The Chestnut Blog

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:15:00 +0000



Pictures to bring a tear to your eye!! (a huge THANK YOU to all our fabulous 12 foster carers you are tremedous - what would we do without you? love and hugs from all x x x )

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:54:00 +0000



So.... I guess you are all wondering what the little mischief makers have been up to this week eh?! well I am pleased to report the progress of our two little kittens Millie and Murdoch is good. They have been in their new home 1 week today. It is wonderful to be able to see them develop and grow right before your eyes. Which i hasten to add they should be doing as they are eating for England! They currently manage to wolf down 1 tin of kitten loaf each per day. Last week when they arrive they were only on 1/2 a tin so that just shows how quickly their appetites increase. Also interesting to note here how huge a pregnant cat's and nursing mother's appetite is. They can get through huge amounts of food when feeding their young. It is very sad to see a cat physically drained from the demands of keeping up with their babies eating requirements hence the all important need to neuter your cat! Anyway back to the terrible twosome. They mastered the use of their litter tray almost immediately and have fortunately not had any accidents as yet. Although the anti-bacterial wipes are on hand should they be needed! They are still in the one room which is important with small kittens as they can get down very small holes and get stuck. The sanctuary volunteers have been contacted on numerous occasions for advice on retrieving kittens from under kitchen floor boards and even from inside a grand piano! So to avoid the immense stress that this can cause it is best to isolate young kittens in one room for at least the first few weeks in a new home to allow them to build their confidence and for their own safety. Millie is the more timid kitten at first but dont let that deceive you as given the opportunity she will bundle in with her brother. This is important part of bonding and is wonderful to watch as two kittens literally become one ball of fur as they play and attack each other! Murdoch loves any toy in particular those attached to a piece of string and has already entangled himself on numerous occasions - always important to remove toys with string attached from the kittens room if they are going to be left unattended for any length of time. We have very fortunately had only one occasion where this advice was not adhered to and whilst we give a lot.....................!! of advice at the sanctuary it is always for the best intentions.
P.S Many congratulations to Bandit for snaring himself a fabulous new home. You look great in your pictures!

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:14:00 +0000

Apologies for the lack of blogger, the blogger went to Bath! (no not my annual wash!) but the beautiful city of Bath for a lovely long weekend. I managed to see the rather large versions of the cats at the sanctuary at Longleat Safari Park lots of lion cubs and tiggers with enormous scratch posts! Obviously I missed the sanctuary follk lots and my gorgeous Pickles who apparently was a bit of a wuss! Anyway to update you all it appears everyone in the UK have gone on holiday yet the kittens keep on coming!! Lots and lots of pregnant mums dumped at the sanctuary with no where to go. The worst case this week was the mum and five kittens found in a suitcase oh dear not the best of news. But like everything in life you have to look at the positive and see that they are now safe in the sanctuary of Chestnuts with lots of lots of loving volunteers to smoother them with TLC. I would particularly like to introduce you to the two gorgeous kittens in the photograph attached as we will be following their progress over the coming weeks and months to let you all know what goes on when you let yourselves take on two devils.... opps I mean cute gorgeous not michievious kittens! Their names are Millie and Murdoch currently 10 weeks old ahhh to be 10 weeks old again!! We will see them as they go through all their care from vaccinations to micro-chipping and neutering. Keep looking on the blog to see what they are getting up to! (P.S rumour has it their new owners are somewhat spoiling them already with I believe, Evian water to drink obviously tap water just isnt their thing!!). TTFN for now! x

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:11:00 +0000

Doesnt Jackie look great?! Our dedicated Sanctuary Manager with a gorgeous (not to be at the sanctuary for very long!) 12 week old kitten. He has the most adorable personality and likes to be cuddled all day long! He would make a purrrrfect companion for someone at home during day who is looking for some serious company! so if you work from home or are in and out during the day dont hang around as Mr Handsome wont be either!

