Cat Action Trust 1977 Ayrshire Branch

Name: Angel / Sex: Female / Age: 2 years / Colour: White / Good with other cats?: Yes / Good with children?: Yes

Angel was born in our care after her mum, Maya, came to us as a heavily pregnant youngster. Angel and Maya were homed together two years ago, but unfortunately they have had to come back into our care as a child in the family they were homed with has developed an allergy. This was obviously upsetting and confusing for them, but they’ve gotten over that now. Angel just adores her mother but Maya just doesn’t want to be bothered with her (much to poor Angel’s dismay! Angel is a very affectionate and loving cat who is used to being in a family with a young child. She did have access to outdoors in her previous home, so it is very important that her new home can offer a safe outdoor area. Like all our rescue cats, Angel is vaccinated and spayed.

Smokey

Bandit

Name: Smokey and Bandit / Sex: Male / Age: Middle aged / Colour: Smokey is grey and Bandit is black and white / Good with other cats?: Yes / Good with children?: Yes, older children

Smokey and Bandit came to us together but they can be homed together or separately.

These two lovely boys came into our care in March when their people went to live in the U.S. They are very affectionate, loving and healthy and we’ve had them vaccinated and checked over by the vet. All they needed done was a tooth scaling, so all looks good! It’s such a shame that the more mature cats get overlooked because they can have several years of happy life ahead of them. In their last home, Smokey and Bandit had access to lots of outdoor space, so a home (or homes) with access to a safe outdoor space is absolutely essential for their happiness and wellbeing.

Ali, Cally, Jack and KC

Names: Ali, Jack, KC ad Cally / Sex: Male and female / Age: 10 weeks (7th May) / Colour: Ali, Jack and KC are all black and white,  Cally  is tabby with little orange patches / Good with other cat?: Yes / Good with children?: Yes, children over 5

These four rescued babies, all from the same litter, will get their second vaccinations around the 17th May and will then be ready for homing. Cally, the only girl, already has a home lined up but the three boys, Ali, Jack and KC, have yet to be placed. Although covered in fleas and very underweight when they first came into our care, they are all now very healthy and full of nonsense. It’s hard to say which one is the most affectionate as they very bad-mannerly push each other out of the way to be first in the cuddles queue. Don’t let their innocent expressions in the photgraph fool you! As they are so confident, these babies could be homed with gentle children but it is our policy NOT to home very young kittens with children under the age of five.

Names: Maddie and Sally / Age: 7-8 months / Colour:   Maddie is tortie and white, Sally is black and white / Good with other cat: Yes / Good with children? : Yes

These two girls were abandoned in a cat carrier that didn’t even shut properly. They are of an age that would indicate they were ‘Christmas kittens’, so had now possibly lost their appeal and were tossed aside with the other pressies that were no longer wanted. They were so scared when they first came to us, having been traumatised and terrified by the experience of being dumped. However, it didn’t take them long to show their true colours and they have proven themselves to be extremely affectionate and loving. They really are adorable girls and how anyone could bring themselves to part with them, let alone dump them, is beyond me.

It would be wonderful to get a home for Maddie and Sally together, but they could be parted if the homes were right. They both love human company and should settle well with a family. Both have now been spayed and are fully inoculated. Access to a safe outdoor place once settled is a must as they’re just desperate to get out and about to explore.

Age: 10 years / Sex: Female / Colour: Black / Good with other cats?: Prefers humans / Good with children?: No; this older lady needs a quiet home

Dusky and her friend Shelley had lived with just one couple since they were kittens. Their people were elderly and, unfortunately, the man died a few years ago and the woman was taken into care around June 2011. The cats, now ten years old, were put into the garden and spent several months being fed by a kind neighbour and taking shelter in the garage. This must have been so hard for them to understand as I’m told they used to sleep beside the old lady. The neighbour would have loved to have given Shelley and Dusky a home, but her dogs had other ideas and chased the cats whenever they saw them. Despite having lived together since kittenhood, these two girls didn’t actually bother with each other, so it was possible to let Shelley go to a great home in March where she is now settled and very happy.

Although now ten, and despite having spent so long outside in the cold, Dusky is very fit and healthy. She is spayed and fully inoculated. Dusky is really sweet and loves to be stroked and have a fuss made of her. The fur on her back was very sparse when I first brought them in but has now grown in all thick and shiny and she just loves when I have time to sit with her and groom her pretty fur coat. Her ideal home would be fairly quiet, as she was used to living with an elderly couple. A home with older people who want the company of a fit and healthy cat would be perfect. A house full of noisy toddlers or mad teenagers would be too much of a culture shock for Dusky! As she was always used to getting out, a safe outdoor area is a must.

