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As March rolled around, so did signs of kitten season. Within weeks of each other, two beautiful cats came into our care from different parts of Shropshire, both with a common trait – they were both pregnant. It was time to dust off the cobwebs in our nursery and open it up again! Both girls are friendly and had been well cared for before coming to us, so all we had to do was wait until they were ready to give birth. We kept them fed, clean and happy until it was time for their labours – something we do not get involved in as nature takes its course without our interference. Within a day of each other, the two mums had given birth! It seems like the cries of Jess’ new-borns set off labour in Coco and the nursery soon had 7 new additions between the mums. Both took to mothering like professionals and whilst Coco knew she could come out and get fuss and attention whilst her babies were asleep, Jess was a little more hesitant but that soon changed as the babies started moving around. Now the proud mother to three boys, Coco has been teaching the kittens everything she can as they grow up, showing them how to play and groom themselves and is showing them the joys of wet food to help wean them off her milk. Jess had two boys and two girls and is also teaching them well, also showing them the joy of human play and the best way to beg for food! We know these two mums are the start of what will be a busy kitten season, but we are prepared thanks to these two special girls. We always remember the first mums of a season and these two are no exception! The last litter either girl will ever have, they will be spayed and looking for their new homes once their kittens have left us.

At the end of January this beautiful trio of littermates came to us after their owner sadly passed away and their carer could no longer look after them. It was soon clear these young cats had spent a long time alone and often only had each other for company, forming an inseparable trio who were not too trusting of us humans. Little Suki soon showed herself to be the most confident of the three and was often on her ledge, talking to the volunteers and luring us in for cuddles and head rubs! Although Rusty and Pippa were shy and often hiding, they could not resist affection and would often come join you on the floor as you cleaned up their pen every morning. Trios are notoriously hard to home! Taking on 3 cats in one go is a huge ask and even more so when two of the three are very shy and were not going to be your best friend instantly. Thankfully, through the power of Facebook, we found the perfect family with the time, patience and most importantly, love to give these cats and they adopted them, giving them the fresh start that they deserved.

Originally brought to us in December 2020, these two beautiful boys took a bit of time coming out of their shell and getting used to their new surroundings. Something that is not uncommon at the Shelter and often solved with some patience. Once they gained confidence, they appeared calm and quiet cats who were very much a bonded pair, Neville was reserved whilst Fudge was outgoing. We soon found them the perfect home with a man who had the time and love to give these two boys. Two months later, we were in touch with their new owner to discover they were much more than the average quiet pair of boys. In fact, Neville was terrified of his new owner and would do whatever it took to avoid going near him – but never once lashed out to protect himself. Often taking to climbing walls and other obstacles if it meant he could avoid him! After a long chat, we brought the boys back in and it was soon discovered they were afraid of men in particular – a problem we rarely come across to the extent these boys show. Whilst both are friendly and happy to play with you through the bars of their pen, they start to panic when the barrier is removed and even with females, Neville will dip away from your touch and seek comfort in Fudge, who will accept a few head rubs before he retreats to his toys. What we had thought was a simple homing situation is turning into something much more complicated and whilst we are working hard with them to help them with their fears, we are currently working to find them the perfect home.

One early afternoon in August 2019, we received a desperate voicemail from a young lady who had found a tiny black kitten on the side of a farm track, clinging to life, with tiny meows being the only sign of life. Volunteer Rene, who had been teaching us everything we need to know about Shelter admin, took the call and gathered as much information as she could whilst another volunteer rushed out to collect the kitten. Once it arrived, it was rushed into Marion’s house who proceeded to clean up and search for any clues to why she was left behind – could it have been an animal attack, or did mum simply leave her kitten behind for some reason? We soon found out she had distinct wounds around her neck, and it was more than likely a bird of prey had swooped down, taken the kitten then dropped her from a great height – something they do to kill their prey. For some unknown reason, she was not picked up. We suspect it was her loud screams that scared the bird away! Once the wounds were cleaned up, she was taken to Quarry Vets to ensure there was not more we could do for her and to make sure it was not unkind to keep fighting for her if she were too far gone. Thankfully, she was surprisingly healthy considering her start. A good gag reflex meant she could be bottle fed successfully, so Marion set about hand rearing the young two-week old kitten. Already hand rearing another kitten at the time, the job just became twice as hard! But the kitten, Lucky as she was nicknamed, thrived and hit her development markers steadily. As she got older, it was clear she had a wobble to her walk, almost like her back legs did not quite follow the motions she was trying to do. Her head often refused to follow her target, opting to turn her whole body instead. Whilst she was still young, it was unclear whether her issues were physical or neurological, or maybe even both! But we waited until she was older before we investigated further. After falling in love with Lucky she was soon fostered into our house. Keeping with the theme of lucky to be alive, we called her Clover. She has regular check-ups to ensure we are doing the most for her. Being such a fascinating case, we are still learning from her daily and despite disabilities that should be crippling for a young cat, she is living life to the full and is often showing us that she does not know any different. Recent investigations have shown that she has abnormal gait – hypermetric (meaning she oversteps often) and ataxic (meaning her walks are uncoordinated). The Vet also suspect her neck is fused around the area her injuries were, something they would only be able to tell by an X-Ray, and since it is not something they can fix, we have opted not to do. Spinal damage is also likely due to the fall she would have experienced as a baby, but we know she is not in pain and is closely monitored by the experts to make sure it does not become painful for her. Despite her rough start and her disabilities, Clover is a happy young cat who is not afraid to tell you what she wants and when she wants it! Running rings around her older feline housemates, she is often found playing with our two sister cats who are a couple years older than her or sleeping by the window. Famous in our household as the stompy little sassy girl with a tiny squeak of a meow, she has become an amazing addition to our family, and we will be forever grateful to Marion for bringing this bundle of excitement up and letting us take her in. She has taught us so much in the year or so we have had her and no doubt she will teach us more as time goes on. She has shown us that not every disability stops a cat from having the best life possible, and just because she is disabled, she is not in pain and we should not assume so. Some cats are dealt a bad hand, like humans, but if you give them the chance, they will show you it does not have to define them, and a little bit of love goes a long way. And boy, do we love Clover! Sisters Rachael and Karen Ashton have been Shelter volunteers for 4 years, covering a range of roles from Administration to Homing Team. Photograph supplied by Rachael and Karen Ashton