Lots of My Cat stories from 2012 and earlier

December 2012

Sorrell

Jet and Bailey

November 2012

Tim and Tom

 

 

 

 

They are very well and seem to be enjoying life.

We thought that you might want a few photos of them.

Regards

October 2012

Molly

Hi everyone!

Just thought I would send an email letting you know ALL about my new home!

My
humans (Katheryn and Teresa) spoil me rotten and call me their
princess. I have no idea what that means but it must be good as they
bring me loads of really cool toys to play with.

My humans have now
FINALLY let me outside to play. I mean honestly, I had been staring
longingly out of the window for what felt like WEEKs hinting that I
wanted to be let outside! It was like they didn’t trust me to not run
off or something. Anyway, now I have all these new things to do which
fill my day up. There are leaves to be chased, birds to watch and even a
squirrel which is teasing me everyday by coming too close! It’s just
too fast for me to catch at the moment…. (One day he WILL be mine
though!)

In between all these jobs, I have to pop back every so often
to let my humans know that I am still there - I am terrified that if I
don’t reassure them I am safe, they will think I am lost or something.
It’s great - they even give me treats for coming back to say hi! Silly
humans!

As you can imagine all of this is very tiring so I like
nothing more than after a hard day at work to snuggle up for a snooze
with whichever human gives me the most treats and attention that day.

As
soon as Katheryn goes to bed - I sneak into her room and slowly edge my
way into the middle of the bed so she has to move out of the way into
the corner - I don’t see why she should get the whole bed anyway! I get
bored of sleeping for too long though so I have found a new game I can
play at night! I wait deadly still until about 5am then pounce on
Katheryn’s feet and try to bite her toes to wake her up. Obviously the
human falls straight into my trap and moves feet out of the way to avoid
my expert ninja cat skills, but I am just too good and get them again
before her feet have a chance to hide…. As you can imagine, killing
feet is really hard work so after a while I just have to have another
nap. For some reason the feet seem to stay put for a while after that
until about 7am when they bounce back into life… But it’s ok - I am
always waiting to get them.

Anyway, i have to go now my humans are looking at me strangely and wondering what on earth I am doing sat at the computer.

Speak soon!

Purrs and kisses,

Molly xxxx

Molly and Barney

August 2012

Merry

 

 

My name is Mal and I adopted young Jerry (now Dexter) on the 2^nd June and I just wanted to share some pictures with you and let you know how he is getting on.

AGENT MIMI

Agent Mimi Georgy Girl

‘As a double agent, I have many aliases and at The Scratching Post was known only as ‘Pebbles’. I
am currently continuing my intense physical training programme in the
East End of London, with a perky young whippersnapper code named ‘Georgy Girl’. My
pace setter’s free-running prowess and monochrome attire make her a
useful foil though I fear she lacks the elegance and guile to be a full
time spy. Our next joint assignment (as far as we are able to reveal)
involves the infiltration of Team GB to ensure a raft of gold medals in
the surprise new sports of Non-Water Polo, Modern Pawtathelon,
Synchronised Reclining and Floor Diving (my Triple Twisting Slingshot
Guillotine Whiskerdrop is caught on secret camera above). When I branch
out once more (in the interests of national security) alone you may run
into me purrfecting my cunning impersonation of a Maine Coon. A warning lest you be tempted to blow my cover however – I will simply reply that you have made ‘schurely schome mishtake’….!’

Note from
Jo, who has the honour of Agent Mimi living with her….’Mimi’s only
been with us a month or so but hopefully the photos attest to how well
she’s settled!

 

Other than that I’d like to say again what stirling work I think
you’re all doing at TSP and wish you all the very best in 2012 and
beyond! With best whiskers,

Jo, Agent Mimi, Georgy Girl’

 

---

‘They sure are gorgeous. They have absolutely lovely natures too.
Cleo is a bit timid still but she’s gradually coming out of herself.

Luna on the other hand made herself at home within about five minutes.’

 

May 2012 Cordelia

Sebastian and Annie

At last I’m sending some pics of my boy Sebastian in his happy home
(since 2008) . Also one of him and little Annie who I’ve now had for
about 7 weeks. Liz

WebEd: Annie was at the cattery since she was born and Liz (one of
our volunteers) took her home recently - we are so grateful to people
like Liz for giving these timid cats a chance as they do spend such a
long time in the shelter. They may be wary of you at first but are
extremely sociable with other cats and make them great companions,
especially if you are out at work all day. In time, they will often
become loving and very friendly.

(April 2012)

Scampi

Daisy settled into our home instantaneously and completely took over!

She is very much loved and very spoilt! But she does give back very much in return.

We know lots of people were interested on homing her so we feel very previledged

to have our mischievous little princess.

Thank you for allowing us to home daisy - she has filled the void which was left by

our special boy “Titch” who passed away over 5 years ago.

