In December 2003, a member contacted Jane Regan: her friend had gone to have her car serviced in a garage in Barking and noticed some kittens running around. She asked the owner about them. He had been feeding the mum and kittens and they were feral. The conditions were not ideal as they lived among sand, mud and oil. The RSPCA where contacted as they needed to be trapped and neutered. They weren't interested, so the inevitable happened - more kittens were born. On Christmas day, after Jane had been feeding them for 2 days, she realized the cats wouldn't be fed until after New Year. She trapped 3 of the kittens and the mum, but had to let the mum go as may have been feeding other kittens. The kittens, all eight weeks old, went ot PussyCat Lodge: 1 white/tabby male Lennox; 1 white/black male Lewis; and 1 female black/white Linda.
On Boxing Day, December 2003, Jane and Lauren went to visit the site. They witnessed a kitten fall out of an engine, and nearly get run over when the car reversed. Action needed to be taken immediately. Two more kittens were trapped: 1 male called Peter and 1 female called Annabelle, both tabby, about five months old. They went to live with Lauren.
Jane had to wait until the owner of the garage came back on 3rd Jan to confirm that there were only 5 kittens. With his help they trapped the mum, but the dad took one and half hours to eventually trap. He had an old injury to his back leg, which had been hanging loose and gashed for about a year.
They were all wormed, treated for fleas and given proper food and lots of tender loving care (our specialty) and the parents were neutered. The dad's damaged leg has been removed and has healed well. These cats, although used to humans, needed someone kind with a stable near the house. Mum is tabby and white, called Martha, and dad a tabby, called Wilson.
Martha (renamed Oakie) now has a home with two other white feral cats at Chigwell Row Guide Camp site under the watchful eye of the warden Yvonne. They have their own shed and plenty of room to roam around. They occasionally even join in a Girl Guide camp fire, especially if there are sausages!
The 2 older kittens now living with Lauren are coming along nicely, but Lauren is hardly at home and they need more concentrated attention, to bring them around. Annabelle is lovely and can be held in your arms. Both have started playing and neither are nasty, just nervous, as they don't understand what has happened to them.
In the photo above you will see the conditions the cats where living in. Notice the wooden trap in the photo, this was made by Dennis
Dec 2003
