Posts Tagged With: cat rescue

Reformed street fighter seeks safe space to raise his adopted kitten

Posted on November 29, 2025 by accidental fosterer

It was raining buckets the day we first heard about Clive … you know the sort of rain where it’s coming down so hard it bounces back up again? The messager said that they thought he’d been living rough for some time but now he’d been approaching them for help because he had a nasty wound on his tail.

And so we went over to collect a very damp, miserable, dirty and wounded cat. His tail was matted with blood and gunk and investigation at the vets the following day clearly showed puncture wounds from a fight … presumably with another unneutered tom cat. We were keen to have him neutered as soon as possible because the smell of unnuetered tom cat permeates the house like nothing else. Unfortunately the vet pointed out that there would be a serious risk of infection from the fight wound if he were to be operated on straight away. So Clive and I had a tough few weeks, him enduring a cone to prevent him from licking his wound and the rest of the family enduring the stink.

Finally the misery was over, the op was done and Clive was settling into life in the rescue. He started to realise that it was good to be warm and dry and well fed and increasingly loved having head rubs and cuddles. We decided it was time for him to meet Martyn & Morven: brother and sister about 6 months old.

They hit it off pretty much instantly and spent hours together sharing stories about the different lives they’d lived. Martyn & Morven knew nothing other than being in rescue, having arrived with mum at only one day old. Clive had been everywhere, seen everything … the kittens were spellbound with his tales. Then the day arrived when Martyn & Morven found their own place and moved out.

Clive was sad. Not least because he was then sharing space with Mildred, the twenty year old we mentioned in our previous post. Although Mildred was half Clive’s weight and a fraction of his strength, Clive was terrified. One hiss from Mildred and he’d retreat. When Mildred moved on to a lovely foster home Clive was alone again, recovering from the trauma of the scary old lady.

We knew that what he needed was another kitten to take care of. So when we had a message about a young kitten who had been thrown out the house into some bushes, we knew we had to go and get her. We think Freja was about 8 weeks when we collected her, and if the finder’s understanding of the situation was accurate, ours was going to be the 4th home she’d lived in. She was full of cat flu and had a horrid eye infection so had to live separately at first.

Once recovered, we introduced Clive and Freja. It was quickly apparent that they were each exactly what each other needed. Clive needed a non threatening companion. Freja needed someone to make her feel safe and take care of her. She quite obviously adores Uncle Clive and looks to him to take the lead in whatever they do.

They’re now looking for their own place together. We can’t bear to separate them.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: animals, cat rescue, cats, kitten, kittens, pets | Leave a comment

A well-timed tail

Posted on May 18, 2025 by accidental fosterer

aka “A lot can change in a week”

A couple of weeks ago we had an email from one of our lovely adopters. A dishevelled elderly cat had accosted them on the way to the pub on Friday night, clearly asking for help. They were concerned about her and hoped we might be able to assist her. Sadly we get dozens of similar emails every week, more than we have the time or emotional resources to respond to. It’s hard work caring for the cats that we have. Being constantly reminded of how many more are out there that we don’t have space to help is heartbreaking and soul destroying.

We replied giving the usual advice about first needing to check that the cat genuinely didn’t have a home and wasn’t just trying it on: the usual things about checking local social media groups, paper collars and checking for a microchip. We agreed that I’d pop up and loan them my scanner … the lure of potentially seeing H&H who were adopted from us nearly 7 years ago was too strong to resist. At the same time I was very clear that we didn’t have space for any more cats. I explained that we had Clive and Martyn & Morven and that it’s taking a lot longer to find nice homes for cats that it used to in H&H’s day. Martyn & Morven had been waiting for some months with no sign of any interest in them.

I delivered the scanner, got a wonderful long glimpse of one H before he legged it up the garden. Sadly (or strategically) the other H had gone off to the allotments for the day.

My money was most definitely on the cat not being chipped so it was a big surprise when a message arrived later that night to say that she was indeed chipped. Even more of a surprise when we looked up the registration details and she was listed as living over 70 miles away and was thought to have been born almost 20 years ago. The only contact details were no longer in use. Some detective work on the part of the adopters revealed that she’d perhaps had more than one home on the street over a period of quite a few years and now, although she was being fed, she was living outdoors.

Then the most amazing thing happened. After months of no one being interested in adopting Martyn & Morven, we had an enquiry from someone who sounded perfect for them. Within 48 hours they were reserved for adoption and planning to move out last weekend. There was going to be a space for the old lady cat after all.

Martyn & Morven preparing to pack their belongings

We decided not to wait while the weekend. Having got this far it would have been awful if something happened to her or we weren’t able to find her a few days later. So we set up the dog crate on the dining table as a temporary measure, and Mildred arrived.

It’s been a while since the residents have been asked to accommodate any new cats downstairs in their space. Rowan was in his element: our official meet and greet purrson, he always rushes to welcome new people, human or furry and is keen to chat about the rescue and his life here. Flipper stopped by briefly to bark up to her that she (Flipper) was the best cat in the multiverse and was generally in charge of the house, ‘the hum’, and anything else that seemed important enough for her to want to boss around.

