Flo's Story

Flo’s is a particularly sad story. Flo had been living in a small feral colony in the Derbyshire area with the feral cats being fed by a local business. CP had had some involvement with the colony before, having neutered a number of cats from the colony 12 months previously. In October 2004, CP was contacted to say that some kittens had been seen and that some of the kittens seemed injured and were dragging their limbs. This sounded very serious indeed. Elinor, one of our dedicated field workers was despatched to the area to assess the situation. As feral cats tend to be most active at night, Elinor went to the site that evening with her humane traps. The plan was to humanely trap the kittens, take them to a vet and return them to site after they had had the all clear from the vets. At a later date, CP would then arrange for the kittens to be neutered.

Elinor was not prepared for what she found. The traps revealed 3 young kittens, possibly 8 – 10 weeks old. All were in a poor condition and all had appalling injuries to their legs. One of the kittens had part of a leg missing, with this area being grossly infected, and having been colonised by maggots. A vet was contacted immediately and the kittens taken to be assessed and receive the appropriate treatment.

The vet was appalled by what he saw and set about treating the animals immediately. It is thought that the kittens had been snared.

Unfortunately for Flo, one of her front legs was so badly broken and infected that there was no other option but to amputate the damaged front leg. It was touch and go, with this being such a major operation for a weak kitten already in poor health.

Luck was on Flo’s side and she pulled through, spending a period of convalescence with one of our fosterers. It was evident that it would not be possible to return Flo to the feral colony, as she would no longer be able to hunt prey, climb, defend herself or run very fast if she had to get out of ‘trouble’. Flo’s fosterer spent a lot of time with her to ‘socialise’ her so that she could be homed to a domestic environment. Flo’s recovery was miraculous and speedy and her fosterers were thrilled that she had made such great progress. After a few weeks she was ready to be found a new home. A special home was required for Flo, one where she would be allowed to grow and develop, despite her disability and a home that had a garden that was secure.

One of CP volunteers had seen Flo and expressed an interest in her. She was however concerned because although she had an enclosed garden she lived in a house over 3 levels with 2 flights of stairs and was concerned whether Flo would manage. She also had 4 other cats and had never taken on a ‘challenge’ cat before. After much consideration and having talked through Flo’s requirements with our fosterer, the volunteer decided to adopt Flo. After a successful home check, Flo was ready to go to her new home.

This is what Flo’s new owner has to say about her:-

‘Flo came to her new home on the 18 th November and has not looked back. She is a real live wire and forever up to mischief. She was very shy at first, preferring to hide under the sofa for the first few days, but soon came out of her shell. The other cats accepted her immediately and took pleasure in washing her. She is particularly close to Chuck who is a 9 year old tortoiseshell cat who was adopted from Ambergate in June. Chuck seems to think she is her Mother and is always grooming her and looking out for her. They are frequently seen cuddled up together on a blanket under a radiator.

She has managed the stairs well and races around at high speed, chasing and jumping on the other cats in the house. She is keen to play with them all, though this is not always reciprocated! Although she has ventured out side into the enclosed rear garden, she prefers the warmth of a radiator or a snug bed.

Her favourite thing to do is to dig soil out of the houseplants and wildly chase the soil around. She has lots of toys but prefers to make her own entertainment! She also loves watching snow fall onto the window, trying to catch the flakes as they melt and watching the rain drip down the window. At night she likes to sleep on the bed, joining the other cats and her new owner.

For anyone considering adopting a ‘challenge’ cat, I would definitely recommend it. Flo is a very much loved member of the family and has integrated well with the other cats. She also seems to be in her element and is having a great deal of fun causing the maximum amount of mischief!

One such ‘challenge’ cat that we have had in our care for some time and who is desperate for a home is Thomas. A picture of Thomas and details about the type of home he is looking for can be found here.