This year started like any other,
we homed many beautiful cats the same way we have for years and the centre was
full of potential adopters.
Our previous resident heartthrob Arlo also got the
cover of The Cat Magazine and we
had a wonderful microchip success story, reuniting Bowie with his owner after two years apart!
 |
| Left, Arlo's Cover. Right, Bowie reunited with his owner |
The centre closed on
18th March as a precautionary measure due to COVID-19 and lockdown
began on the 23rd March, offering many challenges for us all. Our
team had to pull together and adapt so we could continue to support and care
for the cats and work towards our vision of a world where every cat is treated
with kindness and an understanding of their needs.
Due
to government restrictions, adoptions and admissions were put on pause and as a
team we focused on enriching the lives of the cats still in our care, with
plenty of play and TLC. We made cat castles and ball pits, and luckily received
many generous donations through our amazon wish-list to keep our cats occupied.
 |
| Ryan
enjoying his ball pit, Pat with donations from Amazon Wish list and Enrichment |
In March, we gave you the first
ever live tour of our centre and in the same month the team did the 2.6
challenge raising a whopping £727.50 with gift aid. Our receptionist Lottie put
her own spin on it and undertook a 26 hour gaming marathon with partner Tom and
a little help from rescue cat Yuki, raising a £160 for our centre!
 |
| Team
CP completing the 2.6 Challenge around centre Carpark |
 |
Lottie,
Tom and Yuki’s 2.6 Challenge |
Then, we got some good news! We
were able to trial a pilot remote homing scheme meaning we could finally resume
adoptions and admissions. There was a lot of change though, and we all had to
adapt and learn a new way of doing things.
We’ve had 919 admissions so far
this year, and each cat that comes into CP has their own story and unique bond
with their cat carers. We had our first admission since
lockdown began on 30th April. Nightingale and her kittens Diana,
Charles, Nye and Florence were named in honour of the NHS.
 |
Nightingale
with kittens Diana, Charles, Nye and Florence |
The
first cat homed after lockdown was the lovely Floss! She came into CP heavily
pregnant when the landlord would not allow pets. After raising a lovely litter
of kittens and spending 88 days in our care, she found her loving forever home.
 |
Floss, first cat adopted through our pilot homing scheme |
Ranchi came in as part of a large
litter born outside, many were affected by flu but Ranchi had a much more
severe case. Her littermate Rome lost one eye, but sadly Ranchi lost both. They
both adapted extremely well and Ranchi found a forever home with someone who
understood the needs of a blind cat and has settled beautifully!
 |
Left, Ranchi on the mend after treatment. Centre, Ranchi leaving for her forever home.
Right, Ranchi now Moira settled in her forever home, photo cred. Moira_Talks. |
Our FB supporters helped name
Tabatha’s litter of kittens after characters from the Black Panther Movie to honour
the legacy of Chadwick Boseman. The names we chose were T'challa, Nakia,
Okoye, W'kabi, Shuri and Ramonda. They even made the local paper!
 |
| Tabatha
with Black Panther Kittens T'challa, Nakia, Okoye, W'kabi, Shuri and Ramonda |
 |
| Cat Care Assistant Emily Bright with Black Panther Kittens |
Our girl Beryl was reported as
abandoned at a property and was found malnourished and with significant fur
loss, however now in our care, Beryl is making a beautiful recovery!
 |
| Beryl before treatment |
 |
Beryl after treatment
|
The
longest staying cat this year was our little Monkey! Monkey was born in CP care
however, Poor monkey was poorly and had to be kept back for treatment before he
could find his forever home. He left us after 133 days.
 |
Monkey, our longest staying cat
|
Our lovely girl Mimi
was the oldest cat to grace our adoption corridors this year. This beautiful
girl is 19 and has found the perfect retirement sofa to curl up on. She’s
settled really well in her new home and has already found her favourite spots!
 |
Mimi, our oldest cat
|
Golden Oldie Ziggy was one of the cats on our weight loss scheme this year. Her
new family were told they needed to keep her on a strict diet and after being
homed she lost 270g in just five weeks! Well done, Ziggy and family.
 |
Ziggy, weight loss
success story |
Our Centre Manager, Sue Dobbs
even made an appearance on BBC’s The One Show to explain the impact COVID-19
has had on kitten numbers due to the pause on neutering during lockdown.
 |
Centre
Manager Sue Dobbs discussing neutering on BBC’s The One Show, 2nd October 2020 |
We’d be lost without our
volunteers, but unfortunately with restrictions many haven’t been able to do
their usual jobs in the same way. Our amazing volunteer David adapted and took
this in his stride completing a half marathon challenge in the rainy welsh
weather to fundraise for the cats in our care. He raised an incredible £566!
 |
David during
his half marathon challenge, 14th November 2020 |
Fundraising has been a little
different than in previous years and we’ve had to be a bit more creative. Our first ever virtual open day was a huge
success, racking up 2.5k views and raising £400. This involved performance acts
from local entertainers and musicians, a quiz and much more.
 |
| First virtual open day, 15th November 2020 |
This
year has been full of ups and downs, but we take pride in knowing that we have
helped find so many cats and kittens their forever homes, 836 as it stands.
Even some of our team have adopted this year! We’ve grown stronger as a team
and have continued to be here for the cats thanks to the continued support and
donations we have received. Thank you for sticking by us.
 |
Mali and
Royston, Chip, Maxi, Archie and Harriet
adopted by our team members this year, settled in their forever homes |