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:57:00 +0000

Run, swim and cycle! sounds exhausting?! Congratulations and a big THANK YOU from all the cats and volunteers at the sanctuary to Sue Brady for fundraising and completing a very challenging Triathlon on behalf of Chestnut Cat Sanctuary £400+ was raised with much generosity and kindness. (pictures to follow!) We are always extremely grateful for people who go out of their way to support the sanctuary and help care for the vast numbers of unwanted cats and kittens. The sanctuary is, as ever, packed full of cats and the mini versions! (aka Kittens) another busy weekend caring for them all! Am off tomorrow evening to encourage two felines out from under the floorboards armed with a large tin of John West best Tuna and a big torch - i will keep you updated as to my success (failure is not worth considering!). For all of you who like to know the comings and goings Maria and Piper are shortly off on their way hooray! Katie has settled in very well! and Mabel pictured inset is simply PURRRRRFECT! Love to you all x x P.S Huge thank you! to Jackie, Gill, Sharon and Hamish for giving up their Sunday at the Thornwood Village Fete to fundraise for the sanctuary you are FANTASTIC and the cats specially asked me to pass on their paws of appreciation for all the effort and time you have given up to raise much needed funds for the sanctuary! X X X X

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:57:00 +0000
FANTASTIC NEWS! Our dear Katie has found herself a home! Everyone at the sanctuary is delighted to send Katie on her way with lots and lots of kisses and cuddles. A quiet weekend at the sanctuary, however, despite only a few visitors to the sanctuary we still managed to be asked frightening questions. Thought you might like to hear a taster of what goes on at the sanctuary during the crazy weekends! Question. If I go away on holiday can I leave the kittens behind? Answer: Sure I am sure that they will suss out how to open a tin of cat food no problem! (correct answer you can be prosecuted for leaving an animal without access to a daily supply of fresh food or water). We have heard of incidents where people have left buckets of water and buckets of food in order to go away on holiday without having to pay for cat boarding or getting a neighbour in to feed. This is a prosecutable offence) Question: If I take kittens now but dont want both of them later on can I give one away? Answer: why not that seems like the best thing to do?!!! duh! maybe not.... (correct answer - Chestnut Cat Sanctuary has on the very rare occasion been required to involve the RSPCA and police to retrieve a cat which was not being cared for in line with our terms and conditions). The tiny kittens we have are the most popular however they are also the kittens which are guarantted to in 6 months time turn into adult cats. We have a huge influx of 6 month old cats who are no longer kittens. It is very sad but unfortunately true. It is frightening the number of kittens and cats who are not cared for properly. (picture inset I may be cute and cuddly now but................... When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now, will you still need me, will you still feed me..when I am 64?!).

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:37:00 +0000

Paws and paws of thank you's! to everyone who helped on Saturday night for the 1st (and possible the last!!) Chestnut Sanctuary Quiz night! It simply could not have happened without your support and it was lovely to have so many willing hands ready to get involved for two very worthwhile charities. We managed to raise a staggering £938! which will be divided equally between Chestnut Cat Sanctuary and Cancer Research UK. Watch this space for the presentation of the cheque to the Cancer Research Volunteer for the Epping Area.
We were extremely pleased to see Margaret and Roger's table scoop the much deserved first prize what an intelligent lot you must be!! I was amazed to come in 3rd - well done my table very impressed with your efforts I have never come close to winning before! we took the risk to play our joker on the "Cats" round which played off with 10/10! Thanks also to everyone who donated such great raffle prizes. I expect the signed rugby books are already up on ebay! I look forward to hearing about the 1000 cheese sandwiches made with the 20kg block of cheddar up for grabs! Danielle and Jackie you did a fantastic job at selling those tickets it who could resist your smiles!! (pictured inset) The quiz master has gone through about 10 packects of throat sweets to ease the pain but it was well worth the agony and tiredness! Thanks to all the behind the scenes volunteers Andy, Pete and Gillian! If I have forgotten you it is by no means intentially It was a fabulous night one to remember for a long time to come. Hope everyone had a great time and is pleased with the monies raised. I always indebited to the support given by those who perhaps have very little free time of their own but still manage to go that extra mile THANK YOU SO MUCH! X

