Jones' Story

Hello everyone. My name is Jones. Let me tell you my story...

I'm a 1-2 year old (not exactly sure - I lost count ages ago) ginger fella who, along with my sister, was turfed out into a garden after our loving owner died. Some lovely people were helping us survive by feeding us and despite our traumatic change in circumstances we were still very friendly cats. However, living in a garden obviously couldn't go on forever, so they phoned round all the rescues to try to find us a space...but everywhere was full to bursting. Luckily, after several weeks, Friends of Felines agreed to take us, despite not really having space. Unfortunately, by that time my sister has disappeared, so I was trapped on my own. My sister is still out there somewhere and people are trying to find her to rescue her, but at least I'm safe now.

Remember how they didn't really have space though? Well, that was no exaggeration. There was no room at the shelter. Literally none. So I spent my first few nights in a downstairs loo in the main house. And I was just done.

When Chris the Web Guys came to take my photos, I was sitting by the toilet with my head buried in the corner. Not hissing. Not spitting. Not moving. Not purring. Not eating.

Not doing anything.

Chris managed to get me to lift my head up enough to get a few shots but that took 20 minutes of gentle pets and him telling me it’ll all be ok. Not sure who he was trying to convince most if I’m honest. I don't think he could bear the thought of him spending my days and nights in a toilet. He put out an emotional special appeal on the Facebook page and lots of wonderful people offered me at least a temporary home, so that gave me hope that I might some day be able to live in a house with a family again. Oh, and after a few days a pen did become vacant in the main shelter, so at least I'm not in a loo any more. I'm still longing for a home though, preferably with my sister if she can be found.

Would you consider me as your forever buddy? My world has crumbled, I'm still very lost in it, but I'm getting better every day.

Thank you.

Jones' New Mum's Story 

Cats have featured in my life since I was 11.  When I got to 21, my husband and I got our first 2 cats from a rescue center and then cats started 'finding us'.  Strays waiting at our front door, feral kittens in the middle of nowhere, feral kitten in the garden to a toothless cat on a building site.  All needing homes and .... they all got one ..... ours!  To date, we have rescued, one way or another, 17.  At one point we had 7, together for many years.

The story I am about to impart to you begins 7 years ago when I was adamant that I would get involved in rescuing a feral cat of 6 years that 'belonged' to my neighbour.  I would be in tears seeing him with deep bite wounds, a bald tail (stud tail), thin and hungry.  So, I began feeding him till one day I had had enough and with help from the RSPCA, I somehow got hold of him, manhandled him into a cat carrier and trotted him off to the vets "to be fixed"!  Suffice to say, he never went 'home' again and nobody ever challenged me either.  This cat quickly became my "soul cat".  He was far from being an easy cat but I loved him, no matter what.  He would be the first thing I saw in the morning and the last at night.  If it is possible to be in love with your cat, I was.

Then came late October 2023, Gingie had a few niggling problems, nothing major but they all started to mount up.  I plucked up the courage to take him to the vet, crying to the vet I said that I cannot lose him.  This came off the back of loosing 4 cats in the 3 preceding years so tensions were quite high, to say the least.

I shall cut a long story short.  Through my own research I asked the vet to test him for FeLV and FIV to which said vet was astonished that I would ask such a thing (I changed vets btw).  The test came back positive for FIV.  All the little problems he had been having now all made sense.  So devastated was I that I crawled up into a ball in my bedroom and cried so hard it hurt.  I was also so angry that because his former owner hadn't bothered to neuter him, not only had he been fighting and roaming and possibly impregnating other female cats, he had caught FIV through those bite wounds to which there is no cure and no vaccine.

FIV end stage took hold very quickly, sadly and we knew that "that decision" was going to have to be made sooner than we ever hoped for.

I don't really recall why I investigated the Friends of Felines website when all I wanted was my Gingie to be ok.  I think I just wanted to see some lovely pussy cats and any diversion from what we were experiencing would be very welcome.  But something rather wonderful happened in all the devastation and heartbreak.   I looked at the photos of the cats needing homes and I saw the photo of Jones.  Immediately, upon seeing his sweet face, I said out loud "that's my Pumpkin".  

