him Velo for short, who we adopted along with his brother, Norton from my branch about two years ago now. They have also since been joined by two sisters (Ariel and Arai) about a year ago, and we adore them all. All of our cats are ginger, but as you can see for yourself, Velo is particularly gorgeous, and this photo was taken in the recent snow at the beginning of the year by my husband, Roger.

No fiddling for Nero From: Fred Popplewell This is Nero when he was aged eight months. I was cat-sitting for friends in July and spent happy hours being stalked and pounced on by this Manx cat complete with tail. A millisecond after I took this shot he pounced.

The Cat Spring 2014

hat was the name of the first cat you can remember? If your childhood home didn’t have a resident feline then the chances are that your first acquaintance with puss was from a book. Of course we can all recollect nursery rhymes such as ‘Pussycat, pussycat’. But much bigger cats from storybook literature prowl amongst the shrubbery. One of the oldest of those celebrated cats is Dick Whittington’s. Whether we first read about Dick’s companion in a book or encountered him in a Christmas pantomime, we can never forget that the ambitious young man who would one day be Mayor of London owed his good fortune to the ratting abilities of his furry friend. Yet although Dick Whittington was indeed a real person, and really was Mayor of London some 700 years ago, his cat appears to have been a later addition to his story. How the cat got into the tale is a mystery. Some think the link arose from the type of boat Dick used for trading, known as a ‘cat’; another possibility is that the word arose from a misunderstanding of the French word ‘acheter’, meaning to buy, instead of ‘chat’, a cat.Even more mysterious is the best-known fictional cat of all: the Cheshire Cat from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

“Well, I’ve often seen a cat without a grin, thought Alice, but a grin without a cat? It’s the most curious thing I’ve seen in all my life!” Everyone remembers the talking Cheshire Cat with his odd habit of slowly disappearing from its tail upwards until nothing remained but his grin – until that too faded from sight. But what was it all about? Lewis Carroll who wrote the book in 1865 was fond of clever jokes and wordplay. Yet his Cheshire Cat defies analysis: some suggest that it is a reference to a type of cheese moulded in the shape of a curled up grinning cat, which was then eaten from the tail end inwards until only the smile remained. Others claim that Carroll’s inspiration came from a pub sign featuring a cat’s head, still others that the idea came from a church gargoyle, or perhaps a once-common name for a badly-depicted heraldic lion. Whatever the explanation, the Cheshire Cat has achieved immortality - though Alice’s actual pet cat, Dinah, who makes her own brief appearance in Alice Through the Looking Glass has largely been forgotten.

The Cat Spring 2014

The magic of Beatrix Potter A cat who surely will never be forgotten though is Tom, the central character of The Tale of Tom Kitten. Written by Beatrix Potter, and published in 1907, the story involved not just Tom but also his mother Mrs Tabitha Twitchet and Tom’s sisters Moppet and Mittens. It was not until the following year though that Tom Kitten earned himself a permanent place amongst the pantheon of immortal moggies in Potter’s nightmare-inducing, little book, The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding. Tom may have had fun in his own eponymous story, but lost in darkness under the floorboards and being wrapped-up in suet made ready for dinner by rats was much nastier and more memorable.

The Jellicle cats For the sheer number of famous cats introduced to the world however no one can beat TS Eliot. Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats was a collection of whimsical poems by Eliot about feline psychology and sociology. Published in the late 1930s the book has since become the basis for the musical Cats. The poems were originally written by Eliot, under his assumed name ‘Old Possum,’ in letters sent to his godchildren. In 1939 they were collected and published, first with illustrations by Eliot, and the following year with illustrations by Nicolas Bentley. Though the poems alone delighted readers, the fame of the felines they describe has grown ever greater since 1981 following the adaptation of Eliot’s work by Andrew Lloyd Webber as Cats, the musical which premiered in London’s West End in 1981.

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FEATURE Thanks to Webber Old Deuteronomy, the lovable patriarch of the Jellicle Tribe, the flashy tom cat The Rum Tum Tugger, and Mr. Mistoffelees, a young black tom with magical powers, along with a dozen more cast members have become familiar names to millions who have never read Eliot. Yet perhaps the cat born from Eliot’s pen who remains the most famous, who is the stage show’s only real villain, yet appears only briefly, and has no dialogue, is Macavity. ‘Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw -For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law’ Maybe it’s that very mystery that makes him so memorable. But will more modern fictional cats be as well-remembered 70 years on? In 1978 the artist Jim Davis created a new strip cartoon with a cat as its main character. Garfield, the titular character, was based on all the cats Davis was around when growing up. Garfield’s name and personality though were allegedly taken from Davis’s grandfather James A. Garfield Davis. But given Garfield’s laziness, obsessive eating, and disdain for Mondays and diets one can’t help wondering what Davis’ grandfather was like! So far Garfield has been around for over 30 years. But are there any even younger cats that look set to stay the course, and linger as long in our collective consciousness as the Cheshire Cat?

Only one candidate stands out: Greebo. Greebo is a foul-tempered one-eyed tomcat whose owner, the jolly old witch Nanny Ogg, insists against all the evidence is a sweet, harmless kitten. He is the creation of Britain’s foremost fantasy novelist Terry Pratchet. Since 1991, over the course of three Discworld books, Greebo has even killed two vampires: ‘The bat squirmed under his claw. It seemed to Greebo’s small cat brain that it was trying to change its shape, and he wasn’t having any of that from a mouse with wings.’ Swashbuckling Greebo, likened by Pratchet to ‘a Claymore mine’, appears to be unafraid of anything except ‘You’, a small white kitten owned by Nanny Ogg’s colleague Granny Weatherwax. But whether Greebo will still be remembered a century from now, only time will tell.

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The Cat Spring 2014

A day in the life of a cat behaviour counsellor

Taming the wanderlust – how do I keep my cat close to home? Vicky Halls investigates…

n the back of many a cat owner’s mind is the thought “if I let my cat out, what guarantee do I have that he’ll come back?” Sharing our homes with a territorial species can be fraught with such concerns because, on the whole, we care more about family and friends than our surroundings and find it hard to imagine being a cat that puts the environment above everything. A cat’s territory is fundamental to its survival; it contains everything the cat needs to survive and thrive and therefore is worthy of protection. Despite the advent of the loving owner and copious food at home, the instinctive (and somewhat redundant) notion of territory is alive and well in most. The size of territory and how it’s patrolled is influenced by the proximity of other cats and the density of the cat population in the neighbourhood. Other things that may influence how often a cat goes out and how far he roams are numerous: genetics, temperament, other cats in the same house, dogs next-door, to name a few. It is testimony to the adaptability of the cat that, despite the pressure from all those other cats outside, the majority return home with predictable regularity. It is very difficult to keep a cat at home against its will without confining it indoors and, at that point, the end result can be a very miserable, broken cat. Keeping cats indoors at night in many areas of the country is a straightforward safety issue but, if the environment allows, it will always be best to give cats freedom of choice to come and go during daylight hours as the whim takes them. Whether or not your cat roams depends on the individual, broadly speaking I tend to think they fall into any one of four categories:

Vicky Halls is a registered Veterinary Nurse, a member of the International Cat Care’s Feline Behaviour Expert Panel and author of several bestselling cat counselling books. For more information about these books or if you have any concerns about your own cat’s behaviour please visit her website: www.vickyhalls.net

20 The Cat Spring 2014

The ‘hunting, shooting, fishing’ cats These are the cats for which hunting is everything. They seem to have a primitive instinct to patrol, defend and hunt that overrides the fact that they are fully fed and nutritionally satisfied at home. These cats can be particularly driven in the spring; as the sap rises so does their desire to be free to stalk and catch prey.

The home lovers These are ideal for those owners who forever find themselves looking at adverts for GPS cattracking devices. The home lover is a fair weather cat that prefers to be outside with you when you are gardening than venture out alone. They often have a territory, with which they appear perfectly satisfied, that consists of three rooms indoors and a sunny bit of patio outside in the summer.

Cats that ‘vote with their paws’ These are the free spirits that have very specific requirements about what they want from a home base and surrounding area. If another cat comes into the house or a dog, for example, this cat may decide that enough is enough and take it upon himself to go seeking a ‘better place’ that suits his needs.

‘Billy-five-dinners’ Some cats like to indulge in ‘opportunistic feeding’ – the urge to find and eat food in places other than the predictable ones at home. ‘Billy-five-dinners’ eats his breakfast, waves goodbye to his loving owner and spends the rest of the day visiting various homes in the neighbourhood, vacuuming up any remaining food that has been left by the resident cats, and returning by the end of the day in time for supper. Occasionally these cats are so free with their affection that several people within the same area will swear blind they are Billy’s one true owner.

What can be done? If you worry about your cat roaming there are steps you can take to ensure that he stays predictably close to home. • Start as you mean to go on, keep kittens indoors until after their vaccinations and neutering (at four months old)

HEALTH CHECK • Microchip your cat in case he does go missing (fitting an appropriate safety collar with your telephone number on is a quick form of identification but don’t rely on this alone as collars are easily caught on branches and lost) • Keep compatible individuals in the same house, ideally two related cats, to avoid the need for either to leave home if they grow to hate each other • Create house rules early on – if your cat is to stay indoors at night then this occurs from day one • Check out the neighbourhood – are there lots of cats around? If so, consider securing your garden to keep your cats in and other cats out • Always provide a litter tray indoors so that your cat has somewhere safe to toilet when things get scary outside • Give your cat plenty of opportunity to have time out away from everyone in the privacy of his own home, allow him to take control of the relationship so he doesn’t feel under pressure to be sociable • Have play sessions daily to satisfy that predatory instinct • Fit a microchip-operated cat flap, and encourage neighbours to do so too, to prevent the temptation for your cat to snack elsewhere

Cats returning to their previous homes Occasionally when cats go missing they have a very definite task in mind if their owners move house within a relatively short distance of their old hunting ground. They are trying to return; a journey that may traverse busy roads, railway lines

and even rivers. If you are moving within a couple of miles of your previous home then, if your cat goes missing and he was a great hunter in your last place, that’s where you should start looking once you have ruled out the usual nearby sheds and garages. If you have moved (or are planning to move) a short distance away then consider the following: • Make sure your cat is microchipped and your address change is notified immediately • Keep your cat indoors for a couple of weeks in the new home and feed small tasty meals three or four times a day • Allow your cat outside first just before a mealtime • If your cat goes missing inform your neighbours in your previous home to keep a look out • Inform the new occupier that your cat may be on his way back • Ask everyone n ot to feed your cat but to notify you immediately if he is seen • If he is easy to handle ask a neighbour to pick your cat up and secure him somewhere awaiting your arrival • Take your cat home and provide a tasty meal and plenty of predatory games with toys I truly believe the old adage that cats c hoose to live with us and, on the whole, we need to trust them to do what they need to do outside. Thankfully, only a small minority, choose not to come home in the end.

Photo: istock.com/woody_nz

vets Ask the

Have you got a question? Send your questions to: Ask The Vets, The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT or email editorial@cats.org.uk

CP’s team of veterinary experts tackle your feline-related questions…

I have three cats who all seem to have food fads, not ones you would normally associate with cats. My Havana Dido loves fruit cake and totally destroyed a birthday cake I had stored, overnight. The chocolate point, Calypso loves blue cheese and my oriental Black, Loki loves chocolate to the extent that he can smell chocolate Horlicks from two rooms and a corridor away. He has even broken into a new box of chocolates, Christmas paper, sealing cellophane, cardboard box and all. I know that chocolate is very bad for cats and do make sure there isn’t any he can get at, he just mugs me if I have some, likewise Dido and the fruit cake. I am correct in thinking these human foods are dangerous for cats? Is there anything else I must keep away from them? They do turn out wastepaper baskets and my fear is that visitors have put something harmful in them, although I try hard to avoid anything other than paper in the bins. Incidently, Calypso is extremely nervous, as Siamese I have had before sometimes are. She hides in the back of the settee when we have visitors, refuses to have anything to do with my husband and overgrooms when anxious, so that she removes hair from her limbs. Her litter sister is not at all nervous and they came from a very reliable breeder. Perhaps it’s just silly Siamese behaviour Moira Byast, Hempton, North Oxfordshire What a strange variety of foods your cats are interested in! Among a number of other food stuffs, chocolate, grapes and raisins are toxic to cats and these should not be allowed to be consumed as they can potentially be extremely detrimental to their health. Calypso’s love of blue cheese, although not necessarily dangerous, may cause stomach upsets and wouldn’t be something we would recommend as a treat. With regards to your question over what may be hazardous to your cats, because cats can be quite inquisitive, some more than others, it is best to follow the rule: if you should keep it out of reach of children, keep it out of reach of cats . This would include household plants, chemicals, anything small they could swallow and human foodstuffs. Also, if they get any substances on their fur or feet they will lick it off, which can be another way of ingesting dangerous substances, so always ensure any potential hazards are locked away and if you wash your floors or other surfaces, rinse well and allow to dry before the cats walk on them. We would always recommend that if you are concerned that your cats have eaten anything toxic or dangerous

The Cat Spring 2014

that you should speak to your vet as soon as possible for guidance. We have leaflets available from our website which hopefully will give you more information on how you can give Dido, Calypso and Loki a safer home and how to enrich their environment. www.cats.org.uk/cat-care/care-leaflets/ essential-guides Look for Keeping your cat safe and I ndoor and outdoor cats . Finally, you mentioned that Calypso overgrooms, have you spoken to your vet about this behaviour, to rule out any potential medical reasons? Cats can overgroom as a result of anxiety, but very often there is also an underlying skin disorder which may be aggravated by stress and anxiety. If it is felt that there is a behavioural component then it may be beneficial to seek the advice of a suitably qualified pet behaviourist, who would come to your house and assist in trying to understand what is making her anxious and help to provide an appropriate behaviour modification programme. Our leaflet M anaging your cat’s behaviour can be found at the same web address as above. Your vet may be able to recommend a local behaviourist or alternatively the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC), have a list of behaviourists who will take referrals from your vet, as well as various publications which may also be of interest – www.apbc.org.uk My partner and I have recently adopted a cat from your centre in Ryde. He is a black-and-white Norwegian Forest cat, three years old and goes by the name of Boris. We don’t know too much about his background other than he was a stray and that he was very, very needy at the centre. Our problem with him is that he wants constant attention at night time and pads constantly. We have no way of shutting him down stairs at night and we don’t have a cat flap for him to come and go as he pleases. We tried shutting our bedroom door but he miaows outside until we let him in. He is a very loving cat and has settled in very well to his new home but we were wondering if there is any solution to the constant padding and neediness? Alice and Stephen, Isle of Wight We’re sorry to hear that you’re getting disturbed sleep, it’s not fun! Even though your cat doesn’t seem unwell, they are masters at disguising illness. When cats show a change in behaviour, the first thing we always recommend is that you get your cat checked out by your vet. Please ensure to specifically discuss his recent night time activities with the vet to rule out any medical problems that

HEALTH CHECK could be causing this behaviour. Once he’s been checked out by a vet, there are a number of possible behavioural causes. For example, cats are crepuscular – meaning that they are naturally more active during dawn and dusk. With the increasing day length, this can affect your cat’s activity levels. Does your cat seem to want something in particular such as food or attention? If so, try to give him options to meet his needs himself. If he is bugging you for food and the vet doesn’t feel there is a medical reason for this, then try feeding him his daily allowance little and often throughout the day and leave a portion down at night too. To keep him amused, you could try hiding some dry food in cardboard egg boxes so that he has to paw out the biscuits and ‘hunt’ for his food. Always ‘show’ the cat how to use new feeding enrichment ideas so that they can easily get the hang of it and prevent them losing interest or getting frustrated. You could try making a toilet roll pyramid where you sellotape the tubes together and hide dry food in the tubes. Check that the circumference of the tubes is big enough to fit his paws! There are also commercially available items such as food balls whereby the dry food falls out of the holes when it is moved, and puzzle boards. If he’s after attention, remember that giving him any kind of attention (whether it’s nice attention or not) is going to reinforce the behaviour, so that he’s more likely to show the behaviour again next time he wants attention. If this is the underlying cause then it’s best to ignore him when he’s doing this at night, but please give him fuss during the day when it’s appropriate. If you can give him regular fuss and play sessions through the day, this can help him predict when he is going to get attention. There are many possible reasons that could cause this behaviour, and these are just a few ideas. Cats Protection can only give general advice and information on the care of cats. Therefore, for specific guidance and help with your cat, we would highly recommend that you consult your own vet who may recommend a referral to a suitably qualified behaviourist or alternatively go to the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) website www.apbc.org.uk to find your nearest qualified behaviourist. My poor cat was involved in a car accident some time ago and although he was saved by the vet he has been left with no control over his bowel movements. Consequently he urinates and defecates in my house and often walks around with faeces stuck to his tail – he doesn’t seem to have the wherewithal to clean himself now. Do you have any advice you could give us please? Jane Burton, London Unfortunately if the road accident causes injury to the nerves at the base of the tail that supply the bladder and anal sphincter, the cat is often left with incontinence. This can improve over time but in general if the has been no major change within one to two months after the accident this is likely to be a permanent situation. In some circumstances owners can be trained to express the cat’s bladder twice a day which reduces the incidence of urinary incontinence as it is usually an overflow incontinence. Using a high quality diet in some cases will also improve stool consistence and reduce the incidence of soiling to the tail. A reduction in grooming behaviour may also indicate the cat is in pain. Arthritis is common in older cats and cats that have had a traumatic injury are even more susceptible so the introduction of an anti-inflammatory may improve the cats grooming behaviour. We would strongly advise that you speak to your vet as only they will be in a position to assess the cat’s prognosis and provide advice specific to this cat’s case.

