Animal Rescue with Marion Garnett

ONE of our neighbours has been busy recently.

And, when we saw what they had done, we couldn’t believe our eyes – and nether could our cat who loves their garden.

They had created a beautiful path, framed by stones, starting at the fence dividing our two gardens and leading into their garden. The path starts at the only place in the fence where the cat can squeeze underneath - the path invites him in and he loves it.

A story emerged last month of two neighbours whose gardens were divided by close boarded fencing. One had a German Shepherd dog who kept jumping up to look over the fence and see into the other garden. Each time the dog jumped, he could only catch a fleeting glimpse of the garden.

So, the other neighbour cut two eye holes and a hole big enough for the dog’s large pointy nose, lower down the fence, enabling the dog to peer in whenever he wanted.

We hear a lot about neighbours who don’t like animals but I’d love to hear your stories about how your neighbour has been particularly kind to your pet. Have they gone out of their way to make your pet feel welcome? Do let me know at marion@garnett.online

Feeling welcome is important. The welcome these kittens had into the world was to be born to a mother who had nowhere to give birth except under a bush in a garden. Fortunately for them, Hounslow Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) picked them up when they were nine days old and took them into foster care. Mum is timid but the kittens are very friendly and should be homed in pairs.

Bella (tabby) is the smallest, Lola (white) behaves like a diva, Luna (black and white) has slightly fluffy fur and Smudge (black and white) is the only boy. If you could welcome two of these kittens into your life, call HAWS on 020 8560 5443.

If you would like to be made welcome somewhere, the Cats Protection Shop on Pitshanger Lane W5 is desperate for volunteers. The shop has recently had a makeover and is now called Cattitude Boutique selling predominantly ladies clothing. Volunteers are wanted for weekdays with times worked being flexible. Young people, over 14 years, wanting work experience are also included in the invitation to apply. If you can help, please call into the shop or phone 020 8998 3940.

Dedicated animal expert MARION

GARNETT, founder of the Ealing Animal Welfare Bazaar, continues her column