Peggy Sue

How did you find the adoption process?

The adoption process of Peggy-Sue was pretty straightforward, once the adoption was finalised we couldn’t wait to get her. All I could think about whilst she was on transportation was how she was doing, how she was coping with the journey and being in the van.

It was really important for me to get the daily updates and some photos of her on the journey. Although I already had cats I bought her a bed and bowls of her  own and some treats. 

How was the settling in process?

The day she arrived we were so excited, Peggy-Sue was one of the last drop-offs in the UK. The drivers gave us her passport and papers and put Peggy-Sue in my cat carrier, we gave the drivers donuts and chocolates.

We expected Peggy-Sue to be very scared and nervous and planned for her to stay in a bedroom on her own for a few days to recover from her journey. We were wrong! Peggy-Sue came out of her carrier and straight to the food bowl, she ate and drank alot and then came over to both me and my son. She was purring alot and very affectionate. She then went to the door, stood up on her 1 back leg and opened the door. She went straight over to my other cats and sniffed them and then went up to my dog. Even though she is tiny and my dog is huge, she wasn’t scared! She explored the whole house and by her first evening was sat on my lap sound asleep and purring.

After a few days Peggy-Sue got more confident and started playing and bossing the other cats around, she quickly became the boss! Her personality came out, she is very funny, very energetic, always up to mischief and getting into the tiniest of places! She is very affectionate. She didn’t want to go near the door when it was open and we wondered if this was because she had been outside as a stray cat in Romania and now she knew she was home and felt safe inside the house.

How are you getting on now?

 A few months on and Peggy-Sue now goes outside to stretch her legs and get some fresh air, she doesn’t go far. Although she is the boss of my other cats she is also very friendly, she is like the mum of the group and grooms the other cats. She is the perfect cat for my son because she loves to play.

Just before Christmas I rescued another cat in the UK who is around the same age as Peggy-Sue and they are now best friends, they play together and wash each other but if he tries to get the top spot of the cat tree, Peggy-Sue pushes him off! I have been unable to rescue from a UK shelter because they don’t like to have the cats to go to a home with multiple cats and a dog and children. My other cats are all rescues, 2 from people that didn’t want the cats anymore and 1 that was a stray. When I took my other cats in I had to get each one neutered, immunised and vet checked. All of this was done with Peggy-Sue.

Being able to chat with Geta was great because she gave me more information on Peggy-Sues background. We found out that she had kittens and fought off a polecat which bit her leg and part of her tail off. She really is a warrior cat, I don’t know how she survived that. When I see her warm and sleeping in her comfy bed it feels good to know that I have rescued her.

What advice do you have for someone looking to adopt?

I would always recommend rescuing a cat rather than buying a kitten because there are so many cats that need good homes.

I would say if you’re are rescuing a Romanian cat to keep them indoors for as long as possible because they are likely to have been living outside and wandering very far and killing wildlife to survive. Due to Peggy-Sue’s mobility with her missing leg we had planned for her to be a house cat but she made it clear she wanted to go outside. To start off with I sat outside with her while she mapped her way around and worked out the area. It is very safe and quiet where I live. Peggy-Sue makes us laugh every day and she is truly a very special cat. People like Geta that rescue these cats are wonderful. The Facebook group for adopters from stray2me is lovely, I love seeing the cats and dogs in their forever homes. Photos of Peggy-Sue and the gang! They big grey cat is her best friend!