Cheering Cat Stories
While under the weather I had time to discover some heartwarming cat stories that I can now share with you.
I got struck down with COVID last week and it was horrible. Having avoided it for most of the pandemic, finally succumbing was awful, especially as I live only with my son and my cat, Lady Alfie, neither of who could make me a cup of tea! So, to say I was feeling sorry for myself was a bit of an understatement.
Thankfully I’m recovering well, and although I failed in teaching my cat to bring me food - in fact I had to keep up with her demands - but I forgive her because her cuddles certainly cheered me up. I also had time from my sick bed to find some heartwarming cat stories to perk me up as well. Which I am now going to share with you.
On a BBC news site, we learnt of a cat who went missing in 2012 being reunited with their owner. Actually, this highlights not only how amazing our cats are at staying safe but also how important microchipping it. The vet who found the owner of cat Clarke, a Janet Dunbar, thought there had to be a mistake in the date that Clarke was registered missing!
I, as you will know from my Alfie stories, love a happy ending and this certainly had one. It’s really a lesson in not giving up. You can see the BBC story here. And happily it will be a requirement for all cat owners in the UK to have their pets microchipped from June next year.
Another story with a happy ending is one where a kitten somehow got wedged in a shipping container and had to be rescued by firefighters in Newcastle. No idea how he got there, but his miaows and crying alerted workers that he was trapped, and subsequently he was cut free by the fire service: who named him after Fireman Sam.
He was given oxygen and taken to Westgate Ark cat rehoming centre, who after nursing him back to health for two weeks were able to re-home him with a lovely man and another cat. He is settled into that home beautifully. You can read about it here.
Both stories are worthy of an Alfie book, I think. If you have any amazing stories about cats please share them with us and we will attempt to publish them for all to enjoy on the newsletter! You can also pop them in our comments section below.
Because it’s always lovely to celebrate happy endings and how grateful we are for the resilience of our beautiful fur babies.
Famous Cat Lovers
To illustrate how worshipped our cats are, I’m going to feature famous cat lovers through history. This week’s is none other than President Abraham Lincoln.
The 16th president of the United States was a huge cat lover. He was actually the first president to bring cats to the White House.
In fact his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, was once quoted as saying that cats were her husband’s only hobby. Imagine!
There is a story that he took in strays, and even once fed a tabby cat at a state dinner. When told off for this he is reported as saying ‘If the gold fork was good enough for (former president James) Buchanan, I think it is good enough for my cat.’
They don’t make heads of states like him anymore, mores the pity!
Alfie’s Club
This week Alfie’s Club is celebrating a glorious tabby cat named Alfie, who was adopted from the PACT in Norfolk. Alfie rules the house and even though he has a cat flap he prefers to wait at the doors for someone to open them for him, very royal indeed. Alfie inspired his cat loving companion Julie to start reading the Alfie series, and loves to think of tabby Alfie having some similar adventures of his own.
If you would like to send us your pet photo details on what to send and how are can be found on via this link Alfie’s Club
Be sure to include any stories about your cat - black or otherwise - in the comments below.
Rachel Wells
Hi, hope you are feeling better. I once read in cats world magazine about a lady who was ill in bead with flue and her cat brought a mousse up for her to eat