by

Amelia Tucker Mear

We adopted Chairman Jack (formerly known as Scar) as an outdoor cat from you in November 2020, and on release from the feral cat enclosure you brought for him, despite several bowls of food out, he immediately disappeared, and we assumed he was gone forever. You may remember that we kept putting out food and looking out for him, but nothing - we assumed he would never return and probably hadn’t survived the winter.

However!

He eventually turned up, some way up the road, at our friend John’s house. John leaves out dishes of food for the hedgehogs, and we think that, having had his fun out in the wild, the Chairman went on the hunt for some easy food. This was the following spring, by which time we had given up on putting fresh food out as it wasn’t being eaten.

John was not looking for a cat. He said that he would try and trap him, to bring him back down here to us so we could give it another go. But after the Chairman evaded the trap several times, we detected John becoming fond of him, and asked him if he would object to him staying, which he replied he would not, so long as he didn’t bother the ducks.

John has a way with animals, and I think he decided to take on the challenge. He would put food out for the Chairman, and over many many weeks, brought the bowl closer and closer to his back door. One day, inside the door. This angry cat, who you may remember noone could get near, gradually made his way inside John’s house. More weeks brought him further in. And finally, about 6 months ago, John installed a cat flap.

By this time, John was extending a hand towards him occasionally, to which the Chairman would hiss and snarl. Another month or so and he would accept a stroke. John managed to tempt him into a carrier with treats, and took him to the vet, where he had a few more of his scanty teeth removed and was otherwise declared well. The Chairman was cross with this betrayal and wouldn’t come in for a couple of days, but then came back in once he was done sulking.

By the end of last autumn, John stopped leaving his back door open. The Chairman - a cat who we all assumed was an outdoor cat for life - would come in through the cat flap, eat from a bowl on John’s kitchen floor, and then make his way into the living room where he would curl up next to John and watch TV with him. They became just a couple of mates living together.

About a month ago, the Chairman started eating a bit less. One night, he followed John upstairs and curled up on his bed. The following day, he was not himself, so John took him to the vet again. He had a sudden haemorrhage, and the vet advised it was time for him to be put to sleep, to which John very sadly agreed.

It felt like a sad ending, but actually, this fearful and angry cat who was frightened of everyone, made a friend for life, and spent his final year in increasing comfort and safety. I thought you folks would like to hear how his story turned out.

Here is a photo of him in what turned out to be his last months.

Thanks so much for finding him and looking after him and supporting us in adopting him. We might not have been the forever home he chose, but we sort of helped him find one and we feel good about that.

at Yealmpton Show

Filham Park Veterinary Clinic

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