Many thanks from Sharon, Mick, Laura and Olivia O’Connor

Feb 2012

Bee Bee (now Riley)

Dear All at The Scratching Post,

After
a very informative and helpful home visit from Evelyn, we visited The
Scratching Post and were chosen by an affectionate black cat called Bee
Bee. We took him home the same day to St Albans on fireworks night, 5^th November 2011.

He
was very frightened and leapt onto the window sill then made his home
this first night on the kitchen table, I guess because he was used to
being high up. When my son, Thomas, met him the next day, it was a
match made in heaven. We renamed him Riley and Thomas is over the moon
to finally have his first pet and they have become instant friends (and
brothers)!

Apparently,
Riley had been at The Scratching Post since May and was loved there. I
promised to let you know how he is. I have no idea why he was there so
long as he is such an affectionate fellow. He has a lovely resting
place on a big wide chair which he prefers to his own bed and he spends
many happy hours there, opening one eye slightly as we pass by!

After
the first weeks of keeping him indoors, Riley immediately worked out
how to use his new cat flap and is out daily exploring our garden and
the surrounding area. Two mice so far have been delivered to our
patio. We can almost see him smile. We marvel at his self cleaning
skills and the noises he makes. We love his squeaks and his purring.

He
follows us around when we come in and is the only cat I know that
doesn’t run away when visitors arrive. In fact, we generally find him
at our side when friends come to see us as if he is listening to the
conversation! He invites attention and a fuss, even from small children
and loves it when he gets a good tickle or brush.

Thank
you all at The Scratching Post for the good work you do and for helping
us to find our new family member. Thomas tells him daily that he loves
him (and I do sometimes too)!

I’ve always loved cats but have never had one of my own. I can’t recommend the experience highly enough.

Helen and Thomas – January 2012

I wanted to update you on Berkeley, who I brought home on 3
December 2011. Berkeley settled in straightaway, within an hour he was
sitting on the settee and another hour later, sleeping soundly on my lap
(where he can frequently be found). He and I bonded immediately. He is
very chatty and is my early morning alarm call, waking me up each day
for his breakfast. He is also very playful and here is his, posing with
his toy mouse. He is so loving, I cannot believe anyone could have
abandoned him. Thank you so much for letting me have him.

I hope his story/pictures will encourage others to adopt from you.

Marisa

8 January 2012

Archie and Spot

Dear Scratching Post

We thought we would send you a picture of Archie and Spot sitting on their scratching post.

We
got them from you on 5th December and happily they seemed to take to us
right away and seemed more than happy to share our house with us. They
sleep a lot as they are doing now. Their other hobbies include eating
and fighting with each other. During the first week we took Spot to be
the quieter of the two but since then his confidence has increased at he
gives as good as he gets in his daily play fights with Archie.

Thanks for allowing us to adopt two really lovely kittens.

All the best

Galina and John

December 2011

I just wanted to give you all an update about how Tiley (now Smudge) and Sue (now CoCo) are settling in to their new home.

They haven’t been here a week yet, but already, they are making themselves right at home. Smudge now sleeps in the

dog bed as she seems to be more comfortable there and obviously diesn’t mind the dog smell, this leaves CoCo to spread

herself out in her new bed. Their characters are coming to the fore. They have checked out their new surroundings and

certainly aren’t shy. CoCo is definately holding her own and doesn’t let Smudge dictate anything to her.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to give them a home …… it was a hard decision having to just pick two.

I hope all the other cats and kittens I saw, soon find new and loving homes.

Here are a few pictures of Smudge and CoCo. (Pics will be uploaded soon)

Lynn

Alfie, Toby and Misty‏

Dear All, thank you for your help in finding great cats for our home, it’s good to see them so happy J both getting on really well together. Please find attached picture of Honeycombe and Harrison enjoying the sunshine.

All the best

We
thought we would update you on Becky and Lily who we adopted from the
Scratching Post in January 2010 soon after we moved into our new home
and where we felt was empty. Soon after our visit from the homing
people from the Scratching Post we went on a rather snowy day to visit
the Sanctuary and after seeing Becky lying rather forlorn on the shelf
we decided that she would be coming home with us . At the same time a
small black cat running around the room with a red collar caught our eye
who we found out was called Lily and she also came home with us, she is
still running around and she is still a small cat who is always
getting into trouble! She has also developed a real mischievous
personality and follows Margaret everywhere where she is in the house,
often sleeps on her side of the bed and she also likes the Simpsons
for some strange reason and will sit watching all the way through the
programme!

Becky who was “ready for home comforts” according to the website has
certainly taken advantage of that and likes nothing better than
sleeping on the sofa when we are watching television in the evening, she
jumps up to be stroked and loves all the attention but she can be a
bit shy at times and stakes her place on the sofa no matter who is
sitting there. Becky’s key interests include being fussed over, being
thoroughly spoilt and been given tasty leftovers unlike Lily on the
other hand who will simply leap up and helps herself (this also
includes jumping onto the table when we are eating).

