For cat lovers only...

[dutchman]

Missing cat found in Coventry - 300 miles from home



A cat which disappeared from its home in Scotland has turned up more than 300 miles away in Coventry.

Cara and Colin McBurnie spent hours looking for Beans to no avail after he vanished from his home in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire in late October.

The couple were stunned to receive a call from charity Cats Protection weeks later informing them the ginger and white feline had been identified from his microchip in the West Midlands after sleeping in an outdoor cat box.

They said they had “no idea” how he ended up south of the border after a 600-mile round trip to bring him home.

Ms McBurnie, 40, said Beans loves to be outdoors and in gardens - and had gone out as normal on the day he disappeared.

She said: "We searched and searched, looking everywhere. I've been out every day looking but thought something must have happened to him.

"I didn't really expect to see him again but joined lots of local lost-and-found Facebook pages, then further afield in Scotland.

"I didn't think to look in England, I didn't imagine he could have gone that far."

Beans was spotted by Kelly Ryan, who noticed a cat “hanging around” an outdoor cat box.

She said she saw him sleeping in the box one night and he returned the following evening.

Ms Ryan later put a post on Facebook after becoming concerned he may be lost and was contacted by Cats Protection, who sent out a volunteer to check for and scan his microchip.

Ms Ryan said: “I didn't feed him straight away as I thought he was probably owned, then one night saw him sleeping in the cat box and he was still there the next day, then the one after that.

"I just gave him a few biscuits to start with but heard he was going to visit other neighbours too and it felt like he was around too much and that something wasn't quite right."

"I was so relieved when he had a chip and a loving family who had registered him as missing.”

The owners were called by Cats Protection, and packed up their car for the trip.

Ms McBurnie was “shocked and relieved” to find Beans was not only alive, but grateful to come back home.

"When we got him back, we let him out in the car for a cuddle then put him back in his carrier for the long journey,” she said.

"We were all exhausted and he slept in the bed all night by my husband. Even my other cat, Missy, was happy to see him - they usually keep a bit of a distance but had a nice moment and a sniff together.

"I'm so glad we had him microchipped and updated his record. There's no way he'd have come back to us otherwise."

Madison Rogers, Cats Protection associate director of advocacy, campaigns and external affairs, said: "It's a real testament to the power of the microchip that Beans could be reunited with his owners just 24 hours after being scanned.

"Without a chip it's unlikely Beans would ever have found his way back to the family who love him so much."

[rebbonk]

[dutchman]

Guide dog kennel cat rules the roost



A cat who has made himself at home at a guide dog training centre "rules the roost", according to staff.

Black and white former stray Sylvester turned up at the Guide Dogs Leamington Spa site in 2016 and "never left".

In between submitting to the occasional fuss, he helps train the pups and has amassed his own fan club through monthly features on the dog care team's Facebook page.

Dog wellbeing technician Sarah Cooper said Sylvester was unfazed by his canine companions and "will go in the blocks and sleep in the kennels with the dogs if he wants to".

"You'll find him asleep in their beds," she added.

Sylvester turned up at the Warwick New Road site as a one-year-old, shortly after a previous kennel cat died.

He is the third cat to live on site since the team leader started her Guide Dogs career 18 years ago.

"We like a cat here, for the dogs' sake really, for training them," Ms Cooper said.

"We had him microchipped, vaccinated, castrated, de-flead, wormed, and then he stayed."

Sylvester's presence helps test the dogs for what trainers call "cat distraction", Ms Cooper explained.

"He likes to stroll and just sit in the middle while dogs are trying to work on an obstacle course. He likes to jump out on dogs as well.

"It's very good because not all of the dogs will have been exposed to cats with their puppy-raisers, external."

She said if dogs, who arrive for training at about 14 months old, run at Sylvester or bark "he won't bat an eyelid".

"It's good you know if there's going to be an issue before you get that dog in harness," she added.

"We do get dogs withdrawn occasionally if their cat distraction's too bad."

Ms Cooper started running Sylvester Sunday posts, external, on the first weekend of each month, because she got sent so many pictures of him.

"It's a monthly update through photographic form," she explained. "He's got his own fan club now – he gets more likes than the dogs half the time."

[dutchman]

[dutchman]

Theatre-loving feline is UK's cat of the year



A ginger cat famous locally for his travel exploits has been named the UK's cat of the year in a nationwide competition.

Fizz, who is also affectionately known as the "assistant director" at a local theatre company due to his dedicated rehearsal attendance, beat thousands of felines by taking first place in the awards run by charity Cats Protection, external on Wednesday.

Having already gained celebrity status in Llandrindod Wells, Powys, Fizz has more than 2,300 online followers snapping him out wandering, whether that's halting the British Bowling Championships or crashing someone's wedding day.

Fizz's owner, Briony Loder, 59, said his adventures have "connected the town together" and thanked everyone for loving her "very unique" cat.



"Fizz Wanderer, as he's affectionately known by the whole town, is a sassy little cat with so much personality," said Briony.

Anonymously nominated for the award by one of his fans, Fizz was just seven months old when he started networking around town, Briony said, which initially would send her into "meltdowns" of worry about his whereabouts.

She initially put out a plea to the town's local Facebook page when Fizz went missing overnight, in the hope people would let her know if they spotted him, so she could bring him home.

But before she knew it, Fizz was being spotted in the bank, bingo, job centre, school, library, supermarket, post office, bowls clubs and theatre.

The postman will drop Fizz home along with her post, Briony said, and she too considers herself a "mum taxi" as she often collects Fizz from her travels.

As well as celebrating the Cat of the Year award, Fizz also scooped first prize for "most connected cat" by a panel of celebrity judges, winning a trophy and prize package, including a £200 pet store voucher.

Fizz received recognition for the "joy he has brought to the whole community" and how his love for adventure has brought people together far and wide.



Briony said there have been "several big moments" that stand out among his adventures, one of which being when Fizz strutted on stage at the local theatre when Kaleb Cooper from Clarkson's Farm was mid-performance.

She said she now only gets to see Fizz for about 15 minutes each day for a feed and some cuddles, but she has learned to take his wandering ways "with a pinch of salt".

"I love him to bits but fully acknowledge that he's not just my cat… he's the town cat," she said.

"I'm so proud of the way he embraces life to the full and how he makes such a difference to people's lives.

"People always have a smile on their face when they talk to me about Fizz."

Jeff Knott, from Cats Protection, said: "The standard this year was exceptionally high, but Fizz's love of adventure and numerous escapades have won us over.

"In a digital age, when communities can feel so fragmented, it's heart-warming to see how the simple, reassuring presence of a cat can bring so much love and joy."