The Sheffield Cats Shelter

In our March news we reported the fantastic adoption of two of our favourite kittens - Vimto and Ocean.  They both had heart complaints, but having had scans it was decided that they were fit enough to go to a new home.  Well, as you can see from these photos, they are well and truly settled in and enjoying themselves to the full.

I feel very lucky to have adopted two such great cats from the Shelter on 1 January this year.  Max and Leo are very loveable characters and I am enjoying having them around. They're affectionate and good-mannered and usually accompany me to whichever room I'm in.  However, visitors don't really see this side of them as they tend to buzz off when somebody new comes! It's difficult to get them to sit still for a photo but I enclose two pictures of them exploring the great outdoors.  Due to the bad weather at the start of the year they haven't been out a great deal yet - Max definitely prefers prowling in the dark though.

Many thanks and best wishes

Cheryl

I’m writing with the sad news that our wonderful cat Dingle has passed away at the end of January.We adopted Dingle from the cat shelter in 2005 after the death of another former resident, Moose (formerly Smudge) who was unlucky enough to have liver cancer and died seven months after we adopted him.  Our remaining cat Mia (formerly Sooty) was lonely, so we came to the cat shelter to find her a friend.

Dingle was a grey SOS kitten, born feral, and took a lot of patience and care to bring out of his shell.  He used to hide under his fleece at the shelter and the other kittens used to sit on him, unaware there was a cat underneath!  He spent the first month with us in a bag, refusing to come out,  and we didn’t even realise he was grey until a month after we adopted him and could see him for the first time!  However, over the years, he grew in confidence and became an incredibly loving and affectionate cat, especially with our 3 year old son, who misses him terribly. 

Dingle contracted FIP at the beginning of this year, and as I know from having worked at the shelter, there is really only one outcome.  We refused to let him suffer, and took him to the vets who confirmed my suspicions and put him to sleep.I then spent three days in the Northern General and had an operation on my hand to repair the damage he’d done trying to get him in the cat box (like I say, he was the most gentle and friendly cat you’d ever hope to meet, but if you frightened him, he’d fight to the death to get away from you) and I’m now left with a lasting memory in the form of some cracking scars!

Although life with Dingle has been often challenging and difficult, he was a truly wonderful cat and I miss him very much.  He was a shining example of what can be achieved with an ex-feral cat and loved nothing more than to snuggle up on your knee all evening.  Thank you for letting us offer him a home, I feel we did the best we could and he had a good life.

We came to the shelter a year ago looking for one kitten but as soon as we saw Buster and Shawney we knew they were the cats for us (as Shawney looked as us with her big eyes, and Buster tried to stand on my shoulder) and we were not wrong.

It took Shawney a while to get used to us, but she’s now become a real lap cat, and has claimed a large scratching post as her throne, expecting a stroke whenever you pass.

They are such affectionate and friendly cats that they have charmed not only us but also our neighbours (I don’t think we’re the only ones who feed them!) Both cats are so full of character as the pictures probably show! Buster had quite a few fights with the neighbour’s cats and often came home with a scratched nose; luckily he has been scratch free for a couple of months now!  For the first few months they were obsessed with food and sometimes brought home the neighbour’s leftovers including fish and peas one night. Thankfully they mainly stick to cat food now although Buster still goes mad for guinea pig food!  They do expect to be fed promptly though, and Buster will poke you in the eye in the morning until you get up to feed him (Shawney sensibly lets him do the hard work!)

Thank you very much

Melissa and Alan

Tinker and Ginger were two completely unsocialised cats that had been rescued from living in dangerous conditions and brought to the Shelter for safety.  They did not enjoy their time at the Shelter, remaining very wary of humans and refusing to be handled.  We were delighted when they were offered a home and understand that they are becoming accustomed to their new home, although still very wary and timid.

We received these lovely photos that show their confidence increasing to an extent that they will happily spend time out from under the bed, so long as no-one makes any sudden movements!

When we visited the Shelter this weekend we spoke about Boris who we adopted in 2008, so thought this would be an ideal time to give another update and a couple of pictures. He is doing really well; like our other cat he is very pampered! We moved to a cottage in a rural area near Ripley last October and both the cats love it (we adopted Ribbons 'our other cat' from you many years ago). Both are still house cats, but they spend a lot of time watching the wildlife out of the window. At the moment the favourites are all the birds and our resident squirrels! Boris settled in his new home really well. He seems to settle really quickly and nothing seems to phase him, even travelling in his cat carrier he stands up all the way and tries to watch what's happening out of the car window.

He's a very chatty cat and his affection as increased over the year or so we have had him. He's cuddly and now loves sleeping in bed with me under the duvet, usually under my arm pit! He is also very playful, and as now started attacking feet.... giving them a quick claw or a nip.... before walking off purring. He still has his favourite toy, the bear on a string. We had to replace his old one and he still walks around with it in his mouth making some very high pitch squeaks. So he is really loved and everyone who meets him falls for his charms immediately. 

We have been thinking about adopting again, so you never know we may decide to have a new addition(s?) in the near future. Below are a couple of pictures of Boris which have been taken recently

Some of you will remember our lovely Sparky, who had been found in a very poor condition and was with us for many weeks until his health improved.  It was lovely to receive this up date and the wonderful photos.

Sparky has settled in well.  He has access to the back yard, but he is a home-loving cat and he only occasionally forays outside, though as the weather warms up he may be a bit more adventurous.  He has already proved himself an excellent mouser, we will see how he gets on with the local birds when they start nesting! But in general Sparky is very well behaved, affectionate and he tolerates
visitors well.  Warmth, food and company are all he seems to want.

Andrew

Dear Cat Shelter,
 
We thought we would give you a quick update on Leila and Richard, now Bella And Jasper.
They both settled into their new home very quickly and it is safe to say now rule the roost, they have even taken over our bed!!! (Hmm - not much room for the humans! - Ed) Bella is a very loving little girl and would like nothing better than to spend all day giving us lots of kisses and cuddles. Jasper is much more independent and causes mischief where ever he goes we even caught him on top of the loft ladders once. Although Bella gets up to lots of mischief too we often lose her for hours and eventually find her fast asleep in the wardrobe. They are both very greedy and would now be very big if they had their way. They both like to tease our other cats sunny and charlie and its safe to say they have brightened up our home since they came to live with us. We love them very much and wouldn't change them for the world.
Thank you for everything you did for them when they were kittens we are so glad we were able to give them a happy and healthy home.
Lots of love,
 
Bella, Jasper, Sunny, Charlie, (oh and Rochelle and Anthony)