Thomas
Thomas, the white & ginger below, is 18 and can find food blindfold from 100 yards away. He has an unerring nose for lost biscuits around the house. He also has the loudest purr imaginable and if you actually pay attention to him you end up having to turn the tv up. I hand reared Thomas from 2 days old when his feral mum abandoned him and his sister. Despite his advancing years his “inner kitten” is still strong and he often charges around the house like a lunatic!! In the summer he loves nothing better than spending all day outside topping up his tan!
Rupert
Rupert, the ginger on the left, is 19 and a half, going on 60. He decided to retire some years ago and leaves the others to fight their own battles, although he won’t stand any messing from them. He mainly spends his days in the kitchen now, sleeping above the warm pipes.
He was the boss of the house, until it came to protecting the territory outside and then he was the first one back through the catflap!
Charlie
Charlie, right, is one of the clumsiest cats I have ever met and has fallen off a 2 foot high coffee table! If anything’s broken it’s almost always Charlie’s fault. She is extremely nosey and likes to help out in everything you are doing. She also likes to sleep in the strangest positions, usually flat on her back with her legs in the air!
Charlie is Lottie’s daughter and is 14 years old.
Peggy
Peggy, on the left, was Lottie’s littermate, although they are not related. Peg prefers to spend most of her time indoors except when the summer comes, and then she likes to go out in the evenings for 10 mins after all the others have come in for the night. She is 16 years old and likes to spend the winter months curled up with Rupert in the kitchen, but then becomes much more active around the house when the weather warms up.
Lottie
Lottie, left, is also 16 and can be a grumpy madam and will have a go at someone for no apparent reason other than that she can! The dogs are terrified of her!! However, her other side is the softest, sweetest cat going and she is a real mummy’s girl if she’s in the mood.
Neo
Neo, on the right, was a stray kitten handed in to the vet who ended up coming home with me! Now an adult, she still doesn’t show any sign of growing up!! Luckily, she likes to spend most of her time outside, using up her excess energy and terrorising the foxes in the field out the back!
Murphy & Jack
Murphy & Jack, on the left, are 13 year old brothers, born on St Patrick’s Day. Jack is the paler one who is a very polite, gentlemanly cat who loves to hide behind the sofa and jump out on any person or cat who passes by. Murphy has taken over from Rupert in defending the outside territory, but he is the soppiest cat around the house, and he’ll happily beg for a cup of tea.
Paddy
Paddy, right, is the psycho cat in our household – we’re sure she’s bipolar. One minute she’s sweet and loving and wants cuddles, and the next she’s a hissing, spitting ball crouched halfway up the stairs lying in wait for you! She growls at everyone, human, dog or cat, but she does it so often that nobody takes any notice of her anymore – she’s such a diva!
Sheldon
Sheldon, left, was living rough on Hackney Marshes with his mum and 3 other brothers. He was approx. 9 weeks old when I was asked to help this little stray family. I rehomed his brothers but Sheldon and his mum, Mrs Mumble, ending up staying. Sheldon was born with a club foot – all his toes are curled back on themselves so he walks on the heel of his foot. Despite having a permanent limp because of this it doesn’t slow him down whatsoever and he uses his shorter leg to whack the dogs with! Sadly we only had his mum for 18 months before we lost her suddenly to acute kidney failure. At least she left us knowing she was loved and that her son has a home for life.
Harry
Harry, came from Goldie’s Cat Rescue and was supposed to be our new stable cat. He came with one eye and half a tail – the result of being an unneutered tomcat. It was thought he was feral and therefore needed an outdoor home; he is also FIV+. However, after 6 weeks at the stables he got into a fight with a visiting cat and refused to let the resulting wound on his face heal so I brought him home so he could wear a buster collar. That was Christmas 2015 and he is still at home! He is so NOT an outdoor cat, when he has a choice, and only goes out on sunny days for a short time. He much prefers to curl up on his fleece blanket, or drag it round the house to a new spot. He also isn’t feral at all – he craves attention and cuddles all the time – making up for the lost years. Despite being an ex-stray, there is no aggression in him towards our other cats at all, even when Paddy hisses in his face! He is now so chilled and happy to have a home that nothing bothers him anymore – he only complains loudly when he thinks he should have been fed by now!
Harry (Yard)
Harry (Yard), is another ex-stray who was hanging around a customer’s garden. Now neutered and checked over he is our new stable cat (as the first Harry wasn’t interested in the job!). Despite difficult to catch initially he quickly settled in and is another one who craves attention! He loves to be on your lap and will climb up on to your shoulder and wrap his “arms” round your head. He has also taken to coming on dog walks with our German Shepherd – marching along like he owns the place – much to her dismay!