Both Sully and Bella are currently living with branch fosterers. Sully is seven and Bella is 11 years old. They arrived in care after their owner needed to move house and neither cat settled in their new urban location. Sully is ready to go to a new home right away and, like Bella, he would be best-suited to a home with a garden as they had been used to taking outdoor adventures. Both are friendly cats and Sully could certainly live with other cats once more.

Bella would prefer to be an only-cat and needs a little more time in care before she will be ready to be rehomed.  She was painfully thin upon arrival and is awaiting test results which are likely to show she has hyperthyroidism. If this is the case, she will need to have surgery and re-gain weight before being rehomed.

Weymouth & District Branch of Cats Protection rehomes around 150 cats annually and has already homed 50% more cats so far this year, compared with the same period during 2021 and 2020.

The branch has recently unveiled plans to expand and to facilitate this, and the team is looking for new volunteer fosterers to care for cats while they are waiting to find their forever homes. A welfare team leader to coordinate, encourage and support the branch’s fosterers is also needed.

The volunteer-run branch plans to extend its reach across Dorset to also cover the Bridport and Sherborne areas in addition to Dorchester, Weymouth, Portland and the Purbecks, which it currently covers.

A behind-the-scenes glimpse at being a fosterer can be found here http://bit.ly/BeingAFosterer and the charity provides everything needed, from food and toys to vet care, to create the cats’ temporary home.

To find out more about both cats and the branch visit www.cats.org.uk/west-dorset or for more details about the current opportunities at the branch visit www.cats.org.uk/support-us/volunteeropportunitiesalternatively please call 01305 262 737or email Gloria on weymouthcatsprotection@gmail.com