In the summer of 2021 the helpline rang,   It was Carol.  There had been a fire in one of her neighbours’ houses which had left it uninhabitable.

The lady was taken to hospital and subsequently transferred to a care home.  In the meantime Carol had been visiting the property twice a day to feed BOU

She was about 10 years old – a moggie / oriental / tortoiseshell overlaid with grey  - tiny and very vocal.

The relatives of the lady got in touch to say that unless the cat was removed from the house by the coming weekend they would either throw her out or have her put to sleep.

So that was when Carol rang CLAWS.  She would have been happy to adopt BOU but she already had 4 dogs, 4 cats, a guinea pig and some chickens so it wasn’t possible.

Fortunately we had a space so Carol brought her over.

Next day she had hardly got her paws "under the table” when the phone went.    It was Carol to say that BOU’s owner had returned home and was desperate to have her back so home she went.

At the beginning of May 2022 Carol rang again.  Sadly Bou’s owner had become very ill and had been transferred to a nursing home with no hope of returning to her house.  This left Bou homeless.

Fortunately we were able to accommodate her in a pen in the run of six.  She took a while to settle in, hiding behind her bed.

When the new enclosure was completed in May 2023 she was one of the first cats to enjoy the freedom and fresh air it provided but to start with she did this from the vantage point of the roof of her cat cabin. but wasn’t long before she came down interacting with the others and  playing with their toys .

At much the same time a supporter of ours,  who had adopted cats from us in the past, contacted us saying she was looking for another cat.   When we asked what sort of cat she was looking for she said  "The  one that nobody else wants – one eyed, three legged or the one that has been at the sanctuary longest”

Immediately we thought of Bou.   Despite our best efforts  and the help of 2 ladies from the Siamese Cat Society, she was still with us after more than a year/

We arranged  for her to come and meet our residents.   "What lovely cats you have” she said and went away to make her choice.   A few days later she rang to say she would like to adopt Bou.   We were delighted.

The home check went well and she soon returned to take Boo to her new home.

The last we heard Bou was busy helping her new "mum” choose her favourite food !