Names: Smokey and Murray / Sex: Male / Age: around 10 and 12 years / Colour: Black & white and grey & white / Good with other cats?: No / Good with children?: Older children

Smokey and Murray are looking for a new home because their person is moving and can no longer keep them.  The cats aren’t in our care but that we’re helping to find them a home… Interested parties could make contact either with us or directly to the owner (his number is below), but as he will be in London we will be vetting the potential home on his behalf.

Smokey and Murray are lovely, happy, friendly, middle-aged house cats (aged 10 and 12), full of character and looking for someone who can look after them permanently.  They’re in great shape, fully vaccinated and microchipped.  They’d make great companions for anyone who could look after them.  They live in Glasgow at the moment but they could be rehomed anywhere in the UK.

Murray likes babies and older children but is scared of toddlers (the Big Girl’s Blouse hides from them!), whilst Smokey is quite at ease with children of all ages. The cats have lived exclusively indoors, but may well get used to and enjoy access to a safe garden, once settled. They are both healthy, neutered and fully vaccinated.

Please contact us or their person, David on 07956 396 008 if you think you’d be able to offer Smokey and Murray a new home.

Name: Maya  / Age: 3 years / Sex: Female / Colour: Tabby and white / Good with other cats?: No / Good with children?: Yes

Maya first came into our care as a heavily pregnant youngster and was homed together with her kitten, Angel, two years ago.  Unfortunately, they have had to come back into our care as a child in the family they were homed with has developed an allergy. This was obviously upsetting and confusing for them, but they’ve gotten over that now. Angel just adores her mother but Maya just doesn’t want to be bothered with her (much to poor Angel’s dismay!), and would prefer to be the only cat in her new family.  Maya is a very affectionate and loving cat who is used to being in a family with a young child. She did have access to outdoors in their previous home, so it is very important that her new home can offer a safe outdoor area. Like all our rescue cats, Maya is vaccinated and spayed.

Name: Merlin / Age: Young adult / Colour: Black / Good with other cats?: Yes / Good with children?: Yes, older children

I first heard of Merlin’s situation late one Sunday night in the middle of July 2011. He had been fed as a stray by a woman who came to my door to tell me that he had appeared back after having been missing from his usual feeding place for about ten days, but had come back covered in ticks and with both back legs very obviously injured. The sheer number of ticks on him (about 100 the vet said) indicated he had lain in bushes for several days after being injured. This woman had taken him to the emergency vet as a stray and left him there. As she wasn’t paying for his treatment she had no say as to what might happen to him and so she came to see me to ask if we would take responsibility for him.

Merlin’s injuries consisted of a completely fractured femur on one leg and a dislocated hip and several small fractures on the other, so we knew this was going to involve very costly surgery. However, Merlin’s injuries could be mended and there was no question that all would be done to get him well again. An appeal went out in the Kilmarnock Standard for contributions to the cost of his surgery and we were absolutely delighted when the full cost was met by the donations that came in! In the event, the fractured femur was held together by a metal pin until the leg mended and then the pin was removed about seven weeks later. The vet advised leaving the dislocated hip alone as to pin the joint together would impair movement to the extent that both muscles and ligaments would be compromised. Poor Merlin had to be confined to a cage for a few weeks to stop him doing anything daft but when he was eventually allowed out of the cage for short periods of time in order to build up the strength of his muscles he showed us very clearly that he had no intentions of letting a wee thing like a pin the length of his thigh bone or a dislocated hip stop him having fun! Picture one shows him not long after surgery. The second picture is of Merlin now. Kindly note the cheeky look on his face because it really sums him up. He’s an brilliant young cat, full of life and mischief and with a speed that gets him from point A to point B in super-quick time. Merlin lists amongst his many hobbies sleeping on my feet, playing with my feet when I’m trying to sleep, football and practising for his attempt at breaking the world speed record on land.

Merlin is very affectionate and sweet and would make a wonderful addition to a household that would enjoy a cat that’s full of character rather than one that likes to sit around contemplating the meaning of life. He played a bit rough at first, probably as a result of having been encouraged to do so when a kitten (this is common – then the cat gets tossed out when the people get fed up with him/her), but has learned that this is not wanted and now plays much more gently. A garden or other safe outdoor area is a must as Merlin wouldn’t be happy as a solely indoor cat.