I went to visit some of my cousins over the bank holiday weekend.  Like me, they are strong and independent with proud whiskers and shiny coats; but unlike me, they don’t have good homes or families to support them.  They are currently in a holding-pen being fostered by a friend of John’s whilst they wait to find new homes.  It’s all part of the brilliant work being done by Cats Protection and other local animal welfare charities including Worthing and District Animal Rescue and also Worthing Cat Welfare Trust.  These charities take in waifs and strays, the unwanted and the unwashed, the poorly and the needy, and take care of them in the hope of giving them a better life.

Bonnie and Clyde are old black indoor cats who were given up by their owner after 14 years because Clyde was having trouble with his toileting.  It’s not his fault, he gets a touch of arthritis and finds it difficult to sit in the litter tray, so he tends to sprinkle when he tinkles.  But his foster mum arranges the litter trays and some newspaper in a particular fashion and the problem is now under control.  In the other side of the pen is a spritely young cat called Misty, rejected because her owner had too many cats to cope with as a result of constantly allowing them to get pregnant.  She is a fun-loving and friendly cat, desperate to find a kind home and experience the freedom of running around a house and a garden.

Some of the other cats who have been through the pen and got re-homed are Winnie – an old white cat found as a stray, she had the loudest croaky meow and her ears were removed due to cancer so she looked like a stoat, and Lola – a tiny 1 year old cat who had been neglected by her owner and came in malnourished and craving affection.  I was also great mates with a ginger cat called Garfield who was found as a stray, all scrawny with knotted matted fur.  It was only after a trip to the vets to be neutered that I found out Garfield was actually a girl.  And before you get any funny ideas, yes she was a girl, yes she was my friend, but no she was not my girlfriend!

I like to visit the residents of the pen on a regular basis – it reminds me how lucky I am to be living with John, well-fed and looked after, and running my own photography business.  Also, the pen cats are always happy to model for me, unlike my big cousins at the zoo who have a tendency to be divas!

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