By: Kevin Racey
I’m Kev, I’ve worked at the Tyneside Adoption Centre as a Cat Care Assistant since October 2018, with five years previous experience at the Warrington Adoption Centre. Over the past 18 months, I’ve adopted two cats from our centre to add to our little clan.
Before starting in October 2018 I promised myself that I wouldn’t be bringing any more cats home with me. I already had two cats about to hit their teenage years, I felt my home was definitely complete. That was before I met Willow (formerly Tonks). Willow was the smallest of her litter by far, and one of my first tasks on my very first day at the adoption centre was conducting the health check for her and her litter mates when they arrived into our care – it was fate!
We had no intention of rehoming a cat so soon, but Willow was the last of her litter and had been alone for a little while.
It was a quiet Saturday afternoon when I saw Willow staring at me from her pen as I was walking away, something told me that I couldn’t just leave her there. We were about to close for the Christmas period and without her litter mates I couldn’t bare the thought of her being without the company of other cats for weeks with no opportunity to be rehome during that time.
Without realising, I’d already bonded with her over the previous six weeks as she required medication daily due being ill when she was admitted. She was already the smallest and weakest of the four, underdeveloped and unlikely to grow to full size with a tiny stump of a tail. She required extra care from her first days and the whole team were excellent in providing the love she needed. With all of the attention we give our cats, despite growing up in a shelter, she became an adorably affectionate little thing.
I brought my family in to see her the next morning and they fell in love with her instantly! She was so happy to see everyone and seemed to have an instant bond with my wife and children.
It took her only a few hours to settle in once we got her home, she took to her sanctuary room very quickly and it soon felt like she’d been with us forever!
Willow has turned from a cute kitten into my near constant companion. If I’m at home, she is right there next to me. She greets me first thing in the morning and then it’s playtime constantly, she loves to play fetch with my kids’ Nerf gun darts which could last for hours if she had the chance.
Willow is the most affectionate cat I have ever had in my life and I feel lucky to be her owner, she brings the whole family so much joy and love! I can’t imagine my life without her!
Partners in Crime!
Kev has been a Cat Care Assistant at the Tyneside Adoption Centre since 2018, prior to which he was a part of the team at Warrington Adoption centre for five years. When Kev’s not busy falling in love with the cats at the centre, he’s busy caring for his two sons, playing video games, reading, and enjoying the occasional pint.
Cats Protection Tyneside Adoption Centre 