Volunteering with PH

As many of us know, having PH can really limit what you can do in life. I’ve been wanting to work with animals for a really long time but unfortunately due to my PH this has been next to impossible. This has been because of many factors such as distance, travelling, accessibility, the jobs involved, and work hours involved. Not many places have the means to accommodate all my needs and I have found volunteering difficult for the same reasons.

However, a year ago I came across a lovely cat rescue called Stepping Stones Rescue and Haven. They rescue cats all over my local area, and this could be because they have been abandoned, lost their owner, are unwanted… the list honestly goes on and it breaks my heart. I adore cats and as some of you know I have my own cat called Mateo. So when the rescue advertised that they were looking for people to foster, I immediately applied.

Becoming a foster for them has been the best thing I have ever done. When a cat comes into the rescue they are placed with a foster to be cared for until they are adopted. I have a spare room set up for potential fosters, and this means I don’t have to travel anywhere or be out in the cold/hot weather. I can help so many cats from the comfort of my own home.

If I’m feeling unwell I know the cats are safe in their room with everything they need, and my mum or my fiancée Jade are always on hand to take care of them if I can’t. This is very rare though as when I do feel unwell I actually love going in and seeing the cats, as they give the best cuddles and it really is such an escape for me.

Our first foster cat was a pregnant female (Sylvie) who was abandoned and ended up having two kittens (Pumpkin ad Peach) in our care. Being able to experience this was beautiful. Being able to be there for Sylvie and watch the kittens grow was amazing! They went onto the best forever homes and really are being spoilt.

Next up was Ozzy, a beautiful white male cat with the bluest eyes ever! He was only young and had been a stray for most of his life. His founder called the rescue because he was worried about Ozzy being out over winter and firework night. I was a free foster so he came straight to me. It took a while to gain his trust but in the end he became the most beautifully loving cat ever. He was almost a foster fail! But he ended up finding a lovely home with an owner who needed him, like he needed her.

Whilst fostering Ozzy I had the opportunity to take a course on hand -rearing kittens, organised by the rescue centre. I loved every minute of this! I passed every module with 100%, and qualified with flying colours. I have a certificate of completion. It was such a privilege to be able to do this.

Not long ago we took in Evie-Mae, who was abandoned by her owners when they moved house. She’s only young and wasn’t neutered or microchipped (which is now a law), so became pregnant. The person who found her contacted the rescue immediately and she was brought to me.

Unfortunately, Evie had a very traumatic experience. She birthed two kittens but then needed to be rushed for an emergency c-section and unfortunately lost the two remaining kittens. This was incredibly heartbreaking. Evie and her surviving kittens (KitKat and Rolo) have had so many ups and downs. Rolo needed supplement feeding, so I’ve been doing feeds throughout the night and during the day. This helped him massively! Evie is incredibly lucky and has the most amazing family waiting for her. Her and her kittens truly deserve the world.

Stepping Stones Rescue and Haven is incredible, I’ve met the most beautiful people, fostered the most amazing cats, and become part of a incredible team. This rescue runs solely on donations from the public. We could not do any of this without our amazing followers and donators.

Please go and give them a follow on Facebook to keep up with all the beautiful animals and visit their website at steppingstonesrescue.org to see all the cats they have up for adoption.