She has found her way all around the house, choosing various places to snuggle (including my lap, which I love) and I have bought her a scratching post to try to cure the claw sharpening bit on my suite and I hope she will take to it.
She goes out into the garden quite often, always under my supervision, but I think that in a short time I will be happy to let her wander not too far, especially as she now wears a collar and disc with my telephone number on it.
I am sure she now knows this is her new home and she has settled well.  I do often think about her previous owner and wonder if there is any way to let him know that he does not have to worry about her any more.  I think she may remember him because when my tall son popped in to see me she quite happily jumped up onto his lap without any encouragement.  All in all she is a friendly and well-adjusted pussycat and I love her to bits.
Many thanks for your help in finding her for me.

Twiglet
Twiglet is now fully used to the house and us although she does not come when called by her name but does when we clap hands or rattle her biscuit box!  We take her out in the garden each evening on a cat harness which she lays down so you can put it on her and then walks very nicely like a little dog.  She is incredibly skittish and doesn't like loud noises so we are gradually getting her used to everything, we don't want to rush it and lose her.  Next is using the cat flap and being in the garden, loose under supervision.
She has a mad half hour before bedtime and settles down quite well, although the first night we allowed her the run of the house, she brought up to the bedroom her two noisiest mouse toys so cat and mice were deposited back in the kitchen.  Then she mewed pathetically so we brought her back up again and she lay very still on the bed purring.  Later on I turned over to find her flat on her back, back legs splayed out and front paws in the air fast asleep!  She now seems to understand that the feel of a duvet under her paws means sleep!
She is loved by everyone who has come to see her and we let her walk up the hall, tail in the air, to greet new friends.  She is very fond of the conservatory and loves to watch everything (the only cat I know that plane spots!).
She likes to jump on top of the banister on the landing and did so Monday morning after I had put a towel there after a shower.  What she had not anticipated was that the towel was loose and it was like watching her on a treadmill, before both cat and towel landed in a heap on the floor.  I could make £250 a day with her if I had a camcorder to record her antics!
Twiglet and I have become purrfect friends.

Sam (bl/wh  M)  Fergie (ginger/wh  F)  Tabsy (tabby F)
Tilly, the last of the two ginger ladies I had from Avon Cat Rescue in 1993, had to be put to sleep at the age of eighteen.  I was very upset and decided to wait a while before having more cats.  Some weeks later I visited Jollyes for bird food and saw a picture of Sam, Fergie and Tabsy, all ten years old and collected them that evening.
We arrived home amid the discordant meows of discontent.  Released in the house they quickly disappeared under the bed but soon came out for food.  Sam spent the second week showing me the cat-flap and telling me that it should be open.
They all like lots of fuss but hate being picked up and don't seem to know what a lap is for but Fergie or Sam will now lie next to me on the settee but never together.  They love my garden and my neighbours.  Fergie loves my neighbour's shed roof and hides under the thatch of ivy.  Sam constantly talks to me and if I don't put his food out quickly I get my leg tapped with one of his paws.  All enjoy a game with a piece of string.
I get a rapturous welcome every morning when they rush to be stroked.  I adore all three and hope they will be with me for many years.

Kitty
As soon as we let her out of the cat carrier, Kitty started to explore every inch of her new home.  She was rather enthusiastically greeted by our fifteen-year-old cat Tommy who I think unfortunately mistook her for our black and white cat Monty who sadly passed away last December.  The friendly greeting didn't go down too well with either party especially when poor old Tom realised that it was not his life long friend.  Things did get better between them after the shaky start and for a few weeks everything was going okay for Kitty until our other cat Sweetie turned up.
Sweetie went missing on April 22^nd after being taken by some local children and, after searching for her for over six weeks; I had almost given up hope of seeing her again.  One day, out of the blue, a guy turned up with her in a white van thus confusing poor Kitty even more.  I think at the time she was wondering how many more cats would mysteriously turn up at her new home.
Anyway, all's well that ends well and Kitty has happily settled in at last.  She is loving, amusing and mischievous and spends most of her time with either me or my husband.  Her favourite place to crash out is on our sofa and has recently taken to sleeping on my oldest son's bed over the past couple of weeks.

Frankie & Paddy
After spending 2 weeks under the sideboard both cats have settled in fairly well.  It was a trial to begin with, we had to separate them at mealtimes to make sure Paddy got fed, as he wouldn't come out of hiding and Frankie would eat all the food.  They now both eat their food in the kitchen out of their own bowl (most of the time).
Each week they settle in some more.  Frankie was always the more sociable one and he will now sit on your lap for a few hours and we now get a meow from him in the mornings.  He will sit outside the bedroom door in the morning and follow you around the house.  He also likes to sit in the window and watch the world go by.
Paddy is still a bit of a hisser.  We have not yet managed to stroke him.  I tried once while he was eating and he nearly choked on his food!  He still runs away at any movement and is mostly seen at meal times.  He likes to hide behind the sofa or under the TV most of the time.  He does, however, sit under the coffee table in the lounge some evenings and stare at us, and he follows Frankie upstairs in the morning but shoots off when we open the door.  I have heard a strangled meow from him once. 
Both cats like to play.  Their favourite being a piece of string and not the many cat toys I have bought for them.  Frankie was first to play but now Paddy joins in.  They also spend a few hours each night chasing each other round the house and up and down the stairs.  If we go to bed early we hear the sound of thundering cats until about 10 pm.
They are very inquisitive and will eat just about anything including fish food, flowers and any bits of food they find on the floor.  We have to watch what we leave out in the kitchen as I have found Frankie with his feet in a pan of mashed potato.
As the cats are semi-feral and still not voice trained (though Frankie is starting to come when you call) we have not let them out.  Frankie will probably go out first but Paddy is months away from that.  I think if he went outside we would never see him again.  We are also moving in the next month so have decided to keep them in so as not to confuse them.
It was hard at first not to be able to stroke them and at times I felt quite stressed and I think they were too.  But things have got better and they are both a lot more relaxed.  They are lovely boys and I think they are happy with us and we are happy with them.  I am just waiting for the day I can stroke Paddy and have him sit on the sofa rather than behind it!

