As I have mentioned on
many occasions, we are extremely grateful to the wonderful people who take on
the Old/Desperate/Special Needs cats that can be so difficult to rehome. These
were two such cats and it is heartwarming to read Julie's words, particularly
the last sentences!
Patch was the one who appeared on just about every
section of the website, she had a paralised face due to a car accident and a
lopsided grin, but we think she is beautiful! Gizzy needed dental
treatment as she was having trouble eating. |
I felt awful
leaving her at the vets when she had to have her teeth cleaned/extracted, she
had moved from her long term home to a new home, then to Foal and then to us
and I'm sure she thought I wasn't coming back for her. Anyway, she now has a
'hollywood' smile and eats like a horse! They have settled in well although
still give each other a respectful amount of space. Gizzy is the 'upstairs' cat
when she is in the house but loved her new garden during the summer months - we
left part of the grass to grow wild so she had shade and a place to hide. She
is more of a loner than Patch who likes to be in close contact with one of us
at all times and is very vocal, no extremely vocal! When we visited the farm we
came looking for kittens but these two oldies caught our attention and now we
wouldn't swap them and their funny ways. I would say to anyone considering
adopting a cat that they should not hesitate to choose an 'oldie' and give them
the best Christmas present they could have - a warm, loving
home. |
My new Mum and Dad are Lucy and Adam and
they live in Bickley, Bromley, in a quite street with a very sunny garden! As
soon as I arrived at my new home, my food was served out, water poured and
litter tray stood at the ready. Dad was most impressed by the way I first
strolled out of the carry box, went over to the litter tray and quietly did my
business - well we all have standards don't we! Dinner was next which I ate
rather nervously, but I was soon put at ease by Mum and Dad sitting down with
me to watch TV on the sofa. After Dinner had gone down it was time to go
explore the new pad. Soon I was on every bed and chair, checking out the views
from the windows and seeing what is kept in the wardrobes! I have settled into
my routine now. For the first week I was kept inside, but Mum and Dad finally
got the hint that I needed a bit of freedom by me staring out of the back door.
The first day I was let out, I was a bit tentative, but before you knew it I
was off over next doors fence. |
Mum and Dad went
off to work nervously as I had been found as a stray. But when Dad returned
home and shook the cat snack box I was home like a shot! Since then the routine
is simple: Get up with Dad and eat as he has his shower. By the time he is
done, I am fed and the backdoor is opened. If I want I can go out then, but I
often tend to stay upstairs as my folks get dressed and roam on their big bed.
Then when it is time for them to leave, I get a quick action snack off Mum and
then I am out the door to explore whilst they earn the pennies! They get home
just in time for dinner and then I entertain them with my silly tricks, lovable
cuddles and - the real tear jerker - the soft purring as I sleep on Mum's lap!
Quite simply I think I am doing ok here. I do get spoilt on occasion but when I
am naughty (like the time I brought home my first kill - a cream cheese slice)
I don't get any treats - well at least until I pull the soft purring routine!
As you will see from my photo's I tend to spend my day either on and around the
garden or inside on the sofa. I hope all my friends at Foal Farm, both the
staff and animals are all doing well. I hope all the animals find a new home
soon. Yours sincerely Winston Esq |
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This is
Lily in the Garden, where she would happily live if given half the
chance. As you can see she has grown into a beautiful cat. She is quite a
character, she still hates grooming and only wants to be fussed when it suits
her. Despite this she is a joy to look after and quite amusing in her antics.
|
It is wonderful to hear about this
cat as he had a very poor start in life and we feared he would have a permanent
respiratory problem. It just shows what TLC can do! |
It's coming up to
nearly a year since Angel (formally Ellis) came to live with us This
once snotty nosed kitten has become a beautiful healthy cat who brings sunshine
wherever he goes. Although he was meant to be an indoor cat someone forget to
tell him and he loves nothing more than going out back and up his tree, but
never too far 'cos when ever he's called he comes straight back. He's given a
new lease of life to our siamese and has taught him how to be a 'proper'
cat.They love nothing more than chasing each other around and terrorising the
dog. As you can see for yourselves he is the most beautiful cat ever and not a
snotty nose in sight. Thankyou from the bottom of our hearts |
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We are always
saddened at the number of elderly cats that we take in each year, many of them
have been parted from their doting owners by illness or death. Imagine what it
must be like to be taken away from a loved one and familiar surroundings and
suffer the horror of being admitted into a rescue centre! As you can imagine
most people want young cats or kittens, only the stalwart few will take on the
potential heartbreak of homing a 'senior citizen'. Fortunately there are some
who are prepared to do this over and over again in order that our golden oldies
spend their last days in a loving home. Charlie is one of these lucky
few! |
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We don't often have
pedigree cats at Foal but occasionally we are honured to assist such beauties
as Sacha & Bailey, they wrote to thank us recently:
Just like to say a big thank you
for looking after us while we were with you, as you can see we are settling in
just fine with our new mum & dad. We're being thoroughly spoilt with lots
of love & kisses and plenty of brushing! We went to see a our new vet the
other night, he seemed ok so we might not mind having to go again next month
for our boosters. Our new family are real suckers and we have them well sussed!
Thanks again, dinners ready must go! It's good to see they have their
priorities right! Fortunately Mum & Dad don't mind being described thus!!
They add: PS. what a lovely pair of boys they are, we'll take good care of
them |
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Lucie and I are
unable to sit together on the sofa now as there is always a cat laying there!
Spice accepted the house immediately and made the place his own; he
follows us around and always greets us at the bedroom door in the morning.
George has only recently settled in and will now sit on the sofa if
invited. He is still a little shy but once settled on a lap will stay there for
ages. They are generally ok around each other but do occasionally fight, this
generally happens when one gets too close to the other or one is getting fussed
and the other isn’t. We have tried feeding them together and they
don’t mind at all - their heads are deep in the food bowls!! They are
sometime spotted quite close to each other whilst playing with a toy (well a
bit of a string) which is nice to see.
We have a special place in
our hearts for our FIV+ cats and are always pleased to hear how they are doing.
They are always homed as indoor cats so need extra atention to ensure they get
enough exercise and stinulation. These two have definitely landed on their
paws! |