Pebble arrived on New Year’s Eve as an urgent case and a little bit worse for wear. He had a wound on his tummy, probably from a cat fight. He has responded extremely well to Cats Protection care and is now making himself at home in his snug cat hotel room.
He is a really lovely boy winning over everyone who meets him and throws himself into play time with great enthusiasm. Continue reading
Betty, a sleek black beauty, came into Cats Protection care on 11 December 2017 and will be ready to rehome from Christmas Day.
She is a bit of a pampered puss and has her own monogrammed cushion and purple throw. Her super-glossy inky black fur and slightly rounded shape are indicators of how well she was looked after by her previous owner.
Until now, Betty has been an indoor cat, with some access to a balcony and a small walled garden in the past. We would like her new home to be one with access to the outdoors, where she can enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.
It will take her time to feel comfortable in her new surroundings. She has found it difficult to adapt to our admissions pen and seems anxious and confused at times. However, she is quite chatty.
Betty is very affectionate and loves to sit in a lap. She also likes to be stroked and will sleep on a bed. In her previous home, she was allowed to roam the house freely and found a number of favourite places to sleep!
If you’d like to find out more about Betty, please contact us here:
www.cats.org.uk/brighton/adopt-a-cat or by phone 01273 610 306
Angel is a Burmese mixed-breed beauty with incredibly soft fur and a very playful nature. The latest cat to come into Brighton & District Cat Protection care, she will be ready to rehome on 10 December.
Around five years old, Angel’s markings are very similar to a tortie point Burmese. Her fur is a warm cream colour with seal coloured. To finish off her good looks, she has beautiful pale blue eyes. The colour of her eyes indicates she is not a pure-bred Burmese.
Despite this, she has a very Burmese-like personality: confident, sociable, outgoing, lively and a little mischievous. She locked her fosterer out of part of the outdoor pen the first morning she arrived. It was possible she had climbed up and tampered with the lock!
Angel needs to be the only cat in a household as she wants the humans all to herself. At her previous home, she would stop the other family cats from coming in via the cat flap. She is very chatty and quite attention seeking.
If you’d like to find out more about Angel, please contact us here:
www.cats.org.uk/brighton/adopt-a-cat or by phone 01273 610 306
October 27 is National Black Cat Day. Why have a day to celebrate black cats? Surprisingly for those of us who own a black cat, this colouring is not generally favoured by the public.
A Cats Protection survey of 2000 people found that more than 70 per cent said they wouldn’t adopt a cat based on its colour. But in another survey of 1000 people, CP found that when shown pictures of black, tabby and ginger cats, the respondents perceived that the personality of the black cat would be less playful, friendly, vocal and attention-seeking than the tabby or ginger variety.
As the owner of a playful, friendly, very vocal and incredibly attention-seeking black cat, I find this hard to believe. I also find it difficult to understand why black and white coloured cats are also more difficult to home; nearly half of all the cats in CP‘s care have this colouring and take longer to be adopted than average. My cat’s two neighbours are black and white (one more white than black, the other more black than white). I might be biased, but I find all three felines very attractive and full of personality.
Apparently, the survey respondents believed that a black cat was less exciting than a tabby or ginger. However, we know that looks don’t determine personality. Black cats have plenty of character and need homes just as much as other colours.
Yes, black cats are sometimes difficult to photograph. I have many pictures of my cat (and her brother who died a few years ago) and in a lot all you can make out is a couple of black blobs. But this isn’t a reason to pass over a black cat if you are thinking of adopting a cat. Just keep taking those snaps and you’ll end up with some real beauties.
In many cultures, black cats are considered good luck. This is the case in Japan and Asia, where the ‘fortune cats’ (the figurines with a raised paw) draw good luck, wealth and prosperity to their owners. These are often white, but also come in black; the black varieties not only bring luck, but also frighten away demons, evil energy and stalkers. The Japanese also believe that a black cat will bring a single woman many suitors (I’d imagine the cat doesn’t drag the suitors in itself!)
In France, it is believed that if a black cat is shown proper respect, such as being given the first bite of dinner and having a nice place to sleep, the cat will reward their owner with wealth and good luck. There are more tales of the luck black cats can bring here: http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/7-ways-black-cats-bring-good-luck-around-the-world Heather McKenzie
Lola arrived at Cats Protection Brighton & Hove on 16 October and we expect her to be ready for her new home at the beginning of November. She is an adorable little lady who looks more like a kitten than her actual age of six.
