CATS PROTECTION NORWICH & DISTRICT BRANCH

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1 CATS PROTECTION NORWICH & DISTRICT BRANCH HELPING CATS IN NEED A quick look at what s inside Page Note from the Editor 2 KIMI, AYTON & NICO F1 with a difference 3 LEWIS &JENSON F1 with a difference (cont.) 4 DOLLY A winter s tale 4 HARVEY 5 Helen Bell receiving a cheque for at Pets at Home Sprowston for the Santa Paws event held in December ALSO Looking for a new home A big thank you Note from the branch treasurer Hay Hill Hooligans Frequently asked questions Spring Has Sprung I m sure you will all be breathing a great sigh of relief after the wettest and windiest winter since records began. Of course extreme weather conditions are always a cause for concern for our outdoor fosterers, whether it is too hot, too cold, very wet or very windy. But luckily apart from one minor leak and a few muddy footprints we escaped unscathed. Since our last newsletter our volunteers have continued with their unceasing work and because of this Norwich Community, Sports and Social Committee recently nominated us as Employee Charity of the Year. We didn t quite achieve this accolade, but because they were very impressed by our work they kindly made us a donation of Registered Charity no

2 Note from the Editor I hope you will enjoy this issue of the Norwich & District Cats Protection News Letter. As always, the Norwich & District branch is very grateful to you all for your continued support. It is very fortunate to have some great volunteers, but is always looking for more, so if you know anyone that would like to become involved, please contact them via the website: or telephone on I thought I would tell you a bit about our very first moggie. She came from a CP foster s home back in late I had seen a tiny advert in the local paper asking for a home for a very elderly cat that didn t like the outdoors. I spoke with my husband and wondered what our chances would be, we only lived in a terrace with a back yard, but we had lots of love to give. I called CP and was asked to call back after Christmas as she was very poorly and they were not quite sure whether she would make it through the festive season. I called again and a visit was arranged. She was a beautiful Tortie/Tabby called Jessie, about 15 years old that had been left along with her mother to defend for herself. She d suffered burns to her front feet, and had just pulled through from pneumonia (although it was hard to believe as we watched her play with a bit of string). Jessie in her garden We were reassured that all this little lady needed was a warm and loving home where she felt secure, she was extremely nervous of going out and preferred to stay indoors. Her age and frailty meant that she couldn t jump and was content to enjoy her days snoozing. As we were told she might only have a short time with us, we wanted to make it extra special. We were asked to let CP know how she was getting on and two days after she had arrived, it was like we d had her a lifetime. As for her jumping, we discovered the turkey was not as safely out of her reach as we had thought! During her first two years with us, she had not only plucked up the courage to venture outdoors (always chaperoned in case she got spooked) but on the odd occasion, she would be found in my sister- in- law s lounge next door, waiting for a bit of fuss. Her dream come true when we moved to somewhere with a garden, where she would bask in the sun all day, ski dive on the foot stool and meow the house down whenever chicken was on the menu. As for not having her for long, Jessie broke the rules and lived until she was nineteen and a half. A true companion who was always there when you needed a hug and who was always ready to remind you just who was in charge. Don t forget If you have any stories you would like to share, then please forward them to Maureen at: m.bennett683@btinternet.com and we will endeavor to include them. If you shop at Pets at Home have you applied for your VIP card? You will receive a Welcome Pack with a 10% discount voucher on your next purchase, plus other vouchers in the future. When registering your card online, click Cats Protection and choose Norwich & District as your chosen charity. Enjoy reading... Karen Blyth Registered Charity no

3 KIMI, AYTON & NICO: F1 with a difference Vincent and Sandra gave a home to three of five kittens that needed homes. We collected Kimi, Ayton & Nico from their foster carer one dark Friday November evening. On the journey home they curled up quietly together not making a sound. We introduced them to their new home, starting first with the dining room where we had set up boxes, bedding and litter trays. Kimi was very confident and inquisitive; in the first five minutes of arriving he had made good use of the dining table and chairs using it as a climbing frame. Kimi is the larger tabby and is the leader always looking out for his Ayton has a beautiful soft black coat and soft limbs. We are happy we made the decision to keep him with his brothers; originally we were only having the two tabbies. Ayton is the quiet but adventurous one who loves wrapping himself round your neck. He loves to investigate and has already found himself in some unusual places, including a cavity between the wall and kitchen cupboards. Nico is the smallest and seems to be the favourite with guests visiting us. He enjoys sitting on a lap and has captured the attention of people who previously were unsure of the feline species. They are now 6 months old and have ventured outside in the back garden, they love chasing leaves and each other around. They spend their days sunning themselves in the conservatory and having mad sessions running circuits of the house, living up to their F1 names. They like watching TV, especially football and skiing during the Winter Olympics. They also spend a lot of time watching the world go by looking out of the window. We look forward to their future years and development and continue to enjoy their company. Life is never dull with Kimi, Ayton and Nico By Vincent Massingham Registered Charity no

