cat-breeds news

The Kirkwood family were stunned when they searched an animal rescue site to find a new pet, only to discover their cat Sar Chi who went missing six years ago.

Sar Chi disappeared from the Kirkwood family home in Wallingford in 2005. The family put posters up in their neighbourhood but sadly Sar Chi never returned.

Two weeks ago the family decided to adopt a cat from the nearby Blue Cross rescue centre. Whilst looking at the cats online they came across a cat named ‘Mr Darcy’ who looked identical to Sar Chi.

Mr Kirkwood dug out some pictures of Sar Chi and took them to the rescue centre to compare the pictures with the cat on the website which confirmed that it was their missing cat.

The family promptly adopted him and took him home. Mr Kirkwood said ‘It was incredible to find him after so long.’

The Blue Cross centre manager Julie Stone said ‘His markings were virtually identical apart from some ageing. This has been a wonderful ending for Sar chi and the Kirkwood family and we are so pleased we are able to reunite them.’

If you have just collected a kitten from a Cat Breeders Association registered breeder then make sure you register your kitten for its 12 weeks FREE insurance within 48 hours of collection. Visit www.cat-breeds.co.uk or call 0800 181 886.

Jolie the cat was rescued by the RSPCA last month from the side of a road. After getting her health levels back to normal, they returned her to where she was found – as it was clear that Jolie had recently given birth to a litter of kittens.

As soon as Jolie was released, she meowed constantly to the inspector until he followed her. At first, inspector Jon Knight thought she was meowing in distress for her lost kittens, but it turned out that she wanted him to follow her.

Inspector Knight followed Jolie to a nearby barn, which took him directly to her kittens inside the barn.

‘When she started to get really vocal at first I thought she was calling to the kittens, but then it became clear that she was actually calling to me. I began to follow her and she took me through the rear garden, across a ploughed field and into a farm yard,’ explained Inspector Knight.

‘All the time she was calling me and waiting for me to follow. She then took me into an old farm machinery barn and led me to behind a stack of old wood and there were her four kittens.’

The kittens were delighted to be reunited with their mum, and all four are doing very well at the Block Fen RSPCA centre.

If you have just collected a kitten from a Cat Breeders Association registered breeder then make sure you register your kitten for its 12 weeks FREE insurance within 48 hours of collection. Visit www.cat-breeds.co.uk or call 0800 181 886.

A pair of two-week old kittens have been adopted by Jaeda the Macaque monkey. She took them under her wing when the kittens were small enough to fit through the bars of her cage, and she grabbed one of them.

From then on, the two kittens Lily and Nilly are now smothered with cuddles and affection by Jaeda. She carries them round, kisses them on the head and grooms them – just as they were her own babies.

Owner Connie Tibbs, who owns the pet shop, said: ‘It’s the equivalent of a little girl with a doll.’ Connie also added that Jaeda was the only Macaque to take a shine to the kittens.

Mrs Tibbs owns five monkeys, and is often seen around her hometown of Pekin in Illinois, USA, carrying around her five friends. She said: ‘I was surprised at how she (Jaeda) took to the kittens and how attached she became to them. They don’t cry when she handles them, they seem calm and relaxed and she’s very gentle with them like she’s trying to nurture them. Everyone thinks it’s adorable.’

If you have just collected a kitten from a Cat Breeders Association registered breeder then make sure you register your kitten for its 12 weeks FREE insurance within 48 hours of collection. Visit www.cat-breeds.co.uk or call 0800 181 886.

After Tom the ginger tabby cat developed arthritis, he started to struggle doing many things, one being his ability to climb the 8ft garden fence.

When owners Adrienne Ellery and Gareth Bowen from Fulham, London, discovered his condition, they were worried about his painful joint condition, and watched as Tom struggled to jump over the fence.

Retired fire-fighter Gareth, 54, decided to create a spiral staircase going up the 8ft fence, using bits of timber to allow Tom to get to the top of the fence.

Gareth said: ‘I was watching Tom and it was sad to see him struggle with the fence. Some days he could do it but when he came down he was faced with an 8ft jump and he would land with such a thud that I knew it wasn’t good for his joints, particularly with the arthritis. I had some wood left over from building a fence so I started on a staircase.’

Gareth added: ‘I knew tom was an intelligent cat and would figure out how to use it. Adrienne thought I was mad but I thought I’d give it a go anyway. Adrienne tempted him by putting some food on each step and then Tom couldn’t wait to run up the stairs – it was as if he had used it all his life.’

It’s great because it means he’s not stuck in the house and can be sociable with the other local cats.

Adrienne said: ‘Gareth’s done an amazing job. It’s made all the difference to the cat. It means he can get around the neighbourhood and as he’s getting older it’s important for his quality of life.’

If you have just collected a kitten from a Cat Breeders Association registered breeder then make sure you register your kitten for its 12 weeks FREE insurance within 48 hours of collection. Visit www.cat-breeds.co.uk or call 0800 181 886.

After Karen and Paul Mehrlich took on Tom the kitten, it was clear to them from the outset that he was a little different to other cats. He had a personality like a dog and rabbit-like fur, and Mr & Mrs Mehrlich knew he was special.

In his 15 years, Tom has moved about with the Mehrlich’s, moving house many times and also living most of his time in a motor home. Tom has been to many places in Europe, including Sardinia, Sicily, Corsica, Portugal, Spain, Germany, and to and fro from England, as owner Paul is in the army.

