Special Adoption Appeal for Greenlanes

Sometimes, cats are overlooked for adoption for weeks or even months and there are no obvious reasons why. Greenlanes is one such cat. A gorgeous, fluffy boy of approximately 2.5 years old, he is friendly, confident, and always eager to climb on the nearest lap - and yet he has received very little interest during his time at Catcuddles.

Like so many cats that enter the care of the charity, Greenlanes came to us under very unfortunate circumstances, having endured a very difficult life as a stray previously. We want so much for his luck to change and for him to find a loving, forever home, and it saddens us deeply that we’ve made little progress on that front thus far. Maybe sharing his story will help change that.

Greenlanes’ gained his name from a road in North London, where he once lived as part of a large feral cat colony. These colonies form when people fail to neuter their cats, leading to uncontrolled breeding and a concentrated, ever-growing population of stray and feral felines in one location, many of whom are FIV positive, or who have untreated injuries or medical conditions.

Greenlanes was one of the lucky ones; in spite of being unneutered and arriving with multiple war wounds and an infected abscess from fighting with other unneutered male cats, he tested negative for FIV.

Unlike many colony cats who are feral or badly socialised, he was also very friendly from the offset, giving him good adoption prospects. This means that Greenlanes was probably not born into the feral colony, but joined it after being abandoned or getting lost; not uncommon for unneutered male cats, who are extremely prone to roaming long distances.

Greenlanes' abscess was quickly addressed with antibiotics, and he also underwent surgery for a painful, untreated condition called entropion, in which a cat’s eyelashes grow inwards, causing constant irritation to the eye. Had he not been rescued by Catcuddles, we have no doubt that his life would have been short and full of suffering.

Greenlanes is now the picture of health; he is a large, chunky cat with fur that falls in beautifully glossy, dark chocolate waves. Our volunteers love his "tassels" - two fringes of fur on the inside of each ear.

Look at those ear tassels!

His personality is bold, confident, and extremely cuddly. He likes to lounge on laps, and has a funny habit of simulating nursing when he's feeling particularly cosy and loved - he will knead and purr madly, and try to suckle from our volunteer's ears! He's also chatty, curious, and has a ravenous appetite, which is no doubt the result of having to scavenge during his time on the streets; he cannot believe his luck when offered a full bowl of food.

Given his strong character, we feel that Greenlanes would be best suited to a home with teenage children or adults-only. He will also need access to a garden via a cat flap, although we also recommend that all cats are given the option of a cat litter tray inside the house.

Greenlanes is an all-round great cat, a huge character who is just desperate to be loved. We have no idea why we have yet to be able to find an adopter able to recognise what a great catch he is; it's obvious to our volunteers every minute that they spend with him.

If you want to change Greenlanes' life by offering him a home, please make an adoption enquiry at https://www.catcuddles.org.uk/adoption-enquiry.