Liquorice (now Millie) and Rodney (now Thomas)
We have had Millie and Thomas since 3^rd May.  They are settling well, enjoying the full run of the house and love being outside.  They soon learned where the food is!  Millie, who is the smaller cat, eats a lot more than Thomas. They love to play together and sometimes get a bit rough with one another.  We were very happy to give them a home after recently losing our old cat to ill health.  She, like 3 of our previous cats came from Avon Cat Rescue.
I am sure they are happy with us.

Jasper
In the months since we collected Jasper from the Rescue he has settled in really well - in fact, it is as if he has always been her.
In the first week with us he kept looking out of the windows and jumping on the windowsills so it was with great trepidation that we opened the back door to him just over a week later.  Anyway, we need not have worried because although he does roam a little he is always there when we call him in or when we are in the garden.  I feel a little sorry for the insect life, as nothing is sacred when it comes to a chase.
He is a really affectionate boy as well and will often curl up on your chest if you happen to lie down on the settee.  And if you are writing at the table or are on the phone he has to be in there with you, trying to scratch his head on the pen or the phone itself.
All in all it was the best thing we did when we checked your website out and I am sure that Jasper would agree with us.  He has a lovely disposition, is really friendly and loves company.  Even my children who are not particularly cat people think he is lovely.

Jess

Jess (3 yr old black domestic short hair) came to live with us on 31^st July 2009 and from the moment she strode confidently out of her travel box, she made it clear that she was completely at home.  Our conservatory, strategically adjacent to the kitchen, was quickly reserved as her private domain.  She wasted no time in settling in and explored every nook and cranny, however small.  She adores sitting in our bay windows that overlook the communal garden.  Jess is also fond of our spider plants and we are fighting a losing battle trying to prevent their destruction.  This little cat, with a big personality, is bright, lively, incorrigibly curious, very vocal and above all affectionate.  We struggle to remember how life was before Jess arrived because she has brought so much happiness.  This adoption has been a great success and our only regret is that we didn't meet Jess earlier.

Report from Molly (Black Female)
I was very nervous at first and it took me a while to settle into my new home.  Now I am really happy and relaxed.  I am very nosy and like to know what my new owner is doing all the time.  I love a lot fuss and enjoy being groomed.  I also like watching the goldfish which is just like having my own T.V.  As a special treat I am allowed on my owner's bed and we enjoy a lie-in together.  I still get scared around strangers but after a quick cuddle I am soon much better.  My favourite place is on the sofa having my tummy tickled.

Pickles(a beautifully marked torti) 
Pickles is very well and happy and eats a lot.  I fear for her putting on too much weight but the vet says she is ok.  She is such a gentle cat never once has scratched or bitten.  When out people say how beautiful she is.  She goes out when it is quiet but obeys 'Pickles Home!'.  I love her to bits.

Hilly
Hilly is now 'Milly'!  She is settling in well having been rather shy to start with.  She is very much an indoor cat and has only ventured out a few times.  She clearly prefers her world to have walls and a roof.
We have had her teeth fixed - she had a lot of tartar build-up and some cavities.  She has now forgiven us for taking her to the vet and has developed a very keen appetite.  Her hearing is very acute … she can be upstairs, sound asleep, but she will still hear the fridge door opening.  By the time you have the door half-way open she will be in the kitchen, waiting…
She cannot yet tell the time very well.  We get up about 6.30 but she thinks breakfast time should be between 4.30 and 5.30.  She also seems to consider that it is teatime at about 2.30 pm!  Her coat is beautiful and glossy and she is probably the cleanest cat we have ever had. 

No space in the paper version of this newsletter to continue the tour of the Rescue.  Will try to complete in our Spring newsletter.

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SPONSORSHIP  FORM/SUPPORTERS' GROUP

Supporters' Group  £ …………. (£8)   Donation £ …………...

Sponsorship.  Name of cat chosen ……...………………..    £………… (£18 per cat)   
If for a present please give the birthday.  If for a child their age. …………………………………   
Name  …………………………………………………..

Address (of person paying for the sponsorship)

………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………….. Post Code ………………

Address for the sponsorship to be sent to if a gift. ………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………… Amount enclosed £ ……………….

Helen Hall, 24, Hanson Avenue, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire CV36 4HL