The cats of Oxford: a short history of those actually in charge
Literary mysteries, college rivalries and improbable journeys: exploring Oxford’s cats in preparation for a Cats Protection talk.
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Blenheim Does Not Recognise Greenwich Mean Time
The clocks go back this Sunday. Nobody has told Blenheim, who has his own views on breakfast, Lick-e-Lix and the proper operation of the ensuite bathroom tap.
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The future of Britain’s cats needs more than one simple answer.
Over the last couple of days, my inbox has taken an interesting turn. I have received a growing number of emails asking Cats Protection to campaign for the mandatory neutering of owned pet cats. They come from different people and addresses, but the text is identical. This is clearly a coordinated campaign, although despite some…
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International Cat Day: seeing the world through cats’ eyes
Today, 8 August, is International Cat Day. Which seems as good an excuse as any to write about Blenheim. Not that I generally need much of an excuse. Living with Blenheim is one of the great joys of my life, but it is also a useful daily reminder that loving an animal and understanding an…
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Big Cat Fest: from lion to lap cat
There is something profoundly captivating about standing a few metres from a lion. It is not simply the sheer beauty of the animal, nor even the extraordinary power that seems to ripple through every movement. It is the unmistakable recognition that, despite millions of years of evolution and very different lives, the lion and the…
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What I’m continuing to learn about cats
One of the unexpected pleasures of leading Cats Protection has been discovering just how much there is still to learn. People sometimes assume that when someone becomes the Chief Executive of a charity, they somehow become an expert overnight in whatever that organisation exists to do. The reality is rather different. I arrived with many…
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In Praise of Old-Fashioned Volunteering
Walking around the Leys Festival in Blackbird Leys at the weekend, I was struck by just how much society depends upon volunteers. The festival itself was created through a partnership between local residents and the University of Oxford’s Cultural Programme, bringing together community organisations, performers, sports coaches, artists and many others for a day devoted…
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Seven Steps to Building the Volunteer Movement of the Future
One of the greatest privileges of leading Cats Protection is seeing the remarkable contribution that volunteers make every single day. Across the UK, more than 10,000 volunteers give their time, skills, energy and compassion to support cats and the people who care for them. They foster cats, support our cat centres and branches, volunteer in…
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Speaking up for cats in Westminster
Yesterday afternoon, the sun shone on the Terrace of the House of Commons, and it felt as though the whole place was full to bursting with people speaking up for cats. Cats Protection’s Parliamentary Reception was, quite simply, a joy. There was afternoon tea. There were games. There were cat-shaped biscuits. And there was one…
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