THE EXPERTS Maggie Roberts BVM&S MRCVS After qualifying at Edinburgh University in 1986, Maggie went on to work primarily in private practice. Maggie first worked for CP as Veterinary Officer from 1997-99; her interest in feline medicine brought her back to the charity as Director of Veterinary Services in 2006. She has three cats, Trevor, Frankie and Ronnie. Beth Skillings BVSc MRCVS Beth qualified at the University of Liverpool in 1998 and went on to work in general veterinary practice until 2005 when she joined CP as Head of Veterinary Services. Beth moved into a new role as Clinical Veterinary Officer in November 2006. Beth has a CP cat, Humphrey. Lisa Morrow BMLSc, DVM, MSc (Vet Epi) MRCVS Lisa graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, Canada in 2000. Lisa first worked with CP as an Adoption Centre Vet at Derby Adoption Centre and was CP Head of Veterinary Services from 2003-2005. Lisa recently rejoined CP as Field Veterinary Officer in the northern region of the UK. She has two black cats, Kiwi and Mango. Karen Hiestand BVSc MRCVS Karen graduated from Massey University in New Zealand in 2001 and spent two years in mixed practice in her home country. Since then, she has interspersed locumming around the UK with volunteer veterinary work. Karen is the Field Veterinary Officer for the southern region of the UK. She has one cat called Dexter. Our veterinary surgeons have provided the advice on these pages, but for specific cases and health concerns it is important that you consult your own vet who will be able to look at your cat’s history and do a clinical examination.

The Cat Spring 2014

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ALI’S CATS

Middle cat syndrome lison Prince’s feline trio A jockey for position

ow we are three, we have adjustments to do that would send us off to Feline Relate, did such a body exist. Fingal has been Top Cat since the death of beloved Paddy, and it took Mitzi some time to learn how to live in a house at all, so she is Bottom Cat. But now comes Millie, who turns out to have a certain charm now she is less derelict. Is she Middle Cat or a new Bottom Cat? We need to know. Fingal, who I suspect engineered the whole thing, walks around looking as lofty as if he’d just been elected a member of the House of Catlords and very Top. But Mitzi has an identity crisis. I do see her point. This black-and-white newcomer is much older than she is, probably about 10 compared to Mitzi’s 18 months, so she can’t be dismissed as the new kid on the block. Neither can she be respected as a wise old bird, because she isn’t. Her communication skills are zilch, she’s terrified of everything and doesn’t know whose territory is which. Sharing is an unknown concept – not surprisingly, as she has spent a solitary decade serving as a hot-water-bottle in an old lady’s bedroom. Millie suspects that the floor belongs to the cats-in-residence. She scoots across it at speed to gain access to the cat-flap or vice versa, and leaps thankfully on any table, where she feels fairly safe. OK – I provide

Illustration: Alison Prince

folded towels to lie on and food dishes on a newspaper. But there are times when Millie has to be dislodged, like when someone comes to lunch. Or Thursday evenings, when the band rolls in for jazz practice. At first, Millie dealt with such emergencies by going out, but as winter deepens, that’s a less attractive option. Last Thursday, she claimed a small bit of shelf-territory beside the kitchen sink – and adores it. She can keep an interested watch on the providing of food and washing of dishes, and she is starting to trust that the other two will not savage her if she scuttles across their floor. She still regards her table-territory as sacrosanct, though – and how! I was working upstairs when an explosion of cat-shrieks shattered the calm and Mitzi came hurtling up the stairs, pursued by an outraged Millie. I can only imagine Mitzi had invaded her table and tried to steal her food, cheeky baggage that she is. But at the top of the stairs, Millie took an aghast look round like someone who has got off the bus at the wrong stop and fled. She’s stayed on the ground floor – or table – ever since. And Mitzi has not trespassed again. Slowly, terms of neutrality are being laid down. The kitchen is shared, though its floor is still dodgy territory. Mitzi is confused and cross, so she needs constant cuddles and reassurance. She even argues a bit with Fingal about lap-possession, but he settles that either by shoving her off or allowing her a turn and curling up beside her. I never thought he was capable of such statesmanship, but

that’s what comes with being Top. He even approached Millie in the kitchen yesterday, and touched noses with her. Millie’s language skills are improving. She was totally silent for the first month or two, except for a purr when stroked, but she’s joining in now when the other cats talk to me. She gives a croaky mew when I come down in the morning and makes little responses when spoken to. She even joins in the chorus of food-demand when hungry. Talking seems to have cheered her up a lot. Nervy cats are always tight round the eyes, so they look beady and suspicious, but Millie now looks quite big-eyed and a lot prettier. But the fur, though. Oh, the fur. When she first arrived, she was a shaggy, shedding mess, giving off a constant cloud of long, black-andwhite fur. Blue chair-seats turned white overnight. I put folded towels over anything she might sit on. Her tummy was full of hair from licking her unstable coat and she coughed a lot and couldn’t eat much food. I reduced the solids, but what she really needed was combing. Easier said than done. Even getting a finger on her was tricky at first – but slowly, she started to like stroking, and purred. Amazingly, she seemed to understand that combing was what she needed. Piles of fur have now gone in the compost bin. Millie keeps food down and she’s starting to put on weight. The chairs stay blue. Mitzi is I think starting to believe she is the middle one, not the bottom, and seems happier. That may change, but for the moment – whew!

The Cat Spring 2014

The vital importan neutering A J ane Clements , Neutering Manager at Cats Protection, explains how the charity is spreading the neutering message

s a cat owner, veterinary nurse and a former lecturer, I have seen first-hand the benefits of neutering for the health and welfare of the individual cat and the wider population, and I have also educated future generations of cat owners about this subject. As Cats Protections Neutering Manager I am drawing on this expertise, along with that of my colleagues and our hugely knowledgeable volunteers to ensure we do all we can to change peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attitudes to neutering. If we are to reduce the numbers of kittens being born with no home to go to and start to help the public have a greater understanding of the importance of neutering, we must do our best to reach those people and cats who most need our help. We can achieve this in a number of ways, by increasing our presence in the community thereby giving people better access to education through financially assisted neutering schemes, via animal health professionals and through collaboration with other charities. This means we can pool our resources, share our expertise and ultimately help more cats.

Neutering campaigns in focus

Give her the freedom to enjoy all this â&#x20AC;&#x201C; have her spayed

26 The Catâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; Spring 2014

Last September, our North Birmingham Branch spoke to me about the possibility of running a neutering campaign in their area. The branch had gathered some great statistics which highlighted areas most in need of neutering help for their cats. We quickly saw an opportunity to target specific postcode areas and identify some links between education and changing public attitudes. With the help of Jane Murray, an epidemiologist at Bristol University funded by Cats Protection, we developed a questionnaire for communities in postcode areas B44 and B23. This was distributed throughout the community in the spring and

BEHIND THE SCENES

nce of was followed up by community engagement and educational activities. We ran a family fun day in the summer and a Halloween themed children’s party in October. Both events were attended by over 100 people and were a fantastic opportunity to be part of the community and spread the neutering message. I also met and talked to some local groups and gave a series of talks in the job centre. I worked closely with our advocacy manager who was instrumental in helping us make strong links with the local councillor and also the RSPCA whose campaign experience and support has been invaluable. The subsidised neutering itself began in October and for under £10 at certain vets, eligible residents in B44 and B23 can get their cat neutered. This year we plan to continue our community presence as much as possible and we are hopeful that when we run the second questionnaire, this will show we have helped to change some attitudes and made people understand more about why they should neuter their pet cat.

Protect Your Pet is a wonderful example of collaborative working. It shows a united front to both the public and government; it allows pooling of resources and showcases what can be achieved when the animal welfare charities pull together.

Protecting our pets

The future

Animal Welfare Network Wales, Cats Protection, RSPCA and Dogs Trust have come together to form ‘Protect Your Pet’. These events offer communities a healthcare package for just £10. Last year we worked in Wrexham, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Swansea. Venues were identified for us by the relevant housing associations and advertised to their tenants. For two to three days, people were able to bring their pet along for a health check by a veterinary nurse, get their pet microchipped and receive neutering, flea and worm vouchers, all for just £10! Cats Protection issued 165 cat neutering vouchers and at the same time we were able to talk to people face-to-face. This makes a huge impact on the messages people actually remember and then take away and pass on to their peers.

As you can probably tell, I am passionate about ensuring the neutering work we do now has a long term impact. Working towards this aim, next year will see the continuation of the Birmingham campaign, as well as the long running campaigns in Glasgow, London and Northern Ireland. I believe it is really important to sustain a campaign in order for there to be a long term impact on the cat population. The ‘Protect Your Pet’ team have committed to another six events in Wales next year and we are also investigating the possibility of a campaign in the East Midlands. Our early neutering register continues to thrive, with 1,050 vets now registered. Neutering cats at the age of four months stops accidental litters and we reinforce this message as part of all our campaigns. I enjoy very much working with our branches, supporters and charity colleagues and I firmly believe we can make neutering the norm and stop so many unwanted litters being born and ending up in the care of our adoption centres and branches. Should anyone be interested in volunteering to take part in any of our campaigns I would be pleased to hear from you and can be contacted at: jane.clements@cats.org.uk

Protect him – get him snipped

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The Cat Spring 2014

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† You will not be liable for fraudulent transactions online or on the high street (including Contactless transactions), providing you tell us as soon as you notice any unusual transactions or you can’t find your card. Promotional rates will no longer apply from the beginning of any statement period during which you have breached your terms and conditions, for example if you haven’t paid on time or have gone over your credit limit. You cannot transfer balances between MBNA accounts. The Cats Protection Credit Card is issued by MBNA Limited. Registered Office: Stansfield House, Chester Business Park, Chester CH4 9QQ. Registered in England number 2783251. MBNA Limited is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2009, Register Number: 204487 for the provision of payment services, and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for general insurance business. MBNA’s consumer credit activities are licensed by the Office of Fair Trading. Credit is available, subject to status, only to UK residents aged 18 or over. Calls may be monitored and/or recorded for quality and training purposes and for compliance with regulations.

WALKER ON THE WILD SIDE

A life on hold John Walker’s Dexter has disappeared, pressing the pause button on his own existence.

exter has been missing for nearly four weeks. And I’m broken to pieces. My little boy is gone, and I may never see him again. I’m sorry that this edition’s column won’t be its usual cheerful self. Dexter is a special one. Clearly so is every cat to every owner, but Dex has managed to be special to many others too. Over his six years I’ve written about him in a number of places, from gaming specialist magazine PC Gamer to my own workplace, Rock, Paper, Shotgun. And of course here, in this lovely publication, for the last three years. In that time his antics, idiocy and distinct personality has been shared with many people, and my crowbarring references of him into so much that I write has allowed readers to follow along with his life. And now I don’t know if he has one anymore. That is, by far, the worst part of a cat going missing. As I know so very many people reading will have experienced, it is the not knowing that drills down into your core, suspending you in a place between expectation and grief, never allowing either to be realised. As the weeks of no Dexter go by, the reminders of his absence litter the house, they too in this awful suspended place. As if we’ve pressed ‘pause’ on his existence. His water bowl sits in the conservatory, the window he uses to get in and out left wide open despite the cold. We can’t put food down thanks to the invasions of a neighbouring cat, and we can’t create a clever cat flap prevention system as it would lock Dex out too. So the last helping of dried food remains in the Tupperware tub, on the windowsill, on pause. I’ve no idea when we pack these things away. When do we give up? I’m so blessed to have a sizeable following on Twitter (@botherer if you’re interested), and have been inundated with stories of cats that vanished for a week, two weeks, a month, three months, and then returned as if nothing had happened. Each one gives me more hope, and each one prevents me from unpausing, from moving on. Of course we’ve done everything we can to find him. Posters, leaflets, alerting every place imaginable, searching

Illustration: Rus Hudda

and door knocking. We’ve had dreadful false alarms, both because we thought he’d been found when he’d not, and because we’ve been told he’s been found dead when he hasn’t. We’ve been to previous addresses, leafleted there too, and we just wait. An oddity of this waiting is the longer it lasts, the greater the chance he’s alive. He’s chipped, so if found dead would be scanned and we’d know. While there are many awful ways he could be dead or trapped and we’d not find out – and I’ve rehearsed them all over and over – it remains more likely that he’s out there, perhaps living wild, or more likely has just moved in with another house that offers better food. Because as much as I love to anthropomorphise him into a creature that loves me, of course he doesn’t. He trusts me, and that’s wonderful, but that’s as much as we can get out of the walnut-brained monsters. They’d all cash us in for tuna if they only knew how. Lucy the new kitten, meanwhile, immediately became so much more pleasant the moment Dexter was gone. Their three-month-long play-fight now over, I can only assume she thinks she must have won, and wanders the house victoriously. But without her combative companion, she’s now seeking attention from her human housemates, and with that has become far friendlier. Not a price I would ever have chosen to pay, but a positive result, at least. I’ve adored writing about Dexter in this page for so long. My heart is shattered that I might never be able to again. But I’ll keep writing this column as long as The Cat will have me, and Lucy’s adventures more than merit sharing. Not least her beautiful, tender love for a pair of white, knee-length socks, that I’m certain I’ll tell you about soon. If you happen to see a black-and-white mog with a little black soul patch on his chin in the streets of Keynsham, staring stupidly at a wall, or losing a fight to a woodlouse, do let me know. In the meantime, on the off chance that he’s learned to read and is perusing this magazine in his new home: Dexter, I love you so much. I miss you, little guy.

The Cat Spring 2014 29

30 The Catâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; Spring 2014

FEATURE

Pamp€r€d pu$$€$ Lee Middleton finds out more about some millionaire mogs

he extravagant lifestyles of the super wealthy have always mystified us, from movie stars to business moguls we live in a world of curiosity finding out everything we can about the famous faces that fill our magazines and screens. Even the passing of someone we admire provides us with fascination not only in their sad demise but what happens to the massive accumulation of cash they were blessed with. In death we expect their estates to go to their children, family or maybe a charity that was close to their heart. But at times a few lonely millionaires have decided to leave their trust to someone close but are not of the two legged variety. One example of owners leaving their wealth to their cats stretches to the famous. Singer Dusty Springfield made sure her 13-year-old ragdoll cat was catered for in her will apparently including a seven-foot indoor tree house for him to play in and specially imported cat food. And to nod him off to sleep each night he was to be played recordings of the star’s music. Other amazing cases include bachelor David Harper leaving his cat Red the sizeable sum of $1.1 million with the United Church of Canada currently providing the care he needs. British antiques dealer Ben Rhea left an incredible $12.5 million to his pet Blackie and three cat charities, stunning his relatives when they received nothing. Four lucky cats were left an entire house by owner Beryl worth $1.8 million. These are all fascinating and bewildering cases of cats living the highlife but they pale in comparison to the rich kitty number three in Forbes list of the world’s richest pets. Four year old Tommasso used to survive as a stray on the streets of Rome until an amazing stroke of luck arrived when he was adopted by a rich heiress named Maria Assunta, the widow of a successful Italian property tycoon. She had no children and though rich beyond most

of our dreams suffered from extreme loneliness and Tommasso the jet black street cat provided the company she always longed for. The two became inseparable and Maria cared for her pet like he was a son. Sadly she died in 2009 but beforehand she was unable to decide on a proper organisation to look after Tommasso so she decided to leave him via her trusted nurse her entire estate worth an incredible total of $13 million! This included property in Milan, Rome and even land in Calabria near Naples. The nurse and Tommasso are currently living outside of Rome at an undisclosed address due to the threat from kidnappers and would-be con artists intent on claiming some of the riches. There have also been many email messages asking to adopt him and the story aired on ABC news in the United States. Even more jaw dropping are the two pets that beat Tommasso in Forbes pets rich list, number two was Kalu the chimp who inherited $80 million and topping the list was a German shepherd named Gunther IV who belonged to an eccentric Bavarian heiress. This top dog inherited a jaw-dropping sum of $372 million from none other than his own father, Gunther III! When we read these strange cases we will be left with varying opinions: is it animal lovers gone crazy? The rich protecting their wealth from greedy relatives? Or is it an example of how much love there is in this world for our pets, doing anything to make sure they live the best life we can provide when we ourselves are no longer there? It is up to you to decide but it certainly makes the mind boggle and we can only imagine if there will be another cat in the future to take over from little Tommasso at the top of the rich list. With pets currently included in around seven per cent* of wills in the UK, then it could be closer than we think. *Optimum Research survey 2012

The Cat Spring 2014

Diane Mulcahy, Diane McDougall, Sharon Fenton and Angie Jepson

CP Leeds the way! Francesca Watson visits the exciting new venture for cats in West Yorkshire

ats Protection’s Gildersome Homing Centre nestles at the top of a hill on the edge of the busy city of Leeds. It is a new model – a standalone centre run with two paid staff to cover the whole week and manage a team of volunteers. The 12 homing pens house cats that are ready to go to new homes and there are two affiliated shops just a few miles away which help to raise funds and promote the centre and the charity’s messages. The idea of a homing centre in Leeds began several years ago with the aim of establishing a respected and effective presence in this area. “Helping cats is of paramount concern to our charity and we want to be able to help more and more throughout the UK,” Chief Executive Peter Hepburn explains. “Gildersome is one of our smallest centres and when we first considered its format we spent a lot of time, looking, learning, SCAN THIS listening, thinking and drawing on the considerable PAGE WITH experience and skill within the charity from the LAYAR north of Scotland, to the south of England. We

The Cat Spring 2014

knew the concept would work as we already had small centres e ntirely run by volunteers. So we set up a structure where it would be run by two paid members of staff, Manager Diane Mulcahy and a deputy, Christina Mageen along with a team of volunteer fosterers and cat care assistants.” “When considering where this new centre would be best placed we looked at the country as a whole, looking for gaps where we didn’t already have branches or centres, but also where other animal charities weren’t strongly represented either,” Peter continues. “We wanted to fill those gaps and help more cats. One of those places was the triangle of Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, where there is a massive human population but relatively little help for cats. Our Helpline confirmed that one of the areas from where they received the highest number of calls was that of West Yorkshire, so we were confident that such a centre would be welcomed in this region. “Planning consent is a key factor for proposed sites as a significant change to a site’s previous purpose can

FEATURE cost time and money when seeking planning approval. We were lucky to find, in the middle of that triangle, a site that was already being used as a commercial cattery. As such we knew that there would be a very good possibility that our plans would be approved as they did not differ too much from the original use.”