Both cats are much loved and receive lots of attention and love which they reciprocate, they really do make our house a home.

Andy and Margaret

Enfield

(May 2011)

Betty

November 2010

Timmy

Zia and Zarrin (formerly Susie and Pebbles)

Ruby and Alfie

Mabel

Roxy and Mika

Will

Hello all at The Scratching post,

I
have finally got round to emailing some photos of Will. He really has
settled with us now, and likes to think he is King of the neighbourhood.
He is very funny and has got extremely playful!! He is friendly and
doesnt mind a cuddle on his own terms!

Thankfully he is now
living the good life, and seems like a different cat to the one we
brought home, who hissed at all of us for a few days….but now he rules
this house 🙂

Hope you like the photos!!!

Best Wishes

Louise, Ian & Rachel xx

Luna

Amy (update)

After Amy’s entry in April 2009 at
the end of the month we found Amy with a badly broken leg early one
morning, so it was off to the vets. After x-rays it was found she had a
fractured right leg and a crushed foot. After spending the next 3 days
sedated she was operated on by an orthopedic surgeon and her leg was
pinned and supported in a metal frame. She was allowed to return home
but had to be kept in a cage. Amy was kept in her cage all through the
summer, moving her several times each day so she always had an
interesting view. She progressed well with frequent trips to the vets
for x-ray and a change of bandages and in the Autumn she was allowed out
of her cage for short periods of time.

Late November she had the
pins removed and a support bandage applied. Finally in early December
after 7 months the final bandage was removed and she was allowed to
venture out again…………….Today she is a very happy and active
cat with just a slight limp.

David, May 2010.

Billy

Hello Susan and Jean and all my old cat friends at The Scratching Post !

Harry Houdini

Hi remember me - Harry Houdini,

I
went to my new home with Mum & Dad early in March 09. At first I
was a bit shy and hid behind the sofa, I only came out to eat when they
were out.

Once I was allowed outside my life changed, I soon
found an interest in the young lady cat next door, I chase her and she
hits me especially when I pinch her food, we are friends now and visit
each others homes everyday, I also llike playing with the 2 children who
live there..

I still love to go out for quite long periods, once
they really worried when I disappeared for a whole day and night, they
were beginning to panic when I turned up for my lunch.

Last
summer I did lots of hunting and brought home some birds and lots of
mice mostly alive, the family weren’t too impressed and it caused quite a
commotion. Of course I have to go after other cats who invade our
gardens, usually I get bitten and end up at the vets for antibiotics.

Mum
seems to think I should like to sit on her lap but I am not too sure
about that though I do like a cuddle and give them lots of attention in
the morning, hoping to get my breakfast quickly before I am off out for
another day of fun, then back to my nice soft bed where I snuggle down
after venturing out on these cold days.

Thanks for rescuing me, Harry

(Celia & Vic)

Jan 2010

Mansell (2010 update)

What a handsome boy and I’m told on good authority, very loveable too!

‘He
has taken a long while to settle in living with us, as you probably
remember he was very nervous and hid a lot. Well he did that for a good
year here, but over the last year he has been with us he has really come
out of himself and loves to sleep on all the beds as you can see form
the photo. He is still nervous with strangers but much better with us
and so I wanted to say to any one taking on one of your cats to give
them time to adjust to there new home as it took Mansell over a year to
settle in.

Regards

Gillian’.

Cleo

After many visits to the cattery we decided to give Cleo a home. We
had already adopted 2 older cats from The Scratching Post 2 years ago
(George and Reuban) and have always looked at your website as we had one
day wanted to adopt another cat as the 2 we have are so fantastic.

It was a hard decision to take on another cat as it had to get along with George and Reuban.

After a few visits to the cattery we saw lots of cats that we loved -
but not one that was suitable for us. Just as we were considering
giving up - Cleo jumped up on the chair next to us, head butted us for
some attention and made the tiniest little meow noise - we were smitten!
She was quite scared when we first got her home, and didn’t stray too
much from under the dining table - but as the weeks have gone past she’s
now discovered how amazingly comfortable our bed is (just when we
thought we might have got cat who would sleep in her own bed!), she
plays with every single toy she can find and enjoys watching Strictly
Come Dancing! Best of all she seems to have bought out the kitten side
of our two older cats.

Thank you so much for helping us find Cleo, our cat family is now complete.

Megan and Dean

Oct 09

Marmalade

Ollie

Oct 09

Willow

‘We brought Willow back to our home in February/march time 2007, so
as you can see it has taken me sometime to add him to your website!!
(better late than never)

Willow has just been a part of the
family since day 1. He is so friendly and content, although sadly you
must see a staggering amount of cats, hopefully one of you will remember
him.

