A sweet-natured lap cat has been enjoying lots of tasty PURINA® food during his four months in care

Update on Marley

Marley is now happily settled in a new home and thanks to his owners giving him time and space to settle, he is enjoying being the centre of attention. His favourite activities include spending time on his cat tree and keeping watch over neighbourhood activities from the window.

During his four months in our care, Marley enjoyed lots of tasty and nutritious food thanks to the support of Cats Protection’s long-standing partner PURINA® who donated the equivalent of one million meals to the charity earlier this year.

On top of this, we’re delighted to be able to the share news that our recent shopper campaign, run jointly with our long-standing partner Purina and with ASDA, has raised enough to donate the equivalent of 578,000* meals, which will go a long way in helping thousands of cats like Marley.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to ASDA and their wonderful pet-owning shoppers, who have contributed this fantastic amount by buying packs of Felix Main Meal in-store and online from late October into late November, and to Purina for their ongoing support. Every pack purchased meant that Purina donated an additional meal* to Cats Protection, on top of 1 million meals already donated earlier in 2022 as part of our annual charity partnership.
 
^{*Between 27 October to 23 November 2022 Nestle Purina PetCare contributed £0.10p per pack of any Felix Main Meal (excluding Soup and Snacks) purchased exclusively in an ASDA store or online at asda.com to Cats Protection.}

Original post

Marley has known a lot of change and trauma during his 10 years of life and yet his experiences have not dimmed his enjoyment of fuss, attention and food.

He was a victim of physical abuse in his early years and then, after being safely rehomed, he suffered the sad death of his owner four years ago, at which point he was taken in by a kind neighbour who has since had to move abroad without him.

Since early July Marley has been in the care of our Gosport Branch where the friendly, food-loving boy has needed significant amounts of vet treatment.

After multiple tooth extractions, a swollen mouth, and partial tail amputation because of painful self-harming during the healing stage of treatment for a cyst, Marley has now been given a clean bill of health and is ready to start a new chapter of his life.

Marley’s fosterer, the branch’s fundraising coordinator Heather Wood, says: “Marley has had the kind of life that we wouldn’t wish on any cat. And yet somehow, he hasn’t lost his wonderful spirit.

“Marley is a quirky, handsome boy with a truly outstanding personality. Once he knows you, his gentle and loving ways really shine through. He is a confirmed lap cat who’ll purr away happily as you give him neck scritches, chin rubs and strokes.

“He is also extremely funny and watches everything with curiosity and interest. One of my favourite moments with him was when I found him sitting with both paws in one of my shoes, as though it was the most natural place to relax!

“Understandably, after such a lot of change and upset in his life, Marley can get scared of new people and situations so a little patience will be needed to build his trust, but Marley is well worth the effort – he’s a joy to have in foster care.”

Marley’s partial tail amputation does not hold him back and he can balance and jump just as well as he did before the operation. Having not been outside for a number of years, Marley watches the outdoors with interest, and he will need a garden in his new home to allow him space to exercise and exhibit his natural cat behaviours.

Heather adds: “Marley has been honing his puzzle feeder skills while he’s been in care – he loves his food and a treat ball is his favourite toy. Marley’s playful side is a joy to watch and he is particularly fond of a spinning butterfly and catnip toys.

“We’d love nothing more than to find him a calm, adult home where he can be the only pet and enjoy some time outside in the garden feeling relaxed and loved. He will make perfect company for someone, as they will for him. Please do get in touch if that someone might be you.”

During his four months in our care, Marley has enjoyed lots of tasty and nutritious food thanks to the support of Cats Protection’s long-standing partner PURINA® who already donated the equivalent of one million meals to the charity earlier this year.

Now a new campaign, called ‘Buy a Pack, Gift a Meal’, sees 10p, the equivalent of another meal, donated to Cats Protection for every purchase of any Felix main meal (excluding soup and snacks) purchased in an ASDA store or ASDA online between now and 23 November and helps the charity keep cats like Marley well fed while they wait for their forever homes.