The Mehrlich’s no longer worry about Tom living in their motor home with them, as he has learnt to come and go as he pleases, but still return to the right motor home and right campsite night after night.

The couple, originally from England, try to choose quiet campsites, free from traffic, where Tom can go out and roam through a small opened window.

Mrs Mehrlich said: ‘At night he sits on the window sill and keeps watch. He likes to sit in the storage bin and watch what’s going on, and has a defensive position under the suspension springs where he can taunt local cats.’

The Mehrlich’s occasionally travel without Tom as there are times he cannot be taken along, but they say the van feels ‘less homely’. Tom’s first exploration outside the van was a great success, and he returned safe an hour later after exploring his new surroundings.

The couple have tried to put Tom on a lead, like many other travelling cats are, but he doesn’t like this, and his owners ‘let him free, keep him slightly peckish and wait for him to come back.’ He very much dislikes moving campsite however, after he has settled into his surroundings!

If you have just collected a kitten from a Cat Breeders Association registered breeder then make sure you register your kitten for its 12 weeks FREE insurance within 48 hours of collection. Visit www.cat-breeds.co.uk or call 0800 181 886.

Instead of bringing in the odd mouse or bird as a present for her owners, Bella the tortoiseshell cat brought her owners something a little more unusual.

Bella’s owners Vikki and Wesley Spencer of Taunton, Somerset, were stunned when their furry friend had brought into the house an entire bird’s nest, totally intact, complete with three live chicks.

The caring cat had presumably found the nest on the floor as it had fallen out of a tree, and had brought in the nest with one live goldcrest baby inside, and later retrieved it’s two other live siblings.

Owner Vikki said: ‘The nest just looked like a bit of tumbleweed lying on the floor – we didn’t know what it was. While we were all looking at it Bella had gone out again and she came back with the two other birds in her mouth and just dropped them on the floor.’

The tiny chicks were placed in an airing cupboard to keep warm overnight, and in the morning were taking straight to an RSPCA Centre the next morning. Wildlife experts have said that they have never come across such an incident before.

Unfortunately, two of the birds did not make it, but the other is doing very well. It will remain at the RSPCA, being cared for at the Centre before it is released in the wild when it is old enough.

RSCPA manager Peter Venn said: ‘I’ve not heard of a cat doing anything like this before but that’s not to say it hasn’t happened.’

If you have just collected a kitten from a Cat Breeders Association registered breeder then make sure you register your kitten for its 12 weeks FREE insurance within 48 hours of collection. Visit www.cat-breeds.co.uk or call 0800 181 886.

An elderly couple from Carlisle, Cumbria, have hired out Animal Search UK ‘pet detectives’ to try and find their beloved Siamese cat Cloudy.

15-year-old Cloudy went missing from his home in October last year, and owners Gerald and Lisa Francis have recently paid the pet detective firm £1000 for their help.

Gerald Francis, 83, said: ‘This particular morning I let him out into the garden as usual and expected him to return in five minutes. He must’ve jumped the fence. He wasn’t in a habit of doing that regularly, but when he did he always came back.’

A search was quickly launched after the disappearance of grey and white Cloudy, making posters and talking to neighbours.

Mr Francis said: ‘We publicised it as much as we could, with local people, schools, community centres, pet shops – you name it, we did it. A couple of weeks later I discovered Animal Search UK and they agreed to put Cloudy on their search list. We welcomed anyone who would help.’

‘It’s our savings, but we don’t mind. He means so much to us,’ Mr Francis continued. ‘This particular animal was such a wonderful cat, Siamese are particularly faithful, we had a strong bond with that cat. He meant so much to us, when he went missing it was like losing a family member. We were devastated by it.’

The pet detective agency Animal Search UK is still on the hunt for Cloudy. If you have any information on the wherabouts of Cloudy, or have found a stray pet, contact Animal Search UK.

If you have just collected a kitten from a Cat Breeders Association registered cat breeder then make sure you activate your 12 weeks FREE insurance within 48 hours of collecting your kitten. You can do this by visiting www.cat-breeds.co.uk or alternatively, call 0800 181886.

When two-year-old Tootsie the cat was knocked down, vets told his owner Sue Wilson that he was unlikely make a full recovery and recommended considering to put him down.

However, Sue and Tootsie were not ready to give up quite yet, and veterinary surgeons suggested taking Tootsie for a paddle to aid recovery for his injuries, as he would be too weak to walk straight away and would need to build up strength.

After shattering his right leg, amongst many other injuries, Tootsie has made a full recovery after taking six weeks of intensive hydrotherapy at a specially designed two-foot deep pool originally for dogs. Tootsie is the first cat to use the pool, and using the pool once a day for more than a month has done wonders for him. He is now able to swim unaided, and is back to normal after his injuries.

Tootsie started off his learning curve by taking just 90 second dips to acclimatise him to the water and to learn to swim whilst wearing a harness so he could be lowered easily in and out of the pool. By the end of his training plan, he was able to swim unaided without a safety harness or rope for 20 minutes a time.

Tootsie has diminished the myth that cats don’t like water, and shows how well hydrotherapy can work, not just for humans, but for animals too.

Owner Sue said: ‘I’m so glad I took the vets advice. Tootsie has got his strength back and is now happy as ever running around outside.’

If you have just collected a kitten from a Cat Breeders Association registered cat breeder then make sure you activate your 12 weeks FREE insurance within 48 hours of collecting your kitten. You can do this by visiting www.cat-breeds.co.uk or alternatively, call 0800 181886.