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:13:00 +0000

Well it is finally here! for those of you who haven't been to the sanctuary in a while we have been heavily promoting our fabulous fundraising quiz night in honour of both Chestnut Cat Sanctuary and Cancer Research. Hosted by our very own quiz master Mr Dennis Sweeney himself! we are looking forward to a fantastic event tomorrow night with lots of fun to be had for everyone. I hope that everyone involved got the message that entry is subject only to dressing up as a nominated sanctuary rescue cat?! if not don't worry we have spare costumes for you all - prizes available for the best tom cat impression!! (looks not smell please!) Naturally I will be donning the black Lycra cat suit myself in support of the occasion and if you are gullible enough to believe that then I might as well also say all the cats and kittens in the sanctuary have been homed!! Ha ha!! how wonderful it would be to say that unfortunately as ever we are packed to the rafters with dozens of unwanted / mistreated cats and kittens. Having said that our re-homing process is as stringent as ever. Finding the right home for all theses very needy fur babies is of the utmost importance and something we will not compromise on. Apologies for the long blog today......! lots of updates to let everyone know about. Whilst we are triumphing our way to win the quiz (no pressure my table!! but in case you haven't noticed I do like to win!!) a wonderful lady called Sue will be getting much needed restful sleep in anticipation of her triathlon on Sunday in honour of the sanctuary. We wish you all the best Sue and hope the weather stays good for you!! - make sure you pack in the chocolate energy supplies - what a wonderful excuse perhaps you and I Jackie should give it a go?! We are extremely grateful for these acts of kindness and free time give up for sponsored events to support the sanctuary's good work. It is simply stunning how many cats require neutering which is one of the many financial pressures we face on a weekly basis including food, heating and veterinary bills. Finally for those of you avid blog readers I am shortly off to the wonderful annual volunteers tea in the Epping Forest District to give my first ever talk on "what volunteering means to me" fortunately I don't often have to explain how much I enjoy being at the sanctuary because my face often says it all! To sum up however corny it may sound it means so much to simply "be able to actually make a difference" and until I am no longer able to do that I am pretty much hung up on volunteering! (Yes Jackie there is no way you are going to get rid of me!!)See you all tomorrow night! x x

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:47:00 +0000




Sunshine at last! the cats at Chestnut Cat Sanctuary enjoyed basking in the sunlight over the weekend. The white furred cat seemed to be the height of popularity as 5 all white cats were re-homed! It is very important with completely white cats to check they aren't deaf or blind. Also in the sunshine you often have to put suncream on the thinnest part of their ears to protect them from being sun burnt! These are high maintenance cats! Lots of other cats and pairs of kittens were happily re homed this weekend. If you are looking for a cat it is also advisable to come early Saturday morning as we are open from 10.30am! By Sunday afternoon lots of our family friendly moggies have already snared themselves a perfect pad! The hard working volunteers will be taking in over 15 new cats and many more kittens this week. It was great to have the opportunity to fund raise at Tescos this weekend where we managed to collect over two trolleys of much needed cat food so a huge thank you to everyone who helped at Tescos, at the sanctuary or who kindly donated always much appreciated!! (Pictured inset our gorgeous grey girlie's homed a few months ago!)

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:45:00 +0000

I love hearing how our rescued cats are getting on in their new homes. It was a privilege to meet Picalo and Jynx our orientals boys (pictured inset) It is a wonderful feeling to know you have been part of the process in caring for and finding them a new loving permanent home. Often it is interesting for people to just to come and visit the sanctuary to see how hard we work to care for all the unwanted cats and kittens. We often get asked by visitors whether the sanctuary is actually for boarding cats and sadly have to reply that actually these are all looking for a new home. The sheer volume of calls on a Monday morning from people wanting to give up their cats is staggering. If you have a loving home to adopt one of our gorgeous residents or free hour or two to help us in our vital work come and see us in action there will be plenty of purrrry cuddles waiting for you!

