Magic Round-A-Bout

I'm going to be bold. I'm going to go out on a limb and say this week could well prove to be one of the highlights of our year. It's been so uplifting and so rewarding that I think we have all ended the week on a high. And, I don't want the bubble bursting just yet please!

On Monday Smudge the dog went to his forever home and an update on Wednesday let us know that he had well and truly settled in and had already learnt some basic commands! This is a far cry from the nervous, rarely-before walked, matted, underweight dog that entered our care 4 weeks ago.

By Wednesday 7 out of 11 cats in the cattery were reserved (and will all be in their new homes by the end of the weekend!). We also had a kitten in foster care reserved and a viewing booked for kitties Pingu & Daisy - good times!!!

On Saturday Jimmy dog was reserved without ever being promoted for adoption; we have been so lucky to have found a very experienced rescue dog owner for him, so paws crossed for his home visit next week.

But, undoubtedly, what has caused the greatest amount of excitement was Roxy rotti travelling to her new home in North Yorkshire today. Our Catherine took her because we couldn't get a home visit sorted. This meant she had the pleasure of seeing Roxi settle into her new home this afternoon. We all got the news that within minutes of arriving she had settled right on in and was soon crashed out and snoring as if she had always lived there! This really is the stuff of magic for us and simply makes our hearts sing.

And if all that wasn't enough excitement, dogs Ronnie and Benny, who were on 'trial' in their respective potential new homes, have officially been adopted! And, bunnies Hilary and Rose, who have been with us for 11 months have been reserved. What a week for adoptions and reserves! It's so fantastic.

We opened our doors to 3 wonderful new dogs this week. Pip for sure is going to get snapped up with her infectious personality, whilst 9 year old Cassie is just so lovable; she throws herself onto your lap for cuddles. Oscar, however, is looking like he has some medical problems that we will be investigating with x-rays next week. He has been beaten by a previous owner and has scars all over his body that betray his awful past. We remain hopeful that his problems are not insurmountable but we shall just have to see.

And, in my usual style, I have lined up more new cats to admit next week than we probably have spaces for, but as always, I'll worry about it when the time comes. The first to arrive (or rather I'll be collecting on Monday) is a chunky hunk of a cat who is white and ginger with different coloured eyes - he is stunning and ever so good natured. Then we have 5 black and white cats that were abandoned at the same property when the tenant was evicted; all unneutered and unvaccinated so quite a lot of money will need to be spent on getting them ready for adoption (typically this is an average of £200 per cat). I think I've said 'yes' to others but I'm in denial, so not thinking about it!

But, perhaps my personal highlight of the week is the pending adoption of 'Big Fella'. This cat is remarkable, moreover, his foster family are remarkable. Over the last 18 months or so that they have been fostering for us they have repeatedly fallen in love with their charges, but each time they have remained strong and determined not to keep so they could continue with their good work. But, when I delivered Big Fella it became immediately apparent that he and them had an unbelievable, instant connection. He just settled right on in and they all just instantly melted.

Big Fella, or 'Junior' as I like to call him, caused us all a lot of upset and distress when we learnt about his terrible ordeal. He had been assaulted by his previous owner and thrown against a wall. He had injuries to match the harm inflicted on him yet despite his harrowing experience this cat has been consistently loving, affectionate and people-focused.

I say this all the time, but truly, animals are amazing. Their determination to live and love never fails to humble me. The human race could really do with paying closer attention to the creatures we share our planet with and learning from their extraordinary capacities. I just think animals deserve so much more respect than we give them.

I am forever indebted to everyone who helps us with our work - whether you follow our social media sites, donate items to our shops, adopt an animal or attend an event - you all are making such a huge difference to us and the animals. But for today, I would like to say a very special thank you to Emma, Tony and Shealyn for giving Big Fella the life he truly deserves. I know you won't regret this decision and he certainly won't!