The concept becomes reality Building commenced in May of 2013 and the completed centre received its first cats for public viewing in October. It is an eco-friendly build comprising reception, veterinary room, store room (with hundreds of tins of cat food donated by kind supporters!), food prep room and laundry plus an area for volunteers and staff and most important of all, 12 cat pens. Manager Di Mulcahy has a background that includes cats, charity and business management. She had been Co-ordinator of CP’s Halifax Branch for three years when she got the manager’s job last February. “When I started there was no centre, just a building site,” she remembers wryly, “but with the knowledge that we were just months away from providing the people of Leeds with a physical CP presence I decided to use this time to go out into the community to recruit volunteers and establish a strong and dependable reputation with potential supporters and partners.” “Finding people to run the centre and look after cats was obviously an immediate priority,” Di continues. “We advertised a Volunteer Recruitment day and held it at the local Holiday Inn. Tables were laid out with job descriptions for fosterers and cat care assistants, information leaflets, visual tools such as cat litter trays and food bins and free giveaway pens and magazines. We also had on show examples of merchandise that other volunteers had provided for us: cat toys, blankets and homemade chutney!

“It was intentionally a fun and informal introduction to the work of Cats Protection, showing what the roles would be within the centre. I was worried that no one would turn up, but with over 40 throughout the day I was more than happy with the response. We asked the potential volunteers to fill out application forms as well as a survey giving feedback about how the day went. The next step was an evening where we showed them more about the practical side of cat care, what the roles involved and the charity’s policies and procedures. The final part of the recruitment was to bring them to the centre for a hands-on session. We managed to find some fantastic volunteers, with currently over 100 taking on various roles for the centre. But we only have eight fosterers and we desperately need more!” Di smiles, “so if anyone in the Leeds area is reading this and is interested in getting involved, then give me a call!” The fosterers care for the cats in a spare room of their house which enables the cats to experience a proper home existence. The fosterers are responsible for ensuring the cats receive all their veterinary check-ups and treatments, including neutering, vaccinations and chipping, with the charity meeting all these costs. Cats will be with the fosterers for an average of two weeks before they are declared ready for homing and are moved to the pens in the centre. Here, volunteer cat care assistants give the cats their day-to-day care until they adopted. “We’re doing really well, and since we opened in October, we’ve worked through a long waiting list of cats in the area waiting to come in, homing over 60 cats in our first three months. It’s a fantastic start and shows that although so many cats are being relinquished into CP care there are still homes out there for our cats. So far, on average, a cat will

All photos: CP Library

The Cat Spring 2014

FEATURE A new arrival

Dinner’s ready!

The homing pens

stay in the centre for only around 10 days before being homed, but we find that they can be reserved quite quickly. Our fastest rehoming was 15 minutes!” Di laughs. “The cat came in from our fosterer, a visitor saw it and within fifteen minutes had reserved it! We always give 48 hours for an adopter to come and collect the cat though as this allows us to make our final checks and also gives them time to go out and prepare properly for their new pet.”

Education is key Another important mission of the centre is education. Cats Protection’s Education Officer KirstyLou Watson is working closely with the centre. She and Di are not only planning to deliver education talks to schools and groups in the surrounding areas, but also want to invite them to the centre to receive talks about cat care. Whether it is follow-up talks inviting those who have recently adopted cats or groups wanting to find out more about CP’s work, Di and Kirsty-Lou both feel it is vital to consolidate the presence of CP in the community by spreading the important messages of animal welfare. Kirsty-Lou also aims to recruit an Education Volunteer who will be responsible for the education talks requested specifically by the community from the Gildersome homing centre. This volunteer will go out to deliver talks directly to nurseries, schools, adult community groups such as WIs and Rotary clubs as well as children’s community groups like the Beavers and Brownies. School talks are based on the Five Welfare Needs, whereas the Brownie and Beavers talks are aimed towards the children gaining their Friends to Animals Badges. The adult communities will receive talks on basic cat care, which include ‘how to make your home a more welcoming environment for your cat’, using the resources created by the Veterinary Department. These adult talks will also showcase the behavioural videos presented by the charity’s Behaviourist Nicky Trevorrow, as well as information on Cats Protection and how to get involved with the charity. To further strengthen the centre’s presence CP shops have opened a few miles to the north and the south of the centre. Their remit is to raise funds for the centre but also to raise the profile of the charity.

The Cat Spring 2014

It is an ideal place to publicise the cats that need rehoming, advertise for volunteers and be a platform for our educational work. It is literally a shop window for the work of the centre and the charity. With the success of the Gildersome model the Trustees are now considering similar centres around the UK. “On evidence so far, Gildersome is doing really well at homing cats and getting lots of volunteers,” Peter enthuses. “On a practical level the cost of building was very efficient and it has a low cost of running so it’s been a great success. We already have plans to build a similar centre to the north of Leeds to give us a more extended coverage in the city and beyond. So we would certainly consider building more centres based on this model around the UK, where we feel they would work. I am so thrilled with what Gildersome has already achieved. Everyone who has been involved with bringing this concept to fruition should be rightly proud of their contribution.” Di is looking forward to the challenges ahead. “It’s early days but we’re firmly establishing ourselves as an important feline welfare presence within the local community and across the city. We will continue to get our key messages out there, educating people about cat welfare and not least letting the public know about all the gorgeous cats we have waiting for a new home!”

Due to overwhelming demand the centre decided to open its doors well in advance of the official opening day of 29 November, but it was still a perfect opportunity time to celebrate a job well done. It was an informal event enjoyed by staff, volunteers and fosterers from the centre and provided an opportunity to thank others who had been involved such as Chalet Cats Cattery from Wakefield, representatives from the local church, St Peter’s, as well as other local animal charities such as Yorkshire Cat Rescue and the RSPCA. Trustees Patrick Sheehan and Trevor Jones attended with Mike Henley, Director of Operations. Trevor had the honour of cutting the ribbon and Patrick the honour of cutting the fantastic celebration cake!

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From shopping bags to cuddly kits, here are our top spring goodies and giveaways

WIN

Funky feline bags Re-Uz London offers a range of eco reusable bags for the greatest practicality. The bags themselves fold up into their own small bag, making them ideal for shopping carriers. The carriers are lightweight, made of a water resistant fabric, and come in a variety of designs. Re-Uz have three of their popular Kitty Cat design to give away to cat-loving readers! Each bag is worth £6.99. Practical and in such a funky feline fabric design, this is one giveaway you want to be sure to win! To look at Re-Uz’s other styles and designs go to www.re-uz.co.uk Enter in the usual way quoting Kitty Cat .

Wee ginger poppets! WIN

Cool cat brooches This lovely laser cut handmade geometric brooch is mounted on a silver lockable brooch pin and is perfect for cat lovers to wear with any outfit. The geometric brooch measures just a tad under 5.5cm tall and 5cm wide and is available in grey and black. Custom Made have a collection of animal jewellery and accessories making it the perfect place to go shopping for gifts for pet lovers or for yourself. Custom Made, is an accessories company owned by fashion designer Anna Butler. Anna and the team design a growing range of fun and often quirky jewellery and accessories. All items are handmade in their UK design studio and where possible materials and packaging are sourced from within the UK. Inspired by bright colours, pretty prints from far off places, quirky charms, vintage fabric and trimmings, Custom Made has a look that’s very much its own. Geometric cat laser cut brooch £11.00 each from Custom Made, www.custommadeuk.com We have five brooches to give away – please quote Brooch when you enter and decide whether you’d like it in black or grey.

36 The Cat Spring 2014

How can these gorgeous little kits be retired? Have they reached three quarters of the way through their nine lives? Are they about to claim their feline pension? Well, according to their makers, JellyCat, they are no longer available for purchase which is a sad day. So, perhaps the five that we have to give away will become collectors’ items? JellyCat cats have been popular prizes for our Kids’ Corner pages for a few years now and we’d thoroughly recommend any of their line including the non-feline ones. You can learn more about the JellyCat menagerie at their website www.jellycat.com and all good toy retailers will sell them. But in the meantime, if you want to adopt one of our five ginger kittens, then enter in the usual manner quoting JellyCat .

WIN

OUR FAVOURITE THINGS One for the kids! DISCOUNT Technology knows no bounds and now you can design your own kids’ t-shirt via a smart phone app! The T-Shirt Booth app is free to download and allows you to get a uniquely personalised t-shirt featuring a favourite children’s character. Our favourite is without doubt, Garfield, everyone’s favourite lasagneobsessed ginger puss. The app lets young fans choose which screen star they want to wear on their shirts, along with a message and a personalised photo. It takes just a few taps on the app – and the T-Shirt is delivered. Even better, £2.00 from each Garfield T-shirt sale goes to Cats Protection! You simply download the free T-Shirt Booth App; choose the character, colour and size of garment. You then need to take a photo of the person whose picture you want to appear on the t-shirt, and type in their name. They are available in a wide range of colours and children’s sizes (from babies to teenagers). The T-Shirt Booth App is available via the Apple Store, via Google Play for Android – and can be downloaded directly from the T-Shirt Booth website – www.t-booth.net. They are also offering our readers a 10 per cent discount! Simply enter the discount code ru4fao at the checkout.

Here, kitty, kitty! Give your kitty the best chance of getting home with a personalised cat collar from Kitty Collars. Your telephone number is printed directly on the collar, along with your address or a special message. Even if your cat is microchipped (highly recommended!), a personalised collar means you’ll be contacted sooner if your cat gets lost or injured. The collars are made of really soft nylon and are extremely comfortable. Even the fussiest cats love them! And there’s no need for a pet tag which can get lost and which some cats find annoying. And most important, they’re safe! The breakaway clasp releases quickly if the collar gets caught on anything, freeing your cat from danger. Breakaway cat collars are the safest type of cat collar and the only type recommended by Cats Protection. Choose from a range of 11 fun colours with matching bells. Visit www.kittycollars.co.uk or call 01983 200 201. We have 10 collars up for grabs – please quote Kitty Collar when you enter.

WIN

The

cat’ s miaow Shop with CP online How could this not be the cat’s miaow? Yes, we’re biased but we’re pleased to be able to stock over 2,500 pet related products, everything you need to keep your pet happy and healthy. Our massive product range includes pet food, bedding and pet accessories to name but a few. In addition, every purchase made through our online shop will raise money to help our work with cats. You can also choose whether you would like the money raised from your purchase to go towards the work of Cats Protection, or to a specific branch or centre. Take a look at our website www.cpshop.co.uk and for new customers we can offer a 10 per cent discount on their first purchase. Just put the code c pnew10 when you check out and pay. One of the items we sell on the site is the very popular Feliway Diffusers and our friends at Ceva have generously donated five of these to giveaway. To be in with a chance of winning one of these please send your entry to the usual address and mark it Online Shop . Our thanks go to Ceva for their donation. Please visit our online shop for all your Feliway needs whether it be a diffuser, refill or spray.

WIN

For a chance to win one of our spring giveaways, just send your name and address plus the prize phrase on a postcard or sealed envelope to: T he Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, Sussex, RH17 7TT . You can also send your entries via email to competitions@cats.org.uk . Don’t forget to include the giveaway phrase in the subject header so we know which competition you’re entering, and remember to include your name and address in the email body. We may need to pass details of competition winners to the prize suppliers for products to be posted direct. The closing date for giveaways is 11 April 2014 . Please note, paid staff are not eligible to enter competitions or giveaways run by Cats Protection.

The Cat Spring 2014

Warrington wonders

F rancesca Watson takes a tour of an impressive new adoption centre

eplacing an old pie packaging factory is the latest wonder of Warrington, our new adoption centre in the Padgate area of the city. Several years ago the charity had deemed that the centre’s previous site in Slutchers Lane was no longer fit for purpose. It was a small, cramped building, accessed through a narrow road under a railway arch which all too often was flooded. Sonia Scowcroft, North West Manager, explains, “Remedial repairs could make the access passable by cars but waders would still be needed for those who walked! Thankfully we worked out times where staff could get lifts in, but more than once it did put potential adopters off visiting us. It was also a nightmare for deliveries. Trucks would have to park before the railway arch and we’d drive the transit van up, load it, drive back to the centre, often several times, not the best use of staff time!”

All photos: Dragonfly Photography

Deputy Manager, Barbara Smith at the busy reception

The Cat Spring 2014

So the decision to move the centre was made but finding a new location did take some time. The first chosen site fell through, but then thankfully this area in Padgate came up. “One of our Cat Care Assistants, Claire Frangleton, lives nearby and she thought it would be a good option for us,” Sonia continues. “The Property team came up from the National Cat Centre and saw the site’s potential. Thankfully planning permission was granted, construction started in February 2013 and the doors opened for business in November.“ A working group was created involving different departments from the National Cat Centre including Property, Veterinary, Operations and Design. Sonia joined the charity mid-way through the process but immediately became hands on. Everyone contributed to ensure the centre was as successful as possible: “It can be NW Manager, Sonia Scowcroft gives Mayor Carey the tour

FEATURE

Staff, volunteers, trustees and the Mayor gather for the offical opening

a balancing act ensuring that the best is achieved for the cats, the people, the staff and visitors, but I think we did it!” Sonia smiles.

A new beginning The new eco-friendly site was funded entirely from donations. “We have had such fantastic support from the public and also the local branches. We wouldn’t be here without them and we can’t thank them enough,” Sonia acknowledges. “To show people more about the work we do we had video on our website and Facebook page emphasising what the new centre would mean for the Warrington area, which proved very effective. It had a simple ‘click to donate’ button at the end and we were overwhelmed by the response. It did help that we had some very friendly cats and kittens that couldn’t resist acting up for the camera!” she laughs. Barely a week into the New Year and the homing board has already got 13 cats marked as adopted for January. “It’s too soon to say whether we’ve already homed more cats since Going home!

we moved,” Sonia says, “but I am positive we can increase our homing figures by 50 per cent.” The homing figures averaged around 300 cats each year at the old centre and with some canny marketing they managed to increase that to an incredible 378 in 2013. “A centre is like a shop window and it pays to observe what works and what doesn’t,” Sonia explains. “You may have a ‘cold’ pen, one which tends to get overlooked or missed, but put the irresistible kittens in there and it immediately draws people in. And if there is a ‘hot’ pen that is right in the public’s gaze then this is where we put our more difficult to home cats, or the long-stay cats. It brings their stories to the front of people’s consciousness.”

