The latest news on what is happening.

2008

A few cats have been adopted these are Pepsi,Ramona,Delgao,Tumbles, Monty and Desmond. On a sadder note little Bobby had to be laid to rest. There is a beautiful picture of him in the cat gallery. There are also two new arrivals at the sanctuary a ginger cat called Garfield and a tortie called Chica.

2007

Two of the sanctuary cats have been re homed by different families they are Jack and Silk two young adult cats. Both are doing very well and the children just love them.

Most of the cats now seemed to have recovered from the virus which is 'great news'.

Recently many of the cats and kittens in the charity's care were struck down with the life threatening virus Panleukopenia and sadly despite the best efforts from everyone some died as a result of the virus. The charity strives to vaccinate all the animals that come into their care but this is only possible when funds to purchase the vaccine are available. To fully vaccinate a cat costs £29.50.

Four more kittens from Catalan Bay have been taken in by the charity.

Adoption packs-view the pictures below to see the pack in greater detail-

A few other cats and kittens have now been re homed including Terence and his sister Tina. The charity has also taken in four new cats. 

At the Fun day 6 kittens were homed and a new member was recruited.

Some new furry friends have arrived at the sanctuary one cat was taken from the vets he is a two year old male mostly white with a bit of ginger also a black female kitten that was left outside the sanctuary. The charity was called to 'Four Corners' a housing estate opposite the airport to neuter a female with six kittens. They spayed the mother and took the kittens in as they were so thin.

The charity has now prepared 'adoption packs' for the cats in their care. The packs contain a photograph and a brief history of each cat. They can be purchased from the charity for an annual fee of £20.00 and are on sale at their fundraisers.

A young female cat was found in the Alameda Gardens she has been taken to the sanctuary and is now called Ramona. She is adorable and just wants to play nonstop.

The charity has been informed about the 'disappearance' of street cats in the area. If anyone knows anything regarding this please call Sylvia Palmer on 42301.Sylvia has also wrote to the Chronicle about this. Read her letter below.

 One of the sanctuary cats called Jonty has flown home to his new owner in England. He has settled well into his new home and now has a new cat friend called Sweep to keep him company. Some other cats have also found new homes these include Tiggy, Noel, Jesse and Drew.

There are three new cats in the sanctuary-Nan who was found at Land Port she is very affectionate and her coat is grey with white highlights and there is also Jack and Monti who were both re homed together but sadly are now returning to the sanctuary they are both beautiful cats but unfortunately their owners were unable to keep them.

A maternity ward in one of the volunteers homes is now up and running. They have a litter of six from Catalan Bay and little Jesse. The kittens are all tabby and white. The vet clinic also has kittens looking for good homes. Two of the volunteers are also fostering a little tortie and a tiny litter of three kittens.

A cat called 'Noel' who has been at the sanctuary since December and who was abandoned at Catalan Bay has found a fabulous home. He will soon be living near Mijas.

A new cat called 'Midnight' has arrived at the sanctuary. He was left at the vets and had not been neutered. He is a handsome black and white male with a big head and a little black spot on his mouth.

The charity over the festive period received a number of donations from local people and also through the post from the UK and Spain.

The charity has had a very active start to the New Year unfortunately quite a few cats have been dumped or left at the vet's clinic. Some new cats have come into the sanctuary one is a very friendly female who lived in the airport area where work is commencing and she had nowhere to move to. Also arrived is a Ginger male who had been at the vets for awhile and needed a new home and finally two lovely young females from the same litter.

2006

A new cat has arrived at the sanctuary he is ginger and white . All he wants is to be cuddled and is extremely friendly and is so happy to be in a nice, warm basket. He had been roaming around the Caleta reclamation area for a few weeks. 

The charity would like to pass on it's thanks to Louise and Steve Pascuzzi  who were instrumental in making the renovation of the sanctuary possible. They have now left Gibraltar and have moved to the United States. The charity wishes them and their cats all the best in their new life. The charity will never forget them for all the help they gave to the sanctuary cats.