We wouldnt be without Willow, our daughter calls him Willow Pillow as he is just like a big fluffy pillow.

We are so glad we adopted Willow, after our elderly cat Matilda had passed away. He is lovely to have around.

Thankyou

Louise, Ian & Rachel x’

Oct 09

Lucy & Molly (previously known as Judy)

”We adopted Lucy and Molly a couple of months ago and have been
delighted with how quickly they have settled into their new home.
Although not sisters they get along very well with plenty of play
fighting and rubbing noses.

They absolutely adore exploring the garden and spend much of their time chasing butterflies and insects.

Best wishes.

Juliet and Steve”

August 09

Milly and Missy

”You helped us to choose two lovely cats after the
death of our beloved cat Sophie, Milly and Missy have settled in very
well, and they are very lovely cats and make us smile with the things
they get up to in and around the house. On the 29^th August 09 they will be finally allowed to wonder around the garden (we hope they come home?)

Milly: She has a lot of character and is a very play fully cat.

Missy: She is a much laid back cat and loves a bit of fuss when she full’s like it.

Both of the cats love to have their belly rubbed and
we brush them regularly and by now we could have made a new jumper! They
eat a lot and they love to play with our granddaughter they are very
loveable and she has made them blankets/ covers for them with her
textiles skill they are handmade with their names on, they lay around on
them all day.

ALWAYS TOGETHER AND NEVER APART!

Love Carol and Jim and our granddaughter Amy-Jo xxx”

August 09

Austin

Tulouse

Amy

Mischief, Nanci, Snowsnow, Itsy, Orellana and Tasmin

Roxy and Basil

It has been a while - we’ve had Roxy and
Basil for almost a year now (will be a year in May). They settled in
very quickly and have both been fantastic. Basil loves being around
people and follows us around the house when he isn’t sitting on Helen’s
lap, and also goes to visit the children in our cul-de-sac whenever he’s
out and they come home from school! Roxy isn’t quite so gregarious with
strangers, but loves to be outside, especially when we’re in the garden
with her. She also loves to be groomed (usually by me) - which she gets
a lot being so long haired. Now that spring is very nearly upon us
they’re spending more and more time in the garden and bounce around
beautifully. They love to chase eachother around, and strangely for cats
enjoy chasing a tennis ball rolled up and down the garden!

Basil
has also had a small trip up the chimney, I noticed one day after
getting home from work. That took me a few hours cleaning, both him and
the living room! Cheeky thing had pawed the guard out of the way. We now
weigh it down so he can’t move it. He was a greyscale version of
himself that day 🙂 He was fine, just a bit grubby.

They’re great
to have around. They aren’t quite as close as they were when we got
them, since they have a bit more space and independence now I guess, but
they still play a lot and sleep together, and Basil still likes to
prune Roxy whenever she’s nearby - and when she lets him!

Steven, Helen, Roxy & Basil

March 09

Edward and Ragoo

‘Just thought you may want an update on Edward & Ragoo – adopted on 10th January 2009.

Edward
was terribly nervous on the drive home. Ragoo seemed non-plussed! We
got them home & put them in their room which had been set up with
all the essentials, bed/tray/food. It took a couple of hours for them to
feel comfortable, we went in periodically so they could get used to us –
it didn’t take long for them to come & sit on both our laps!

It
was three weeks on Saturday so we let them out for the first time, they
both explored their new garden as well as both neighbours gardens
(Edward even invited himself in to the neighbours living room)! Anyway
the good news is after a couple of hours they both returned home safe
& sound.

We haven’t let them out in the snow but as soon as it clears they’ll be free to explore again!

Thanks to all the volunteers at the Scratching Post for all the good work you do.

Kind regards,

Lindsay & Rob.’

Update March 2012 - Ragoo sadly passed to the Rainbow Bridge.

‘Both boys have bought me and the family lots
of laughs & love over the past few years. Sadly Ragoo left us on
Saturday 17th March 2012. We will be looking to adopt a new pal for
Edward as soon as we are ready.

God bless little boy.’

With much love Lindsay & family.

Gus

Alan (aka Lucky) and Tash

Bluebell

Henry

Jess and friend

Thank you to everyone at the
Scratching Post for all your hard work and wonderful support. I
contacted the Scratching post to adopt a cat or kitten to keep my
recently adopted seven year old cat company in May 2008. I made an
appointment to view the cats and kittens at the cattery. I arrived to
see so many beautiful cats and adorable kittens. However on my very
first visit one kitten decided to adopt me. A little tabby named Jess
jumped up my leg and into my arms and would not stop purring.
As soon as I took her home she settled in and found her spot on the
sofa. She continues to be fantastic company for my older cat and remains his faithful playmate. They play hide and seek in the garden and in the evenings they curl up and sleep together on the sofa.