The grand tour There are 55 pens here at the new centre; 26 admission, 17 homing, six maternity and six isolation. The pens are glass fronted with an equal-sized section repeated at the back. Each pen is equipped with a full-set Feline Fort allowing the cat a raised bed, platform and hiding place with the back pen an open play area for the resident cat. The outside corridor wall is made from a secure ventilation mesh that protects against the elements but still allows the fresh air so the cats can get a feeling of outside. Birds can be heard chirruping tantalisingly close, giving great entertainment! It is interesting to note that Sonia saw an immediate change in the cats that were brought from the old centre. “In just a couple of days you could see their confidence levels grow, they came out of themselves. They were all homed really quickly even though some had been classified as long-stays in the old centre. It was such a positive thing to see and evidence that the move was going to be a success.” Throughout the centre the huge, dynamic images on the walls help engage, attract and enthuse the visitors reminding them just why they’re there… cats! “The graphics really welcome our visitors in and show what CP is all about, finding people their ideal feline companion,” Sonia explains. “Added to this we have a television screen

The Cat Spring 2014 39

FEATURE in reception which shows videos of the cats we currently have in our care which encourages our visitors to want to meet them in person.” Behind the public areas are the practical working rooms. There are two laundry rooms, one for homing and admissions and the other for maternity and isolation. This ensures that both are kept as separate as possible to protect against the spread of possible infections such as cat flu and ringworm. There are two vet visits per week and a wellequipped veterinary room ensures that the cats have prompt and effective on site medical attention when needed. Reception is a warm and welcoming area where Sonia is keen to incorporate a proper pet shop corner. “At present we’ve got items such as cat food, litter and trays temporarily laid out on tables but we hope to get a proper display area soon. It would be great to be able to give the local community an easy-access pet store, providing them with a practical service as well as spreading the word and getting more visitors planning to come to the centre, at least that’s my plan!” Sonia laughs. Going past reception Sonia enters a bright room. “This is one of our most effective tools. By having a separate interview room, away from the public areas, we’re able to put people at ease when they come in to surrender their cats. It gives us the privacy to chat with them, often with a box of tissues on hand as it is a very emotional time for them. Sometimes people can get quite angry if we don’t have an immediate place for their cat. This space allows us to talk calmly with them and explain the process of our waiting list with cats going on the list as soon as we have a vacancy.” Behind the interview room is a small wellequipped meeting room giving the centre the option to rent it out within the local community but also giving the charity’s regional staff a base for meetings in the north-west. The centre was officially opened on 23 November by Warrington’s mayor, Peter Carey. Over 100 visitors enjoyed seeing the new centre and there were a number of donations on the day, not least in tins of cat food, which the enterprising team made into the CP logo out in the car park! Eleven cats were rehomed on just that day, one of whom was a beautiful tortie cat called Daisy, who made the local news. It turns out she was a rarity, a hermaphrodite cat. And yes, when it comes to neutering hermaphrodite felines you do have to do both operations!

A dedicated team Sonia joined the charity in October 2012, mid-way through the new centre project. As North West Manager she runs the Warrington centre as well as the adoption centre in St Helen’s, which covers the Liverpool and Merseyside areas. She has a broad management background, which includes being a bank manager and running national events

40 The Cat Spring 2014

Getting ready for a new home

and programmes for Keep Britain Tidy. She is also a volunteer for an independent cat rehoming charity which is where she got her catcare experience. “We cover a huge area and I split my time between the two centres. But obviously if I’m needed at one I will then remote manage the other. Thankfully I have great deputy managers so the staff know that they will get the same help and answers from them as they would from me. We also have fantastic volunteers. Volunteers are a god-send to any charity, but sadly, not all our volunteers were able to get to the new site and we are keen to recruit more. In particular we’re on the lookout for fosterers in the Warrington area but I’d also like to get people in to help with overall aesthetics of the centre, such as a gardener. “This centre is so different to the old one. The staff are slowly getting used to having more room and they love it. To have such a well-considered facility means they can do their job more easily and efficiently and help more cats. This investment shows them that they matter as well as the cats. “An important factor is that we’re now easier to find and get to,” she adds. “We’re near to the motorway and on a bus route and we’re getting more visitors for general visits. In the old centre people specifically came to adopt a cat, but this place is so accessible and welcoming with the reception area, the videos and the cat wings, that more family groups are dropping by. Word of mouth says that we’re a wonderful place to visit and this is great for raising our profile and reputation.” But Sonia is constantly raising the bar. “I’m enjoying this role immensely. I thrive on challenges and love asking questions such as ‘how can we improve?’, ‘how can we do things better?’. This is already a fantastic centre but I know we can fine tune its use and our practices to get the most out of it. This is just the beginning and we’re all determined to continue providing the local community with an invaluable service and find more homes for more cats.” With the enthusiasm and dedication shown by Sonia and her team there can be no doubt that the cats of Warrington have certainly landed on their paws.

If you’re interested in volunteering for the Warrington Adoption Centre then do get in touch on 03000 12 06 12.

SPEAKING UP FOR CATS

Let’s stop snaring – NOW! What’s the problem?

nares are thin wire nooses that are commonly used by farmers, landowners, gamekeepers and others to catch foxes, rabbits and stoats (so called “target species”). Snares unfortunately do not discriminate and other animals, such as cats, often get caught in them, causing immense injury, suffering and perhaps death. Snaring has been banned in most of Europe but is still legal in the UK. A recent report by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) found that almost 30 per cent of rabbit snare operators had caught a cat and that most rabbit snare operators took no measures to avoid the capture of non-target animals.

We need a total ban on snares Cats Protection is strongly opposed to the use of any object, or the adoption of practices, that inflict pain and suffering on cats. The use of snares clearly falls within this statement and we would like to see a complete ban on the manufacture, sale and use of snares across the UK to end the horrific injuries and painful deaths suffered by cats and other animals that get caught in snares. Law-making on snares is devolved, meaning that campaigns have to tackle all UK administrations separately. In England and Wales, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 applies and there is also the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 and the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010. Recent campaigning in Scotland did strengthen regulations but failed to persuade the Scottish Parliament to agree a full ban. In March 2012 DEFRA published a report into T he Extent of Use and Humaneness of Snaring in England and Wales which confirmed that many farmers and game keepers are not aware of the various laws and regulations governing snaring and that it is not possible for snares to be species specific and avoid incidental trapping of cats and other animals. This report presents an opportunity to press DEFRA to introduce a total ban on snares. Hopefully other parts of the UK would then follow.

On Facebook you told us:

Jacquie Wow, I thought snaring had been banned years ago! Shocking :( Ida I AGREE get these barbaric things made illegal, quickly, please. Louise My cat was caught in a snare twice! Thankfully I found him in both times and he survived, but he (and I) was really traumatised. Sylvia This happened to my cat – he nearly lost his leg. He managed to chew through the rope and got home, thank God but the vet took ages to get it off. Kerridwen I fail to understand why such practices are still legal in the UK – are we in the middle ages? No animal should suffer like this, be it a fox, cat, or other.

You can contact our Advocacy team via email advocacy@cats.org.uk

What you can do The League Against Cruel Sports has launched an online petition calling for the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson MP, to introduce a complete ban on the manufacture, sale and use of snares across England and Wales. Cats Protection has been promoting the petition through its network. The petition already has over 50,000 signatures but many more are needed if snares are to be debated in Parliament and the law changed. To find out more and to sign the petition visit www.league.org.uk/snaring “Snarewatch” is a campaign being co-ordinated by the charity Onekind. Cats Protection, with the help of its branches and adoption centres has helped get over 6,000 postcards sent to MPs calling for a ban on snares in England. Snarewatch is also appealing to people to report instances of pets or other animals getting caught in a snare. For more details visit www.snarewatch.org/report-a-snare. They are also calling on people to send an e-letter to their MP asking them to support a motion banning snares across the entire UK – for more information visit www.onekind.org/take-action/campaigns

Give your feet a rest and exercise your mind

Ten-minute crossword

AMUSING HEATHER Heather Cook has cats with character

Across 1 Pottery oven (4) 3 Endearing (8) 9 Hug (7) 10 Assisted (5) 11 Employees (5) 12 Material for violin strings (6) 14 Young cat (6) 16 Root vegetable (6) 19 Silly laugh (6) 21 Push roughly (5) 24 Go in (5) 25 Feign (7) 26 Cooked egg dish (8) 27 Difficult (4)

Down 1 Memento (8) 2 North African country (5) 4 Soak (6) 5 Cook in an oven (5) 6 Nomadic Arab (7) 7 Terminates (4) 8 Perplex (6) 13 Magnificent (8) 15 Prickly plant (7) 17 Northern Ireland (6) 18 Tyrant (6) 20 Eat gluttonously (5) 22 Last Greek letter (5) 23 Nought (4)

To win one of these Giornata Espresso cup and saucers complete our crossword correctly, rearrange the shaded letters to find the name of a famous literary feline BUT who created him? Write the answer, plus your name and address, on a letter or postcard, and send to: Crossword Competition, The Cat, NCC, Haywards Heath, Sussex, RH17 7TT. Alternatively email the answer with your name and address to us at competitions@cats.org.uk with Crossword in the subject header. Winners will be drawn on 11 April 2014. The prizes are kindly sponsored by The Cat Gallery. Visit www.thecatgallery.co.uk or phone 01904 631 611 to request a catalogue. Last issue’s winners: Miss Zentner, Miss M Wood, Ms Julie-Anne Hamling. Answers to Winter crossword on page 63. The wonder of the world was the Pyramid of Giza.

The Cat Spring 2014

There are people who think that they would like a cat with character and there are those who know better. Some innocent souls imagine that ‘character’ is a good thing, embodying noble qualities, such as courage and loyalty and endearing attributes, including a sense of humour and playfulness. These innocent humans have obviously never met the residents of Tresta Towers, where we have more character than we know what to do with. Miss Elizabeth, for example, made her entrance some 15 years ago. Even as an extremely small kitten, Miss Elizabeth didn’t suffer fools gladly. An early triumph was the swift departure of a double-glazing salesman who failed to cope with being raked at by a tiny but insistent white paw. By the time he left, the poor man didn’t know his conservatories from his barge boards. Bella, a fragile and elderly Persian, lives in an igloo on the dining table and has no intention of vacating the scene just because some humans have an inconvenient fixation about sitting down to a meal. A bulging lump of candyfloss protrudes from the igloo in a most fetching manner, but otherwise you really wouldn’t know there was a cat on the table – apart, that is from Bella’s snoring and an occasional igloo-shaking sneeze. Our latest addition, Tiny Trixie-Tribble, flings herself at visitors, convinced that they have come to see her and her alone. As she pads vigorously at their clothing, I think of the houses I’ve visited where cats have to be coaxed out of dark corners and remain at a respectful distance, instead of pinning people down and regaling them with their life history. Benjamin Wobble, has an eye for a dark coloured jumper and will count it a failure if he hasn’t succeeded in covering it and its unfortunate wearer with fur and dribble within a matter of moments. A friend of ours thought she’d cracked it when she found a Benjamin-coloured sweater and settled down for a bit of serious cat cuddling. You’ve guessed – Benjamin eyed her suspiciously and adjourned to the kitchen for a restorative snack. Sometimes – just sometimes – I think that this character business might be a tad overrated.

COFFEE PAWS

Making a splash in the art world with his pleasing colour blending, makes for a thoughtprovoking piece that would look good on any wall. You can see more of the paintings available, and the artists on the Belfast AC website www.belfast.cats.org.uk The prints are for sale and purchases have been made from afar afield as Canada! So if you want your own piece of feline art then get in touch! Check out their Youtube video by typing in Belfast Pawcassos at www.youtube.com

Banjo’s masterpiece

Pawcasso? Salvapaw Dali? We have some very talented kits at our Belfast Adoption Centre who held their first art exhibition in November last year. Produced by feline residents at the centre, the virtual paintings were made using a tablet and a painting app so the artistic felines could express their creativity without getting their paws dirty. The unusual project has provided the rescue cats with hours of stimulation and enjoyment and will hopefully help raise vital funds so the charity can continue to help other cats and kittens this winter. “We always knew our cats were special but I really didn’t realise the wealth of untapped talent here,” explained Bel Livingstone, manager of the adoption centre. Volunteer Valeria Higgins, who initiated the project, added: “The cats displayed very different artistic styles. Some were very keen to start painting and would cover the whole canvas within a matter of seconds, while others would look at the screen and ponder what they wanted to draw – ending up with just a single paw print in the middle of the painting. All the art work is unique.” One of the feline Paw-cassos’s pieces is by three-year-old Banjo, whose intricate use of blobs and splotches combined

Note: although app games are great to stimulate cats do remember that they like to have resolution to a chase, and the app is no substitute for old favourites such as the fishing rod toy with which they can finally capture their prey!

Sudoku Fill in the empty cells so that the digits 1 through to 9 appear: • only once in each row • only once in each column • only once in each 3x3 box (shown by the thicker lines)

Answers appear on page XX.

The Cat Spring 2014

Follow Cats Protection on Twitter & Facebook !"##$%&'()*()+&(,&-)(,'&&.&'-/('&-0"&'-( 12.(01))&'%&-(3*'(*4&'(56(7&1'-( From £252

This pen £369

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THINKING of RESCUING find CATS & KITTENS needing HOMES in YOUR area!

You’re just a click away...

CATCHAT.ORG

The Cat Rescue Resource

Reg. Charity 1100649

Pet Bereavement Support Service

Coping with the loss of a pet? 0800 096 6606 pbssmail@bluecross.org.uk www.bluecross.org.uk Blue Cross is a charity registered in England and Wales (224392) and in Scotland (SC040154).

M6872/0612

WWW.

www.twitter.com/catsprotection www.facebook.com/catsprotection

PAWS FOR THOUGHT

Pets are temporary, true friends are for life Kelly Wilson recalls meeting her best friend

Illustration: Rus Hudda

still remember, and will always remember, the arrival of a special fluffy feline with an enchanting purr who changed my life. I have nothing spectacular to tell you, just the truth that means the world to me. Chloe Wilson (aka many nicknames the adorable but unladylike puss has acquired herself), was four months old when I became her property. Her gleaming fur coat of tabby browns, tortoise shell orange and Bengal beige; her precious face and miniature everything made her the perfect birthday present. My aunt bought her from a work friend, as her cat had given birth to a litter. The mother cat was uncaring and selfish, and the kitten siblings bullied Chloe emotionally and physically. Her human residents were rough and neglectful. But she was a strong little girl when I met her for the first time, timid and shy, but never giving up or acting in revenge. It was a miracle for her that we provided her with a loving home, as she was close to death before my aunt enquired about her, infested with fleas and worms, with no injections having been supplied. My parents and I went to my aunt’s house to collect her. I am not going to say it was love at first sight because I had never had a cat and she had never had a real companion. Uncertainty and cautiousness were the first steps. I played with her before we left. She whined in the car through anxiety at the motion and noises. I comforted her verbally and the classical music on the radio calmed her down, which is now her only artistic taste. She was a cat when I brought her home, over weeks she was a person, over months a friend and now a family member for life. Few individual qualities shone through initially, but today she is unique, vocal and extremely odd in various ways. It is humorous living with a kitty who has undergone such a drastic personality alteration after five years. You would have to

see her to believe her, otherwise her incredible tales would convince you she were a different species…or just insane. When she arrived she continuously went upstairs and in the living room because she was not allowed to, and played high class football with a plastic bell ball in the conservatory. What she gets up to at the moment, however, is more along the lines of trying to bury her bowl after eating, sleeping with dirty underwear, attacking the stairs, using our friendly neighbour’s house as a hotel, opening doors for herself and jumping in a bath despite her hatred of water. Chloe needed somebody to look after her and I was there. I needed someone to teach me responsibility and true love and she was there. We are much alike in that we are both accident prone, can work difficult things out, love cheese, enjoy playing games and get jealous if the other one is with somebody else, or upset when they are absent. Although she may not show it half the time because she is too busy in bed or with her face in her bowl, I am an important part of her life because nobody else would spoil her and let her get away with murder (literally sometimes). It has always been difficult for her to degrade herself by showering me with affection, but kisses, sitting next to or on me, tolerating my cuddles and demanding tickles and strokes is all I need. Her life is in my hands – it could not be in a better place. Cats can improve or save people’s entire lives; I certainly believe that I am highly fortunate. Love from a cat is like nothing else imaginable, can never be experienced from anyone else and feels incredibly warm. It is rewarding and with dedication it does not fade away. Love for a cat is powerful, and in my case, with all my heart. There is nothing I would give her up for. We have had so many treasured times together and I never want them to end. My loyal, entertaining, best friend.

We’ll protect him while his owner seeks safety. We know that for many victims of domestic abuse, fleeing violent relationships is made impossible simply because they cannot bear to lose their pets. That’s where Cats Protection, in partnership with Dogs Trust Freedom Project, steps in. Through the Freedom Project we take in and provide safe refuge for victims’ cats until their owners are in a position to reclaim them. Since 2004, we have helped more than 300 cats and 150 families escape domestic abuse.