The charity would like to pass on  it's condolences to the family of the late Jeanette Warr who passed away recently. She was a member of the society since it's formation in 1985 and a cat lover. The charity would also like to say thank you to her family and friends which at her request kindly donated their money to the sanctuary instead of buying flowers for her funeral.

The society would like to say a special thank you to Barbara who runs the Silver shop in Gibraltar. This lady gives the charity a lot of good quality merchandise from her shop to sell at the fundraisers.

A young cat called Tissy has just been taken in by the charity she is a 6 month old shy black female.

Further good news on Heady he has also settled in well in his new home.

The charity still needs willing hands to come and help out at the sanctuary. There is the daily feeding of the cats, the socialising of the residents and the cleaning of their cages and runs. Can you give 2 to 3 hours of your time once a week if so contact admin@catwelfaresociety.co.uk.

New volunteers also required for help with fundraising.

Due to the work of the charity and also help from other organisations the Rock's cats are healthy, their numbers contained and they are no longer being culled.

A very satisfying situation indeed.

Another little cat called Vegas has been homed and the charity has two new recruits who will help out at the sanctuary and with fundraising. Their names are Emma and Jill both these ladies have already adopted cats from the sanctuary. During the last three month's the charity has homed 23 cats and kittens and they still have some beautiful kittens and numerous enchanting adult cats urgently needing new caring homes. 

Further good news on Bono he has settled in well in his new home and his trip to the UK is now a distant memory for him.

Some of the volunteers spent some extra time with the sanctuary cats on bonfire night. They were worried that the cats would be frightened by the noise of the fireworks etc but all the cats were fine.

Happily this month some of the cats have gone to new homes. Heady went to his new home in the UK and Bono has also found a new home again in the UK.   

A cat called Dawn who came to the sanctuary a few weeks ago has been homed to a family who also adopted two other sanctuary cats Tiger and Valerie. Also little Geeta (Small's sister) is being fostered and it is hoped that she may find a permanent home soon.

On a sadder note one of the sanctuary cats passed away recently. His name was Micky. He had been to the vets for a dental but sadly never recovered. The vet seems to think that there was something more serious going on with little Micky other than his teeth problems.

One of the volunteers Linda kindly made some Christmas cards which were on sale at the last fundraiser held on the 28th of October, the cards were beautifully hand painted by Linda and were a big hit and needless to say they were quickly snapped up on the day and helped raise funds for the charity. The charity would like to extend their thanks to Linda. Also more signatures were added to the petition which is still going strong.

Two new kittens have arrived in the maternity ward. Their names are Conrad and Vegas. Both are from different litters. Vegas is feeding from a bottle and fits in the palm of your hand, she has lovely tortie markings. Little Conrad is about 5/6 weeks old and is black in colour.

One of the sanctuary cats Naval has had a lucky break. Linda a sanctuary volunteer is taking Naval home with her to the UK in June next year. Linda is arranging his Pet Passport and also his flight home, the charity is arranging for Naval to have his microchip and vaccinations in place before his big trip to the UK. Here is a picture of the lucky cat.

On a sad note two little kittens had to be put to sleep. One was called Small and the other one was called Lilly. Here is a picture of little Small. The volunteers thought of them as two 'special' little kittens.

The neutering campaign held week commencing 23rd of September went ahead as planned. The volunteers felt the campaign went well but as always found it emotionally tiring. A full report on the campaign will follow in due course. Most of the cats neutered and spayed were young just born in the Spring and thankfully none of the cats captured had to be put to sleep and there were no pregnant females.

A little cat called Teresa has been re homed. She was abandoned some months ago and came to live at the sanctuary. She is a beautiful half Siamese with electric blue eyes. 

The fun day held on 16/9/06 was a great success and everyone had lots of fun throughout the day. Three kittens were homed and more signatures were collected for the petition. Please see Fundraising page for amount raised on the day.

The charity has managed to find premises in which they can hold their next neutering campaign. The premises were found through the help of The Hon Mr Netto, Minister for the Environment in Gibraltar. The charity is very grateful for his help in finding new premises. 

The charity still continues to get many calls about new cats and kittens in colonies.