Tia and Roxy

When we first took them into the garden they were scared of every
little noise and kept running back indoors but Tia the smaller cat now
loves to climb trees and chase the birds. She spends most of her time
outside whilst Roxy prefers to stay in more and mainly goes outside at
dusk. If they are not in at about 9.30pm we call them and they both come
running in for their last feed and then settle down for the night in
their baskets.

They have brought us lots of presents including feathers, sticks,
worms, moths, spiders, dragonflies and a live mouse. Although they can
be hard work at times they have given us a lot of joy and laughter and I
think our house would be a dull place without them.

Anyway thanks for letting us have them and I can assure you they are well loved.

Keep up the good work at the Scratching Post, we think you are a saint for all the hard work that you do.

Regards

Maggie, Terry and Will ‘

Binx aka Arthur

Romeo and Moshie

We
adopted Romeo and Moshie from you about a month ago and I just thought I
would give you an update. Both are doing really well, Romeo took all
of about 2 hours to get himself settled, on the first night he was
stretched out in front of the tv in the middle of the floor. Moshie has
taken a little longer to settle in. She still spends most of her days
sleeping underneath our bed but as soon as we get into bed, she jumps up
and joins us and stays in it until we get up in the morning.
Occassionally, if the mood takes her, she will wander into the living
room with us on an evening and cuddle up on the sofa, but that is a
recent thing. She still doesnt venture outside but she seems quite
content with her life as it is and is getting braver by the day! Romeo
is much more adventurous, he is in and out all day and night and seems
to rule our garden and the neighbouring gardens also! He is still
chicken obsessed and would eat the whole pack if given the chance. We
are so happy with our new ‘family’, thank you so much for introducing us
to them and letting us bring them home!

Kind Regards

Amy and Rob

Mansell

Louis

Reuban and Georgie

“We adopted Bubble and Squeak in early January, when we
visited the cat shelter and saw this confident ginger cat strutting
around we fell in love with him instantly. His brother was hidden in his
cat bed and wouldn’t come out to see us, we were a little bit worried
that he wouldn’t take very well to us, but we wanted them both
regardless.

On
the first night home they settled in straight away, we decided to
rename them to give them a new start… so they became Reuban and
Georgie. Rube is a big tomboy cat, who has a crackly meow, will give you
cat kisses if you come anywhere near you and loves playing chase the
ribbon and his tiger toy.

Georgie has taken a few months to come
out of his shell. Around women he is a complete baby, most night he lies
in my arms and he even sleeps next to me at night. For some reason that
we’re not sure of, he is terrified of men. My boyfriend and I have
given him a lot of encouragment and love to reassure him, it was a big
moment for us he jumped onto his lap for a cuddle.

We couldn’t imagine our lives without our furry babies, they are part of our little family.”

Megan & Dean from Enfield

Sophie & Kenny

Claire sent us this lovely photo of Sophie & Kenny.

Harry and Lily

Sylvester & Ella (update)

Sue B sent these pictures of Sylvester and Ella of Nazeing testing out their Christmas presents!!!!!!

Max and Bibi

In November 2007, we adopted Max (see attached
photo). Since the moment he set foot through our front door has has
behaved as if he has lived with us forever, he settled in immediately
and has been the most affectionate and laid-back cat that I have ever
owned. We love him so much, he’s a constant source of amusement and
affection, he often behaves more like a dog than a cat.

Lex

We have Lex (aka Jigger). He has turned out to be
very loving and amazingly good tempered although still very nervous.
As you can see from the photo he likes to lay on his back and he is in
his element when given a ping pong ball to play with. Such a pity you
cannot rehome the rest of his family.

Joyce P

Mojo, Jay & Smokey

Here’s some pictures of the cats we re-homed earlier this year.
MoJo the ginger is very loving and enjoys being fed, being cuddled and
being fed again. He actually really enjoys playing with the other 2
boys and always pops out of his cat flap the moment we drive up. He all
adore him and he is very happy with his cushy life!

Jay and Smokey are both
quite timid with people, Smokey more so. Jay loves to be tickled and
stroked but only when up on his high shelf, he is becoming tamer and
tamer though and we have noticed that he loves to be around when we are
at the stables and enjoys our company more and more.

Smokey makes his presence
known with large meows and can be found sleeping on his vet bed in the
eves of the kitchen. Both cats have caught vast amounts of mice and
rabbits but always come in for their food which they heartily devour!

We love them all and they
have brought a real homely feel to our stable yard and you can tell
that they are blissfully happy with their new life.

Jo F.

Tammy

Tammy came to us as an elderly resident, and
we could not see that anyone would ever take her on, at her age, so we
were delighted when Hilary Cooper adopted Tammy aka Tinky or Tinsel from
the Scratching Post last year.

