Please telephone to make a mutually convenient time to visit.  01789 750235

50th

Anniversary

Welcome to

AVON CAT RESCUE

NEWSLETTER

Avon Cat Rescue NEWSLETTER Spring 2013

Dear Friends,

    Happily we are still meeting so many kind and generous people, despite the economic climate and the weather. Homing slowed down a little in November but still people have been looking at our website and maybe waiting for the right cat to come along.

    Our challenge in the last newsletter was to find a home for ‘Sheldon’, a lovely ginger who had been here nearly a year. Soon after that, he was chosen and after a brief excursion into the garden when he went missing for a day, he is now doing really well and is even off his heart tablets. He eats, sleeps and plays all day long – lucky Sheldon. Of course we have other challenges which we will mention later.

    We always tell new owners that we will have cats back for whatever reason, and over last year we had 19 cats returned – some were naughty, some just didn’t settle, some owners had died – so we had to make space for these cats as best we could. (This, of course, puts back our waiting list) but we have worked gradually down the list. Some people wait patiently for a space but I returned home one day to find 3 cats and 3 kittens crammed into a cage outside our front gate. Luckily I got them all in (by moving poor Charlie into an old kennel), got the females spayed and all have found homes. They were beautiful cats – tortoiseshell, grey and tabby.  Not so lucky were the 3 who were thrown out of a car outside with no cage and who disappeared before any of us could do anything. We don’t turn cats away, but we do ask people to wait (if they can) until we have a space. We have been full to bursting for months.

    We had 5 cats brought by a lovely Chinese family who were returning to China. Two of these have gone to live in Scotland and are very happy. Two more were due to be sent to China but the owner has now agreed with us that they would be happier and safer finding a home here.

    We have taken in a few cats from vets because owners couldn’t afford the fee. The latest one, a little black and white called Shakira, had a badly broken leg which had to be pinned. The cost so far is £870 and she is still undergoing treatment. She is so good and so sweet and has had to wear a collar for 8 weeks to stop her chewing her leg and she manages really well – never stops purring.

    We had lots and lots of presents at Christmas – food, blankets, beds, toys – they just kept coming and we are so grateful. Everyone is so generous and it makes such a difference.

Many thanks.                    Rosemary Spicer

Plea: A farmer called Mr Cook borrowed our cat trap in November and hasn’t returned it. Does anyone know who he is and, if so, encourage him to bring it back. It is our only trap and cost a great deal.  This trap mysteriously reappeared the week after this newsletter was printed!  Thank you for its return.

Also the name of the young lady who before Christmas brought us just over £42 in change that she had collected.  Please let us know your name and address if you read this newsletter  

CATS FOR HOMING

We have some nervous black kittens born last year who we are finding it really hard to home.

They are:-

LENNIE & LOU LOU

Black male and female about 11 months.  Neutered, great friends but very nervous

SOPHIE & SUZIE

Sisters.  One black and white and one black.  About a year.  Spayed.  Sweet but timid

OLGA & OLIVIA

Olga is the mother, black, about 18 months old and a bit jumpy.  Olivia her kitten is about a year, black and loves fuss.

Some of our other cats waiting patiently.

CHARLIE

A big black and white neutered tom, full of character and needing lots of space.  About 6 years

PICKLES

A fluffy ginger and white neutered tom, about 8 years.  Very sweet and loves his food

FLOYD

A very lively black tom, 2 years old, neutered, vaccinated and micro-chipped.  Full of bounce and fun.

TINKER & TAYLOR

13 year old brother and sister.  Black and white and torti.  Very sweet.

POPPY

A 9 year old fluffy black female.  Very sweet, loves a fuss but does not like other cats.

Avon Cat Rescue, The Barn House, Chapel Street, Welford-on-Avon  CV37 8PX

01789 750235  email  enquiries@avoncatrescue.org    www.avoncatrescue.org

From:   Helen Hall, 24 Hanson Ave, Shipston-on-Stour, Warks. CV36 4HL

E-mail:  enquiries@avoncatrescue.org

A very happy New Year to everyone and a big thank you to all who supported us during 2012. To helpers old and new you have made Rosemary’s and my life easier.

