I couldn’t resist any longer! I had to write about my beautiful fur babies.
Welcome, Charlie Love-heart!
Back in the summer of 2018, we were at the vet with our poorly fur baby Suzi Q. She had been ill for a while after being diagnosed with feline Triaditis and was having her regular check-up with wonderful vet Ivan when he got called away to deal with an emergency in the operating theatre.
Twenty minutes later he returned and explained that a lady recently brought in a kitten that she’d found at the roadside. The injuries were so serious, he was in surgery having his back left leg amputated, and they couldn’t stop the artery bleeding. He also suffered a bad reaction to the anaesthetic but was still alive and fighting. He was approximately four weeks old.
We were upset by this, as any animal lover would be, and I remember just blurting out ‘will he be up for adoption when he’s recovered?’ Ivan said yes, most probably, if he pulls through. I knew at that moment that he would survive, and I also knew we would be giving him his forever home. We had another cat, Bosley, who needed another young cat for company and this kitten seemed perfect.
A week later we were back with Suzi Q and asked after him. To our surprise, they brought him into the room so we could meet him. He was the most beautiful little kitten, tabby and white, with the biggest eyes that melted your heart, but he looked helpless, with the tiniest cone I’d ever seen around his neck to stop him getting to his
stitches and a dressing on another wound on his right side, which was infested with maggots, but had been cleaned and was healing well. He had been named Fez by the brilliant staff and they pointed out a little black heart on his nose. They also said that a staff member’s brother was interested in adopting him. I was disappointed as I wanted him so much, even more so after meeting him.
On our next visit to collect medication for Suzi Q, we met Fez again and boy, had he grown! He was almost ready for his first home, and we were surprised to hear things had changed and we may be able to adopt him after all.
A phone call from the vet two days later confirmed what we had hoped and prayed for – he was ours if we wanted him and they couldn’t think of anyone better than us to give him a loving home. We were excited and scared – we’d never had a disabled animal before, but we were determined to make it work and we had so much love to give him.
We changed his name to Charlie, and after buying the extra things we needed for him, he was officially adopted on the 1st of August.
As he was still recovering from his injuries, we kept him in another room away from our boisterous Bosley – even though he was desperate to meet his new brother! Our new arrival was such a scared little boy and hid at the back of his igloo cat bed, only popping his head out when he thought no one was watching. He hadn’t even been in his litter tray overnight. We contacted the vet and had to take him to be checked over. To our relief, he was fine, but we had to keep a close watch on him. Thankfully, a couple of hours later he had been in his tray.
Suzi Q and Charlie accepted each other straight away, which was wonderful as she was an older cat and needed her space and he never bothered her once.
After a few days Charlie had gained more confidence, so we brought his cage downstairs but still kept him and Bosley apart. We had to ensure Charlie had plenty of rest and quiet. It was comical seeing them both on either side of the cage; it was obvious both wanted to get closer and check each other out. Bosley would lay on top of the cage and put his paw through a gap in the wire and Charlie would stretch up and try to touch the paw.
Later that day, our friend came to see Charlie for the first time. He was so friendly and laid on her lap for ages, purring loudly, totally content. Bosley took the opportunity to investigate the inside of the cage, and pinch Charlie’s dinner!
After a while, Charlie sat up, saw Bosley on the floor, and quickly jumped down next to him. We panicked, with Bosley being a bit older and bigger, that he might hurt his brother, but we needn’t have worried. After checking each other out, Charlie went to his cage and Bosley followed him. Before too long they were both fast asleep.
They became closer every day and as Charlie got stronger, they were soon chasing each other around the house and often curled up together to sleep. Eventually, we could feed the three of them together. Charlie growled if the other two went near his food, but that didn’t last long and they soon ate out of each other’s bowls. We sadly lost Suzi Q in December of that year and still miss her terribly.
Fast forward almost seven years to 2025 and we had our hearts broken once again. We lost our precious Bosley after he developed tumours in his chest. So Charlie was on his own for the first time in his life. Later that year we adopted two rescue kittens, Buddy and Lexie, who are brother and sister. We were worried about how Charlie would react to them and were warned by the RSPCA that it could take a long time for him to accept the kittens. It took two days! The three of them have bonded so well and the kittens adore their big brother.
Despites Charlie’s terrible start in life, he is such a lovable boy, and you would never know he had a disability. When he goes back to the vet for his yearly booster and check-up, he hides under his blanket in his cat carrier. I always wonder if he thinks we’re going to leave him there. There is no chance of that. The day we adopted him he had his forever home and he and the kittens are loved very much.
It was fate that brought Charlie love-heart into our lives, and we’ll always be forever grateful that we were able to adopt him.
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