Hilary
tells us that she fits in very well at their mad house - she holds
dominion over the upstairs of the house, although they do try to
encourage her back downstairs! She is slowly settling in, as you can see
from these lovely photos.

Update 1 Oct 08

Jimmy

Marley and Maisie Rae

Harry, Mikey, Nunu & Hannah

Hi Susan

We originally adopted Harry, Mikey (AKA Simba) & Nunu (AKA Maisy)
in June 2006 after being told about the shelter by a friend.

Harry had been living as stray and Mikey & Nunu were living
together in a block of flats and had been given to the shelter as their
owner no longer wanted them. They all got on well together and after
overcoming their initial nervousness were very warm and affectionate
cats. Harry is very adventurous and somewhat mischievous! and loves the
outdoors, whereas the other two preferred cuddling up indoors and a nice
warm lap.

Unfortunately Nunu passed away last November after a tragic accident. We were both

devastated but we decided in March this year that we were ready to
get another cat to try and make something positive come out of it all.
So after lots of deliberating over all the beautiful cats at the shelter
we found Hannah, who had also been living as a stray. She is an
affectionate, loving, slightly mad cat! who loves her food and her toys
and has settled in really well with our two boys.

Our cats have really made our house a home and have given us lots of
smiles and laughs along the way so thank you. You and your volunteers at
the shelter do an excellent job and should be congratulated.

I have been spreading the word about your shelter to friends, family
& colleagues alike and if I can ever be of assistance I would be
happy to help.

Helen of Cheshunt

Jessie and Sophie

Thought you might like to see some photos of Jessie and Sophie, whom we adopted at the beginning of November.

The
two of them have settled really well, after an initially worrying few
days when they managed to get themselves ensconced underneath and behind
my kitchen units. They then graduated to behind the sofa, but
fortunately they are now settled and I’m sure they think they have died
and gone to heaven as

they are spoilt rotten!!

Jessie
is a lovely cat who loves nothing more than to have her tummy tickled
and whilst she doesn’t sit on my lap she will collapse as near as
possible to you and offer her belly to be scratched. She’ll occasionally
favour you with a kiss and loves to lick me, particularly when I’ve
been swimming! She has a beautiful thick and extremely soft coat and she
really is a softie.

Sophie is into everything and is obsessed with the kitchen sink, where she

loves to try and lick the taps!! I can’t run the taps without her appearing

and trying to catch the water as I fill the sink! A bowl of fresh water with

her
food just doesn’t have the same appeal! She also loves to get whereever
you don’t want her to go! The bedrooms are officially, a cat free zone,
but she manages to get the lounge door open, if not closed tight and
shoot up the stairs, with alarming regularity!

The house becomes a madhouse at least twice a day, when the pair
of them have a mad half hour, and it’s never always the same one doing
the chasing! In between time they are happy to curl up on the sofa’s, or
their beds and recuperate ready for the next game!

We had cats
for over 25 years until our last cat died 3 years ago aged 18 and have
realised just how much we missed having cats in the house.

Thank you for all you do to save these cats and for giving us the opportunity to meet out new companions!

Regards

Rita & Colin (March 2007)

Woody and Arthur

After the loss of Jazz, our wonderful 14½ year
old cat, we were devastated. Our house was no longer a home and our
lives felt empty……….until we contacted The Scratching Post.

We visited the cattery and noticed
Arthur, a lovely black and white cat hiding under a blanket. He was
frightened, timid and his eyes looked so sad. His only friend was Woody
– an outgoing, affectionate and handsome tabby.

Initially we had only intended homing one cat
but these two were adorable together and we were smitten…….it was love
at first sight!

Arthur and Woody are best friends (see photo). They have filled our house with laughter, excitement and sheer pleasure.

Thank you so much to all the wonderful staff* at The Scratching Post – your hard work, dedication and devotion is admirable.

*Note from ED - all ‘staff’ at the Scratching Post are unpaid volunteers!

SANDRA AND IAN FROM BARNET

Omar From Greenlady (January 2007)

Archie and Mitsy From Fiona and Jamie (Dec 2006)

Ella (aka Elmo)

Buster (aka James) and Angel

From Charli and Gaz (Sept06)

We
adopted Buster (aka James) and Angel in June 2006 - after seeing them
on the website it was love at first sight when we saw them in person!
Gaz was looking for a playful cat who wasn’t a kitten but not quite a
grown-up yet, and Angel fitted the bill - though when we first met her
she refused to move from the safety of the litter tray! She has now
become a lot more confident, and has turned into quite a little
adventurer - especially where the clothes airer is concerned! Charli
fancied a big boy cat with big paws, which is Buster down to a T - he’s a
bit of a mummy’s boy and scared of their elephant toy, but is slowly getting
braver! They are incredibly close and follow each other everywhere, and
are often found curling up in their bed or on our big bean bag! They’ve
both settled in very well, and we couldn’t imagine being without them!
Thank you!

