Page 41 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Wow! That’s a lot to manage,’ said Tori.
‘I’m lucky – I have a great team of volunteers who help out with daily cleaning and dog walking, and they spend a lot of time with the cats, playing with them, grooming them, that kind of thing.’
‘Izzy does a great job,’ said Grace. ‘I can’t tell you how many times she’s helped out when we’ve had a stray that needs somewhere to go.’
‘You more than make up for it by the discount you give us,’ replied Izzy. ‘Vet bills are our biggest expense. We fund-raise as much as we can to try and keep things going, but all it takes is one seriously ill animal and that can drain all our savings overnight.’
‘If there’s anything I can help with on the fundraising side of things, I’d be happy to. Maybe a coffee morning? We could have a collection tin on the counter too,’ said Tori.
‘That would be great – I’ll hold you to that, you know!’ said Izzy, laughing. ‘Right, shall we kick off this tour then? We can meet some of the cats that I think could be suitable for café life and take things from there.’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ agreed Grace, heaving herself up off the sofa.
As soon as Izzy opened the door to the cattery, the visitors were greeted with a chorus of meows. Tori stopped at the first pen and read the card pinned to the door telling her about a cat called Magic, who had arrived at the centre when her owner had become ill. Tori peered into the pen, but she couldn’t spot Magic anywhere.
‘There she is,’ said Izzy, from behind her.
‘Where?’
‘If you look closely at the pyramid bed, you’ll see a pair of green eyes shining,’ said Izzy, pointing towards the domed cat bed.
‘Oh yeah!’ said Tori, spotting a pair of bright eyes peering out at her. ‘I see her.’
‘Magic is super-nervous; she’ll always hide away when we have visitors. She’s the type of cat that would find café life too stressful. She’s been used to living with the same owner her whole life and she’s finding all the changes unsettling.’
‘I can imagine, poor little mite,’ replied Tori.
‘Don’t worry, Izzy will find her the perfect home,’ said Grace.
‘I’ve already got one in mind. Do you know Bill Grayson?’ Grace and Tori nodded. ‘His wife died recently, and he’s been looking for a cat for company. Magic here will be perfect for him. He’s coming in to meet her this afternoon.’
‘See! I told you! Izzy is a feline matchmaker extraordinaire. She always manages to match the right cat to the right human. I don’t know how she does it,’ said Grace.
‘It’s so important to get it right, Tori.’
‘Izzy’s got a great success rate. Hardly any of her adoptions fall through,’ added Grace.
‘We’re always here if things don’t work out, though. Any animal that’s adopted has full rescue back-up for life,’ said Izzy.
‘Wow, Izzy, that’s great,’ Tori agreed.
‘Now, let me introduce you to this gentleman,’ said Izzy, striding ahead down the corridor. ‘Tori, I’d like you to meet Mr Wiggles. I think he’d absolutely love café life.’
As Tori stopped in front of the pen that Izzy had pointed out, she was met by the largest and most handsome black cat she had ever seen. He was purring loudly and rubbing his fur up and down the bars of his enclosure.
‘He’s adorable,’ said Tori, bending down and pushing her fingers through the pen’s bars to tickle Mr Wiggles under the chin. ‘Why’s he called Mr Wiggles? It’s such a strange name.’
‘Can’t you tell?’ said Izzy. ‘Just look at him, his whole body is wiggling to get your attention.’
‘Oh yeah, I see what you mean!’ Tori laughed.
‘Why don’t you go in and get to know him?’ said Izzy, opening the pen door to let Tori inside.
‘Well, hello there, little man,’ said Tori, scooping Mr Wiggles up in her arms. ‘Aren’t you just adorable.’
‘You’d think so,’ said Izzy, ‘but he’s been with us for nearly a year now with zero interest.’
‘Really? Why?’ said Tori.