Mildred wasn’t terribly impressed and spent quite a bit of time glaring at us all and swearing at any feline who came to close to her crate.

A few days passed. Morven & Martyn packed their stuff and moved out last Sunday night. On Monday we rejigged the office, changing it from a kitten playground into a hopefully comfortable pad for an older lady. The pace of life in the office and upstairs generally has changed considerably.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: animals, cat rescue, cats, pets, Sheffield | 1 Comment

Finally …. an update

Posted on May 4, 2025 by accidental fosterer

It’s been quite a while since we wrote a blog post. Rescue generally has got even harder over recent years. The aftermath of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis have lead to more and more cats needing to find rescue space and then it being increasingly difficult to find sufficient good homes for them. For 8 Lives personally it’s been a tough time too. We’ve had quite a few elderly and poorly cats that we’ve been nursing and ultimately had to say goodbye to. Even the younger ones have come in with more than their fair share of health conditions, eye infections and tummy upsets.

Just for now though, things are a little more steady and contained and it feels like time to tell you about the cats currently in our care.

Firstly we have Martyn and Morven. Their story started one day back in September last year. We had a message about a cat who had run into someone’s cellar the previous night and given birth to her kittens. We went out to collect them that day. I’d carefully checked that the mum wasn’t feral (she was going to have to live in my office and spend her days with me, and a feral cat plus wall to wall Teams meetings was unlikely to be a good combination) and that she wasn’t evidently full of cat flu (the rescue is a home, and doesn’t have dedicated isolation facilities). I didn’t think to ask how many kittens! It was a bit of a shock to find that there were 6!

Mum, Molly, was a bit grubby but anything but feral; a very sweet little cat and a lovely mum to them. Not surprisingly they grew into very sweet polite little kittens and then into young cats. The rest of the family all have their own homes now but Martyn & Morven have yet to get their own place. Morven was definitely “the shy one” whilst all 6 of them were chasing around, but she started coming into her own once Marvin & Maise moved out (her sister Maise was the tiniest of the litter but also the bossiest!). By the time Muffin & Mittens had moved into their new home, Morven really began to find her feet. She’s smaller than Martyn but smarter, as girl cats so often are, so she holds her own very well with him.

Martyn is hoping to qualify for the national purring championships later this year so spends several hours training each day. Morven can be a bit more whingy but she loves her brother and is a little sweetheart.

We’d intended not taking more cats for a while and keeping things at a more manageable level for a bit. One weekend I was sitting in the car feeling very fortunate. I’d had a lovely long walk with a friend and the moment we got back to the car park the heavens opened. It went dark and the rain was bouncing off the ground, so much so that I thought I’d leave it a minute before setting off to drive. Inevitably, sitting with nothing much else to do, I checked my phone. There was a message about an unneutered tom cat who had been living rough for quite some time but was now turning up on someone’s doorstep with a nasty injury to his tail. I thought of me sitting nice and warm and dry and this poor boy out somewhere in the weather. I thought of my plan to keep the numbers down and have an easier life for a while. I dismissed that thought. I replied to the message. A few hours later I collected a rather bemused and not entirely happy Clive.

I’m not sure how anyone copes with living with an unneutered tom cat. The minute the vet opened on Monday morning we were on the phone to book him in to get his wounded tail sorted and to get him neutered. Fingers crossed that there would be availability that week. However when we got to the vets and Dr Molly had a good look at his tail, it proved to be very nasty and infected, the wounds right at the base of his tail, and a risk of infection getting into his castrate wound if he had his op straight away.

Clive didn’t improve the situation any by continually licking at his wound until he had to go back to the vets to be fitted with a cone. We have a selection of cones in the rescue for such eventualities but it turned out that Clive has such a big head and thick neck that ours didn’t fit. The lovely nurse Jasmine had to cut a dog cone down a little for him, and then carefully put tape around the edges so he didn’t catch himself on any sharp edges. As you can see in the photo, Clive was delighted with this outcome.

Time has passed, Clive’s tail has healed (though his fur hasn’t grown back yet), Dr Molly has become one of Clive’s bestest friends (partly because she gives him Dreamies when he visits) and he’s now been neutered. His fur is becoming white again, instead of grubby grey and is starting to feel soft.

Martyn & Morven were very curious about who was living in the other bedroom and eventually persuaded us to let them meet him. Clive was surprisingly unbothered by the encounter, despite the kittens incessant questions: “Uncle Clive, why are you wearing that thing on your head?” Uncle Clive, do you know our mummy? she lived outsides as well” “Uncle Clive, are you our daddy?” and so on until you’d think there were no more questions left that a kitten could find to ask … and yet another breath was drawn and … “Uncle Clive …. “

Clive appears equally full of questions about Martyn & Morven. He tends to keep these to himself, but is clearly pondering why on earth they’re swinging from curtains, chasing red dots, and pouncing on toy mice. Clive’s life has been very serious over recent years and the concept of play seems to be evading him.