Firstly I must apologise to those of you who bought calendars without a punched hole for hanging them. I do hope you were able to sort the problem out and are enjoying the pictures and stories.

ACR CALENDAR 2014

Whilst talking about calendars, I am on the search for next year’s stars but I need your help. I need photos, a selection either in jpeg format or hard copies (the latter will be returned to you). Once I have decided which photos to use I will need a story of 200/220 words giving an insight into how your cat/s have got on in your home. Get snapping, photos can come in as early as tomorrow, but not later than 30th April ’13.

OUR FINANCES

The part I am always anxious about, come the end of December, is our bank balance!  

Our income and expenditure for 2012 compared to 2011 is as follows:-

Income (less legacies)             in 2012 was ……£52,203.11

                                         and in 2011 was……. £53,561,16.

Expenditure:                             in 2012 was ……  £58,654.24

                                        And in   2011 was …… £60,256.42.

Although our income compared to 2011 was down, so was our expenditure.  This shortfall between income and expenditure of almost £6,500 has been covered by the legacies we have received. The amount we spent at various vets was a staggering £9,098.

You can see, therefore, how important legacies are to our financial stability.  Please remember us in your Will.

LEGACIES

We are extremely grateful to the following:-

 Mrs. Magee of Bidford on Avon

 Vi Toon of Leamington Spa

 Mrs Kathleen Warner of Stratford upon Avon

 Mrs M Buggins of Stratford upon Avon

Several donations have been gratefully received and are in memory of the following:-

 Carol Simpson of Tredington

 Mrs Ellen Peachey of Shipston on Stour

 Mrs Alexander of Brailes

 Mrs Ella Hutt of Long Compton

 Mrs Judy Harper of Clifford Chambers

As we have a little money in hand, we intend to replace some of the corrugated plastic sheets with panels that can be removed and kept clean.  It also means that the cats will have a better view of the garden.

Thank you to everyone who pays us a Standing Order.  We are extremely grateful for your support.

Autumn Bazaar and various events up to Christmas

We took £1,651.93 at the Autumn Bazaar held in the village hall.

The week after this I had my annual event at my house in Shipston which was well supported and several donations were made.  The total was a staggering £1,075.01. On the first count I thought I must have made a mistake so recounted to make sure. Thank you to all who supported this event.

Mavis Moore in Leamington Spa continues to hold her events (4 per year) with amazing results. A big thank you to her and her helpers and supporters.

At each of these sales, she raises well over £500 with some of this money being shared with the Dogs’ Trust.

We have been kept busy with other events but have decided we cannot do events on consecutive days. It is a killer for me but deadly for Rosemary on top of a working day.

The Stratford market was nowhere near as successful this year. We ended up with a Sunday slot and, according to the traders, Henley Street is poor in comparison to Bridge Street.

A big thank you to all who sent us Christmas donations. We always try to thank all who help and support in any way but if we have missed anyone, we do apologise.

Coin collection

This raised £734.61 by you collecting your small change. Well done, thank you and keep saving your small change please.

New 2nd class stamps

724 stamps were donated last year which saved the Rescue £362. Thank you.

Sponsorship

At the time of writing, there are 78 outstanding, unpaid sponsorships in 2012.  I am hopeful that as reminders are received, this number will decrease.  There have been 38 new sponsors which helps a little to redress the balance.  Can you do any canvassing for us? There will be a form at the end of this

Newsletter if space permits. Alternatively, please send name, address, cheque for £20 (made payable to Avon Cat Rescue) to me at my home address.