By making a donation today you can help us to support even more. Make a difference today: T: 0800 917 2287 W: www.cats.org.uk/freedom-project Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland)

MAKING MEMORIES

Madam Mitten Louise Mudd remembers a feisty lady who won her heart

“She has just one more week and if they still don’t get on then she will have to go back!” Those were my parting words as I set off to London on a work placement. Not long after we had married, we had taken on two kittens from the local Cats Protection branch and they had been inseparable – Eric and Mollie (or Ollie as the vet discovered on their first visit). Sadly within a very short while, Eric was found dead in our garden. No one ever really knew really what happened, but it left Ollie very much without a soul mate. So we returned to see if we could find a new friend for him. The lady had lots to choose from and we were spoilt for choice. The fluffy white kitten was the only one I wasn’t drawn to; too fussy for a country cat and so very chocolate box in looks. And the name – Mitten, too cute by half. All of which led to us being chosen as the new servants for this bundle of fluff! Despite her colouring she wasn’t deaf and had beautiful blue eyes. It transpired that she and her brother were rescued from a farm. Her fantastic white coat which was incredibly thick was put down to an encounter with a Turkish Van pedigree, which lived in the vicinity of the farm. We soon learnt appearances can be deceiving. Despite the chocolate box appearance Mitten was a force of nature. Ollie found himself evicted from his bed, banished from his cat food and in fear of upsetting this hissing spitting she-devil, who looked so sweet. It was heart-breaking seeing Ollie try so hard to make friends and being clawed for his efforts. That was when I issued the final warning. I never did find out how Ollie did it, but when I returned the scene was one of domestic bliss. Two kittens curled up together like Ying and Yang on the sofa and that was how they stayed. Once settled in Mitten turned her attention to training her new servants. This involved bringing home endless mice and shrews with the single aim of improving our hunting skills. The look of despair as she sat on the settee watching us flounder aimlessly as the tiny grey victims literally ran rings around us. Eventually she could stand it no longer and with incredible speed she would pounce on them and take them away. Having witnessed too many failed attempts with four-legged creatures, Mitten then decided to try our hand with birds. A series of sparrows were oh so carefully produced and presented as a chance to redeem ourselves as hunters. Again she was sadly disappointed as we humans had to resort to opening windows and flapping about wildly with the bird escaping us every time.

Illustration: Rus Hudda

In one final throw of the dice, she produced a masterstroke; surely we couldn’t fail this time. When I saw her saunter into the room I could not work out what had happened to her face. The body was right but Mitten’s face had something akin to an alien wrapped over her nose and eyes. To my horror she slowly opened her mouth and the largest dragonfly I had ever seen took off from her face and flew directly at me. It must have been the screaming or maybe the running around that followed that finally convinced Mitten we were beyond hope and the training stopped. To try to divert Mitten’s devastating skills at hunting we would take it in turns to play with one of her favourite toys – the feathers on a rod. Her blues eyes would become black and she never missed; not the feathers nor the hand which held it! But she did it with such style and grace, we would forgive her and play again and again. Her coat was incredibly thick and always snow white. We were told by the vet that by rights we should be brushing her daily; however Mitten never allowed that kind of thing and she kept herself immaculate, despite her forays into the wilds of Yorkshire. And for a cat whose descendants were swimming cats, she had a pathological fear of water. An incident with a flea spray taught us never to try and change her views on that issue. We still bear the scars to this day. As she grew older she remained as invincible as ever, training up another new feline companion and ensuring our latest addition to the family - a large bouncy terrier called Marley – knew exactly where he stood in the pecking order. To see the dog huddled in the tiny cat basket while Mitten lounged on his spacious dog bed in front of the fire was a true mark of her authority. Any human visitor to the house always had to leave with a small memento of her affection, in the form of a mass of white hair on their clothes – no exceptions. In the end Mitten succumbed to old age and passed away at the grand old age of 20, a real achievement for a tiny bundle of white fluff who was given a week to change her ways or else. And to this day, Ollie and the others still leave Mitten her space in front of the fire, just in case she’s watching.

CP in action

A selection of tales from our branches and adoption centres...

Appeals

Poorly Pringle By Stockport Branch Pringle is just two years old and came into our care deeply traumatised after being mauled by a dog. Eventually his confidence returned and after care and treatment he was ready for a new home. Unfortunately within 24 hours he became very ill, after x-rays and spending time in an oxygen tent, blood tests revealed a possible hereditary heart condition or an infection. We are still awaiting further test results so we still don’t know whether poor Pringle will be lucky enough to recover, but any offers of donations to help with the cost of his treatment are much appreciated. Enquiries/donations made payable to Stockport Cats Protection care of Ms Jacky Goodman, 3 Hexworth Walk, Bramhall, SK7 3DF. Tel: 07900 415 674. Any funds raised over and above those needed for this cat will be used for the benefit of the other cats in our care.

Success stories

All’s well that ends well

A merry moggy Christmas

By Central Dumfries Branch

By Exeter Axhayes Adoption Centre

In late November Central Dumfries Cats Protection received a phone call, informing them that a cat, Margarita, who had been rescued from Greece and was on her way to Ireland, had escaped from a cat carrier at The Premier Inn car park in Dumfries. As if this wasn’t bad enough, we were told that she had never been outside before, was partially sighted and had always lived with her sister, who was blind! All of this made it imperative to find her as soon as possible as she would struggle to survive. We put up posters at every business nearby and leaflets through as many of the surrounding houses as possible, and a post on our FB page asking the public to let us know if there were any sightings. Traps were set at the Premier Inn with staff happy to keep checking them through the night. We were beginning to give up hope with no news but a few days later we got the phone call we had been waiting for; Margarita had gone into one of the traps. She was soaking wet and very stressed, but soon settled down. She was picked up by her owners and soon reunited with her sister in Ireland. This was a very happy end to what could have been a horrible story. We would like to thank the staff at Premier Inn for helping us.

Exeter Axhayes Adoption Centre launched their inaugural Santa Paws Appeal in December, a great idea founded and organised by Ric Brown, the publicity officer of our Friends of Axhayes Group. A simple idea where we asked people to fill and donate a box full of cat goodies and perhaps even decorate the box. The boxes were dropped off at one of our collection points around Exeter. It was a fantastic success with all 160 cats and kittens in our care over the festive period receiving a gift box. Gift boxes came in various shapes and sizes and contained many goodies including cat food, treats, toys, biscuits, monetary donations and even Christmas cards to individual cats! Everyone here at Axhayes would like to thank all those people who kindly donated gifts and a big thanks to Ric for organising the appeal, which helped all the cats and kittens have a Christmas to remember.

48 The Cat Spring 2014

Ways we help: Rehoming • Neutering • Raising awareness

CP IN ACTION

Shop’s solid support By Gwent Branch The fortunes of the Gwent Branch have changed dramatically since their shop opened in June. From struggling financially the members now find they have a steady income as the Abergavenny shop increases its customer base and the takings continue to grow. Project leader was the shop’s deputy manager Lynne Batten (also a fosterer and fundraiser) who suggested the idea of a shop to the branch co-ordinator and Area Retail Manager. Lynne found suitable premises and volunteers then started collecting donations for the shop after appeals via our Mewsletter and on Facebook. She finally received the keys to 22, Frogmore Street, Abergavenny at the end of May and it was all systems go to get everything ready for opening on June 18. Volunteer and local builder Michael Butler even moved a wall before the opening! Lynne is delighted at the overwhelming success of the retail unit and she credits the generosity of donors of good quality goods as well as the volunteers who help her and manager Julie Sijenje run the shop, which is open Monday to Saturday between 9am – 5pm. Julie said: “I would like to thank all our customers for their wonderful support and for all the donations. We get tremendous support from the lovely people of Abergavenny.” Donations of good quality clothes, shoes, bags, books, bric-a-brac, CDs and DVDs are always welcome. Contact the Helpline on 08453 712 747 or phone the shop on 01873 857 770 if you would like to join our list of volunteers.

An honour and recognition By Milton Keynes & District Branch The Milton Keynes & District Branch was honoured to be invited to represent animal charities at the launch ceremony in November for the MK Rose. MK Rose is a new art installation in the centre of Milton Keynes consisting of 140 pillars, each pillar marking a special day in the calendar. The branch was asked to represent pet and animal charities in Milton Keynes by dedicating the World Animal Day pillar (4 October). Branch members read out the poem The Supreme Cat by Neil Milliner and took the opportunity to promote the work of Cats Protection to the crowd who had turned out despite the cold, wet weather.

The Mayor of Abergavenny, Councillor Sheila Woodhouse opened the shop with her consort, Councillor Chris Woodhouse, pictured with shop manager Julie Sijenje

Thank you… At the S toke & Newcastle Branch I’m always saying how good people are in their support for us and I’m doing it again! The charity is partnered nationally with the company Pets at Home and our Longton branch has been a spectacular benefactor to us ever since their opening. Our last cheque from them will be matched by another for a similar amount, I am told, to be presented shortly. I was photographed accepting the donation wearing the locally well recognised pink cat costume, in the company of our Kimmy Lawley who spends much time helping the staff at Pets at Home on our behalf. Personal thanks to my local Co-operative store in Weston Coyney, as well, for the unstinting efforts made annually in their Christmas pet food donation. As usual I came home with a trolley full of goodies. Thankfully this year no well-intentioned passers-by reported having seen me pushing the trolley away from the store, under the impression they had witnessed a heist! Together with the fantastic cheque for £516.44 and yet more cat-related goods from Pets at Home we have done remarkably well and are hugely appreciative of the efforts on our behalf. Sue Bourne, Secretary.

Find your local Cats Protection: 03000 12 12 12 • www.cats.org.uk

The Cat Spring 2014 49

Thank you cont… Diana, who has recently retired after over twenty years fostering for Andover & District Branch had four cat pens in her garden and also often looked after sick and injured cats in her conservatory. She is extremely knowledgeable about cats, particularly Persians and many an old, unhomeable Persian enjoyed its last few months in the comfort of Diana’s home. She will be impossible to replace and the branch cannot thank her enough for her many years of service. The photograph shows Diana being presented with a cat statuette which Becky our RDM obtained for us from the NCC. Sylvia Cusiter our Fostering Co-ordinator is also in the picture.

Looking for a home Derby Adoption Centre

Katie

Female, 14 years old Katie is 14 years old, however she doesn’t look or act her age, and would just love a new home where she could have that one-to-one care again. Katie sadly came in to the centre due to her owner dying. She is very friendly and really deserves another chance at being happy and loved again. Could you be that special person who gives Katie the home she deserves?

She also has a lovely loud purr. She is a bit of a foody and especially loves anything in gravy. She doesn’t like being picked up much, but does like to sit on a lap when she is settled in and comfortable in her new home. Feebs likes a good game too, especially leaping in mid-air or diving for a feather hidden under something. She is one of our long-stay cats and originally came to us from on old gentleman who sadly died, so has a preference for male company. Her perfect home would be with a mature household, with an experienced cat owner who will understand and appreciate her “tortie” tendencies and where she can be the only cat. She isn’t able to live with dogs either.

Gildersome Homing Centre

Kris and Krissie Krissie

Stourbridge, Dudley & Wyre Forest

Mindy

Kris

Wootton Bassett & District

Feebs

50 The Cat Spring 2014

☎☎ 0844 884 8520

☎☎ 07917 862 514

☎☎ 01332 824 950

Female, around six years old Feebs is a large cat with an independent nature who chirps at her fosterer every time she sees her.

to be the only cat. She is getting quite frustrated in her pen and we would love to see her in a new home.

Female, 18 months old Mindy came into us with five kittens in May last year. Of course her kittens went quickly and she found a home herself in September, but she didn’t like the resident cat and was given back to us shortly after. She is very playful and can be a bit boisterous so needs to go to an adult only home or one with older children. She will also need

Ginger male, nine months old Tortie female, nine months old Kris and Krissie were left with their siblings when their owner moved away. They were born under a shed and are a little shy at the moment. Kris is an intelligent boy, can be a bit nosy and always wants to know what’s going on. He is an affectionate chap who loves to play for hours. Krissie is more shy but is growing in confidence. They need a patient and experienced owner to allow them to come out of their shells in their own time. We would prefer to home them together but they can be rehomed separately.

☎☎ 03000 121 505

Ways we help: Rehoming • Neutering • Raising awareness

CP IN ACTION

Join the team Give a little time, make a big difference! Every year we help over 218,000 cats and kittens and the majority of these success stories are thanks to the dedication and hard work of our amazing volunteers. We welcome volunteers with open arms, whether you are young or old, male or female, have lots or little time to offer there’s a place for you with us! ildersome Homing Centre is looking for Fosterers who G can use a spare room to look after the cats and kittens that need CP’s help in the Leeds area. You can learn more about the role via a video on the centre’s web page. www.cats.org.uk/gildersome/fostering 03000 121 505 erby & District Branch has many vacancies for volunteers D such as fieldworkers and vet runners. The Branch is also seeking Cat Line operators for one day per week. This ‘job’ would be an ideal opportunity for someone who is at home for most of the day and wants to help cats. They also need an Assistant to the Vet Liaison Officer – this is mostly an administrative role and can also be carried out from home a couple of days a week. For some time now, they have been seeking a Fundraising Co-ordinator to take on the role of contacting supermarkets etc for permission to hold fundraising/information stalls. There is already a regular stall held in St Peter’s Street, Derby, and they would like this to continue. Is this the job for you? Last but not least, volunteers are always needed at their charity shops in Derby and Wirksworth.

Deadlines CP branches and centres are encouraged to send in their success stories and diary dates for every issue. The deadlines for the next three issues are: • Summer 2014 issue (covers June to August): 14 March deadline • Autumn 2014 issue (covers September to November): 13 June deadline • Winter 2014 issue (covers December to February): 13 September deadline Individual stories should be max 250 words and may be edited for clarity and length. Please send CP in Focus and Diary entries as separate documents. It is a legal requirement to add text to appeals explaining that funds not used for the featured cat will be used for other cats in your care; we will add this if you have not already done so. Images should be attached to the email separately, not embedded into a document; minimum requirements for print publication are 300dpi (high resolution) in jpeg or tif format (or, as a rough rule of thumb, they should be at least 1MB in size). Original digital camera photographs are usually better than those taken on a mobile phone. Please email your submissions to editorial@cats.org.uk or post your entries to: CP in Focus, The Cat magazine, Cats Protection, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, Sussex, RH17 7TT. Thank you.

Full training and support will be given to the successful applicants for all of the vacancies. Anyone who is interested should contact the Cat Line on 01332 206 956 (voicemail) or enquiries@derbydistrictcp.org.uk and leave their details. psom, Ewell & District Branch is looking for indoor E fosterers. If you have a spare room, could you look after a cat temporarily until we can find it a permanent home? The cats come into our care for a variety of reasons – many sad – and we need to make them feel safe and loved. There is no cost to you other than your time as all food, litter and vet bills are covered by the branch. If you would like to have a chat about this role, please contact Helen on 0208 393 3437. ewes, Seaford & District Branch would welcome new L branch members and volunteers. Members pay a minimum donation of £5 a year and receive our booklet three times a year with updates from our shelters as well as details of fundraising events such as coffee mornings and autumn bazaars. For more information on membership, please contact Pat Pringle by email at: sqkitty@btinternet.com or phone Caroline Rasmussen on 01825 872 536. eignbridge & Totnes Branch urgently need Home T Fosterers. We’d like to substantially increase the number of fosterers we have during 2014. Please get in touch if you would like to help look after cats in need and have a spare room or could house a pen in your back garden. We also need a Fundraising organiser – if you can spare a few hours at weekends, why not volunteer for us and help organise and run fundraising events. For all volunteer enquiries please phone Barbara on 08456 472 186 or email barbara.teignbridgecp@gmail.com elford & District Branch is looking for fundraisers to T sell goods at various events throughout the year, and also fosterers to look after cats until they find a new home. For more information on these and other voluntary roles please see our website, www.cats.org.uk/telford, or contact us on 08452 601 502.

More voluntary opportunities For more volunteering roles across the UK, from fundraising to fostering, please visit www.cats.org.uk/ volunteer-do-it and enter your postcode to search.

Find your local Cats Protection: 03000 12 12 12 • www.cats.org.uk

The Cat Spring 2014

Diary of events ENGLAND

Find out what’s going on near you...

DEVON

LANCASHIRE

BERKSHIRE

Exeter Axhayes Adoption Centre

Jumble sales 29 March & 31 May: Catholic Hall, Bath Road, Thatcham; 11.30am–1pm. 30p entrance. Jumble accepted at the hall from 9–10.30am or previously at Newbury Adoption Centre. Come and pick up a bargain!

Events 18 April Good Friday: Easter Eggstravaganza & Open Day. Starts 12noon. Easter Egg Hunt, children’s activities, raffles and games, barbeque and refreshments, lots of fun and entertainment for all the family. Free entrance with a donation of cat food.

Fairs – 10am–12.30pm 8 March: Offerton, Woodbank Community Centre, 235-237 Turncroft Lane SK1 4BN 12 April: Bramhall, United Reformed Church, Robins Lane, off Bramhall Lane South SK7 2PE 10 May: Woodley, Civic Hall, Hyde Road, Stockport SK6 1QG

Newbury

Open day 3 May: Open day at the adoption centre, Curridge Road, Curridge, Thatcham. Come browse the stalls and meet the cats. Lots of yummy cakes and lots of bargains to be had. Gates open at 1–4pm. Cattery closes at 3.30pm

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

Milton Keynes & District Stalls & collections 29 March: Community Desk at thecentre:mk shopping centre, Milton Keynes 19 April: Community Desk at thecentre:mk shopping centre, Milton Keynes Events 17 May: Spring Fayre at United Reformed Church, Newport Pagnell. Cats Protection merchandise, books, crafts, bric-a-brac, raffle, tombola and much more. Home-made cakes and refreshments; 11am–3pm

CAMBRIDGESHIRE Ely

Shows 8 March: 16th Annual Pet Cat Show and Homing Show, Village Hall, Main Street, Little Downham, Ely CB6 2TB. Open to the public from 11am–3pm. In addition to the cats in competition and for homing, there are stalls, refreshments and a cat photo show. For entry details, please phone 01353 699 430.