The charity recently received a rather disturbing call from a lady who found three kittens in a rubbish bin. She was concerned that she might not be able to look after them properly as they are only about three weeks old and at that age they need to be hand fed about every two hours. The charity contacted her and the good news is that the lady who found them has kept one kitten and someone else is fostering the other two kittens and these two kittens already have future homes.

September is going to be a busy month for the charity with a neutering campaign planned and a fun day. The charity is busy looking for premises that can be used as a clinic to hold the neutering campaign in.

The charity is still busy receiving kittens another litter of three black ones have been taken in, they are all cute and fat and one of the volunteers remarked that they all look like three little furballs their names are Sanjay, Geeta and Saiid. On a brighter note one little female kitten has found a home and little 'Summer' a black and white female has also went to a good home but the 'maternity ward' is still pretty busy with an influx of kittens. 

Henry, Fred and Mufasa have all been adopted by a couple who have already adopted Tiddles. All the cats are doing really well and have made themselves at home in their new house and garden. Three kittens have gone to good homes and the 'maternity ward' which is in one of the volunteers homes still has another four kittens, with another two kittens arriving soon, only one of the kittens is still bottle feeding this is little 'Lilly'. The charity has also taken on another two volunteers.

One of the six kittens a little tabby has found a home his owner has called him 'Bruno'.

It is non stop at the sanctuary at present people keep ringing up wanting to give up their cats.

The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust has just awarded another grant to the charity. This grant was made available under the "Helping Cats 2006" programme. The Trustees have approved a grant of £2,000 in support of the work of this charity. They would like the grant to be used for neutering and shelter equipment.

All the volunteers are currently fostering kittens. Two kittens were found on a building site and the charity is hoping to catch the mother cat to have her spayed. The local vet also has adult cats that need to be re homed. The sanctuary is full at the present time. Monti and Jack have been re homed to a family in the Forces and at the last fundraiser three other cats were also re homed.

A few kittens are at present in the charity's care. A little Siamese called Montague and a black kitten called Monti. There is also an adult cat at the sanctuary who has had six kittens. On top of this another 6 cats have also been taken into the charity's care. They were found in the street and were scared and suffering from neglect.  

On Friday 9th of June the charity hosted an open day to celebrate the completion of the renovation works in the sanctuary. Two ceremonies were held the first one was a presentation of a plaque to the people at the MOD who worked so hard with the renovation and the second ceremony was the official opening of the newly renovated sanctuary. The Minister of the Environment in Gibraltar Mr Netto officiated and commented positively on the charity's successes for example our newly renovated sanctuary, our homing of abandoned cats, our caring of the community cats and in keeping their numbers controlled by our neutering campaigns.

Another few cats have arrived at the sanctuary. Paolo  who was abandoned at a local office garage and Lofty a beautiful black young male cat. A couple of cats called Bob and Spuds are also in the charity's care until their Passports/etc are ready.

The charity has had a few phone calls over the Easter break regarding sick and injured cats. Unfortunately an old female from the Water Gardens had to be put to sleep as she had cancer on her nose. A male Siamese had to be stitched up after it was thrown out and injured he is making a very good recovery and a good home has been found for him. The volunteers are still trying to catch two other cats plus a pregnant female.

The cats in the sanctuary are doing well and have all just been de-wormed with the aid of sausages and sardines apparently this choice of food went down rather well.

2005

A little black female cat called Georgia was re homed. She came from a litter of three kittens. Her mother being only a kitten herself is also at the sanctuary and wasn't in the best shape to bring up her kittens. All the kittens are identical to mum.

More cats come into the care of the sanctuary. But on a happier note two adult cats and three kittens are re homed.

Sanchez a handsome and loving 10 year old chocolate Siamese cross awaits a new home. His owner died and he is very sad in the sanctuary. He is ideal for a quiet home or for a senior citizen.

A very kind lady who came over from the UK to Spain has homed three cats. Their names are Abu, Magda and Katlin.

