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| News - Spring 2010 from Julie Grant - Cat Welfare Sussex in Portslade News Spring 2010 At last we seem to have said a final farewell to winter. So here we are in April, the sun is shining and our cats are sunbathing in the cattery, Stretched out with not a care in the world. The Emergency In my last newsletter I wrote about the emergency cat situation in West Sussex concerning a large amount of semi-feral cats living in and around the rural property of one of our elderly supporters. The gentleman was taken into care in November and sadly passed away in January. It was his wish that Cat Welfare Sussex bear responsibility for the well-being of his cats. As a lover of feral cats in particular, he greatly respected the work of the charity, and has bequeathed his property to CWS in order that we can carry on our vital work. This will be a huge boost for the Our Cats Need You Campaign - our quest to raise enough money to establish a proper centre for the cats of CWS as opposed to our limited fifteen year old cattery at the bottom of our garden. We are so grateful for this legacy and it will make such a difference to the future aims of the charity. Cat trapping is never easy at the best of times. It is time consuming, takes hours of patience and involves a lot of heavy lifting as the humane multi traps weigh a ton. I have to say that this particular scheme has been one of the largest most difficult that I have ever worked on. (And I have worked on many over the years!) Firstly - The seventy or more cats had to be fed every day at the property near Petworth. We had no choice but to undertake the daily journey as we couldn’t leave them without food. Secondly- the 15th Century cottage was in extremely poor condition with a collapsed roof, no electricity and major health and safety problems internally. The gardens and land were no better. We had to wade through a sea of mud that came up over our wellies and climb over fallen trees just to gain access to the house. Weather None of this was made any easier by the horrendous weather, - the torrential rain and floods and then the severe snow and ice. However, us cat people are tough, and between Tommy and myself and Ann and her husband Bernie the cats have never been without their dinner. It has been a bit like having two catteries - one here in Portslade and another near Petworth; both needing attending to every day. It was difficult trapping in bad weather and it was so cold - standing around for hours waiting for the cats to appear, but we stuck at it. We had to, as we needed to catch as many females as possible in order to prevent another population explosion in the spring. The better weather resulted in a change of fortune; coupled with the fact that Tommy had spent weeks removing wheelbarrows of mud and chopping down trees, trapping became easier. We have taken so many cats into our care, - fifty four to date and we still have about 20 to go - mostly males. The problem is that every time we take one cat away, another new one steps in to fill the gap. It’s a bit like trying to bail water from a leaking boat! Stars However, the cats themselves are such stars. I have come to love each and every one of them over the months and feel that they are all part of our family. They all have their own names and individual personalities - Abigail the extrovert, Sandy so very gentle, Mischief is playful whereas Ebony is very shy, Angel is very vocal and Lileth is quiet and stealthy, Sage is really scruffy and Elenore is stunningly beautiful. A little black female called Kia is very close to my heart as she is partially sighted but copes very well and eats like a horse. Every day when I visit the cottage the remaining cats are waiting for me and whilst I can’t stroke them or pick them up they are happy for me to sit nearby whilst they are feeding. I try to spend as much time with them as possible. Peace It is so peaceful sitting there in the sunshine and although the once abundant flower garden is now completely overgrown with stinging nettles and brambles, there is a wild and rambling beauty to it all. Song birds and butterflies inhabit this little bit of wilderness and I feel privileged to be able to share it with nature’s creatures. We are desperately looking for homes for our many, many cats and most of them will need to be relocated to stables, small holding or rural situations. These cats are fabulous hunters and will keep such premises free of rodents in exchange for food and shelter. If you can offer a rural home or know of someone who can, PLEASE PLEASE contact us. The cattery is full to bursting point and we cannot take any more until some are rehomed. Fund Raising Tommy and I did manage to get away to attend the “Musical Memories” evening - organised by Keren O’Mahony on the 10th April to raise money for Cat Welfare Sussex and Sussex Pet Rescue. Whilst Tommy and I will not be able to attend any fund raising events at the moment there are plenty of events planned throughout the summer. (See the fund raising events page). Our Fund raiser Keren O’Mahoney is always in need of volunteers to help with Tin Collections, Summer Sales, Car Boots etc. We are organising the Annual Charity Walk For The Animals (Sunday 5th September) at the moment. So if you want to get fit and help the cats at the same time then watch this space for the details. Thanks for all your support and kindness Bye for now Julie
For further information regarding the cattery, fund
raising or the sponsored walk please contact Julie on 01273 423861 or
email Julie here (please include your telephone
number) |
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