Bluebell Cat Rescue and Rehoming wins £14,000 of cat food

Littleborough’s Bluebell Cat Rescue and Rehoming has received a big delivery after winning a year’s worth of cat food.

Seven pallets of Applaws cat food arrived on Monday (6 August), which has been gratefully received by trustees Naomi and Toby Rhys Thomas, who have shared the bounty with Bluebell’s sister sanctuary for feral felines, Oakfield in Manchester.

Much to its delight, Bluebell, in the process of becoming a registered charity, was named as one of 10 winners of the ‘Applaws for a Cause’ June giveaway, which saw each group win £14,000 of cat or dog food each.

Naomi said: “I cannot tell you how amazing this is and it will keep the cats at the sanctuary fed for about a year, which is such a big financial weight off my brother Mike [who runs Oakfield] and us.

“I am so overwhelmed at the company’s generosity. They have no idea how much this means to our family of cat rescuers, but we do still need help with vet and litter bills.”

The local cat rescue, previously the Pets At Home local charity of the year, is also set to receive a donation of £550 from the pet retailer.

Speaking in July, a spokesperson for Support Adoption for Pets, who work with Pets At Home, said: “As our name implies, Support Adoption For Pets works with Pets at Home to support the rehoming of pets that need a second chance of happiness. 

"We were contacted by Ms Naomi Rhys Thomas to say that, because of ill-health, she was suspending the rehoming of cats from Bluebell rescue. 

"Nevertheless, colleagues in the Pets at Home store in Rochdale were keen to continue their support for Bluebell Rescue through our summer fundraising appeal and from their hard work and the generosity of their customers in Rochdale, Bluebell Rescue will shortly receive a cheque for £552.60. 

“We wish Ms Naomi Rhys Thomas well and both Pets at Home and Support Adoption for Pets will be happy to continue our support for Bluebell Rescue once they are able to recommence the rehoming of pets.”

Since Bluebell was started, Naomi and Toby have rescued over 200 cats and kittens, conducting home checks, and rehoming each feline with the full package of neutering, worm and flea treatments, microchipping and a full set of vaccines.

• https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/138/community-news/111993/can-you-give-a-bluebell-cat-a-%E2%80%98furever%E2%80%99-home
• https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/138/community-news/113852/a-%E2%80%98tail%E2%80%99-of-two-kitties-an-unbelievable-story-of-luck-and-rescue

Naomi and Toby have also opened a non-profit café on Todmorden’s Water Street, aptly named ‘Meow’, where every penny goes into helping their rescues. The café is open four days a week from Thursday to Sunday.

How you can help

Rescue groups like Bluebell are always in need of help from volunteers or donations, be it money towards a vet bill, litter provisions, or even your time to help out and alleviate the pressure on the rescue.

If you can help volunteer or donate in any way, contact Bluebell on bluebellcatrescue@gmail.com 

To donate via PayPal, select the Friends and Family option and enter the Bluebell email address: bluebellcatrescue@gmail.com