2 Isle of Wight cat fans have lived like rescue moggies for a day to give their feline counterparts a much-needed funding boost.
Volunteers at Cats Protection’s Isle of Wight Adoption Centre – Sarah Whitter, 49, and Dave Dickson, 67, have raised over £1,000 after spending 24 hours each locked in a pen with company-loving cats Bella and Hovis.
The duo retreated to the pens at 15:00 before settling down for dinner, bedtime, breakfast and lunch with the cats, only being allowed out for toilet breaks. Sarah chose to sleep upright in a chair with her sleeping bag and pillow, with black and white Bella settling on her feet, while Dave had a reclining seat along with warm bedding and black puss Hovis visiting for affection.
Sarah says:
“The cattery and the pens are wonderful but they’re not the same as a real home. I’m an outgoing person who likes my freedom and for 24 hours that was taken away, which was hard to psychologically adjust to. I’m proud to have done it. It wasn’t always easy especially when all the cats around us seemed to use their litter trays at about 9:00!”
Dave adds:
“I wanted to do the lock-in to raise some funds for the charity; I’ve been a volunteer for three years and the staff at the Isle of Wight Adoption Centre do such a fantastic job looking after all the cats and homing them that I wanted to support them. I found the experience quite enlightening. It went quicker than I thought. It gives you an appreciation for what a cat who has come from a home environment into a pen may feel like. I wanted to highlight that and help to get the cats into homes sooner.”
Emma Duffield, Volunteer Team Leader, says:
“We’re all extremely impressed by Sarah and Dave’s determination to spend the full 24 hours in the pens. It initially sounds fun but the pens are specially designed for cats with a warm, comfy sleeping cabin and outdoor-style run. However, for a human, it is very cramped and there’s certainly no en-suite!
“Sarah and Dave have already raised an amazing amount which will go a long way to helping the low stocks of food for older cats that we’ve recently been struggling to keep topped up because almost a third of the cats currently in care are 11 years old or more.”
One of the many cats looking for homes is long-haired tabby Lola, who has been at the centre for almost three months since the break-up of her previous owners’ relationship. Lola enjoys regular, short bursts of affection and loves nothing more than chasing a long piece of string. She would be best suited to being an only pet in a calm home which would need to be a good distance from her previous home in Newport to ensure she does not become stressed and confused by trying to return.
Sarah and Dave’s donation pages will be open until mid-September for anyone wishing to donate and help the cats in care: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/isle-of-wight-adoption-centre www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Sarah-Burridge9
To find out more about cats available for adoption at the centre visit www.cats.org.uk/isleofwight or call 03000 120 175.