DERBYSHIRE

Derby Adoption Centre

18 March: Join us for a fun day out for all the family on our Sponsored Walks – Moggie March, Kitten March and Treasure Hunt, to take place on Markeaton Park, Derby. For full details go to our website www.derby.cats.org.uk

The Cat Spring 2014

Stockport

Teignbridge & Totnes

8 February: All day collection outside Tesco Kingsteignton 22–23 March: Weekend of fundraising at Pets at Home Kingsteignton 29 March: Spring fair at Bovey Methodist Church hall, Bovey Tracey; 10am–12noon 10 May: Coffee morning at Community hall Moretonhampstead; 10am–12noon 17 May: Coffee morning at Market hall, Chudleigh; 10am–12noon

Stall May: Manchester Cat Show, G H Carnell Leisure Centre, Kingsway Park, Urmston. We have a wide range of events being planned for 2014. Please phone 07900 415 674 (evening and weekends), email us at stockport.cp@hotmail.com or take a look at the Events section of our website, www.stockport.cats.org.uk, for details of the 2014 events.

ESSEX

Telford

Rayleigh, Castle Point & District Homing shows 8 March: Rayleigh Methodist Church Hall SS6 7ED; 10.30–1pm 27 April: WRVS Hall, Benfleet SS7 5HE; 11am–1.30pm 10 May: Methodist Hall, Hadleigh; 10.30am–1pm 14 June: Rayleigh Methodist Church Hall SS6 7ED; 10.30am–1pm

Southend

22 March: Auction at St Cedd’s Church, Bridgewater Drive, Westcliff. Open for viewing at 2pm. Sale starts at 2.30pm 12 April: Easter Bazaar at St Andrew’s Church Hall, Church Road, Shoeburyness; 10.30am–12.30pm 17 May: May Fair at Crowstone St George’s URC, Crowstone Road, Westcliff; 10.30am-12.30pm

HAMPSHIRE Basingstoke

Fairs 15 March: Spring Fair, The Ambrose Allen Centre, Franklin Avenue, Tadley RG26 4ER

SHROPSHIRE 21–23 March: Pets at Home Fundraising Weekend. Stall at Wrekin Retail Park, Telford TF1 2DE. Email catsprotectiontelford@gmail.com for more information.

SUSSEX

Horsham & District Events 15 March & 24 May: Catstravaganza, Roffey Millennium Hall, Horsham RH12 4DT; 2–4pm 19 April: Easter Catstravaganza, North Heath Hall, Horsham RH12 5PU; 2–4pm

Homing shows 2 March & 11 May: Homing Show Broadbridge Heath Village Centre, Wickhurst Lane, Broadbridge Heath RH12 3LY; 11am–2pm

Mid Sussex Collections 29 March: Hassocks street collection; 9am–4pm 26 April: Burgess Hill street collection; 9am–4pm 24 May: Lindfield street collection; 9am–1pm 31 May: Cuckfield street collection; 9am–1pm Stalls 5 May: Stall at Cuckoo Fayre behind Queens Hall, Cuckfield; 11am–4pm 18 May: Stall at Haywards Heath Spring Festival Muster Green, Haywards Heath; 12noon–4pm 26 May: Stall at Staplefield Fun Day, the Green, Staplefield; 11am–4pm 31 May: Stall at Lindfield Village Day, the Common, Lindfield; 12noon–5pm

WALES Gwent

26 April: Members of the Gwent Branch are organising a concert featuring Abergavenny’s answer to Elvis Presley, local electrician Keith Davies. This bright spark has been holding charity concerts for the last decade and has raised nearly £200,000 for local good causes. Borough Theatre, Abergavenny, starting at 7pm. Tickets at £12 and £10 for concessions are only available from the box office on 01873 850 805.

Cats Protection at national shows Spring Knitting & Stitching Show 13–16 March 2014: London Olympia Spring Country Living Fair 19–23 March 2014: Islington Business Design Centre (attendance tbc) BBC Good Food Show 25–27 April: Harrogate London Pet Show 17–18 May: Earls Court Foodies Fest 30 May–1 June(TBC): North London

Ways we help: Rehoming • Neutering • Raising awareness

Make him the promise of a lifetime At Cats Protection, we have been saving injured, starving and abandoned cats and kittens since 1927. Thanks to our promise never to put a healthy cat to sleep, we have changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of cats, giving them all a second chance at life. You can help us keep our special promise and care for even more cats by leaving us a gift in your will. If cats are close to your heart, make sure your kindness continues to change their lives for many years to come. Ask us for your free information booklet today.

01825 741 271

(Mon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fri, 9am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5pm) or email

giftsinwills@cats.org.uk Find out more with our free information booklet Order your free copy of our booklet today. Simply complete and return this form to: Matt Vincent, Legacy Department, Cats Protection, FREEPOST SEA 7678, Haywards Heath, RH17 7BR. No stamp needed.

Title:

Name:

Address:

Postcode: Tel:

It really helps Cats Protection if we can keep you informed about our exciting work, campaigns, activities and fundraising. If you would prefer us to not contact you by post or telephone, please phone 08707 706827, email: cp@cats.org.uk or write to us at the Freepost address: FREEPOST SEA 7678, Cats Protection, Haywards Heath, RH17 7BR. Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland)

LA1401 LA1243 LA72 LA1401

Contacts England South East Bredhurst Kent *Matts * Hill Road, Hartlip, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7XA ☎☎ 01634 232 471 88www.bredhurstkent.cats.org.uk Friends of Bredhurst Kent Adoption Centre Chelmsford & District *Willow * Grove, Deadmans Lane, Galleywood, Chelmsford, CM2 8LZ ☎☎ 01245 478 389 88www.chelmsford.cats.org.uk Eastbourne *63 * Marshfoot Lane, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2RB ☎☎ 01323 440 101 88www.eastbourne.cats.org.uk Friends of Eastbourne Adoption Centre Haslemere *Upper * Hammer Lane, Haslemere, Surrey, GU27 1QD ☎☎ 01428 604 297 88www.cats.org.uk/haslemere

Find your nearest CP branch, adoption centre or charity shop...

Crawley, Reigate & District ☎☎ 08453 712 734 88www.catsprotection.co.uk

Romford & District ☎☎ 01708 451 341 88www.romford.cats.org.uk

Croydon ☎☎ 0208 763 0072 88www.croydoncpcats.org.uk

St Albans & District ☎☎ 08453 712 064 88www.stalbans.cats.org.uk

Eltham, Sidcup & District ☎☎ 07772 679 854 88www.cats.org.uk/elthamsidcup

Southend & District ☎☎ 01702 710 630 88www.catsprotectionsouthend .pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Epsom, Ewell & District ☎☎ 08452 601 387 88www.epsom.cats.org.uk

Sutton & Cheam ☎☎ 0208 330 0176 88www.sutton.cats.org.uk

Folkestone & Hythe ☎☎ 01303 237 744 88www.folkestonehythe.cats.org.uk

Swale ☎☎ 08453 712 755 88www.swale.cats.org.uk

Great Amwell & District ☎☎ 08453 712 736 88www.greatamwell.cats.org.uk

Tenterden & District ☎☎ 01797 366 379 88www.tenterden.cats.org.uk

Greenwich ☎☎ 0208 8538 666 88www.catsgn.org.uk

Three Rivers & Watford ☎☎ 01923 283 338 88www.cats.org.uk/threerivers

Guildford & Godalming ☎☎ 01483 422 529 88www.guildford.cats.org.uk

Thurrock & District ☎☎ 08453 712 752

Harlow, Epping Forest & District ☎☎ 01992 579 539 88www.harlow.cats.org.uk

Tunbridge Wells, Crowborough & District ☎☎ 01892 516 377 88www.uckfield.cats.org.uk

Friends of Haslemere Adoption Centre

Hastings & District ☎☎ 01424 754 328

National Cat Adoption Centre *Chelwood * Gate, Haywards Heath, Sussex, RH17 7TT ☎☎ 08707 708 650 88www.ncac.cats.org.uk

Hemel Hempstead & Berkhamsted ☎☎ 08453 711 851 88www.cats.org.uk/dacorum

Friends of the National Cat Adoption Centre North London *135 * Junction Road, Archway, Greater London, N19 5PX ☎☎ 0207 272 6048 Basildon, Brentwood & District ☎☎ 01268 285 778 88www.bascats.org.uk Bexley & Dartford ☎☎ 01322 611 911 88www.cats.org.uk/bexley Bromley ☎☎ 0208 402 8860 88www.bromleycatsprotection.org.uk Camberley & District ☎☎ 08453 712 745 88www.camberley.cats.org.uk Canterbury & District ☎☎ 01227 266 838 88www.cats.org.uk/canterbury Caterham, Redhill & East Surrey ☎☎ 08453 712 739 88www.eastsurrey.cats.org.uk Central London 88www.paddington.cats.org.uk Chichester, Bognor Regis & District ☎☎ 08453 712 760 88www.cats.org.uk/chichester Chiltern ☎☎ 08452 602 396 88www.chiltern.cats.org.uk Colne Valley ☎☎ 08452 601 384 88www.colnevalley.cats.org.uk

The Cat Spring 2014

Hendon, Finchley & Mill Hill ☎☎ 0208 952 1350 88www.hendon.cats.org.uk High Wycombe & South Bucks ☎☎ 01494 448 849 88www.buckscats.org.uk Hillingdon ☎☎ 01895 443 637 88www.hillingdon.cats.org.uk Hornchurch & District ☎☎ 01708 755 211 88www.hornchurch.cats.org.uk Horsham & District ☎☎ 08453 712 749 88www.cats.org.uk/horsham Lea Valley ☎☎ 08453 134 746 88www.leavalley.cats.org.uk Lewes, Seaford & District ☎☎ 01273 813 111 88www.lewes.cats.org.uk Maidenhead, Slough & District ☎☎ 01628 620 909 88www.cats.org.uk/maidenhead Maidstone ☎☎ 08453 712 758 88www.maidstone.cats.org.uk

Welwyn Hatfield & District ☎☎ 08453 711 855 88www.welwynhatfield.cats.org.uk Woking & District ☎☎ 01483 721 700 88www.woking.cats.org.uk Worthing & District ☎☎ 01903 200 332 88www.worthingcatsprotection.org.uk Canterbury & District **28 William Street, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 5EQ ☎☎ 01227 371 676

Eltham, Sidcup & District *14 * Tudor Parade, Well Hall Road, Eltham, London, SE9 6SX ☎☎ 0208 859 6009 Folkestone & Hythe *139a * High Street, Hythe, Kent, CT21 5JL ☎☎ 01303 238 661 Greenwich *18 * Old Dover Street, Blackheath, London, SE3 7BT ☎☎ 0208 858 2220 Hastings & District *43 * London Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN37 6AJ ☎☎ 01424 203 778 Lea Valley *145 * Chase Side, Enfield, Middlesex, EN2 0PN ☎☎ 0208 367 4813 Medway *34 * Canterbury Street, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 5TX ☎☎ 01634 571 270 *142 * Franklin Road, Gillingham, Medway, ME7 4DG ☎☎ 01634 578 436 Sutton & Cheam *16 * The Broadway, Cheam, Sutton, Surrey, SM3 8AY ☎☎ 0208 642 1575 Tenterden & District *Lakehurst * House, Unit 1, 94c High Street, Tenterden, Kent, TN30 6JB ☎☎ 01580 765 277 Worthing & District *35 * Rowlands Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 3JJ ☎☎ 01903 200 332

South & South West

Caterham, Redhill & East Surrey *20 * Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2RA ☎☎ 0208 660 7475

Cornwall *Point * Road, Carnon Downs, Truro, Cornwall, TR3 6JN ☎☎ 01872 870 575

Chichester, Bognor Regis & District *7a * Crane Street, Chichester, West Sussex, P019 1LH ☎☎ 01243 774 737

Exeter Axhayes *Little * Hill Cottage, Clyst Honiton, Exeter, Devon, EX5 2HS ☎☎ 01395 232 377 88www.axhayes.cats.org.uk

Colne Valley *75 * High Street, Halstead, Essex, CO9 2JD ☎☎ 01797 274 667 Crawley, Reigate & District *9* Broadwalk, Crawley, RH10 1HJ ☎☎ 01293 528 982 Cricklewood *70 * Cricklewood Broadway, Cricklewood, London, NW2 3EP ☎☎ 020 8450 4878

Isle of Wight *122 * Marlborough Road, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 1AW ☎☎ 01983 562 609 Newbury & District *Heatherpine, * Curridge Road, Curridge, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG18 9DH ☎☎ 01635 200 111 88www.newbury.cats.org.uk

Mid Sussex ☎☎ 01444 414 884 88www.cats.org.uk/midsussex

Croydon *13 * High Street, Purley, Surrey, CR8 2AF ☎☎ 0208 763 9898

Ferndown Homing Centre *51 * Cobham Road, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 7QZ ☎☎ 03000 120 175 88www.ferndown.cats.org.uk

North Hertfordshire ☎☎ 01438 228 877 88www.northherts.cats.org.uk

Ealing & West London *3a * Albert Terrace, Pittshanger Lane, Ealing, W5 1RL

Andover & District ☎☎ 01256 892 019 88www.andovercats.org.uk

Medway Towns ☎☎ 08453 712 757 (Neutering only)

Rayleigh, Castle Point & District ☎☎ 01268 750 831 88www.catsrayleigh.org.uk

Barnstaple & District ☎☎ 01271 860 787 88www.cats.org.uk/barnstaple

Ways we help: Rehoming • Neutering • Raising awareness

FIND US KEY:

Adoption Centre

Homing Centre

Basingstoke & District ☎☎ 08451 771 364 88www.basingstoke-cats.org.uk

Mere & Gillingham ☎☎ 01747 840 621 88www.mere-gillingham-cp.co.uk

Bath & District ☎☎ 01225 835 606 88www.bath.cats.org.uk

Midsomer Norton & Radstock ☎☎ 01761 436 486 88www.midsomer.cats.org.uk

Blandford & Sturminster Newton ☎☎ 01258 858 644 88www.blandford.cats.org.uk

Minehead ☎☎ 08453 712 761 88www.minehead.cats.org.uk

Bournemouth & District ☎☎ 08453 712 762 88www.bournemouth.cats.org.uk

Okehampton & District ☎☎ 08453 712 751 88www.okehampton.cats.org.uk

Bracknell & Wokingham Districts ☎☎ 08453 714 212 88www.cats.org.uk/bracknell

Oxford & District ☎☎ 01235 221 147 88www.oxford.cats.org.uk

Bridgwater ☎☎ 01278 684 662 88www.bridgwater.cats.org.uk

Plymouth & South Hams ☎☎ 08453 712 753 88www.cats.org.uk/plymouth

Bristol & District ☎☎ 01179 665 428 88www.bristol.cats.org.uk

Portsmouth ☎☎ 08453 712 743 88www.cats.org.uk/portsmouth

Cheltenham ☎☎ 08453 712 730 88www.catsprotection.net

Reading & District ☎☎ 08452 602 395 88www.readinganddistrictcats.org

Cherwell ☎☎ 07716 596 212 88www.cherwell.cats.org.uk

St Austell & District ☎☎ 01726 817 837 88www.staustell.cats.org.uk

Cirencester, Tetbury & District ☎☎ 07972 658 384 88http://cirencats.tripod.com/

Salisbury & District ☎☎ 08453 712 068 88www.salisburycats.co.uk

East Devon ☎☎ 01884 277 929 88www.eastdevoncats.com Exeter ☎☎ 01392 276 291 88www.exeter.cats.org.uk Falmouth, Helston & District ☎☎ 08453 712 729 88www.cats.org.uk/falmouth Fareham & Waterlooville Districts ☎☎ 08452 601 504 88www.fareham.cats.org.uk Farnham & Wey Valley ☎☎ 01252 334 644 88www.weyvalley.cats.org.uk Forest of Dean ☎☎ 01594 841 511 88www.cats-forestofdean.co.uk Frome & District ☎☎ 07733 390 345 88www.cats.org.uk/frome Glastonbury & Wells ☎☎ 01749 850 660 88www.stray-cat.co.uk Gloucester ☎☎ 07891 112 654 88www. gloucester.cats.org.uk Gosport Town ☎☎ 02392 582 601 88www.gosport.cats.org.uk Holsworthy, Bideford & District ☎☎ 08453 712 717 88www.holsworthycats.org Honiton ☎☎ 01404 452 41 88www.honiton.cats.org.uk Launceston & District ☎☎ 01566 773 814 88www.launcestoncatsprotection.org