4 LEWIS & JENSON: F1 with a difference (cont.) Kevin was keen to give a home to two kittens and so contacted the Norwich & District branch of Cats Protection as a member of the family had work in the Gillingham shop. We found the website very informative and helpful as a starting point for our search. We were put in touch with a fosterer who lived local to us and she could not have been more welcoming. Coffee and biscuits were provided on both visits! She had just taken in 5 brothers who at that point were unnamed, but shared a pen with their brother and sister called Suzy (Perry) and Bernie (Ecclestone) from an earlier litter from the same mother and father. Continuing the motor racing theme, we decided on the names Lewis and Jenson! We were so impressed by Cats Protection and are pleased to say that Lewis and Jenson are now both doing very well real lap cats! Brotherly love By Kevin Powles DOLLY: A Winter s tale Dolly ready for play Little Dolly was found very early one winter s morning by a cyclist on a lonely country road. Even though the young man who found her was allergic to cats he didn't think twice about tucking her into his warm jacket before setting about to find her owner. He eventually managed to find a very kind man working on a local farm who agreed to look after her until we could collect her. Dolly was in quite poor health; she was infested with tapeworms and sneezing quite badly. But after a couple of days of being cared for by Kathy, one of our fosterers, she soon began to rally round. She really is the most affectionate little kitten, who absolutely loves everyone, and everyone loves her, so much so that Kathy s husband Phil wants to adopt her! By Maureen Bennett Registered Charity no

5 HARVEY I will never forget the Friday night in December fourteen years ago when my husband Mel turned up at the door, after a day at work, with a very large armful of ginger cat. He works for the highways based at Caister depot, which is next to the rubbish tip, and had been taking cat biscuits for a week to feed this cat, which had turned up out of the blue. There were feral cats at the tip, but Harvey, as we later named him, was obviously not feral, just very hungry and rather nervous. We had been wondering whether we would need to take food up to the depot to feed him over the weekend, as the weather was getting colder, but Harvey took things into his own paws. As Mel got into his car to drive home, Harvey rushed over and put his front paws on the sill of the door; Mel scooped him up into the car and drove home rather precariously with Harvey roaming around the car. when we took him to our vets for a check up and to check for a microchip, the vet thought he d got dirty under a car! Of course I was secretly pleased that we could keep him with a clear conscience and once the vet had confirmed the lack of a microchip and declared him to be a fine cat, he came home with us and has been with us ever since. The two cats we had at the time accepted him, one enthusiastically, the other less so, and now I can t imagine life without him. He has tolerated the introduction of other cats like a real gentleman not bad for a cat that we got from a tip! By Helen Bell Fundraising Team Leader We did our best to find his owner, which in pre- social media days involved newspaper adverts and notices in Post Offices, but although, sadly, eleven people had lost ginger cats, none of them fitted Harvey s description he is an unusually dark ginger - in fact Registered Charity no

6 Looking for a home: Angel, Gucci and Cissy are all looking for new homes and although hopefully by the time you receive this newsletter, homes may have been found, please do get in touch if you would like to give any of these feline beauties or any others on the website a new and loving home. Angel is eight years old and has a shiny, lustrous black and white coat. She is a very affectionate cat who loves lots of attention and fuss. She is used to living in a home with children, and would like to live in a home with outdoor access. Gucci is seven years old and has beautiful brown tabby markings. She is a very affectionate cat who loves lots of attention and fuss. She is used to living in a home with children, and would like to live in a home with outdoor access. Cissy is four years old and has a beautiful, shiny black coat with a white bib. She loves attention and as she has lived all her life so far with an elderly lady, she'd like a quiet home without young children or other pets if possible. She'd like a home with access to the outdoors, although she'd be happy to spend most of her time indoors with her new family. A Big Thank You: I would like to extend a big thank you to those who have renewed their membership since I took over the job of looking after this side of the branch. I would also like to thank those of you who not only renewed but also sent a donation, these were very much appreciated. Just as a reminder, as from 2014 all membership renewals will be the 31st October and I thank you for your co- operation with this change over. If anyone knows of another cat lover who might like to support us by becoming a member, please let me know and I will be happy to send them a newsletter with the appropriate form. By Carole - Membership Secretary Registered Charity no

