By: Tracey Baines
I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It’s not. Mine had me trained in two days. –
Bill Dana
So I was lucky enough to adopt my first cat, Pheobe, back in January 2014.
Phoebe was 10 years old then; quite quiet and happy to enjoy chilled days, plenty of fuss and the the odd little potter outside (coming in after about 10 minutes).
Back then I was happy to not become the ‘Crazy cat lady’, acquiring cat after cat – one cat is plenty; after all, they are solitary animals.
Yes, one will do me, suits my lifestyle, she is happy on her own and that was that…
… until we visited my sister in Scotland in 2017. Shortly after arriving, my brother-in-law tells us: “I can hear meeowing outside at the workshop”, so off we trot and find this tiny little scrawny scared thing hiding under the pallet outside.
It did not eat any of the food we left for it overnight and just hid, frozen with fear.
So the next morning, three of us headed out armed with towels, blankets and food. After much strategising, chasing, slipping on the undergrowth and finally catching – we got her.
I rushed into the house and gave her some food, she fell asleep on us straight away and we made sure we kept her away from the three dogs! We asked around (social media, etc.) but no-one was missing her….the vet confirmed no microchip……so she left her tartan roots behind and became an honorary Geordie.
The name Fern seemed suitable, as we finally caught her amongst the ferns.
She was amazingly very bright, friendly and loving and has, over time, grown into a 2.5 year old ‘Sherman Tank’ of a girl. She has many nicknames:- ‘Ernie’, ‘Twinkle toes’ and ‘Very naughty cat’ amongst others.
Fern wants to play with her big sister regularly, but being 16 and a half, she usually declines (sometimes with a bat on the head).
It is like living with a toddler and a pensioner… which makes things interesting for us as well as them.
So, I would say that one is enough, but I would also say that we would not be without our wee scottish lassie from the glens. It was meant to be.
Tracey has been a Cat Care Assistant at the Tyneside Adoption centre since our opening in August 2017, having previously studied as a veterinary nurse. Tracey loves to travel, and has previously lived in Costa Rica, where she worked in a wildlife rescue centre. Her life’s passion is animals and their care and she is lucky enough to have two beautiful cats of her own who she enjoys every day. When Tracey’s not hard at work at the centre, she enjoys walking, cycling, baking, remembering her own jokes and spending time with friends and family.
Cats Protection Tyneside Adoption Centre 