Hello from Holly Hedge! 

We hope you, your friends and family, and your pets are staying safe and well. Here at Holly Hedge, June was a busy month! Lots of adult cats have gone home, but our chalets are never empty for more than a couple of days as we respond to daily requests to help cats. As the weather has been warmer and vets have been closed except for emergencies, we're seeing a spike in the stray cat population already, and we are working hard to help as many as we can. We have rehomed over 45 cats since the start of lockdown and have plenty still looking for their forever home. 

Over the past few weeks we've worked with our fantastic behaviourist Tina Constance to on training plans for some of our harder to home dogs, who have been with us for quite some with great success. Many of you will remember Duke, the boxer cross who had been with us for over a year, he's now happy in his new home! Our clever and sensitive Arrow has now been with his new family for a few weeks and is settling in well. 
Our big boy who has no concept of his own size Tintin will also be leaving us soon for his forever family! He's been with us for over a year and been very happy at the Sanctuary. After a few interests that sadly didn't work out, we are so excited for him to have found his forever family. 

Although many businesses have reopened, we are still closed to the general public. You can still adopt our cats and dogs, you can read our current adoption procedure here. For dogs once an application has been successful we are arranging a meeting by appointment only. Although we would love to be open again as usual we have to think carefully about how we keep our kennel and cattery team safe and healthy, so our cats and dogs continue to receive the best care possible.

We are still working with a reduced team, and though all our furloughed staff are desperate to come and help unfortunately government guidelines stipulate that furloughed staff cannot volunteer for their charity, so please do bear with us, we are doing the best we can. 

We've received incredible support from you all over the last 13 weeks that has kept our spirits buoyant. The crisis is continuing to have a huge impact on our income, so please do keep us close to your hearts. We will continue to rescue hundreds of cats, dogs and small furries every year with your help. xx

McFluffster and Friends

In April we built a special mini-compound for McFluffster and his semi-feral friends who were rescued from a building site. These cats have lived there all their lives, and whilst many people had been kind and left them food, they had missed out on socialisation that would make them lap cats. This makes finding a home for them very difficult. Our cattery team have been working on gaining their trust, so that if they need veterinary care they can be trapped and handled. We started by spending time with them by sitting outside the compound, and having lunch when the weather permits (!) and slowly inching closer, taking it day by day. Although cautious, they are fairly comfortable being 8ft from people they recognise - a huge accomplishment! 

We are learning things about their personalities, and it's a privilege to see them safe and content. The male Tabby is a true foodie and can be motivated by it, and Batman shares this love of treats! Batman seems to be the most skittish and he certainly likes a little "me" time now and then away from the rest of the group. McFluffster seems to rule the roost and be everyone's buddy!
They are all spayed and neutered and vaccinated, and we are looking for a special home for McFluffster and his friends. A farm or stables would be ideal for them, somewhere they can provide pest control in return for a warm and dry place to sleep and be given regular meals and any medical attention they need. Sometimes feral cats can become confident in the right space, others stay independent and wary of humans. We believe they have just as much of a right to a happy life as all our other cats and be loved just as much, even if it's a "you can look but don't touch" kind of love!  

 
If you would like to offer McFluffster and his friends their perfect forever home, please email info@hollyhedge.org.uk 

Ellie gets a second chance to be a puppy!

Did you see Ellie's story on our website? Ellie is a Saluki X puppy who after being involved in an accident, was at risk of being put to sleep as her owners couldn't afford the surgery she needed to fix her broken leg. Ellie has had the treatment she needed and is recovering beautifully in her forever home with her adopted brother, Barney. You can read Ellie's story in full here. 

Luna has a ball! 

Some of you may remember lovely Luna. Luna first came came to Holly Hedge last December after finding herself passed around as a puppy. A kind lady saw she was going to be put on gumtree and fearing for her future agreed to take her in and find help. Luna then came into our care where she was rehomed, but unfortunately her new owner's circumstances changed and after just a few months she was brought back to us. We were devastated for Luna as our checks are vigorous, but this just made us even more determined to secure her the perfect forever home. Luna is a loving, boisterous girl who needed to feel secure, but after some work with our kennel team and behaviourist to regain her confidence, she is much happier and has come on leaps and bounds. Luna is reserved and is going to her forever home soon, but we couldn't resist showing you this happy girl playing in the compound!

Luna says a big thank you to everyone who supports Holly Hedge, because of you there is a safe space for dogs like her and she gets a second chance at happiness. 

Could you text to give just £1?
 

To donate all you need to do is text COVID19K to 70085 to donate £1* - less than the cost of a posh coffee. 

Thank you xx
#COVID19K

*Texts cost £1 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to give £1 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text COVID19KNOINFO to 70085.
If you would like to give more you can text £10 by texting COVID19K 10 to 70085 (or any other number up to £20).

Do two great things at once!