They’re an unlikely little group of friends but seem to be enjoying each others company and finding life more interesting and pleasurable together than apart.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: cat, cat rescue, cats, kitten, kittens, pets | Leave a comment

Hanne: a tail of unsuccessful matchmaking

Posted on October 23, 2022 by accidental fosterer

Those of you who know us know that we much prefer to rehome kittens in pairs than singly. There are lots of benefits – they keep each other company, they have a partner in crime to trash the house with, they continue to learn social skills, and it’s actually more fun to have two than one.

So, when little Hanne arrived here age six weeks we set out on a mission to find another singleton to send her off to her new home with. That has turned out to be much more of a saga than you might expect.

Our first attempt was following a request to take three kittens who were about 12 weeks old, so twice as old as Hanne at that point, but that age gap would close quickly. Two of them could go as a pair and the one who got on best with Hanne could go with her. Granted the place we were collecting them from was about 50 minutes drive away, but by the time we arrived the owner had given away one of the kittens, despite having a rescue place for them. The remaining two turned out to be Solly and Hilde. Hilde was indeed about 9 weeks but Sol was a year old. We wondered if Hilde and Hanne might pair up and Solly enjoy having a home of his own but it quickly became apparent that they were devoted to each other and there was no way we were going to separate them. So we had two extra cats in rescue, who were gorgeous but weren’t going to be a buddy for Hanne.

Once Solly and Hilde were rehomed we set about our search again. We were told of a stray, an older kitten, who had been living in someone’s garden for weeks. He was ALWAYS there. Except of course the day we went round to collect him he’d evaporated. There was no sign of him the following day either. So when later that evening we had a message asking if we could take a 6 month old kitten into rescue we thought our prayers had been answered. We prepared ourselves for the fact that she might actually be older than we’d been told, she’d probably be black (which we love, but it is the hardest colour to find adoptive homes for) and she might not be in great health. What we didn’t prepare ourselves for was that she she was in fact 8 weeks pregnant! Nocka and a belly full of babies came home with us.

The following day, August bank holiday Monday we planned a rare treat .. going out to a concert that was nothing to do with cats. My friend and I had just settled ourselves into our seats when my phone buzzed. The first cat, the one that had evaporated, had rematerialised. We left the concert, came home and turned the house upside down in order to accommodate an extra cat that we didn’t have space for. Luci who had been starting to mix gradually with the resident cats was evicted from his bedroom and thrown in at the deep end with the gang. I have to say he’s managed this magnificently.

And off we went to collect Walter. Walter turned out to be huge. Still a kitten certainly but probably about 10 months, very sturdy and about 6 times bigger than Hanne. Nocka, was also a lot bigger than Hanne too of course, but only around the tummy area. It was heartbreaking to see what would otherwise have been a kitten not much older than Hanne really heavily pregnant.

We’ll maybe tell Nocka’s story in more detail elsewhere so not say too much here. It was a long labour, much longer than any of the other mums we’ve had here. I’ll never forget the early stage where she sat on my lap, purring, paddling at my fleece and sucking it like an anxious little kitten, whilst she had a partially born kitten of her own making it’s way into the world. Eight hours later and with a little help, she’d given birth to five live and apparently healthy kittens. We’d braced ourselves for the possibility that they may not be born alive and she may not be able to take care of them. In the following days we began to relax a little as she took pretty good care of them and they began to grow. Sadly on day 5 we waltzed into her bedroom in the morning to find two kittens dead in their cot and the others not looking too good. We tried to give them a bottle but they were weak and over the course of the day they all passed over rainbow bridge. Nocka was unwell too and needed antibiotics for an infection.

Once Nocka recovered we thought we might try introducing her and Hanne, but she had her own ideas. One evening Walter was sitting on the landing and Nocka rushed out of her bedroom door when we opened it. I swung round to grab her and separate them but they were already rubbing faces and starting to chat to each other. They’ve gradually spent more and more time together and look for each other when separated. Hopefully they will be going to a new home together too.

So back to the drawing board. Just to say, meanwhile Hanne is entirely happy living with the resident cats, especially her bestie Rowan.

Three weeks ago we had a message asking if we could take in an eight week old kitten. Much smaller now than Hanne but still a promising match for her. We went more or less straight away to collect her, and within an hour of collecting her were at the vet with her. Within 24 hours we’d spent nearly £1k on her! On initial examination Muriel had a huge lump on the side of her abdomen which turned out to be a hernia, we believe caused by blunt force trauma. There were scary decisions to make about whether she should have difficult surgery or whether we should say good bye to her. It didn’t feel very hopeful, especially for such a tiny kitten (we were told she was 8 weeks but she was the size of a 5 week old kitten). However, she was very lively and purry and clearly seemed to want to live. Amazingly she came through the surgery and is making a fabulous recovery. She’s in a foster home at present, until she recovers and until she’s fully vaccinated. Then we’re hoping to be able to introduce her to Hanne. We’re hoping that this time we might be lucky in our matchmaking.