Scooter and Toto

From Steve & Andy

In the summer of 2003, we adopted two beautiful cats
from Battersea at Old Windsor who we renamed Monkey and Sooty, Monkey is
a beautiful Tabby with white socks, and Sooty was jet black, she was a
shy cat but a real “Lady” sadly after a long illness she died of renal
failure last October, we were heart broken.

Monkey and Sooty were not sisters, and they did not seem
particularly close to each other but they had been together for a
number of years and we were sure Monkey was missing her, so earlier this
year we decided to find a friend for her, after lots of advice we were
recommended to look for a young male cat, after vetting dozens of cats
we saw a lovely friendly black cat who we called Bender, we went through
all the correct procedures for Monkey and Bender to meet, but it was
hate at first sight we were so disappointed, but after six weeks, and
Bender attacking Monkey he had to go, luckily a friend of our was
looking for a young male cat, so he now lives a very pampered life in
Mortlake

Naturally we were now skeptical about getting another
cat, Monkey still bore the scars of Benders attack, but a neighbour told
us about the Scratching Post, I checked out the website and was
impressed enough to phone for a home visit, we were given loads of
advice by Roz the lady who did our home visit, and Jean who I spoke to
on the phone on many occasions, the long and short of it was that we
were advised to get not one but two female kittens, the reason being
that a young kitten would run poor middle aged Monkey ragged, and could
cause possible conflict, the Scratching Post has a beautiful white and
tabby kitten who we called Scooter, and a feisty little black cat who we
called Toto she came from the CPL ,the Kittens hit it off after a
couple of days the worry was would Monkey get on with them, but to our
great relieve she took to them straight away, licking them and trying to
be a surrogate mum to them, things have worked out so well, Thanks to
everybody at the Scratching Post who made it all possible.

Louie (aka Socks)

From Milly and Andrew, Oakwood

When our 14 year old black cat – Nero – had to be put to
sleep due to illness – we were heart broken and so was our big gentle
six year old Tabby cat – Ollie. He was lost without Nero and continued
to pine for weeks. Eventually, we felt it was time to look to home
another cat.

We adopted Socks and, whilst Ollie was afraid of the
little chap at first, they now play together (especially early in the
morning, running up and down the stairs and causing havoc !). We love to
watch them together and it’s great to see Ollie so much happier. We
will never forget Nero but Socks – whom we have re-named Louie - has
brought nothing but joy into our lives.

He really is ‘our little miracle’ – a dream come true. Thank you Scratching Post – for letting us adopt our little rascal.

Gustav

Adopted by Julie a d W

Our little tabby kitten has now grown into a very smart
young man, called Gustav. He is an absolute delight and spoilt rotten.
He’s a fabulous cuddler and fancies himself as a wild game hunter,
though he’s still at practising stage with his toy frog. Gustav adores
his garden and leaps around like a little Spring lamb nibbling a blade
of grass here and chasing bees there. We love him.

Many thanks for finding him for us.

Peach aka Lily-

Adopted by Leanne and Alex

We already had a 6 month old male kitten and thought it would be nice if he could have a friend.

We contacted the Scratching post via an advert in the local paper and was given lots of helpful advice.

The following week we went to collect Peach.

Unfortunately the first few days were a nightmare as my male kitten didn’t appreciate another cat in his home…

After a lot of sniffing and hissing! they are now best of friends..

Thanks to everyone at the scratching post especially Ros.

Leanne and Alex

Peach is the tortie shell… The black tom is named Buffon after juventus’ goal keeper!!!

Westmill (aka Alfie)

Sent in by Tina

Tina and Richard met in a teashop in Westmill
Hertfordshire and Tina invited Richard to live with her, along with her
daughter Amber and their cats.

Richard loved the cats, they had four and also one dog. Because he had always rented, Richard had never owned

his own cat, and when the eldest of the four cats died, Tina said she would buy him his own.

Richard has very auburn hair (some would call it ginger .
. .) He had always hankered for a ginger cat because as far as he was
concerned there was not enough ginger in the world, and he felt he
needed some back up, and so the hunt was on.

We looked as far South as Battersea dogs home (who have
cats and dogs) and as North as Woodgreen in Godmancher, but no such cat
existed. However after a days worth of internet searching we found the
Scratching Post.

What a fabulous charity and super people. We fell in
love with Alfie the minute we met him, he is full of beans and wants to
play all the time. Our three other cats and our Dog Tulip have all taken
to him and they all sniff noses when they meet to see who has had a
tit-bit and who hasn’t!

Thank you Scratching Post, we love our new cat, he has
been renamed Westmill after the place where Richard and I met, strangely
enough he is partial to the odd cream cake, and Richard is the happiest
man in town.

Sylvester

Sue B from Nazeing emailed her story.