Southampton ☎☎ 08453 712 718 88www.cats.org.uk/southampton Stroud ☎☎ 01453 828 326 88www.stroud.cats.org.uk Swindon ☎☎ 01793 644 536 88www.swindon.cats.org.uk Taunton & Wellington ☎☎ 08452 602 397 88www.taunton.cats.org.uk Teignbridge & Totnes ☎☎ 08453 712 723 88www.teignbridge.cats.org.uk Torpoint & Rame Peninsula ☎☎ 01752 829 104 Torquay & District ☎☎ 0845 647 2181 88www.torquay.cats.org.uk Truro & District ☎☎ 08452 601 386 88www.trurodistrict.cats.org.uk Weston-Super-Mare & District ☎☎ 08453 712 066 88www.westonsm.cats.org.uk Weymouth & District ☎☎ 01305 262 737 88www.westdorset.cats.org.uk Winchester & District ☎☎ 01962 883 536 or 01962 884 468 88www.winchestercatsprotection.co.uk Wootton Bassett & District ☎☎ 07928 674 433 88www.wootton.cats.org.uk Yeovil & District ☎☎ 01935 412 755 88www.yeovilcatsprotection.info

Branch

Charity shop

Bournemouth & District *333-335 * Charminster Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 9QR ☎☎ 01202 530 757 Bristol & District *272 * North Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 1JA ☎☎ 0117 963 9028 Cheltenham *20 * St James Street, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 2SH ☎☎ 01242 234 494 East Devon *72 * High Street, Sidmouth, Devon, EX10 8EQ ☎☎ 01395 513 394 Forest of Dean *28a * Newerne Street, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 5RF ☎☎ 01594 841 848 Honiton *137 * High Street, Honiton, EX14 1LW ☎☎ 01404 423 12 Mere & Gillingham *High * Street, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 4AA ☎☎ 01747 833 669 Minehead & District *10 * Wellington Square, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 5NH ☎☎ 01643 704 501 Plymouth *91 * Mutley Plain, Mutley, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 6JJ ☎☎ 01752 255 193 Reading & District *11 * The Triangle, Tilehurst, Reading, RG30 4RN ☎☎ 0118 945 3733 Swindon *39 * Regent Circus, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 1PX ☎☎ 01793 531 410 Truro & District *23 * Pydar Street, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2AY ☎☎ 01872 276 351 Weymouth & District *31 * Great Western Road, Dorchester, DT1 1HF ☎☎ 01305 213 358

Central Birmingham *Packhorse * Lane, Hollywood, Birmingham, West Midlands, B47 5DH ☎☎ 01564 822 020 88www.birmingham.cats.org.uk Friends of Birmingham Adoption Centre Derby *White * Cottage, Long Lane, Dalbury Lees, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 5BJ ☎☎ 01332 824 950 88www.derby.cats.org.uk Friends of Derby Adoption Centre Evesham *c/o * Dogs Trust Kennels, 89 Pitchers Hill, Wickhamford, Evesham, Worcester, WR11 6RT ☎☎ 01386 833 343 88www.eveshamcpl.org

Find your local Cats Protection: 03000 12 12 12 • www.cats.org.uk

Hereford *Cobhall * Villa, Allensmore, HR2 9BP ☎☎ 01432 277 543 Friends of Cats Protection Hereford ☎☎ 07787 434 756 Mansfield *Mansfield * Road, Warsop, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG20 0EF ☎☎ 01623 845 846 Nottingham *The * Gate House, New Farm Lane, Nuthall, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG16 1DY ☎☎ 0115 938 6557 88www.nottingham.cats.org.uk Ashfield & Amber Valley ☎☎ 01246 825 165 88www.cats.org.uk/ashfield Bedford & Biggleswade ☎☎ 08442 496 911 88www.bedford.cats.org.uk Burton on Trent ☎☎ 01283 511 454 Cannock Area ☎☎ 0845 647 2189 Corby & District ☎☎ 08453 714 209 88www.cats.org.uk/corby Coventry ☎☎ 02476 251 491 88www.coventrycats.org.uk Derby & District ☎☎ 01332 206 956 88www.derbydistrict.cats.org.uk Halesowen & District ☎☎ 08453 712 062 88www.halesowen.cats.org.uk Leicester & District ☎☎ 01162 881 318 Lichfield & District ☎☎ 08453 712 741 88www.cats.org.uk/lichfield Luton, Dunstable & District ☎☎ 08453 712 746 88www.luton.cats.org.uk Mid Warwickshire ☎☎ 01926 334 849 88www.cats.org.uk/midwarwick Northampton ☎☎ 08447 003 251 88www.cats.org.uk/northampton North Birmingham ☎☎ 08452 601 503 88www.northbirmingham.cats.org.uk Rugby ☎☎ 01788 570 010 88www.cats.org.uk/rugby South Birmingham ☎☎ 08453 711 854 88www.southbham.cats.org.uk Stafford & District ☎☎ 08452 601 509 88www.stafford.cats.org.uk Stoke & Newcastle ☎☎ 08452 601 385 88www.stoke.cats.org.uk Stourbridge, Dudley & Wyre Forest ☎☎ 08448 848 520 88www.cats.org.uk/stourbridge

The Cat Spring 2014

KEY:

Adoption Centre

Telford & District ☎☎ 08542 601 502 88www.telford.cats.org.uk Walsall Borough ☎☎ 01922 682 005 88www.walsall.cats.org.uk Wellingborough & Rushden ☎☎ 08453 714 209 88www.cats.org.uk/wellingborough Wolverhampton ☎☎ 01902 651 173 88www.wolverhampton.cats.org.uk Worcester & District ☎☎ 01905 425 704 88www.worcestercats.org.uk Bedford & Biggleswade *12 * The Springfield Centre, Kempton, Bedfordshire, MK42 7PR ☎☎ 01234 840 827 Coventry *34 * Far Gosford Street, Coventry, CV1 5DW ☎☎ 02476 222 105 Derby & District *31 * The Wardwick, Derby, DE1 1HA ☎☎ 01332 360 080 *Institute * Buildings, North End, Wirksworth, Derbyshire, DE4 4FG Mid Warwickshire *27 * Regent Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 5EJ ☎☎ 01926 338 250 Pershore *Royal * Aracde, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1AG ☎☎ 01386 550 440

Homing Centre

Cambridge ☎☎ 01223 356 999 88www.cambridge.cats.org.uk Chatteris, St Ives & District ☎☎ 0845 647 2180 88www.chatteris.cats.org.uk Ely & District ☎☎ 01353 699 430 88www.ely.cats.org.uk

Downham Market *Wards * Chase, Stowbridge, Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 3NN ☎☎ 01366 382 311 88www.downhammarket.cats.org.uk Bolton & Radcliffe ☎☎ 07760 780 759 88www.bolton.cats.org.uk Breckland ☎☎ 01842 810 018 88www.cats.org.uk/breckland Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket ☎☎ 01284 850 887 88www.cplbury.org.uk

56 The Cat Spring 2014

Norwich *193b * Plumstead Road, Norwich, NR1 4AB ☎☎ 01603 438 820

Gateshead & District ☎☎ 0191 420 3180 88www.cats.org.uk/gateshead Halifax & Huddersfield ☎☎ 0845 647 2182 88www.cats.org.uk/halifax Harrogate & District ☎☎ 01423 889 598

Grimsby & District ☎☎ 01472 276 600 88www.grimsby.cats.org.uk

Gildersome Homing Centre *Gildersome * Lane, Gildersome, Leeds, LS27 7BN

Lancaster & Morecambe ☎☎ 01524 850 112 88www.lancaster.cats.org.uk

Haverhill & Stour Valley ☎☎ 08453 719 599 88www.stourvalley.cats.org.uk

St Helens *100 * Chester Lane, St Helens, Merseyside, WA9 4DD ☎☎ 01744 817 718

Macclesfield ☎☎ 0845 603 8138 88www.macclesfieldcats.org.uk

Horncastle & District ☎☎ 01526 388 535 88www.horncastle.cats.org.uk

Warrington *14 * Elizabeth Drive, Padgate, Warrington, WA1 4JQ ☎☎ 03000 120 612

Ipswich ☎☎ 08453 712 069 88www.ipswich.cats.org.uk

York *582 * Huntington Road, Huntington, York, North Yorkshire, YO32 9QA ☎☎ 01904 760 356 88www.york.cats.org.uk

Milton Keynes ☎☎ 01908 318 810 88www.mkcats.org.uk North Walsham & District ☎☎ 01692 535 858 88www.cats.org.uk/northwalsham Norwich & District ☎☎ 08454 941 900 88www.norwich.cats.org.uk Peterborough & District ☎☎ 08453 712 750 88www.peterborough.cats.org.uk

Scunthorpe & District ☎☎ 01652 651 001 88www.scunthorpe.cats.org.uk

Dereham *Hoe * Road Farm, Hoe Road, Longham, Dereham, Norfolk, NR19 2RP ☎☎ 01362 687 919 88www.dereham.cats.org.uk

Durham City & District ☎☎ 01388 720 689

Hull & District ☎☎ 01482 790 284

Stourbridge & District *27 * Lower High Street, Stourbridge, DY8 1TA ☎☎ 01384 422 208

East

Lincoln *381 * High Street, Lincoln, LN5 7SF

North

St Neots & District ☎☎ 01480 476 696 88www.stneots.cats.org.uk

Worcester & District *53 * St Johns, Worcester, WR2 5AG ☎☎ 01905 426 748

Charity shop

St Neots & District *10 * Cross Keys Mall, Market Square, St Neots, PE19 2AR ☎☎ 01480 476 696

Framlingham & Saxmundham ☎☎ 01728 723 499 88www.framandsax.cats.org.uk

Stafford & District *Market * Stall 48, St John’s Indoor Market, Stafford

Wolverhampton *54 * Warstones Road, Penn, Wolverhampton, WV4 4LP ☎☎ 01902 338 013

Branch

Skegness, Spilsby & Alford ☎☎ 01754 830 621 88www.skegnesscats.org.uk Sleaford & District ☎☎ 01529 488 749 88www.cats.org.uk/sleaford Spalding & District ☎☎ 01775 725 661 88www.spalding.cats.org.uk Stamford & District ☎☎ 01778 571 343 88www.stamford.cats.org.uk Tendring & District ☎☎ 08453 712 742 88www.tendringcats.org.uk Waveney ☎☎ 08453 714 202 88www.waveney.cats.org.uk Cambridge *172 * Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3LP ☎☎ 01223 566 997 Grimsby & District *57 * Second Avenue, Grimsby, DN33 1NH ☎☎ 01472 277 520

North Tyneside ☎☎ 0191 296 3512 88www.cpnewcastle.co.uk Northumberland East ☎☎ 07749 713 142 (6–9pm) 88www.east-northumberland.cats.org.uk

Atherton & Wigan Metro Areas ☎☎ 01942 888 693 88www.athertonwigan.cats.org.uk

Preston ☎☎ 08451 770 708 88www.cats.org.uk/preston

Barnsley ☎☎ 01226 762 658 88www.cats.org.uk/barnsley

Rochdale ☎☎ 01706 522 440 88www.cats.org.uk/rochdale

Beverley & Pocklington ☎☎ 01482 861 866 88www.bpcp.org.uk

Sheffield Hallam ☎☎ 0114 327 0348 88www.catsprotectionshop.com

Blackburn & District ☎☎ 01254 260 107 88www.blackburn.cats.org.uk

South Wirral ☎☎ 0151 355 9813 88www.southwirral.cats.org.uk

Boston & District ☎☎ 01406 424 966 88www.boston.cats.org.uk

Stockport ☎☎ 0161 439 1274 88www.stockport.cats.org.uk

Burnley & Pendle ☎☎ 01282 693 400 88www.burnley.cats.org.uk

Teesside ☎☎ 01642 589 090 88www.teesside.cats.org.uk

Burscough & Liverpool Bay ☎☎ 0151 526 5999 88www.liverpoolbursc.cats.org.uk

Trafford ☎☎ 0161 610 2189 or 0161 969 0331 88www.trafford.cats.org.uk

Calder Valley & District ☎☎ 01706 810 489 88www.caldercats.org.uk

Wear Valley & Darlington ☎☎ 0845 313 4749 88www.cats.org.uk/wearvalley

Carlisle & District ☎☎ 01228 540 330 88www.carlisle.cats.org.uk

West Cumbria ☎☎ 01946 590 079 88www.westcumbria.cats.org.uk

Chesterfield & District ☎☎ 08453 712 754 88www.cats.org.uk/chesterfield

Wharfe Valley ☎☎ 08451 947 292 88www.wharfevalley.cats.org.uk

Crewe & District ☎☎ 01270 588 710 88www.crewe.cats.org.uk Culcheth & Glazebury ☎☎ 01925 764 604 Dewsbury, Wakefield & District ☎☎ 01924 261 524 88www.cats.org.uk/dewsbury

Ipswich *184 * Bramford Lane, Ipswich, IP1 4DP ☎☎ 01473 742 226

North Sheffield ☎☎ 01142 456 371 88www.northsheffield.cats.org.uk

Doncaster ☎☎ 07718 424 777 88www.doncaster.cats.org.uk

Barnsley *95 * High Street, Wombwell, Barnsley, S73 8HS Chesterfield & District *13 * Stephenson Place, Chesterfield, S40 1XL ☎☎ 01246 275 797 Lancaster & Morecambe *4-6 * Regent Road, Morecambe, Lancaster, LA3 1QG ☎☎ 01524 850 112

Ways we help: Rehoming • Neutering • Raising awareness

FIND US

Leeds *Suite * 26, Bramley Shopping Centre, Leeds, LS13 2ET *101 * Queen Street, Morley, Leeds, LS27 8DW ☎☎ 0113 307 5228 Newcastle upon Tyne *162-166 * High Street East, Wallsend, Tyne & Wear, NE28 7RP ☎☎ 0191 2627 377 Teesside *7–8 * Ramsgate, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, TS18 1BS ☎☎ 07432 379 292 Wharfe Valley *21 * Town Street, Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 5LJ ☎☎ 0113 259 1120 York *13 * Walmgate, York, YO1 9TX ☎☎ 01904 620 361

Wales Bridgend *Green * Acres, Pant Hirwaun, Bryncethin, Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, CF32 9UJ ☎☎ 01656 724 396 Wrexham *Alma * House, Madeira Hill, Wrexham, Clwyd, LL13 7HD ☎☎ 01978 313 574 88www.wrexham.cats.org.uk Aberystwyth & District ☎☎ 01970 822 120 Carmarthenshire Fundraising 88www.cats.org.uk/carmarthenshire Colwyn & District ☎☎ 01492 660 221 88www.colwyn.cats.org.uk Gwent ☎☎ 08453 712 747 88www.gwentsouthcp.org.uk Newtown & District ☎☎ 01686 670 277 88www.newtown.cats.org.uk Swansea & District ☎☎ 08452 179 648 88www.swanseacats.co.uk Gwent *22 * Frogmore Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5AH ☎☎ 01873 857 770 Swansea & District *85 * Brynymor Road, Swansea, SA1 4JE Wrexham & District *11 * Lord Street, Wrexham, LL11 1LH ☎☎ 01978 266 300

Scotland Arbroath & Carnoustie *15 * Kinaldie Holdings, Arbroath, DD11 5SH ☎☎ 01241 434 605 88www.arbroath.cats.org.uk Clackmannanshire & Stirling *The * Marion Hunter Cat Adoption Centre, Ochivale Terrace, Fishcross, Alloa, Clackmannanshire, FK10 3HT ☎☎ 01259 720 555 88www.clackscats.org.uk Dundee & District *102 * Foundry Lane, Dundee, DD4 6AY ☎☎ 01382 450 035 Glasgow *Cardyke * Farm, Langmuirhead Road, Auchinloch, Glasgow, G66 5LD ☎☎ 0141 779 3341 Friends of Glasgow Adoption Centre Shetland *Gott, * Shetland, ZE2 9SH ☎☎ 01595 840 588 88www.cats.shetland.co.uk

Glasgow ☎☎ 08453 712 722 88www.glasgow.cats.org.uk

West Fife ☎☎ 01383 419 975 88www.westfife.cats.org.uk

Huntly & Keith ☎☎ 01466 760 311 88www.cats.org.uk/huntly

West Lothian ☎☎ 08453 712 719 88www.cats-westlothian.org.uk

Inverness ☎☎ 07815 910 861 88www.inverness.cats.org.uk

Central Aberdeen *96 * King St, Aberdeen, AB24 5BA ☎☎ 01224 634 894

Inverurie & Alford ☎☎ 01467 625 695 88www.cats.org.uk/inverurie

Clackmannanshire & Stirling *The * Marion Hunter Cat Adoption Centre, Ochivale Terrace, Fishcross, Alloa, Clackmannanshire, FK10 3HT ☎☎ 01259 720 555

Isle of Arran ☎☎ 01770 820 611 Isles of Lewis & Harris ☎☎ 01851 830 749 88www.cats.org.uk/isle-of-lewis Isle of Skye ☎☎ 07817 943 072 Lanarkshire ☎☎ 08453 714 213 88www.lanarkshirecats.co.uk Montrose & Brechin ☎☎ 08453 712 738 88www.montrosebrechin.cats.org.uk

