Sussex RSPCA centre reads to nervous cats to help them trust humans again

Staff at the RSPCA Bluebell Ridge Cat Rehoming Centre in Hastings are reading to the group of felines every day to build up their confidence around people, after a long period without human contact.

Lily, Babs, Pickle, Nutmeg and Basil were rescued from a property in Kent last month where there were 13 cats and no owner, as they had gone into hospital.

The RSPCA said living in a property with such a large number of cats means they have been without the attention and socialisation they need and are very wary of people.

One of the cats, Nutmeg, when she was rescued

But the literary therapy appears to be working on the timid felines.

Myra Grove, manager at the Bluebell Ridge Cat Rehoming Centre, said: “Sadly, the previous owner of these cats had gone into hospital and no one had been looking after them for several weeks before the RSPCA was alerted.

"As they’ve had a tough start in life we’ve been working hard to socialise these cats and have taken a hands-off approach, which means we’ve been sitting with them and reading to them so they can start to get used to human company.

"We have already seen some fantastic improvements with some of the cats who are gaining confidence and starting to accept human interaction, which has been amazing to see."

Basil and Nutmeg

The staff have been reading a collection of books called Warrior Cats, a feline fantasy series by Erin Hunter, to help the nervous moggies get used to human voices.

Myra said: “They have all come on leaps and bounds since they first came in to us and reading to them is really helping build their confidence.

"We thought it was only right to treat them to stories about cats too.”

All the cats will need a patient and loving adult-only home with no other pets so their confidence can continue to grow.

Nutmeg, a white and tortoiseshell female, is looking to be rehomed with one-year-old Basil.

Babs, Lily and Pickle

The centre is looking for Lily, Pickle and Babs to be rehomed together as the three female cats are very close.

Myra added: “Basil needs more time to learn to trust people, although he has begun to settle down to sleep while a member of the team quietly sits with him.

"Nutmeg will stay while a member of the team talks and reads to her, but she's not ready for contact just yet so it’s likely to be a slow process.

"Any adopter will need to be patient and kind with these nervous cats and understand they may never be soppy lap cats but they will make fantastic companions and their confidence is improving all the time."

Anyone interested in adopting Lily, Pickle, Babs, Basil or Nutmeg should contact the RSPCA Sussex East and Hastings branch on 01424 752121.

To find more cats for adoption, visit www.rspca.org.uk/findapet.