We visited The Scratching Post after seeing your
advertisement in The Mercury last summer and picked this young man from
the many cats that were there.

He has turned out to be a absolute “sweetheart” and
has really settled in with us as you can see! He gets on well with our
other little 18 year cat Jilly and would love to play with her all day
long, although she, of course at her age, she doesn’t see the world
quite like him!

I have been back to the cattery to visit and drop some bits and bobs of and think Sue and her team are doing a great job.

I will be keeping in touch.

Update - August 2006

Thought you may like to see a
current picture of our dear Sylvester who now, apparently, thinks he is a
bird!!!! Spent a quite moment the other day sitting up in the tree in a
old bird’s nest! He is thoroughly enjoying life here at Nazeing and we
are thoroughly enjoying having him! Regards, Sue.

Shaka

Rachel & Paul emailed the following:-

“During late summer we had been looking for several
weeks for a special cat to replace our recently departed one and had all
but given up hope of finding a suitable one. The pre-requisites being a
male, homely but loving 8mths - 2yrs old that’s good with kids.

We happened upon Scratching Post and met our gorgeous
ginger cat - it was love at first sight for me but my husband took a
little more persuading. Initially he was called ‘Boots’ and we were
warned about his voracious appetite and temperament being ginger. Only
one of the two came true - his appetite. He is now called Shaka - ‘King
of the Lions’ and is big (not fat just a big cat) he is so gentle with
kids and just loves human contact.

He sleeps like no other cat I’ve
seen on his back bearing all!!!! But his appetite - he regularly brings 2
or 3 mice in a night - Live I hasten to tell you, has been known to
bring garlic bread in and when we put him on a diet he just goes next
door and pinches their cat’s food!

Thank you Scratching Post for giving us a cat with character who we, as well as everyone else in our street adore”

Lexy & Lily

‘We love nothing better than a happy ending here at the Scratching Post: you may have read about the plight of a pregnant cat called Lou who we took in over the Summer.

Her kittens are now ready for re-homing and Lexy and
Lily have landed on their feet in a loving home in North London with
Nicole, Neil and Margaret . Lexy is the image of her mum, Lou!

Two other of her kittens have relocated to Enfield,
where they are being spoilt rotten, and we are hoping to find the right
homes for the remaining 3 kitts, and of course for Lou herself, very
soon.

Lou has of course now been spayed - please read our section on neutering to see why this is the right decision for your cat too.’

Tabitha

Tabitha was brought to us as an an elderly cat,
suffering with heart problems, having sadly been neglected when her
owner became ill. We settled her in as our ‘resident oldie’, without any
hope of a new home for her. But she captured the heart of Rick and Pat who came to our cattery and as you can see, she is enjoying life very much in her new home!

Older
cats make wonderful, loving companion cats, and can live for up to 18
or even 20 years! A 10 year old cat is merely middle aged! They don’t
wander far, so are less at risk from road accidents and disease, and are
extremely loving and grateful for their home comforts. With Winter fast
approaching, why not visit our shelter and see for yourself some of the
wonderful older cats who are looking for a warm lap to spend the winter
purring on?

Trumpers

‘Trumpers was brought to the Scratching Post by one of
our volunteers, at around 6 weeks old, with her 4 brothers, rescued from
a life as strays.

Their mother had given birth in a warehouse, which
we later found out had been pulled down the week after they were
rescued. She was a scrappy little thing, scared and in need of
veterinary attention and lots of good food. We weren’t even sure she
would make it through the first night.

Several weeks later, and after
lots of TLC, she was ready to be homed, and we wondered who on earth
would take on this odd little creature. She had the curliest coat we had
seen on a domestic moggy - almost as though she has a Devon Rex in her
heritage.

Luckily for Trumpers, Trish and her mum came along, loving
‘cat people’ who needed a new addition to their family, and instantly
fell in love with her. Several months later, you can see that she has
blossomed into a thoroughly spoilt and happy cat, and we couldn’t be
more pleased for her.’

Cleo and Shabba,

(adopted by Claire and Richard Harvey).

“We met Cleo and Shabba at the Scratching Post in April
and it was love at first sight for us. They are still a real little team
and we are so pleased that they were able to come and live with us
together. They often sit and wash each other, before it turns into a
play fight and they go racing around the house! Cleo loves nothing more
than a warm lap to sit in and is really loving and affectionate. Shabba
loves to explore the gardens beyond our back fence but always comes back
for some food and some strokes. They are both very chatty too and
always announce their arrival into the room- they are very funny and
above all they really make our house a home.

Thanks so much to
the Scratching Post for all the hard work they do and for introducing us
to two lovely cats that we really couldn’t be without!”

Cleo and Shabba

So nice to have friends, isn’t it?

Have you adopted one of our cats?

*For all enquiries phone the Helpline 01992 626110