Alness & District ☎☎ 08453 714 204 88www.alness.cats.org.uk

Moray ☎☎ 07837 342 646 88www.cats.org.uk/moray

Ardnamurchan & Mull ☎☎ 01967 431 203 88www.cats.org.uk/ardnamurchan

Nairn ☎☎ 08453 712 714 88www.nairn.cats.org.uk

Barra & Uist ☎☎ 07050 121 586 88www.cats.org.uk/uist

North Ayrshire ☎☎ 08453 714 218 88www.northayrshire.cats.org.uk

Caithness ☎☎ 08453 714 217 88www.caithnesscatsprotection.org.uk

Orkney Islands ☎☎ 01856 771 642 88www.orkneycats.co.uk

Central Aberdeen ☎☎ 01224 749 568 88www.catsprotection.org.uk

Outer Aberdeen & District ☎☎ 01224 705 252 88www.cats.org.uk/outeraberdeen

Central Dumfries ☎☎ 01387 710 083 88www.centraldumfries.cats.org.uk

Peebles ☎☎ 0707 4357 228

Cumnock & Doon Valley ☎☎ 08453 714 219

Perth ☎☎ 08458 622 206 88www.perthcats.co.uk

Deeside ☎☎ 07837 342 660 88www.cats.org.uk/deeside

Peterhead & District ☎☎ 07791 834 226 88www.peterhead.cats.org.uk

East Neuk of Fife ☎☎ 08453 714 210 88www.eastfife.cats.org.uk

Renfrewshire ☎☎ 0141 876 4133 88www.renfrewshire.cats.org.uk

Ellon & District ☎☎ 01358 721 204 88www.cats.org.uk/ellon

South Ayrshire ☎☎ 08453 714 216 88www.southayrshire.cats.org.uk

Eskdale & District ☎☎ 01387 376 738 88www.eskdale.cats.org.uk

Stewartry & District ☎☎ 01557 339 233 88www.stewartry.cats.org.uk

Forfar & District ☎☎ 0845 647 2184 88www.cats.org.uk/forfar

Stonehaven ☎☎ 01569 739 396 88www.stonehaven.cats.org.uk

Fort William & District ☎☎ 01397 772 071 88www.cats.org.uk/fort-william

Stranraer & District ☎☎ 0845 371 2759 88www.stranraer.cats.org.uk

Fraserburgh ☎☎ 01771 637 744 88www.cats.org.uk/fraserburgh

Strathspey ☎☎ 08453 712 725 88www.strathspey.cats.org.uk

Giffnock ☎☎ 01416 385 110 88www.cats.org.uk/giffnock

Tain & District ☎☎ 08453 712 737 88www.tain.cats.org.uk

Find your local Cats Protection: 03000 12 12 12 • www.cats.org.uk

Dundee & District *102 * Foundry Lane, Dundee, DD4 6AY ☎☎ 01382 450 035 *5* Reform Street, Monifieth, Dundee, DD5 4BA ☎☎ 01382 534 316 Orkney Islands *85-87 * Victoria Street, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BS ☎☎ 01856 850 919 Outer Aberdeen & District *187 * George Street, Aberdeen AB25 1HZ ☎☎ 01224 658 565 Turiff & District *6-8 * Duff Street, Macduff, Banffshire, AB44 1TL ☎☎ 07847 395 017 West Fife *6* Arberlour Street, Rosyth, Fife, KY11 2RD ☎☎ 01383 417 548

Northern Ireland Belfast *270 * Belfast Road, Dundonald, Newtownards, Northern Ireland, BT16 1UE ☎☎ 02890 480 202 Friends of Northern Ireland Adoption Centre Armagh ☎☎ 07709 483 550 88www.armagh.cats.org.uk Coleraine ☎☎ 07792 699 416 88www.cats.org.uk/coleraine

KEY: Adoption Centre Homing Centre Branch Charity shop

The Cat Spring 2014

Hello again, we hope you enjoy snuggling up with the Spring Kids’ Corner. This issue, we bring you some ideas to keep your cats entertained indoors without having to spend lots of money on cat toys! If you’d like to send in a drawing, letter or email for the next issue, then contact us at The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT or email editorial@cats.org.uk with Kids Corner in the subject line. Don’t forget to tell us your name, age and address. The deadline for submissions for the summer 2014 issue is 14 March.

Cat facts!

Here are some fun facts from Guinness World Records and they’re all about cats! You can discover more recordbreaking cats at www.guinnessworldrecords.com/

Cat with the longest fur Colonel Meow is a Himalayan-Persian cross-breed from Seattle, Washington, USA and he holds the world record for longest fur on a cat – it’s nine-inches long! Now that cat will need a lot of grooming.

Most toes on a cat Jake, a male ginger tabby from Bonfield, Ontario, Canada, was officially declared as having the most toes on 24 September 2002. A vet counted seven on each paw which makes 28 in total. Most cats a total of 18 toes.

Loudest purr by a domestic cat Smokey lives in Northampton in the UK. His purr reached 67.7 decibels (LA peak) when officially tested on 25 March 2011. Most cats purr at around 25 decibels. He’s been known to purr even louder and can be as loud as a lawnmower or a vacuum cleaner!

Oldest cat living Pinky is currently the official record holder of the oldest cat living. She was born on 31 October 1989 which makes her 24 years old. She lives in Hoyt, Kansas, USA. On average cats live to around 15 years old.

Longest cat whiskers This record belongs to a Finnish cat called Missi. She’s a Maine Coon and lives in Iisvesi, Finland. The whiskers were measured on 22 December 2005 and they were 19cm (7.5 inches) long! Cats’ whiskers are very important to them as they help the cat feel their way around and they use them to judge whether they’d be able to fit through an opening.

The Cat Spring 2014

Artists’ alley

Thank you to this issue’s artists! Rachel, Eve and Gemma win a JellyCat each and a toy for their cats! Clockwise from right: Seven-year-old Rachel from Carlisle has sent a picture of her cat sitting on a wall. Five-year-old Gemma from Ware is always drawing cats and supports Cats Protection. Thank you Gemma! Nine-year-old Eve from Wimborne has drawn her cheeky cat, Onion.

Wordsearch

Spring is in the air and so all the words have spring feel about them. Time for cats to venture forth once more!

Daffodil Sunshine Catflap Sniff Snooze Hunt Tulip Trees Play

The unused letters spell a spring message, what is it? You can send your answer in to competitions@cats.org.uk. Remember to put Kids’ Corner in the subject heading, and to include your name, age and address. You can also enter the competition by post. Write the answers and your details on a postcard or sealed envelope and send it to: The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Sussex, RH17 7TT. Three lucky winners will get a JellyCat for themselves and a Kong prize for their cat! The deadline for entries is 11 April 2014. Illustrations: Rus Hudda

Thanks to Kong who provide our cats prizes for Kids’ Corner. Kong design toys and grooming products for both cats and dogs. www.kongcompany.com

The Cat Spring 2014 59

Share the love? We know ‘thank you’ means a lot to our volunteers Just two small words – but they mean a lot. Help us show just how much we appreciate our volunteers by becoming a Recognition Support Volunteer. Working with volunteers and staff, you’ll plan volunteer recognition activities and events in your local area – giving feedback on all the great things our volunteers do to help people and cats across the charity. In return, you’ll meet new people, have fun and really make a difference! If you like working as part of a team, have good communication skills and enjoy celebrating with others, we’d love to hear from you. Joining the team also means we’ll be on hand to support you every step of the way. Our volunteers help thousands of cats and kittens each year, and in the last five years we’ve helped over one million cats – so join the team and help us to achieve even more!

For more information contact:

T 080800 19 19 19 (opt.1) E bsu@cats.org.uk W www.cats.org.uk/volunteer

Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) SC037711 (Scotland)

Remembering cats through helping others This section offers readers the chance to pay tribute to a beloved cat by helping others. Donations go towards pens for our branches, which help house cats and kittens while they wait for new homes. Please send your donations to: R emembering Cats, The Cat magazine, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath, RH17 7TT. C heques should be made payable to ‘Cats Protection’. Tributes will be printed in the next available issue. Please note that this is an increasingly popular page and we cannot guarantee that your dedication will appear in a particular issue. Please print your tribute clearly to avoid errors (no more than 20 words) . Thanks to readers of The Cat, 315 pens have now been bought.

(Rescued) KIMBA , T RICIA , TIGGA , T ASHA , PUSSCAT . So gentle and loving to each other and us. Pat and Bel.

ALLY – went to Jesus S 16.03.93 and C HLOE 17.07.06. Beautiful memories of you are with me every day. Love from Mummy.

M R ARTHUR 19.03.96 and DAME EDITH

DORA , died age 15 years. Miss you loads, sleep well dear friend. We will meet again. RIP David, Heidi and Kimberley.

14.05.09. Together again beyond the Rainbow Bridge. Yours really was a story of true love. Love always, Mum.

A TTICUS CATTICUS 20.05.03 to 02.04.13. Without you we could hear the clocks tick and the rain fall. Miss you, Atti Cat. Love Ma. SHERRY , aged 15½ years. PTS November 15 2013. Miss and love you so much, silver lady. Mum xx

S ALLY , our sweet, gentle, loving little girl. PTS 23.09.13, greatly missed and dearly loved always. Your paw prints forever in our hearts. Your heartbroken Mum and Ray. Also remembering PABLO and PICKLES . Remembering SMOKEY , Y (02.05.82 TONY and K 21.12.94). Smokey and Ky used to gang up on Ky because he was a male, but after the summer of 1985 they got on well together. It is all a long, long time ago. Gordon.

In loving memory of TIGGY , 1992 to 03.03.11. A loving friend asleep in his favourite garden. Till we meet again. Peter, Freddie, Mini. In loving memory of SNOWY , went missing 07.03.09. Greatly missed by Peter and Mini. Till we meet again.

In loving memory of P ERRY , 21.02.11. Brave, gentle, loyal. My precious friend, missed so much. Always in our hearts. Love Mummy, Daddy, Leo, JoJo. DAISY MAY . Thank you for a loving 21 years and eight months. Look after B LANCY and AILEY , C C LEO now. Until we meet again xxx

J ACK – Died 24.10.05. My lovely black boy, thank you for 10 wonderful years. You will be remembered always. Gwen.

F LAP 08.03.11. Aged 18. Missed and remembered every day. A loving friend, asleep in her favourite garden. God bless xxx

In loving memory of

R OBBY , went missing 02.04.07. Greatly missed by Peter and Mini. Till we meet again. In loving memory of

T IMMY , 30.03.91 and T OPSY , 27.03.96. Together

For the love of our girls – ADIE , SALLY , SAM , S S ASHA . OPHIE and S Not forgetting J ACK and FOGGY . Rest in peace.

again. In our thoughts and hearts always and forever. Love Mummy and Daddy.

Remembering GYPSY aged 18. Thanks for all the memories of 14 wonderful years together – Thelma, John and Maddie.

In loving memory of CHLÖE 02.03.05 our beautiful girl. In our thoughts and hearts always and forever. Love Mummy, Daddy, son Leo.

Farewell to PUSHKIN , a tiny, loving bundle of black fur. Now with MITTEN . Much missed by Melissa, Heather, Louise, Howard, Ollie and Marley.

AMISH 04.01.14. Our H magnificent moggie and dear friend of Bob and Jean. In our hearts for ever. My dearest SPOT . You were the best little black cat in the world. How I miss you. Hope you have found G INGE and the gang to play with until I come to Rainbow Bridge. Di.

T OPSY – PTS 12.2005 aged 17. The dearest little cat we have ever known. Remembered always. Gwen and Hilary.

B UGSY age 20, 06.01.94. T OPAZ age 18½, 08.10.11. Our precious girls, your names and manner will be forever scratched into our hearts. Mom, Dad, John, Murphy, Milo, Willow, Shreddie and Tickler. xxxxx½ BILLIE – PTS 13.01.14. In loving memory of our little girl. Sadly missed by Nuala, Roy and Taz. My beautiful little girl,

S WEEP . Passed away

06.01.12 aged 15. Always in my thoughts and missed by her sister, Sooty. Dad x

The Cat Spring 2014

B k reviews Looking for a great book about cats? Check out our reviews before you buy...

Mice in the Churchyard

Monkey and Sofia

By Kes Gray It’s usually publishers that send in books for us to review, but this one was sent in by one of our readers, Margaret Cromwell, and we’re very glad she did as we wouldn’t have wanted to miss this delightful children’s book! It’s written in rhyme, with beautiful illustrations and tells the tale of the village’s felines who decide to rid the churchyard of its countless, scurrying mice. Each of the 39 cats pictured in the book is based on an actual whiskered village resident, past and present, and on the last page you see photos of them all. The book was written by Kes Gray to help raise funds to help restore St. Michael & All Angels a 12th century church in Copford, Essex, which apparently has the oldest recorded wall paintings of any parish church in Britain. This is a beautiful and fun book that will grace any child’s bookshelf. Francesca Watson Mice in the Churchyard (£6.99) is published by Bloomsbury (www.bloomsbury.com) ISBN 9781408838563

By Maureen Rooksby Need to knit a toy or blanket for the significant feline in your life? Or for the human that loves knitted felines? Then Maureen’s book will provide you with numerous patterns and ideas guaranteed to make your cat and friends purr with delight. Maureen’s introduction tells you about her own personal path in life and how it’s taken her from the UK on a journey through Spain, setting up stalls at local markets and craft fairs, selling her very popular knitted goods. This is a lively and colourful book, suitable for all levels of knitters, that reflects the personality of Maureen herself and the patterns will inspire you to get the needles out. Francesca Watson Sadly Maureen died in 2013 but her husband Phil has 150 of these books to give away to CP readers, only £1 payable for postage. If you are interested then please contact Phil on monkeyandsofia@yahoo.co.uk

The Girl with Nine Lives

Bonzo’s war – animals under fire B y Clare Campbell

By E Earle Fondness for rum? Check. Job heading nowhere? Check. Mastermind criminal boss discovering you have unravelled their plot? Check. Talking cat with an addiction to catnip deciding to take control of the situation? Check. Welcome to the lives and adventures of the ginger moggy Ben and his human, Ellena. Ellena Blackwell is your average woman – desperate to make the best of her degree and failing miserably. Falling into such a hole of self-pity, even her cat, Ben, is sick of her and tells her to snap out of it. And that’s when Ellena realises she has a talking cat, and he’s not going to go away anytime soon. Having a devious crime boss as Principal to the college she works at, Ellena discovers a dangerous secret that the Head Office would very much rather that she didn’t know. Deciding to take control of her life, Ellena enlists the help of Ben to investigate as soon as her friend goes missing. But Detective Calloway is determined to get involved, and Ellena soon learns that Ben isn’t the only one who thinks he has nine lives. Francesca Watson The Girl with Nine Lives (£5.56 paperback, £1.02 Kindle) is available from Amazon. ISBN 9781490383026 We have two copies to give away, just enter in the usual way marking your entries Nine Lives.

Clare Campbell’s meticulously researched and deeply moving book uncovers the fate of animals both in the UK and abroad during World War 2 and the tough decisions which often had to be made. She tells of how her aunt’s dog was put to sleep at the start of the war – a decision sadly echoed by many pet owners at the time. Elsewhere, pets brought comfort to their frightened owners who would often go without their own rations to feed their pets illegally or would queue for hours to obtain meagre supplies of food officially designated as animal food. Churchill himself was a cat lover and formed a special bond with the Admiralty cat named ‘Nelson’ as well as his own marmalade cat at Chartwell, ‘Tango’. The Cabinet Office also had a cat called ‘Jumbo’ who had a food allowance under the name ‘Mr. J. Umbo’. While dogs and cats were prohibited from going into the public air raid shelters with their owners, many animals appear to have adapted themselves to the Blitz conditions and even refused to leave their bombed-out homes. Cats had been known to cry for days beside rubble to tell rescuers where their owners were trapped. There are also some astonishing tales of evacuated cats’ homing instincts enabling them to travel huge distances to return home. Catherine Morley Bonzo’s war (£7.99) is published by Constable & Robinson (www.constablerobinson.com) ISBN 9781472106803

62 The Cat Spring 2014

ANSWERS

Donate your unwanted items to us and help cats in need!

Winter 2013 crossword answers Across: 1 Kiln, 3 Adorable, 9 Embrace, 10 Aided, 11 Staff, 12 Catgut, 14 Kitten, 16 Turnip, 19 Giggle, 21 Shove, 24 Enter, 25 Pretend, 26 Omelette, 27 Hard. Down: 1 Keepsake, 2 Libya, 4 Drench, 5 Roast, 6 Bedouin, 7 Ends, 8 Baffle, 13 Splendid, 15 Thistle, 17 Ulster, 18 Despot, 20 Gorge, 22 Omega, 23 Zero.

This issues sudoku answers

Find your nearest Cats Protection shop in the ‘Find Us’ pages 54–57 (green addresses) or visit www.cats.org.uk/find-us Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland)

Providing clear communications through design

For more info contact us on: info@rhinobytes.co.uk

Logos & branding Stationery Marketing materials

Annual reports Magazines Competitive pricing

07929 034342 www.rhinobytes.co.uk

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