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:31:00 +0000

The rain may have ruined the Bank Holiday weekend for some human folk but down at Chestnut Cat Sanctuary the dedicated volunteers got stuck in as usual with all the cleaning and feeding to ensure all our purring residents were happy and comfortable. We were all very pleased to see single and paried cats Martin, Milly, Elsa, Candy and the little tortie girl go off to their new homes along with many mini cats commonly known as the kittens! It really is staggering how messy a litter of kittens can really be. If you would like to see our work in action or sponsor us to continue provdiing a vital refuse for unwanted cats and kittens just get in touch alison@chestnutcatsanctuary.co.uk. Alternatively pop along to Tescos in Epping this weekend (Friday and Saturday) to speak to us as we will be available between 9-7pm to collect cat food, biscuits and donations to support the sanctuary during its busiest time of year. (Elsa and Candy pictured inset we thought you were gorgeous hope you waking up very happy in your new home x x )

Sun, 25 May 2008 16:20:00 +0000
Yes we really are THAT cute! and available to be reserved to go home shortly from Chestnut Cat Sanctuary. We came in with our gorgeous mum who is a tortieshell single mummy cat also looking for a home. There are four of us to be adopted although we all goes in pairs dont worry you dont have to find space for all four of us kittens! We are having a little tummy trouble it is probably that takeaway last night I knew we should have had fish and chips instead of the curry... Still we can be homed shortly and would certainly appreciate a cuddle in the meantime. As for our mum she deserves a fabulous home for putting up with us climbing all over her for so long. Just ask for the cuties in Put-U-Up A and the lovely volunteers here will direct you our way!

Wed, 21 May 2008 07:54:00 +0000
Oh dear...... just as I thought we hadnt had a cat left at the sanctuary for a while one is dumped on the door. He is gorgeous a realy gentle giant with fabulous long whiskers!
Definitely deserving of a very special mention in the blog! If you would like to find out more about our special fella who arrived this week or any of the other single cats visit us between 10.30-2pm 7 days a week he is certainly in need of a hug or two..!

Sun, 18 May 2008 18:16:00 +0000

Hi there! My name is Katie and I am one of the many single cats who have been at the sanctuary for some time (I am also Jackie's favourite four legged purrer but dont tell her I told you this as the other cats may get jealous!). My owner was elderly and wanted me as a companion so she fed me just a few too many treats. I have very painful arthritis in my back legs now which makes it very difficult and painful to walk. The fabulous Volunteers at the sanctuary have put me on a special diet called R/D which is basically a biscuit that swells up in my stomach to make me feel full. Someone told me humans also have the same problem but I am sure all the biscuits here come with a chocolate coating?! Anyway I need a home, someone to love me for who I am and if I improve fantastic but if I dont I need lots and lots of love anyway! I dont get up often simply because of the pain. I am very good at using my litter tray though and never make a mess. My owner never let me out so I would be fine to live in a flat. I am not keen on children partly the pain and partly because I dont want to have to share my owner with any two legged creatures. I currently share a pen with Martin. He is fab I am sure he thinks he is a baby in disguise as I have seen him snuggle up on the volunteers lap and give them a little playful nibble or two. He is very stressed being here and tried to escape! Fortunately he has listened to me and realised it is not as bad as he first thought but like all of us much deserving moggies would prefer a home to spend his days in. Well enoguh from me for now but if you fancy enquiring more or would like to come and meet me please phone Jackie at the sanctuary on 01992 560 510.Thats all for now Lots of love Katie x x x

Thu, 15 May 2008 18:46:00 +0000
A beautiful pair of very much loved cats.

Whilst I do not have a favourite cat in the sanctuary (as I am truly in love with them all) Candy and Elsa's story is indicative of why we as a rescue sanctuary truly exist.

It must be extremely distressing to reach an age when you are no longer able to live independently or allowed to have your own pets, particularly at a time when companionship and familiarity is so important.

Elsa and Candy are absolutely gorgeous. I know that none of us volunteers at the sanctuary could imagine not being able to take care of our own cats and have that feline contact. This pair have clearly been spolit to bits and are very much loved by their owner who has sadly gone into a care home. I am sure she is missing them a great deal and did not wish to part from. We are in contact with her and reassure her that her beautiful friends are doing just fine in our care.


Candy and Elsa are looking to be homed as a pair of cats to quiet accomodation. They have lived a peaceful 7 years together and would be a little apprehensive to go to a family with very young children. They adored being groomed which must be done on a regular daily basis. Candy has a sweet little pink nose and Elsa loves to sweep past your legs swishing her tail as she goes. They prefer to eat out of china bowls and both have their own soft leather beds to rest their immaculate paws on.

