I believe in giving back to the community where I can. I have always tried to volunteer at a variety of charities my whole life. Now it may seem I am a little cat orientated, but that is because so many charities, particularly overseas, only really help dogs and horses/donkeys. I love and adore dogs, horses and donkeys, but I have always been a supporter of the underdog - or undercat as the case may be - hence why I have often been so involved in cat charities. I am just going to list the charities I have either worked at or volunteered at in the last couple of years and I hope if you have any extra money you would like to donate, or even leave something in your will, you would consider one of these charities.
- Caring 4 Cats in Yorkshire has a wonderful charity shop in the historic town of Beverley and lots of gorgeous cats looking for their purrrfect home.
- The Donkey Sanctuary does amazing work all over the world, helping donkeys and mules in need. I met the charities founder Elizabeth Svendsen, may she rest in peace, on holiday in Antigua. When I proudly told her I had 2 horses, she replied she had over 4000 donkeys! We became firm friends and she was a truly remarkable women and an inspiration to us all.
- Green Island Animal Sanctuary is based in Budaors, Hungary. Even if you can't read Hungarian, their bank details are easy to find if you want to donate. They do fantastic work in very difficult circumstances, as Hungary is not a wealthy country. All of the animals in their care are loved and receive the best possible veterinary care.
- Parkgate Pony Sanctuary is in the Wirral. I am embarrassed to admit, that due to the surgery on my leg, I have only been out to volunteer at this charity a couple of times. However it is an awesome sanctuary and it needs your help!
I can't finish this page without mentioning my precious little Hope. Hope was a 6 week old kitten who was seriously ill with panleukopenia (or cat parvovirus as some of you may know the disease) as well as cat flu. She came from the shelter and we did not think she would survive the night. Hope was a fighter though! She was so incredibly tiny she could squeeze out between the bars of her cage, after which she would climb right to the top of the cages!!! For over a week Hope fought for her life. For some reason Hope didn't like anyone else in the surgery, but when she saw me she would start to purrr and cry, and try and run over to see me. I said that if Hope survived a week she would get a name and she would come home with me. We all thought Hope would make it, and she was duly named and preparations started to be made for her to come home, as she was so much better. The morning before she was due to be discharged I found her fitting and unconscious. She died in my arms. If I had one wish, it wouldn't be that I would be rich or get everything I want in life, it would be that Hope had been allowed to grow up into a big strong cat and know what it was to play and feel the sun on her whiskers. This is why vaccinations are so important for kittens and puppies. Rest in Peace my beautiful little Hope. I will always love and miss you.
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I leave you with a gallery of a very small selection of the cats I have helped in Hungary. I have many more pics of lots of other cats but I didn't want a picture overload! These cats for whatever reason were particularly special. Some had been seriously ill before being re-homed, others were hard to re-home (and had been deemed hopeless cases) due to temperament, looks etc. Some just stole my heart.
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