Cats for sponsoring

Males:       Tyler (tab/wh), Beetle (black), Milo (black)

Females:    Tara (tab), Tweeny & Twinkle (black sisters), Tina (fluffy bl/wh), Thumper (bl/wh),    Muffin (wh/bl)

Our ‘Pensioners’

These are the cats that live with us permanently. Many are elderly and this last year we have had to say goodbye to several. One of these cats, Tabsy, living up to his nickname of Crabby Tabby, sadly went to bed on his heated pad one night in November and didn’t wake up.  He was the runt of the litter and had many problems. He made his presence felt by walking around swearing to himself and at anyone around. On a good day, like one of the bazaars at the Rescue, he was a delight until we found he had gone under Mavis’s stall and tucked into 2 cakes!

Other cats, many of them very elderly, are sadly no longer with us are Tommy, Belinda, Maurice (alias Morris), Coco, Poppy, Dougal, Buttons & Mandy   All are much missed.  

One of our supporters has suggested, for an active cat, to put a ping pong ball in an empty bath.  Her cat loved this.

We have many visitors to the Rescue every year. Some to look at cats, to see the cat they sponsor or just to have a look round. Rosemary is very accommodating but over the year has spent many, many hours waiting for people who are late or who never turn up. Knowing how valuable her time is, (on weekdays she leaves for her full time work at 8 am and rarely gets home before 6.30), we need to try something different to use the time available more efficiently.  Many Rescues have strict opening hours and although Rosemary does not want to go down this route it may be necessary in the future.

2013:  The first 2 events are:

The Jumble Sale on Sat. Feb. 23rd and the Spring Bazaar on Sat. Apr 6th.

Can YOU help?  If so please let us know – it is very helpful to know how many helpers are coming.

Ways in which you can help:

 Receive your newsletter by email.

 Donate any new 2nd class stamps left over from Christmas.

 We use a lot of kitchen rolls, black sacks and washing up liquid.

 Help at/support our events and, if you cannot get to an event, perhaps you would consider sending a donation.

 Sponsor a cat/encourage family and friends to do the same!  It costs £20 per year.

 We always need wool for our ‘knitters’. We need more people who would knit blankets for us (18” by 12” is a good size but the pieces can be larger).

 Standing Order:  Take out a monthly Standing Order in our favour for as little as £2 a month or as much as you can. This really does help us.  Our bank details can be obtained from me.

 Make a donation whenever you can.

 Home a cat

 Shop at Waitrose, Stratford  during February as we are one of their 3 chosen charities

 Save Supermarket stamps which we can exchange for food.

      Become a member of our Supporters’ Group  which costs £8 per year.

CAT STORIES

BILLY & MISTY

We re-homed Billy and Misty on 1st July so have  had the cats for a good while now. At the beginning they were both a little timid but still keen to sniff around and explore their new home. Misty very quickly got used to being around us and was happy rolling about on sofa’s, beds and carpet, showing off and flirting with any and all that would watch. Bill, on the other hand, started off a little scared and took longer to get used to his new surroundings. For the first four or five weeks we would usually find him running to hide under a bed or table and when he eventually came out in the open he would shy away from being petted. Now, however, he is chasing about the house, rolling about and playing with both Misty and Emma and I. He loves his laser pen light and as soon as he hears the rattle of the keychain, he sprints to the living room desperate to see it and chase it.

At night time they have now both started to cuddle up to us on the sofa. Misty was first up rolling around between the two of us but is now more happy sleeping on our knees, legs, and chest or wherever she is comfortable really.  Bill has just started to jump up and walk around the sofa so it won’t be long before he settles there but he does like to sleep on the bed with us both at night.

They are, all round, wonderful cats. Loving, gentle and playful - we could not imagine life without them already and love them dearly.

STELLA (5YR OLD TORTOISESHELL)

Stella is a very affectionate cat, obviously used to being in a family setting. She has settled well so far and enjoys roaming about our garden and paddock although it is still early days for her and she races in the back door if she thinks anyone is coming in too.

She has brought in trophies of grass and eggshells but keeps the mice for herself thank goodness. We were eating lunch a few days ago only to find she was lunching on a fine mouse nearby! No trace was left.

