Staycation Cat

14/02/2025

❤️Happy Birthday (+ Valentine’s) Willows❤️

❤️Happy 15th Birthday (+ Valentine’s) to our cosy little shelter. We’d LOVE a BIGGER space to do even more, better. So if you can spare ££ for our ongoing crowdfunder visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/willows-cats-Brick-Fund-2023-24

📸If you’ve ever adopted from us, share photos of your ex-Willow’s kitty below.

A BIGGER SHELTER means we could help a few extra cats, like all the ones below, but also give each resident much more purrrsonal space, have a separate isolation, maternity and/or vintage cat room(s), and generally more wiggle room for Donate Day and ongoing Fundraising events).

Pictured below at the shelter’s 1st Birthday in 2011 are (L to R) ❤️SUSAN (still fostering), shelter founder Moggy Matchmaker ❤️MARIA, and ❤️CLAUDINE (still volunteering at the shelter 15 years on).

In fact, adding up all the years from Claudine and the rest of our current shelter helpers, who each volunteer for one or more shifts week-in-week-out, it totals
⭐️⭐️⭐️Over 110 years service⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maria has been rescuing and helping people find the FELINE LOVE of their LIFE for over 56 years… (almost a decade more if you count she unofficially started rescuing aged 7 + 1/2 under the guidance of her Grandmother Annie).

❤️🐱 ❤️🐱 ❤️🐱 ❤️🐱

So…. Happy 15th Birthday and thank you to…

❤️ALL our VOLUNTEERS (past and present), who have donated their precious time to help care for cats at the shelter or in foster homes or rescue them, or get them to and from vet visits.
and…

❤️ALL ADOPTERS who give a rescue cat a second chance at happiness
and…

❤️ALL our SUPPORTERS who donate food or shelter supplies, money for vet bills or donate to the brick fund towards a bigger shelter.

We couldn’t help hundreds of cats every year without your help.

One day we will realise that dream so we can continue to help even more cats for the next 15 years and beyond.

13/02/2025

preferred knee cuddles on his January statCATion because we had that ❄️icy cold snap… too cold for his little pawz.

(📸Photo taken by me and shared with permission from Alfie’s humans).

12/02/2025

Another stayCATion under his belt… got up to all sorts with the superheroes and dinosaurs of the house whilst his humans were away.

(📸Photo taken by me and shared with permission from Hamilton’s humans).

11/02/2025

Awwww my sisters kitty ex-Willows’ on her January staycation with me.

11/02/2025

Little had her first statCATion last week. A little shy at first but belly tickles by the end. She’s already secured her next booking.

(📸Photo taken by me and shared with permission from Beatrix’s humans).

05/02/2025

I blinked and 3 more weeks went by… how is it February! Busy with StayCATion Cat and Willows Cat Rescue keeping me super-busy.

and Cosmic enjoyed their recent stayCATion. Lily’s first time but she quickly took a leap of faith when the string on a stick came out. Then knee cuddles. She even sat on my shoulders like a parrot a couple of times too. Older boy Cosmic loved chasing the string and ribbons too when he wasn’t strutting about the neighbourhood. Always returning on time for tea.

(📸Photo taken by me and shared with permission from their humans).

15/01/2025

Another statCATion under their furry belts for & .

(📸Photo taken by me and shared with permission from their humans).

13/01/2025

It’s been a busy 4 weeks!

12/01/2025

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=970109458479142&id=100064402913867

‼️TEMPORARY FOSTER HOMES NEEDED‼️
is next on the list to come in but ideally we need a very SPECIALIST TEMPORARY FOSTER home for a good few months as she is a Sphynx so has some specific needs anyway, plus she has inappropriate toileting so needs retraining with a nursery pen.

Shirley V needs an always-warm environment because the Sphynx breed is furless; sadly man-made selective breeding of a genetic mutation since the 1960s. Being furless means they lose heat / can’t regulate body temperature. This breed is also known for the skin’s excessive greasy secretions; they need regular bathing to stop it building up and causing infections in the folds of the skin. Sphynxs typically have high levels of curiosity, energy, boredom, mischievousness, and neediness. Shirley also has a toileting problem that needs retraining.

Skin cancer can be a problem long term for this breed with skin directly exposed to sunlight and some other more health conditions like heart disease more prolific in Sphynx compared to other breeds. Yes, the Sphynx is a BIG commitment to take on for life.

Right now though we’re looking to place her in a temporary foster home before we even think about offering her out for adoption.

We’re always in need of extra foster homes when the shelter is full. If you think you can help foster a cat (Shirley Valentine or other kitties awaiting a foster space) send a private message.

We’re always looking for temporary FOSTERERS who…

❤️Live in South Tyneside
❤️ Specifically for Shirley an always warm environment and plenty spare time to provide stimulation, extra levels of comforting, and regular bathing required.
❤️Able to foster for AT LEAST 4 WEEKS ideally more. Specifically for Shirley longer up to 3 months.
❤️Must be mature, responsible, patient, able to observe and report back, and able to follow our socialisation process.
❤️Foster home with no babies, nor small children nor any boisterous / unpredictable older children. Kind older children who can fully comprehend and follow instructions well may be ok.
❤️No other pets, or a separate room that can still have hustle and bustle, TV, radio and constant visits etc.
❤️Own transport would be a bonus (to take to our nominated vets if ever needed).
❤️Full Instructions will be provided.

12/01/2025

& Aka ex-Willows 3-legged Teddy-Toes & ex-Willows super-shy William on their stayCATion… in August! I know… I know another post sat in drafts for aaaaaaaages whilst I was super-busy in Summer that spilled over into Autumn then carried forward into Winter! Eeeee never enough hours in the day for staycation and Willows rescue work.

(📸Photo taken by me and shared with permission from Bill & Ted’s humans).

11/01/2025

Another post sat in drafts since + ‘s stayCATion in September. Awwww two black & white delights.

(📸Photo taken by me and shared with permission from their humans).

10/01/2025

Sooooo busy for the last three months… running my business Staycation Cat, volunteering every day to help run Willows cat rescue, that this post has sat patiently in drafts! Here’s pawgous furry clients & from their stayCATion in September.

(📸Photo taken by me and shared with permission from their humans).

08/01/2025

Here’s on his December staycation. Check out those whiskers.

08/01/2025

A bit ‘spare’ time today so just looking back at some pawgous photos of my staycation furry clients. Here’s on his December staycation.

(📸Photo taken by me and shared with permission from his human).

08/01/2025

Here’s & posing on their January staycation. ‘Sis’ & ‘bro’ not pictured.

08/01/2025

Here’s posing on his December staycation.

08/01/2025

Here’s … action shot of ‘hunt the Dreamies’ on her December staycation.

08/01/2025

I hardly ever find time to post some of the pawgous photos I take because I’m always sooooo busy visiting staycation furry clients, or doing stuff for Willows rescue, or being with temporary foster cat Darwin or sitting down with my own 3 kitties Mr Gently, Mishka-Babushka and Beau-Beau-Gruffalo.

But here’s & on their latest staycation.

(📸Photo taken by me and shared with permission from their humans).