I read Jones' story and it broke my heart but I immediately identified with the part about him being broken.  I too had stopped eating and enjoying life.  It all seemed a bit pointless really.  Every day, sometimes several times a day, I would read and re-read Jones' story and look at his sweet sad face utterly unable to proceed.  It went on like this for several weeks.

Exactly a week before Christmas came the crushing reality that no more could be done for Gingie and that it 'was time'.  The tears started immediately upon opening the door to Linkswood vets.  Robert at usual was fabulous.  He too had wanted so much for Gingie to respond to something, anything!  I picked Gingie up and he 'went' in my arms with me crying into his fur.

Needless to say, Christmas for us was cancelled.  I wanted the world to stop, I wanted to get off!

Every day, I still kept looking at the Friends of Felines website and only going there for one reason, to see that sweet beautiful face again.  It felt like a 'calling' or perhaps a mild obsession!

A little while passed and I decided to take a leap of faith and do something about it.  Even though I was grieving I had a strong sense that I didn't want to miss the opportunity that was Jones.  I went onto the Friends of Felines website and searched for Jones BUT, he wasn't there.  His sweet face had gone.  My heart skipped a beat and when I investigated the adopted cats, there he was.  He was somebody else's.  Of course I was happy that he had a home and I wished him a long and happy life but I felt so deflated.  We were ships that had passed.

Now cue the odd bit to some but quite normal for me.  From the moment Jones was adopted by someone else I said "he's going to come back on, that adoption won't work out, I can feel it".  Every day, I checked the website and then to my amazement, I was right, a few weeks later, Jones' face appeared once more on the available list.  There was no one else in the house at the time and I think I shrieked whilst laughing with tears rolling down my face.  This time, they were happy tears.

Now came the difficult bit of talking to my husband (he knew very little of what I had been up to) about us getting another cat.  We had said we would get no more after Gingie and explore the possibility of travelling or a holiday.  The last time we had one of those the year had a 19 on the front of it!  But, wanting to see me happy, he went along with it.

I plucked up the courage to fill out the forms, my heart pounding, wondering if I/we would be good enough.  Do we fit the criterior?  Is my home nice enough?  Then, a day later, Ally called.  She started the conversation with something like "hello, you lovely lovely person ...." etc.  What Ally didn't realise was that tears were softly rolling down my cheeks.

Jones was with the loveliest of fosters and I identified with her immediately, a woman called Kate.  She had been fostering Jones for 3 months or so.  I had a little chat with her over the phone and arranged a visit.  And that is when it happened.  We get to Kate's house, my husband is first through the door, catches sight of Jones and is immediately captivated by him .... job done!  We play with him for a while and ask lots of questions.  Kate had done a fabulous job of making this cat happy again.

We bring him home 3 days later and he very quickly settles in.  We start to get to know each other and developing a bond, which takes a little time.  We went from having a sad house to one which is filled with a cat that is so happy and alive, it's infectious.  I have to say, I don't know who rescued who but Jones, who is now officially called Pumpkin, has helped massively to mend my broken heart.  It is possible to grieve and love at the same time.  After all, grief is just love with nowhere to go.

Pumpkin has been with us for 3 months now and he is nearly 6kg.  He bounces round the house like Tigger (boing).  He is kind, affectionate, loves a lap and sits next to your face if you are lying down.  He catches the toy mouse I throw for him and drops it at my feet to repeat the process.  He is intelligent and oh so loyal.  I am sure this cat was born with wings, he just must have left them behind!

Believe me when I say that lightening can strike twice.  Pumpkin is the living embodiment of it.  You regret the things you don't do and I very nearly didn't have Pumpkin.  Not a thought I really want to linger too long over.

He is my 'velcro cat'.  He follows me everywhere, sleeps next to me and sits on me if ever I sit down.  He loves being next to you and makes sure he is touching you, always.  He is my everything!

I am forever grateful for Pumpkin and to Friends of Felines who allowed it all to happen.  What this charity does is awe inspiring.  The dedication, the work and the constant advocating for cats is astonishing.  

Sally xx