HOLLY (19 YR OLD FEMALE CAT)

Well, what can I say about ‘Holly’?  She is a very sweet natured pensioner cat and we, as a family, find her just adorable. We have had Holly 3 weeks now and from day 1 she has settled in well, and had no problems making herself at home. She will happily sleep curled up to our collie-cross dog Max and go to sleep.  She loves lots of cuddles and fuss and what Holly wants she gets!

You thanked me for adopting Holly but I want to thank you for letting me give a home to a very special pussy.  Thank you.

Ps Holly loves Tomato Soup! How strange!

NAUGHTY TORTIE

We chose “Tabitha Twitchett” (Snowy) nearly 3 years ago at Avon Cat Rescue when she was about eleven years old and with  a big attitude.

Tortoiseshell “she” cats can be very feisty, which we understood, having had others at previous times. We decided that the only way to treat her was to ignore her, apart from seeing to her needs, which she seemed quite happy with.

Unfortunately, she had to have most of her teeth removed which put her right back as far as we were concerned but she gradually came back to us, climbing on chairs and beds and asking us to open doors for her (she has a puss flap which she uses when we are not available!) and  for more food – oh dear! Now she brings us live mice in the middle of the night as presents!

Sitting on our laps and greeting Visitors after they are approved, we have found her so rewarding and would like to encourage others to take on a “tortie”. They really are great characters.

SAM (BLACK/WHITE)   AND MACK (ALL WHITE)

The kittens have settled really well. We thought they might hide for a week or so, especially with 3 small boys wanting to play but they haven’t at all!

So glad we had the two as it is just lovely watching them play and sleep together.

MORGAN (NOW SNOWY)

We took her to the vet and he thought that she was a little older than 10 but no matter as I’m getting on too! She had a gum infection so has had a course of antibiotics. The vet thinks she’s lovely.

Here she is sat on my mat. She likes to look out but is firmly an indoor cat and quite right!

DIZZY (14 YR OLD TABBY CAT)

Dizzy settled in very quickly and seems very happy in her new home and her own garden!

She is a lovely little cat and very affectionate. Everyone thinks she is very pretty and looks a lot younger than her age! Her coat is lovely and she really likes being brushed and playing with her mouse and table tennis ball. She certainly has plenty of energy however old she is!

She is definitely very deaf however in her left ear and, as you warned, is a very fussy eater! It is always a marvellous feeling when she asks for a second helping of something. I hope she will be very happy and comfortable here for the rest of her life.

FIFI

Fifi has settled in well. She is very affectionate and enjoys a cuddle. She tends to stay in and sleep all day but stays out all night (the dirty stop out)! We have tried her on different foods and she absolutely loves pate, goes made for it in fact.  We are all enjoying her.

ECCLES (NOW CALLED MOLLY).  White with black splodges

Eccles has settled down well with no problems at all. She plays on the stairs and bedrooms most of the time and has just started going out but does not go far as if anything spooks her, she’s back in the house. She’s very much an indoor cat but I think when the better weather comes she will like it better.

She’s very playful and loves playing with her tail – toys come second.  Overall she’s purrfect.

BIDDY (TABBY 3-4 YRS OLD)

We collected Biddy from you on Nov. 18th.  She was left in a box with 2 other cats and 2 kittens.

Recently spayed.  We have re-named her Luna.  She has settled really well and is very loving, very

playful – in fact – crazy!  She loves her cat beds by radiator and under our bed. She is a great addition

for us and we are lucky to have her.  She is very bouncy, springs about and already owns the house.

We love her!

TIBERIUS AND KATINKA (OLGA’S KITTENS)

Tiberius has become a BIG, heavy, handsome boy. He is very affectionate and loves a cuddle. If my husband and myself are both in the room at the same time, he runs chirruping from one to the other, back and forth several times so that he can get a cuddle from each of us.

Katinka is a tiny dainty little car. After spaying and her hernia repair, she is well. She is not a lap cat but has taken to my husband and sits on the back of his chair. She rarely takes a break as she is too busy finding out about her new world. She loves to steal pens, pencils, paint brushes and to chew the

bristles of hair brushes.

