Do gooders and B&Q cats

A number of years ago a member of the public alerted us to stray kittens
on the scrubland near the B&Q store by the Chiswick roundabout.

In a joint venture with the Ealing branch of Cats Protection (CP) a trapping operation was mounted. It was incredibly difficult as the site was right next to the rushing traffic on the A4, it was bitterly cold with snow on the ground and it took a few days, but was ultimately successful.

A homeless chap, John, lived in a makeshift home of corrugated panels, cardboard and other oddments under the elevated section of the A4, opposite the site. After a tricky start – because if there was one thing John hated it was people he deemed ‘do gooders’, a relationship was built up and any cats that were too feral to be homed were returned to the site after a check-up at the vets and neutering. CP undertook to help by providing cat food which John would climb over the fence to feed to the cats and B&Q provided a couple of shelters for them

We were saddened to hear of John’s passing in January after the London Ambulance Service found him dead at his makeshift home. And what was to become of the remaining cats without John to keep an eye on them? Luckily the RSPCA has trapped them and taken them for any veterinary treatment required before relocating them to a farm.