The Cats
Currently we have two cats living on the Farm and Stable yards. Semi-feral cats can often be found living on farmyards and around stables, where they help with a very important job... pest control! As you can imagine, an environment like a farm is quite a comfy place for a mouse or a rat - lots of nice warm places to live and hide away and lots of food to eat. It's impossible for us to completely mouse proof the animal enclosures, so the cats have their work cut out!
On a nice day you will usually find them in a sunny spot, basking in the sunshine, when it’s a bit colder, they take shelter in the hay barn or stealing chairs in the offices!
We have Panda, who came from Croydon Cats Protection Society, he is often seen in the sunniest parts of the farm sunbathing, keep an eye out for him around the rubbish bins or picnic area. Tommy is our newest addition, from Star Boarding. He lives in the feed room and can be seen roaming around the yard. Semi-feral means a domesticated animal that's reverted back to being a bit more wild, but are often used to living around humans. Panda quite likes some of the staff members, so you'll often see him sitting around keeping a watchful eye on people and being nosy about what we're up too. Tommy is gaining more confidence with people and if you are lucky he will let you stoke him.
They do an excellent job keeping our mouse population in check, so it's rare you'll ever see any sneaky mice on the farm!
Re-homing cats
Our recent cats came from the Cats Protection Society, one of many groups specialising in re-homing unwanted pets. There are thousands of unwanted cats (not to mention other animals!) awaiting adoption in centres across the UK, so it's well worth looking into if you're looking to get a new pet. There are many places, big and small, that have rescue animals awaiting loving new homes, so it's worth while having a look around.
There are lots of other advantages to re-homing or adopting cats from a centre rather than independently or from breeders. Often the adoption centres might offer financial assistance for veterinary care, will neuter your cat and ensure it has a clean bill of health before they leave.
Not to mention the feeling of giving an animal a loving home, when they may not have come from the best of circumstances!