Nine Lives Cat Rescue
Registered
National Charity 1051280
Dedicated to rescuing, caring for and re-homing cats in
Romsey, Winchester and Southampton
LATEST MEWS
25 February 2008
Generally at this time of the year we would expect things to be fairly quiet and not at such a hectic pace as in the summer months. Alas, that has not been the case. Since last November, and still continuing, I have had to go out with the traps to catch stray and feral cats. The locations have been varied including Fritham, in the New Forest, Marchwood, West Tytherley, Alderbury and much more! Although it has been very busy we have had some luck with rehoming a few of our long-stay mature cats two of which, 'Poppin' and 'Romeo', had been in our care for eight months.
One very sad case is that of 'Lacey'. She was abandoned and living rough in a village near Salisbury, having been neglected for many years. Some people were kind enough to put food out for her but no one thought to ask for help because they couldn't catch the cat! Eventually, a young woman working at some stables was chatting to a friend of mine and related the story of this poor puss. Sarah immediately told the girl to contact Nine Lives and seek help for this suffering animal.
I had to catch the cat with a trap and took her to the vet for urgent treatment and prognosis. She was very thin and her coat, that once would have been so beautiful, was now matted and dirty. Blood tests revealed that she had kidney and pancreas problems and was suffering from severe malnutrition. I didn't have the heart to euthanise this sweet little cat and decided to place her with Helen, one of our foster mums.
A decent diet and medication, plus lots of love and grooming brought this cat back to life. Helen named her 'Lacey', which really suited her. Because of her problems and age we knew we stood little chance of someone adopting her so we put out an appeal on our website for a foster home hoping that 'Lacey's' story would touch someone's heart. It did. Charlie and her partner were looking for an elderly cat to live with them in their flat and didn't mind a cat with health problems. 'Lacey' was perfect for them and they are now providing much love and attention on this dear little cat who had been with care for so long. She has even put on weight and now enjoys all the comforts of a safe and secure environment.
Another poor old soul is 'Ted'. Some people noticed that this elderly cat, which could hardly walk because of arthritis, was sheltering under a disused ice-cream van. 'Ted' was taken to the vets for examination and geriatric blood profiling to see what sort of condition he was in. X-rays showed that he had an enlarged heart and severe spondylitis of the spine and hips and it was thought that he was around 16 years old. Despite putting posters around where he was found no one claimed him. As luck would have it, I received a call from a lovely lady who was looking for a geriatric cat to go with her already geriatric 20 year old cat and she didn't mind if the cat was on medication or a special diet because she was used to that for her other cat. 'Ted' is now settling in with Rochelle and her family and the two elderly 'gentlemen' are getting to know each other. What a wonderful result for 'Ted' - perhaps there is a god after all?
We haven't got any fundraising events planned for this year because we don't have a fundraising organiser or team. We are now completely dependent of financial donations and legacies. When you renew your membership please be as generous as you can to help us continue our work in supporting these neglected and abandoned animals. After all, it is not their fault that they have been let down by humans - perhaps by helping them we can restore their trust in people once more?
Best wishes to all our supporters and volunteers.
Susan Smith.
Please feel free to E-mail any enquiries to us: cats@nine-lives.org.uk
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