Toyah’s life started in the worst possible way for a kitten when she was born into an established cat colony in an industrial area of Fakirk. In one way, she was probably quite fortunate for a “colony cat” as she survived those crucial early months of life to grow into an adult cat.Then her good luck ended as she became pregnant several times, giving birth to her kittens outside, probably in some dark corner where she thought they would be safe. In these situations, cats like Toyah are ill prepared for motherhood, as there is seldom a regular supply of food to nourish them and their unborn kittens. Once the little ones were born, she would have to stay with them to protect them from predators and other dangers, whilst all the time desperately needing food and liquid to enable her to feed them. Then, one day, Toyah’s luck changed. As part of an on-going CAT programme of TNR, she was trapped and taken into care to await the arrival of her kittens. It’s fair to say that, at first, she was not at all happy with this situation. For a feral cat, it can be stressful to be away from the familiarity of the colony and to have humans nearby. However, in Toyah’s case, her love of a good meal proved stronger than her natural desire to escape, and so she spent the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy eating, resting, eating, grooming and eating some more! Fortunately, this meant that when her five kittens were born, all of them were strong and healthy, and she was well prepared to care for them. After eight weeks or so had passed, these lucky, playful, socialised kittens went to the vets and then off to their forever, loving homes. Safely far removed from a life in the colony Toyah used to call home. Toyah turn now for a vets visit to be spayed, etc. So, what happened next? Did Toyah’s luck run out? Well, she continues to be a very lucky puss because she has gone off to live in a lovely new stable home, with plenty food and shelter, far from the terrible environment she was used to. From now on, she will never go hungry, never face the danger of heavy machinery and, most importantly, will never have to give birth and care for kittens outside again. Unfortunately, there are many cats like Toyah out there; living in dangerous environments, depending on the kindness of strangers for a crumb of food, hiding from people who would harm them, sleeping in cold uncomfortable dens, constantly giving birth to kittens outside. We need many more people to help offer cats like Toyah a permanent, safe environment, such as on good stables, smallholdings or farms. If you think you could help to rehome a neutered feral/semi-feral cat or two, please either contact Karyn in Kirkfieldbank, Lanark on  07702273347 or e-mail:- [email protected].