“Most cats give birth to a litter of between one and nine kittens. The largest known litter ever produced was 19 kittens, of which 15 survived.”
[source: https://www.factretriever.com/cat-facts ]

2 December 2012
Cat pens update: new arrival Molly very shy but friendly, a beautiful grey and white girl. Todd is reserved, had a long cuddle with him today, will miss him but so pleased this elderly soul has found a home! Harry full of beans, desperate to play. Poor Felicity and Fred, both now receiving eardrops for mites and cringing when we go in to see them in anticipation! Fudge as lovely as ever, and Angel and Piper snuggling together in their warm bed. Poor Aaron, the local feral cat we feed, was round early for his breakfast, gave him an extra large helping due to the cold weather.

1 December 2013
Cat Pens Update: Hamish much better and desperate for some Dreamies treats. Toby much more confident, wide-eyed and quietly handsome. Princess and Bumble enjoying adventures in the corridor (please someone give them a country home where they have fields to explore). Felix enjoying her warm bed and a cuddle; likewise Max and Maggie are affection incarnate.

My cat has the following words of wisdom for cat owners:

“Never wake me when I am sleeping. Just like you, I enjoy my slumber!”

13 November 2011
Lots of lovely cats at the pens, my favourite is sleek black Molly. Meanwhile Millie is still licking you hand nonstop and poor Bruno is just desperate to escape!

By Rachel H Grant

 The trees wore their new colours with pride, gold, green, and red intertwined like a designer cloak.

Kitty’s red collar sparkled in the twilight. She loved playing in the autumn leaves, her tortoiseshell fur merging with their colours like a tapestry in motion. She jumped in to the pile of leaves, as they leapt with her: red, gold and yellow pieces of poetry falling all around.

Lauren smiled happily at the kitchen window, hands deep in soap bubbles, all the colours of autumn leaves caressing her.

Two years later, her hands were once more immersed in warm bubbles, as the tears streamed from her eyes, falling like leaves looking for a better tomorrow.

One month since Kitty had passed, her collar sitting lifeless on a shelf, red like a leaf saying goodbye to summer.

Leaves blew around the garden, as her thoughts were a whirlwind of grief. Soundless mieaws assailed her ears with their absence. Days passed like dominoes, falling down one by one like autumn leaves.

As Lauren swept leaves one Sunday afternoon, a sudden wind played with them like the paw of a mother cat. A flurry of dancing leaves rose in the air, a ballet of rustic colours. Pirouettes spun the leaves together, forming the shape of a cat in mid-air. Then they just hung there, unmoving.

Lauren stared, mouth open. The leaves stood still, the wind whispering around them conspiratorially. Then slowly the cat moved, flying over the garden wall, and spinning down the lane beyond, finally stopping at its end.

Lauren stumbled through the garden gate as the cat disintegrated, leaves sadly leaving their friends like autumn kissing farewell to summer. She wished to grab some of the leaves, to hold them and feel their feline magic, to squeeze them to her chest like holding Kitty’s paw one last time.

The leaves whistled in the wind as they dispersed. Beneath them lay a pile of leaves with something in the middle. A black bubble of autumn magic … a kitten, scared and cold, cuddling in the leaves as if they could protect her. A white paw flexed, nervously. The wind blew stronger. A haunting poem accosted Lauren’s ears: the silent cries of a lost cat.

She picked the kitten up. A deep purred vibrated against her hands. The kitten closed its eyes. It had found a home. The wind eased, as leaves played around her feet.

“Autumn, I will call you Autumn,” she whispered. The wind whistled in reply. Lauren did not look back as she returned to the house. Leaves flew in the air behind her, forming the shape of a cat once more. But there was no one to see.

Weeks passed. Autumn grew strong and happy, as the trees outside wore their bare branches with relaxed resignation, waiting for the winter sun to brighten them once more. In another world, leaves played together as if autumn would never end. If you listened very carefully at the foot of the trees, you could almost hear them, a feline purr of pleasure.

“Some cats have survived falls of over 65 feet (20 meters), due largely to their “righting reflex.” The eyes and balance organs in the inner ear tell it where it is in space so the cat can land on its feet. Even cats without a tail have this ability.”
[source: https://www.factretriever.com/cat-facts%5D

Thanks to Facebook, I receive lovely reminders of my time volunteering at the cat pens.

30 October 2011
Two gorgeous newbies at the pens: Millie and Harry, 11 and 12 years old, and does Millie like to lick your hand! Mine was raw by the end of the shift!

28 October 2012
Cat pens: good luck to Tizzy and Casper who have moved on to new homes! New arrivals are Fudge, a gorgeous chocolate box ginger cat, and Piper and Angel who are incredibly shy – but friendly – hiding under their blankets. Meanwhile Kiki is coming out of her shell, and George was desperate for attention. Stoker and Todd in good spirits, and Alfie singing as usual – he is reserved so probably won’t be there next week.

20 October 2013
Cat pens update: six kittens plus weary mother! All tabby bar one black, seven weeks old. Adorable beyond words. Also today, my favourites Munchkin and Tigger were rehomed to a lovely couple. Less good news re: Aaron (pictured). Our resident feral “pet” hasn’t been seen for 10 days. Speed home safely Aaron…

(update: Aaron returned home safely shortly after this post.)