CAT’S LUCKY
CHECKS
“They go above and beyond for owners, giving help, reassurance and sometimes, sadly, closure.”
Penny Parker set up the rescue seven years ago after her own cat Marmite went missing and was never found.
Since then, Penny and her team of volunteers have rescued and rehomed 350 cats.
“When I lost Marmite I put up posters and people started to phone saying they thought they had her,” she said. “I got a scanner and started to check for any microchips on these cats.
“The ones who weren’t chipped I used to take to rescues but one day I phoned up and they had no spaces. I phoned my husband and said we needed a temporary run in the shed for this stray. “We never looked back.” The voluntary group survives on fundraising and would love a Mirror grant to help build another rescue cabin, holding four cats.
“We’ve got 18 cats now, mainly kittens,” said Penny. “During lockdown people have stopped neutering and spaying cats. We caught seven kittens in a derelict building at the weekend.
“I have to praise our volunteers – they’ve been out in lockdown wearing PPE equipment trying to save as many cats as they can, such as the kitten stuck in the car.”
The rescue has some permanent residents, to including Frankie Furballs, who is left with his tongue sticking out after developing an illness called eosinophilic complex.
But most rescue cats can be rehomed and often transform people’s lives. Penny gets calls from elderly people fearing they would be refused a cat. She added: “We had a fella who was 90 and he said: ‘I still drive and can get to the vets’. So I told him he could have a cat.
“Many were so thrilled to have company in lockdown – one lady said she’d have had a breakdown without hers, rehomed from us. It sits on her lap all day, giving great comfort.”
We want to hear about brilliant projects in your community and how they might use funding to help them thrive again.
We’re giving away £100,000 as a helping hand in conjunction with the
Pride of Britain fund, with 50 projects to receive £1,000 and 20 to get £2,500.
Visit to nominate or apply. Select which fund you are applying for and give information about how the funding will be used.
Funds will be granted to those community projects that judges feel have had a tangible and positive impact on the needs of the local community during these difficult times. Think small projects with a big heart that have had a huge impact. So don’t miss out. Apply today.