The Sheffield Cats Shelter

March has been an unusually quiet month for the Sheffield Cats Shelter, and we are still looking for suitable homes for our SOS cats, Danny, Venus, Pablo and Katty.  Despite this we have found 18 cats and kittens loving new homes including two very special kittens that had been at the shelter for a while.  Vimto and Ocean were brothers brought to the shelter when they were 3 weeks old.  As time went by the vets discovered they both suffered from heart murmurs.  Further investigations have identified that Vimto has a small hole in his heart which is the cause of his heart murmur, and Ocean has an irregular heart beat. Despite this they are both very happy and healthy, and were very lucky to find a home together with a very caring person.  The shelter also re-homed a beautiful old cat called George who went to live in a residential home where he will have over 50 people to keep him company. He was such a friendly laid back cat it is sure to be the perfect home for him.

During March the shelter has had 20 new arrivals including two long haired cats who were both in very bad condition when they first arrived at the shelter.  Gypsy, pictured here, is a very beautiful long haired cat who had been a stray for a while, over time his long fur had become so matted the only way to relieve him of this discomfort was to shave the tangled fur off and let the coat re-grow.  Long haired cats need grooming on a regular basis, once a day would benefit the cat the most to prevent any knots forming. It is advisable to get any cat/kitten used to being brushed every day and try to make it an enjoyable experience for the cat and not just a chore for the person doing it. The benefits of regular grooming can be easily seen in the healthy appearance of the cat.  Through neglect a long haired cat can become very uncomfortable.

February is normally a quiet month for the Cats Shelter, with numbers of visitors generally slowing down.  Despite this we have re-homed 24 cats and kittens this month including a few that were a little bit of a challenge to find them suitable homes.  Hobo was our SOS cat a few months ago.  He had arrived at the shelter in November 2009 as a stray and was a very independent cat after living and surviving on his own.  He was very playful and affectionate on his own terms but when he wasn’t happy he would give a cheeky bite. But luckily for Hobo someone fell in love with his cheeky character and was happy to accept him for who he was. We have heard he has made himself right at home and will not be moved from his favourite chair.

Minto and Humbug were also adopted this month; they were featured in our December’s news. They were brother and sister brought to the shelter with terrible flu after living outside in a greenhouse through the winter months. After months of treatment and loving attention they were soon on the mend and getting used to people. Because they were used to living outdoors they were timid cats that needed a special home and a dedicated owner. All the staff are delighted they have found their perfect home and are sure they will have lots of fun with their new owners.

We are currently searching for a suitable home for a pair of cats that are both very unique and totally different from each other, Katty and Polly, who are featured on our SOS page. They have been at the shelter since November last year and are in desperate need of a new home. Polly is the perfect lap cat at 12 years old she doesn’t want to do much else than sit on an available lap and be pampered. Katty is the playful youngster at 2 years old and is full of energy, wanting to run and play all the time. However different they may seem to us, they are inseparable, as you would soon understand if you saw them curled up together or saw Katty affectionately washing Polly. To read more about this intriguing pair visit our SOS page.