They have bonded well with 13 yr old Tiggy who does get fed up with them occasionally but just boxes their ears. They are very fond of her. The kittens are semi-feral and investigate just about

everything. They have collected loads of items which can be found just about anywhere. They have

found out how to break open tubs of cat biscuits and will chew their way into a loaf. They demolished

a box of cup cakes overnight. They licked the flavouring off some crisps and spat out the remnants.

Tiberius will eat as much as he can get so his food is rationed but Katinka prefers to graze and steal titbits – she gets a bit extra when he is not looking.  They really keep us on our toes, they are both such amazing characters and full of personality that they fill our house.

PIPPI (BLACK AND WHITE FEMALE)

Glad to say Pipps is doing well but we have had a few ups and downs on the way. The changes have been a lot for her. She is beginning to relax and settle.

When we first met Pippi at the Rescue, she came across as friendly, loved tickles and people but when

we got her home, she fled, hid and went on a hunger strike.  She has come on though, gained confidence and is talkative. She is eating much, much better – little and often. She loves to play and her ‘Da Bird’ toys helped bring her out of her shell. She is no lap cat and can be very feisty at times but is also affectionate at times giving you a Pippi kiss – really a head butt.

She hides when we have visitors and is still quite jumpy but will now sleep in our company.  Progress is in little steps but we are getting there.

SHELDON

After the critical hiccup (running off on day 2 and returning on day 3) Sheldon settled in very well. We were told that he loved his food but have discovered since that he also loves to play and he loves to be loved! He sits with us and on us every moment possible for strokes and cuddles and purrs consistently.

Health-wise, he is also doing very well, now off his medication under the careful eye of our vet with no problems encountered at all.  Sheldon is a wonderful addition to our family and we love having him and he loves being here.

Ps  He now comes and goes through his cat-flap and we never worry about him repeating his disappearing trick as on day 2.

TAMMY

Tammy enjoys being out in the garden. Her delicate tummy has been greatly helped by James Wellbeloved’s dried Adult Fish cat food – even though she does still have some pouches – I think that the reduction in grain and egg helps her. Unfortunately, she won’t touch any fresh food but loves ‘Marinades’!

She still sleeps with her head either on my head or resting on my eye-socket and with one front leg resting across my cheek in case I have any ideas of changing position and disturbing her. I’m sorry there is such an increase in the number of cats coming to you and the strain on ACR’s finances.

The next newsletter is due out towards the end of May

Dates for your Diary

Saturday February 23rd  Jumble Sale  Memorial Hall, Welford-on-Avon 2pm

Saturday March 23rd     Spring Fete 22, Camberwell Terrace, Leamington Spa                                                            10.30-2pm

Saturday April 6th           ACR Spring Bazaar  At the Rescue   2pm

Saturday April 13th         Animal Charity Sale  Beoley Village Hall  11-2pm

Sunday June 9th             Alcester Street Fair  Alcester   12 noon – 6pm

Saturday June 29th       Summer Fete 22, Camberwell Terrace, Leamington Spa                                                      10.30-2pm

Saturday July 27th          ACR Summer Bazaar  At the Rescue    2pm

Sunday August 18th        Cramar Cat Rescue Open Day, Hopwood, Birmingham    

                                                        11-4pm

It is possible we might have a stall in Warwick Market in the Spring so keep checking our website

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPONSORSHIP/SUPPORTERS’/DONATION

SPONSORSHIP/SUPPORTERS (£8pa)/DONATION   Please delete as appropriate

 

AMOUNT ENCLOSED  £……………………..

 

Name of cat chosen …………………………………………………… (£20 per cat per year)

Name ………………………………………………………………..

Address ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Post code ………………………

If the sponsorship is for a gift please give details and date of birth if for a birthday present.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Please make cheques payable to Avon Cat Rescue and send this form and your cheque to Helen Hall   24, Hanson Avenue, Shipston-on-Stour CV36 4HL