The charity held a re homing campaign in conjunction with the local G.S.P.C.A. From this two cats were homed from the sanctuary. Tigga a 8 year old ginger cat who was abandoned by her owner when he sailed out of Gibraltar went to a lady who has retired back to Gibraltar and Sanchez who is mentioned earlier. Once the couple saw Sanchez heard about his story and gave him a few cuddles they had no hesitation in adopting him. Sanchez proved a big hit that day. Here is a picture of the lucky cat.

Enjoy you happy new life Sanchez.

The following photograph is an updated picture of Pedro one year on from when the website was built as you can see he is in good health and is still a happy little cat thanks to the care and attention given by Christine and Jackie.

Goods news regarding a little black and white cat 'Mrs Davies' she has been re homed to a couple who had two elderly cats sadly one of the cats passed away and they were looking for a older cat as a companion to their other cat. Having seen Mrs Davies they decided she was the right one and took her home with them.

A new cat comes into the sanctuary he has been named Headie. He is a handsome Ginger tom and was rescued from a derelict house. Headie decided to make his way into the house but could not find his way out. He spent nearly a week on the roof three floors up. The charity eventually had to phone the fire brigade and two traps had to be set upon the roof in order to rescue him. He was called Headie because he used to cry and pop his head out of the building in the evenings hence his new name. He has now been checked over by the vet, given fluids and neutered. He seems to be in good health despite his recent escapades.

Another newcomer has come into the sanctuary. Her name is Ginny and she is a ten year old black cat. The reason for her coming to the sanctuary is that she was 'just left' at the vets. She is very friendly and has already taken over part of the sanctuary called 'The Old Ladies' home.

Good news regarding some cats and kittens in the charities care. Robbie a beautiful tabby has found a good home. The couple that re homed him already have another cat also from the sanctuary. Two kittens that were being fostered by the charity have also been found good homes. However one little kitten called Marco is still in need of a good home he is a handsome little black and white kitten in need of a special and loving owner due to the fact that he has lost the sight in one eye. 

On a sad note one of the little sanctuary cats called Pee Wee had to be put to sleep. He was not eating very much and had grown thinner the vet stated that he was suffering from kidney trouble. Needless to say he is being greatly missed by everyone concerned.

The best Christmas gift of all was in finding a good home for one of the sanctuary cats called 'Bella'. She is a beautiful silver/grey female that has to have a special diet. She nearly always has her tongue sticking out and is a very cuddly cat. Louise one of the MOD volunteers has been trying to find a good home for Bella. Louise wrote an article for the Gibraltar Chronicle regarding Bella and as a consequence of this a family got in touch regarding homing Bella. The charity has followed up on how Bella is coping and have been advised that she has settled in well and is quite pampered she is also getting on well with her new owners other cat. Merry Christmas Bella.

The Cat Welfare Society is 10 years old this year. Out of the original sixteen voluntary workers who in February 1995 started the charity only 5 are still actively involved. These five stalwarts have kept the sanctuary going over the years. They have battled valiantly, paying many of the bills from their own pockets, cleaning the sanctuary, feeding and socialising the cats and kittens and giving them their daily ration of cuddles and love. The charity receives no Government subsidy and all money is raised by themselves. Their expenses to date stand at £6000 per annum.

The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust awarded a grant of £1000.00 to the charity. This money will be used to help upgrade and repair the building at the back of the existing sanctuary which eventually will be used as a further sanctuary.  

The Minister for the Environment in Gibraltar had a meeting with the charity. At this meeting the charities representative and the Minister discussed such issue's as the society's history, the cost of running the sanctuary, the very much needed repairs, and other problems. At the end of the meeting he advised that he would arrange for someone to come along and do a structural survey of the sanctuary building and that although he could not promise anything he would also propose the society to be included in the next year's government budget.

2004

A silver tabby called Ana arrives at the sanctuary and settles

 in. She was abandoned outside a local hotel.

A white female kitten with a small tortoiseshell patch on her head and back is taken into the sanctuary. She was found in a poor condition and had to spend a few days at the vet's on a drip. Some local children found her and brought her to the sanctuary.

Good homes found for two kittens and also Ana. Anytime anyone came to the sanctuary to visit Ana would literally attached herself to them as if to say 'please take me home with you’ happily she got her wish in the end.