This is dedicated cat rescue and re-homing work. I think it’s good to pick up on the good stories. It’s also good to praise people who put in a special effort to help unwanted cats.
Therefore I praise Ms Helen Smith and Mrs Lynne Dickson. Ms Smith lives in Portugal and volunteers in the local rescue centre in Tavira. She says it’s in poor condition and struggling with funding. This is not untypical.
“the care at the shelter is very basic”
Ms Smith was planning to bring her car back to the UK for its MOT. The people at the shelter thought it might be a good idea if she took with her some of the cats. Originally, she had planned to take 3 cats to homes in Manchester. Then the list grew to 7 cats as the news spread that she was coming over to the UK. Ms Smith agreed to take them but stopped at 7 and I can understand that.
In fact, 2 of them are going by sea from the north of Scotland to the Orkney Islands. That is quite a journey from Portugal.
It took them 5 days to get from the Algarve in Portugal to the north of Scotland. They encountered some difficulties such as blizzards in the Pyrenees. There were whiteout conditions. In addition, there were difficult traffic conditions to deal with. You can imagine the difficulty that presents with 7 cats in the back of your car!
When they stopped over in San Sebastian in Spain the cats got the bedroom and the ladies slept on a pull-out bed. The cats got first class treatment.
No doubt it was quite an experience. However, it must’ve been stressful at times for everyone. We have to recognise that this journey must have been tough for the cats too.
Having one cat in a car going to the veterinarian for a checkup is stressful enough for me. To have 7 in the back of your car for 5 days travelling 2000 miles through 4 different countries represents a challenge which these two ladies successfully surmounted.
The sad side to this story is that there weren’t enough adopters in Portugal. But if this exhausting but exhilarating adventure saved the lives of 7 cats, it has to be a major success.
Story source (thanks). And the background painting in the picture is by Guy MOLL on Flickr.
I have no idea what MOT is. But, these women deserve praise and a huge thank you.
The MOT in the UK is an obligatory check on the mechanics of the vehicle carried out once a year. Without it you can’t drive the car