Sunday 25 September 2011

A Visit to Feline Care Cat Rescue

Yesterday morning I came across an article about the Norfolk Feline Care Cat Rescue and Homing Centre which is in desperate need of help - it has until the end of September to raise £70,000 in order to buy itself and become a registered charity in it's own right, or it will have to close it's doors.

I learned the following from their website:
"FELINE CARE was founded in 1997 to take on the 'unwanted' moggies and offer a forever-home to those with nowhere else to go. Over the years Feline Care has evolved as many of the nervous cats we take in have slowly learnt to love humans and have since found their own homes. Now we operate a regular rescue and rehoming sanctuary but with a difference because we will always be here for those who need us most..."

This one really got to me, especially as we've just had Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet-Week. Whilst we have no room for more kitties ourselves and aren't exactly rolling in money this year, we resolved to go show our support in whatever little way we could at their open day today, which is part of their final bid to raise the money.

Upon arrival we were greeted by so many wonderful sights and sounds - there was an excellent turnout and in true brit style everyone was having tea and coffee on the grass, as kids played on the bouncy castle and friendly resident cats wandered from person to person for a bit of attention, or lounged lazilly on the comfy sofas and chairs.

As we walked around, there was a door open to what looked like a stock room for the cat's food and spare furniture, and sitting quietly and patiently on one of these was a little cat. At first I thought she was very old, but as I got closer I realised she had a very bad skin condition which had caused her skin to wrinkle. As I said hello she came to life and immediately meowed a friendly greeting. That was it, for the next 20 minutes she got all my attention and cuddles. One of the FelineCare staff came over and explained that Brock has an allergy that they are working on at the moment, but she's otherwise happy and healthy, enjoying a good life at the centre and lapping up all of the attention. She also refuses all comfortable cat furniture and prefers to find the most awkward, inhospitable spot possible! 

I surprised myself but getting a little choked up at the thought that she might not get a home due to her allergy. I do hope it doesn't deter people as she was such a beautiful little soul, so willing to love and be loved. By the time I left (grudgingly) there was a little queue of people ready to continue the cuddles, so I felt a bit better!
Brock
This little beauty (below) was greeting everyone who came past. I was told that she doesn't really like to be stroked unless it's on her head. I very slowly stopped what I was doing (a rigorous back rub) and gave her a good chin and ear scritch instead. Claw attack averted, everyone seemed happy!
Here are a few of the outdoor cats roaming the centre...
And these are the indoor cats. Their facilities are spacious, clean and have UPVC glazing and under floor heating. There are lots of cat trees, shelves and perches and little cat tunnels which lead to an enclosed inside space should they get too cold (or bored of visitors!).
All in all we felt that the centre was very well run and was giving excellent care to it's residents - a safe, loving and healthy environment. I really do hope that they raise enough money to stay open and we are keeping fingers, toes and paws crossed for them all.

You can visit them at FelineCare or on their facebook page Facebook.com/Savefelinecare.
We helped too, we donated some of our sunday cuddles!!

19 comments:

Admiral Hestorb said...

This post made mommy smile and made her eyes leak a little too. She loves all kitties and those who are being cared for like these babies are just makes her heart so full. xoxoxoxo

Annie Bear said...

What a wondeful place! They just can't close! Thank you for sharing this. I'm going to go look at their web site.

Brian's Home Blog said...

That really is quite a wonderful place and I'm glad everyone is so well taken care of there!!!

The Island Cats said...

What a great place! We purr that they will stay open. It would be a shame if they had to close.

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Kitcaboodles,
I always feel sad whenever we visit animal shelters. Worse if we visit zoos. I purrray that the shelter will remain forever. purrr...meow!

Mr Puddy said...

What a wonderful place, and I have the same thought as The Island Cats. I purrs so hard for them to stay open ! Thank you to post , Me and mom will check the page !
Purrs
xox

Cats4Ever said...

Everything i read and see,makes me want to help more ! I really want to visit these folks next summer,meet all the residents. Always feel sad,that property owners wont allow a pet,even with a hefty deposit. This is causing more and more owners to give up their pets,reluctantly. Perhaps if the world could be a little less materialistic,we would have a much nicer world !

Kjelle Bus aka Charlie Rascal said...

Me and mom do hope they will manage to get all that money , so they don´t have to close this marvelous place !!!
70.000£ sure is a LOT of money !
Thank´s for showing us this kitty heaven !

Remington said...

What an awesome post!

karen penn said...

Thank you for writing this blog as a volunteer at Feline Care it is nice to know that you had a wonderful day and are putting the message out. I feed the cats on Sunday evening and enjoy seeing their little faces and purring. The kittens charge out of their room and I have to chase them down the corridor to put them back, usually a food bowl does the trick. It would be sad to see this centre close.

Unknown said...

@ Admiral Hestorb - Ditto, I was so emotional when I first got there, sorry for making your mommy tearful!
@ Lucy, thank you - it just doesn't bear thinking about, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them
@ Brian - Me too, I just hope that the centre are given the chance to continue to provide the love and care
@ The Island Cats - Thank you, I'm hoping so too!
@ Cat From Sydney - me too, but this one actually made me quite happy as I saw how well they were being taken care of.
@ Mr Puddy, thank you beautiful one :)
@ Cats4Ever, I think you've hit the nail on the head there!
@ Kjelle - some good news - they raised £4,871 yesterday, and in total have now raised £56,126.16 in total! There is still a way to go but they are so close...
@ Remington - thank you so much!!
@ Karen - I'm glad that you like it and I'm just so appreciative of the work you and the other volunteers do. I really am keeping everything crossed for you all x

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

Thank you for this great post we tweeted it for you too!
purrs
>^,,^<
♥Abby♥Boo♥Ping♥Jinx♥Grace♥

tubby3pug said...

Wow, I cant believe that cats are out loose like that and they don't run off. I have never seen a cat rescue lie that in the States

Tamago said...

Feline Care sounds like a wonderful rescue!! Outdoor furniture and kitties walking around...what a great sight. Brock is very beautiful and she is funny not liking comfortable furniture :-) I'm sure they are happy at Feline Care, but still, I hope she and other kitties will find forever homes very soon!!

Tooki said...

That's an interesting and eye-opening tour (free, I don't have to fly there!) so thank you very much. May God bless all these kind souls who take such good care of the less fortunate...

Whisppy said...

This is the sort of place I would love to visit. To sit out in the garden and have a cup of coffee and lots of cats all around. Bliss.

meowmeowmans said...

What an amazing place! We are purring and praying that they will be able to stay open.

Unknown said...

@Abby - ooh thank you, the more people that know about this the better!
@Tubby - I think they know they are safe there and have so much ground to run around that they don't feel the need to wander too far. In Britain most cats are outdoor cats whereas I think there is much more of an indoor culture in the States
@Tamago - isn't Brock great? And yes I'm keeping my fingers crossed too!
@Tooki - just think of me as your personal tour guide! :)
@Whisspy - oh yes it's so nice just to sit in the sun and watch the cats stroll past
@Meowmeowmans - thanks so much!

mel said...

FINALLY getting caught up on my google reading, and wow! This is amazing and so sad all at the same time. It's awesome that you went out to support them. Sounds like they could use all the help they can get.

Please let us know if they manage to raise enough money to keep their doors open.

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