Ozzie – My 15 year old ginger and white tom
It’s probably the best thing I ever did in my life encountering Animal Rescue and Care when I lost my darling Simba in 2010. I made the ‘mistake’ of looking on their website and spied a rather nervous Ginger tom looking appealingly at me. That was it. I went to see him at his foster home in Claygate and Mozzie adopted me. His foster mum said ‘I knew you were going to be his new Mum as soon as you both met. He acted so differently towards you compared with other people who came to look at him’
How right she was. I fell in love with Ozzie (as I soon renamed him) there and then and despite my best intentions (I’d resolved not to have another cat after I lost Simba) within a couple of weeks I drove my new 4 year-old man home. ARC’s care for him since his first Mum had gone into care was impeccable and they took care to follow up on my vet’s to ensure I was a ‘fit and proper person’ to look after him. Thankfully they gave me a glowing reference.
Ozzie was a house cat when I got him and a very proud achievement for me was to encourage him into becoming a proper outdoor cat. He’s a great mouser, but hopeless at catching birds – they all see this ginger and white monster (he’s very long) coming. He’s getting an old man now (nearly 15), but copes brilliantly with his daily medication for CRD and hyperthyroidism. And I love him to bits. One day I will lose him, but I can’t thank ARC enough for giving him to me. He’s been my constant companion and friend. We are a little family together and was a very soggy moggy when I lost my special person.