A truly wonderful pair of cats looking for a fabulous home. If you think you would be the right home to adopt Elsa and Candy in light of the comments above please visit Chestnut Cat Sanctuary 10.30-2pm 7 days a week. Enquiries to alison@chestnutcatsanctuary.co.uk

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:32:00 +0000


Page 6 stars!

Ok so we didnt make page 3 but I am sure they put us on page 6 because we are double as good!
Jynx and Picalo are so well behaved! Anyone interesting in meeting the stars of this article or more importantly rehoming one of our gorgeous cats please see all the details at Chestnut Cat Sanctuary www.chestnutcatsanctuary.co.uk!

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:02:00 +0000

Cat thought for the week "who ate the mouse?!"Ideas and suggestions to alison@chestnutcatsanctuary.co.uk!The entire Yellow Area of Chestnut Cat Sanctuary is now devoted to mums and kittens. The gorgeous warm weather has its downside and has brought us a surge in pregnant cats and abdandoned kittens. Kittens take a lot of extra care particularly in this warm weather to ensure they remain fully hydrated. The size of most 8 weeks kittens means that even a slight am0unt of diarrhoea resulting in water loss can be extremely serious so if you have kittens or would like more information on caring for kittens please feel free to get in touch with one of the Chestnut Volunteers who can provide you with excellent kitten care advice.

Sat, 10 May 2008 17:17:00 +0000






Fab fosterers! The pictures speak for themselves! A sneak peak at the fabulous job our kitten fosterers are doing with "Maria" the gorgeous ginger mum and her three tortieshell 3 week old kittens. Maria loves to be massaged and her wonderful human carers are only too happy to oblidge after watching her do all the hard work raising three gorgeous little kittens. Spring and summer are lovely times at Chetsnut Cat Sanctuary which is often a surprisingly therapeutic relaxing place to be. If you would like to be part of the volunteering team contact alison@chestnutcatsanctuary.co.uk . Animal loving people don't our exciting quiz night 14th June to be held in honour of two very worthy charities.

Mon, 05 May 2008 18:27:00 +0000
A capital E for EXHAUSTING! What a wonderful weekend! An extra large cat from the Tiger family popped in to the see the residents of Chestnut Cat Sanctuary no it's not Jackie or Hamish it really was Tigger the Tiger. Benji certainly looks happy having a cuddle from the oh so strippy one! Fantastic effort from the sanctuary volunteers which is why we celebrate you today on Annual Bank Holiday Monday Volunteer's day you are wonderful! Every pen was meticulously scrubbed and cleaned with a special product to prevent contamination in the build up to the crazy kitten months ahead. Please if you have a cat or if you know someone who has a cat which is not neutered give us a call to find out more about the free netuering schemes available. It really does make a cat's life happier and prevents some of the tens of thousands of unwanted and homeless cats and kittens. A BIG thank you to Sharon for keeping us all going with a delicious chocolate cheesecake, Mary, Cathy, Gill, Jo, Alissa, Charlotte, Pat, and many more for working so hard today to make the sanctuary spotlessly clean it looks amazing. P.S Check out the Chestnut Family Page for news on Treacle's new home, the gorgeous boy really loves his photo being taken!

Sun, 04 May 2008 19:08:00 +0000

He's sugary and sweet with a delicious orangey colour the one, the only TREACLE! has found himself a home. One of the many single cats who have been at the sanctuary for an especially long amount of time.... If you are able to offer one of our long termers a pad to paw around in take a look at some of their fabulous pin ups on the sanctuary website. Katie, Patch, Maddie, Fergus and Tigger have all almost made the sanctuary their purrmanent residence! We wouldn't want any of them thinking there isnt a cosy pad out in the big wide world for them to be fussed and spoilt rotten. Keep posted on the blog for pictures of Treacle as he finally gets his chance to stretch his paws in the fresh air! The wonderful bank holiday has seen many of our rescue cats get their forever homes Oscar, Friend, Kitty, Mini, Maxi, Oliver, Echo, Chole, Treacle!!, Mush and Nemo. We have quite a few paired cats who would be purrfect for someone out at work all day to keep each other company. Hope everyone is looking forward to our celebration Annual Volunteer's day tomorrow. If you have a spare hour come along to get stuck in to the chocolate biscuits before they all disappear (one thing we can't blame on the cats!) Special Appearance by a rather large human like cat called Tigger who apparently likes to bounce although how much of that he will be doing who knows!! (no piglet or pooh!) you have to see it to believe it photos to follow...!