7 Note from the Branch Treasurer: In the last financial year (calendar year 2013) the Branch had an income of approximately 33,500 and expenditure of approximately 31,000 (the 2,500 surplus partially offsetting 2012 s 3, shortfall) Income comprised approximately 6,000 in grants from NCC (CP HQ), 9,000 from fund raising, 5,000 in donations and associated Gift Aid relief, 3000 from rehoming fees and 10,500 transfer from our accumulated reserves (mainly funded by grants from NCC) Expenditure comprised approximately 15,000 for neutering schemes, 7,000 for other vet bills, 6,000 for cat pens and fostering, 2,500 for phones, stationery, etc and 500 in other sundry costs. In this current financial year, whilst things are still tough, we anticipate income and expenditure to be much the same, (both hopefully with less transfer from reserves?) Previously, when commenting on prospects for 2013, I anticipated a shortfall and stated: Obviously we can only fund any shortfall in income for a finite period, and this situation will be reviewed at the end of the year, when, hopefully, our income may exceed our forecast, and we can continue to expand our activities, for the purpose we all donate, and/or volunteer our time, i.e. THE WELFARE OF LOCAL CATS This comment is still valid. Hay Hill Hooligans: The charity stall on Norwich s Hay Hill is important to us, not only from a financial point er: of view but socially too. We do not have time to have meetings and our volunteers live large distances apart, so we talk on the phone and e- mail each other, supporting each other, sharing our sorrows and joys and just enjoying cat chat; laughter on Hay Hill is compulsory and infectious. Julia s antics with her cat suit tail; banter with the ice- cream man on the stall next door and fending off Ann s suitor all go to make it worthwhile, even on a cold day. The annual street collections always need more helpers, just an hour or two to cover somebody s lunch or nature break is so important to us. A massive note of thanks must go to our constant supporters - Pets a Home, without their help I simply do not know what we would do. A special thanks to Sandra, Rachel and all the team at Pets at Home, Sprowston who have partnered our branch over the past year, raising an amazing amount of money in store at their special events. Then there s the team, I do not know quite what to say about them, the Hay Hill Hooligans, you are amazing. Jenny, you travel by public transport from Old Catton to Long Water 2 days a month and do the collections single handedly, you are a star. Shaun, who stands at Pets at Home, Sprowston all day Sunday once a month and fills in with other store collections too, the list is never ending. The cats cannot do without you purrs from them all. By Cathy Butcher Registered Charity no

8 Frequently asked questions: As a branch of Cats Protection we receive lots of enquiries, some of the most frequently asked are listed below CAN WE OFFER HELP WITH VETERINARY COSTS? As we are a small branch and do not have the financial ability, unfortunately unless the cat is already in our care, we are unable to help with veterinary costs. If you are concerned about a cat which is injured or suffering please call the R.S.P.C.A immediately on or contact your local vet. CAN WE HELP WITH NEUTERING COSTS? Yes, if you are on certain benefits or a student you will probably qualify for a neutering voucher. Wherever possible we try to cover the full cost of neutering feral cats, but any help that you can offer towards this is very much appreciated. Please ring and choose option 2 CAN WE HELP TO TRAP FERALS? If we have a volunteer who is available, we will help to trap feral cats, although it is Cats Protection s policy to trap, neuter and return them back to where they had been trapped. We will in some cases consider rehoming young kittens that have not already become feral. Feral cats can become tame, but this takes lots of time and patience with one to one attention. It is usually much kinder to release them than to confine them to a pen for very long periods of time. DO WE HAVE CAT TRAPS AVAILABLE? We have cat traps available for the general public to borrow, however, we do ask for a deposit, which is refundable upon return of the trap. ARE WE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC? Unfortunately, we are not a re- homing centre, so you would need to make an appointment with any one of our fosterers. CAN WE OFFER TEMPORARY ACCOMODATION? Sorry we cannot offer temporary accommodation, for this you will need to contact a cattery, most of which can be readily found either via the Internet or in the Yellow Pages. LOST OR FOUND If you have lost or found a cat please contact us to enter details on our website. HEALTH CONCERNS If you have any concerns about the health of your cat please contact your vet. By Maureen Bennett Registered Charity no