Lola is pretty as a picture and her image could grace any biscuit tin, chocolate box or calendar. Her coat is an exotic mix of tabby, white and orange.
But she is not just pretty as a picture – she is also very affectionate with everyone she has met. She loves attention, climbing up for strokes, head bumps and cuddles. Anyone taking Lola into their family will need to have time to spare as this cutie is so hard to resist!
If you’d like to find out more about Lola, please contact us here:
www.cats.org.uk/brighton/adopt-a-cat or by phone 01273 610 306
The most recent feline to enjoy the hospitality of our outdoor pen is Oscar, a chubby chap with a big personality.
Fosterer Teresa thinks he looks not dissimilar to the late, great Pavarotti, being smartly dressed in a tuxedo-like coat and a little on the large side!
Oscar arrived in our care on 19 September and initially was a little moody and depressed. He also frightened easily, hissing and baring his teeth from the safety of his cat hide. But this didn’t last long and he was soon coming forward for food and displaying his better characteristics.
He now happily potters around his pen and makes full use of his Cats Protection feline fort, which offers a variety of levels on which he can sit and observe the world around him.
Our vet and some blood tests have confirmed that Oscar is in good health. He does lack mobility, but this seems to be down to his weight only. He is on a weight management diet, which includes good quality wet food twice a day. His dry food is provided via a variety of feeding enrichment toys – he has to work to get the food!
Now he is a little lighter, happier, more mobile and very much friendlier. He will occasionally hiss when someone comes into the vicinity but as soon as he realises there is no danger he turns into a real sweetie, accepting lots of strokes.
Oscar will benefit from living with someone who is committed to help him with his weight management plan and to give him love and attention with the occasional playtime to keep him active.
The political party conference season is getting under way, with the Labour Party conference starting this weekend in Brighton and the Conservatives meeting in Manchester at the beginning of October.
In addition to fostering cats and finding them new homes, Cats Protection ‘speaks up for cats’, lobbying politicians to improve the welfare of the estimated 10.3 million pet cats in the UK. Pet cats go right to the heart of Government, with Larry the latest to take the mantle as Chief Mouser at 10 Downing Street.
We are asking politicians to support our 2022 Agenda for Cats and to back our priority campaigns for the next five years:
Cats and air guns
We want licensing of air guns in England and Wales, something that is already in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland, to prevent the shooting of cats.
Recent research found that 78% of vets say that air guns injure cats more frequently than other animals. The same research found that nearly eight out of ten people support the licensing of air guns in England and Wales.
Cats Protection believes that licensing air guns will reduce the number of serious cat injuries and fatalities.
Cats and landlords
We want responsible and reasonable pet policies that allow tenants to keep cats.
Cats entering the UK
We want enhanced border checks, a central record of all cats entering the UK plus tick and tapeworm treatment for all cats prior to entry.
To find out more about how Cats Protection is ‘Speaking up for cats’, visit:
Our most recent cats up for adoption are brother and sister Bailey and Boo. Confident and easy going, they get along with each other very well and we are looking for a new owner who can take them both.
Bailey, a ginger long-hair, is a very sweet and handsome boy, the bigger and more confident of the two. He is curious and quite intelligent. He has already worked out how to open his fosterer’s kitchen cupboards! He follows his fosterer around and will curl up on any available lap.
Boo, by contrast, is a little more timid, but very affectionate. A beautiful tortoiseshell long-hair, she loves being brushed. She is very gentle and will also settle on your lap.
Bailey and Boo are happy in each other’s company and are often found curled up together or grooming each other. This is why we’d like to rehome them together. Bailey has met a toddler and took it in his stride, although Boo kept her distance.
Mabel and Molly are the two most recent cats to come into Cats Protection care in Brighton and Hove. The sisters, who are around ten years old, could be homed together where there is sufficient space or adopted separately. Like all sisters, they have their ‘moments’ and when they aren’t getting on, they tend to keep their distance. Continue reading
White cats are particularly susceptible to skin cancer
Now that summer is well and truly here on the sunny south coast, it is important to ensure your cat is safe from the danger of skin cancer. Not all cats are sensible and sit in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Some, like humans, like to sit out in the sun catching the rays. But like us, cats can suffer damage from the sun’s rays. White cats or those with non-pigmented patches of skin and older cats are all more susceptible than most to sun damage. Luckily, there are pet friendly sun blocks that can be applied. Continue reading
The Brighton Meow 