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:33:00 +0000
Question: What do you call a glove without fingers? Answers at the bottom of the page!!! Opps looks like someone was caught cat napping!! I hear on the catvine otherwise known as the grapevine! that there is a rumour going about the sanctuary... all of the cats are whispering from pen to pen the place is a buzz with activity apparently someone has got themselves a new home. I wonder who it could be? I would whisper as quietly as I can but I dont want to let the cats know I have heard! Who could it be I hear you ask? well I will drop a few clues perhaps even six......but not a single digit more! Gillian, you will have to send happy cat thoughts for tomorrow as you will see this girly's plump furry tummy no more! We wish every one of her gorgeous paws all the happiest in the world. She deserves a fabulous home after 6 long months at the cat sanctuary it is time for her to be away from her kittens it is the one.......... the only............ wonderful cat called MITTENS!!!!

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:12:00 +0000
Arent I beautiful! You probably wont recognise me as I was in a sorry state when I arrived at the sanctuary in need of lots of tender loving care! Looking at me know you wouldn't know the difference between a true rescue cat and much loved feline! I am living proof that you can have a happy ending...... Some of my feline friends have found their fairy godmothers this weekend. A sprinkle of fairy dust to Spike, Coco, Nancy aka "Happy Eater", Fabulous Archie, Echo, House and many many more. We wecolmed a fabulous new volunteer "Jo" who is clearly a Cinderella in disguise helping us on our hand and knees to scrub all the pens sparkingly clean! You did a great job we are indebted to volunteers who give up their weekends despite working full time to provide sanctuary care and help towards neutering homeless cats. Whilst we are on the fairy story theme the cats are very much looking forward to my Prince Charming returning soon with a rather large mouse... I wonder who that could be....? answers on a postcard pls! And finally..... for all of you who are interested to find out more about the sanctuary whether you are keen to join us to get stuck in with making the pens sparkling bright, fancy your hand at fundraising or can spare a few hours in the week to give a little extra TLC to some of our residents why not come along on Volunteer's Day Bank Holiday Monday between 12-2pm to find out more from our great volunteer's team about how you can get involved. We are quite a friendly bunch and rarely set the ferals on anyone!! Home-made refreshments and lots of cats to meet! Look forward to seeing you then. As Pooh would say, (and we certainly do have a lot of it!) TTFN!

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:12:00 +0000

Hi Everyone! Fabulous Friday!! time for your update on all the goings on at the sanctuary. Lots of news to tell you but first a small request. I have been asked by Epping Forest Volunteers Bureau to give a short talk on what volunteering means to me. I think we have a fantastic team of volunteers at the sanctuary and would be keen to know your best bits of volunteering! Whether it is bathing an 8 week kitten or fretting strongly about how to manouevre the food bowl near the feral cat who has never felt human touch. Please email them to me alison@chestnutcatsanctuary.co.uk only the happy thoughts please! I have been at the sanctuary for over 3 years now and have many funny antidotes to share about the pickles I have got myself into but have enjoyed every moment. There have also been huge amount of changes in that time but the ultimate aim remains the same "to provide sanctuary for homeless and mistreated cats". Ok now for the amazing stuff fabulous work done by Terry our resident cat rescuer who was out in force this week. Two 1 week old kittens were found in wasteland. Normally requiring exhausting round the clock hand rearing we decided to see if we could find a surogate mother. Luck was in hand as a gorgeous black and white long hair mum came to the rescue. It was amazing to watch her tend to her two new babies as well as her current four. As soon as they are old enough for photos I will post a picture of them all! It doesnt always work but we are extremely pleased to say they are all content and happy. Lots of wonderful single and paired cats found new homes this week and are clearly already delighting their new owners what fabulous pictures of Jenny and Lula. Gizmo, Dipsy, Tom, Sparky, Spider, Misty, Scraggles, Fluffy, Rocket, Spiff and many more! For those of you interested in Nemo she is up for homing fit and well!