No …. its not a maths puzzle.
The little family we took in on Saturday afternoon are statistically significant to 8 Lives though ….. as well as being important and precious in their own right.
They take us past the 150 mark of the number of cats who have passed through here since we’ve been 8 Lives. Of course there are many excellent larger rescues who would manage that in a few weeks. It’s taken two and a half years for us … but in one small house, with resident cats and a full time job, I think an average of one cat rescued and rehomed per week is something worth celebrating. And its an endless delight to hear from them in their new homes, chilling out, being pampered and adored. Here’s just a few of them:
And 21? Um …. I think we just topped the record for the number of cats in the house! When Tabbytha & Mowse arrived we had spaces and were anxious to make use of them. So off we went up to Richmond to collect two pregnant farm cats who’s feeder was very very poorly and unable to keep caring for them.
We anticipated that they’d each want a single room and that would be our two rescue rooms filled. However they turned out to be very attached to each other – you can read more about this in previous posts …. so we still had a room available. So when someone messaged us about little Sage up in Pudsey … out all alone and ripping her fur out … we went to collect her.
She continued to pull her fur out and our vet wondered if it was due to stress. She went off to a lovely foster home, away from the other cats, and persuaded her foster parents to adopt her. So the second room was available again.
When we heard the story of poor older lads Jasper and Puddy up in Sherburn in Elmet we agreed to offer them the space. They’d both been living outdoors for at least a year, being fed by a kind neighbour and sheltering in her shed … but starting to look a bit worse for wear.
We’d just got them nicely settled when Wordsworth turned up …. another older lad and not ever so well … but this time in S8 so we needed to give him some priority.
Thankfully Morgan’s mummy offered him a foster home and we were able to move him straight there as we were completely full here.
Full …. except ….. well …. when someone messaged us about a tiny kitten who had been found in a garden not far away from us …..
simon arrives
Simon settled himself in very purrily and once we were happy that he was healthy, and we listened to the views of the resident cats, and since he was the same sort of age as Tabbytha & Mowse’s kittens, he gradually moved himself in with them.
Yep …. absolutely totally full. Four resident cats, two older lads in back bedroom, Tab & Mowse families (9 in all) in front bedroom (plus adopted Simon) makes 16 ….. makes FULL! So when another post popped up about a little family in Sheffield being given away on Gumtree on Saturday morning I posted “sorry full … but could help with transport” and tried to think about something else. A rescue place was found down but a long way down south. Another more personal message popped up …. please could I take as it was too far for them to travel. Cue lots of scuffling around settling up crate … and arrival of Xin and her babies.
Of course the crate in the middle of the lounge didn’t really work. The residents went to look, Xin growled and hissed,, residents put in complaints. So this afternoon I got home from work. Moved Puddy and Jasper into my bedroom, Xin and her kits into Puddy and Jasper’s bedroom … and my bedding onto the lounge floor. It looks like this is going to be the pattern for summer / kitten season here. It’s saving grace is that its not so far in a morning to roll out of bed and get to the kettle for coffee.
8 Lives: Sheffield 8 Cat Rescue 