Happy Endings
This page is now an archive of happy endings received up until January 2018.
To visit our more up to date stories please go to: tbc
COSMO & TILLY (previously Alfie & Edie)
We adopted two 6 month old shy black kittens from HAWS in January 2018, Cosmo & Tilly.
They had been born outdoors in August 2017 to a friendly Mum, who was more than happy to be picked up by HAWS when the weather turned colder. Not so her little 3 month old kittens! They spent the next six weeks in foster care and when I went to visit them, they only made a brief appearance.
So they came to live with us last year in January, almost six months old now, only ever really having known their fosterer. We didn’t really see them for the first couple of weeks, they hid under the bed in the spare bedroom. Every day we spent all available time (mostly my husband Neil), just sitting in the room, and eventually were rewarded by them allowing us to tickle them under the chin.
From then on we made slow, but steady progress. Three months on and we were able to handle them enough to take them to the vet for their first vaccination, repeated 3 weeks later for their second one (although poor Cosmo pooped in the basket both times!).
They are both such a delight, both now showing their quirky character. Every morning we have the same ritual for cuddles and in the evenings Cosmo snuggles right up against your hip, when we sit on the couch. If I lie down on the couch, he will nestle into the crook of my neck, purring his head off, with Tilly sitting on the back of the couch behind us and offering her paw for feline foot rubs!
Tilly has made a game of racing up the stairs in front of us, then stopping on one of the steps, almost doing a handstand whilst asking for cuddles!
We live in a 3 storey town house, backing onto a river. My husband has built a floor-to- ceiling cat tree, which is basically a large scratching post with platforms, overlooking the river, where they love to spend time watching the local wildlife.
I think back on how shy they were when we got them and how far we have come. I remember thinking how grateful we were to the person who contacted HAWS before the winter set in, and how different their lives would have been if they had lived a feral life.
Thank you HAWS and all the fosterers out there, for making such a difference to cats’ lives everywhere.
Finally, I would like to say how rewarding it is to offer a home to shy cats and watch them bloom into affectionate and loving cats. So please don’t be put off by choosing a shy cat and, especially black ones, as they often get overlooked, yet offer the same love and affection as any other cat.
Judith and Neil, June 2019
Etty – June 2018
We just wanted to pop over an Etty update; she’s settled in really well and is bossing Taro around when she’s not playing with him. The vet has seen her, given her boosters and says she’s in great condition.
She continues to be a bit skittish with sudden movements or noises, but is relaxed with us. She’s graduated to going in the garden, which she loves, but her safe place is (what is now) her sofa when she gets spooked at all.
Thank you again for all you did to get Etty and us together.
Seph and Mark
Mint & Tarragon – April 2018
Mint and Tarragon have settled in really quickly and they have been met with the love of all our family and friends. Their characters have developed into hooligans and absolutely adore having cuddles! Mint and Tarragon have already enjoyed the time they have spent with us! And we can’t wait for the years to come!
We all love having them as part of our family and they have already enjoyed winding up the dog! They have been chasing each other in the sun and love going out in their run!
George Cox
Pi – June 2017
I thought I would let you know that our lovely ginger Pi is still going strong. We adopted him and his brother from you back in 2003. They had been found with their mother and the rest of her litter by builders who were about to demolish the building they were in.
Sadly Pi’s brother Boston (our gorgeous black and white panda) died in 2010. Pi has picked up FIV along the way, and is also diabetic now, so has certainly used some of his 9 lives, but he has a few more to use up yet.
Kate
Casper – May 2017
We adopted Caspurr (known as Tips due to his tippy-toe walk) in September 2015. Earlier that year I’d lost my cat of 19 years, Henry and felt no cat could fill that void. I was very wrong. When we met Caspurr he was a half grown kitten, who lived in his fosters’ bathroom, I know he misses her as he still likes to sleep in the bathroom!
Caspurr is a playful, gentle, easygoing boy who loves to be cuddled and be picked up. He sleeps on my bed every night and spends his days exploring our garden, as well as other people’s… and very naughtily, even their houses!
He’s curious, but absolutely lives up to his name: Caspurr the friendly cat.
Caspurr has a beautiful fox-like tail and gorgeous fluffy coat; he’s so well loved he even has his own instagram. Catch his adventures: @Caspurr_the_friendly_cat
Instagram: caspurr_the_friendly_cat
Many thanks to HAWS for finding us a loving new addition to our family.
The Hammonds Xxx
Sable – March 2017
Hi adopted Sable yesterday and she is already settling in very nicely .She is already showing signs of being very affectionate and settled.
Michelle Palmer
Maia (was called Ziva – adopted in May) – December 2016
Thanks for helping us adopt Maia- she is awesome and we adore her even when she shreds toilet rolls!
Sam Hanley
Izzie and Lexie (adopted in March) – December 2016
Izzie and Lexie enjoying the TV from the sofa!
Thank you so much for linking us all up. They are so much fun.
Caroline, Jade and Sophie x
Tillie – December 2016
Here is Tillie (AKA Courtney) looking very cute after she’d had a fun time knocking baubles off the tree ?she’s a very cute and very mischievous little girl! We love her to bits and she seems very happy too. Hope you have a great Christmas – keep up the good work!!
C Goodchild
Simba (adopted in August and now called Brody) – December 2017
Simba is adorable!! He ventures outside but is never far away. He loves company. Every morning he greets me with a chat!
Tracy Smith
Martha and Alex – April 2016
Martha and Alex have settled in very well with me and are adorable little guinea pigs. A mother and daughter, they have a lovely relationship and get on well. Alex lets me stroke her and she is becoming as relaxed as her Mum. She has even copied her Mum by coming up to me for a kiss. Martha has always been easy to handle and is a very inquisitive guinea pig who loves to know what is going on and what you are up to. They are very chatty guinea pigs who love their food and can hear a packet rustle from a very long distance! They will squeak very loudly when they know it is fresh food time in the evenings.
They are very good with me and don’t mind me resting my head on the side of their cage watching them for ages. They like to put their face up to mine. Martha and Alex are very affectionate and it is lovely how they get on. They enjoy listening to Smooth FM in their room and I’m looking forward to getting them used to other rooms such as the sitting room where they can run around. They are well known at my work and have people asking after them a lot. I am so pleased to have them.
Thank you Lucius for introducing them to me and your help in general. I can’t imagine being without them.
Helena Barber
Bobo Bella – March 2016
We adopted a black kitten from you on 17 Dec (one of Mabel’s kittens – who had to have her leg amputated:-( Just wanted to drop you a line and say thank you so much for letting us adopt her kitten – she’s really beautiful, mischievous and full of fun with a very sweet, friendly personality. Everyone that meets her, loves her and we are thrilled to have her as part of our family. She’s just been neutered so we’re looking forward to letting her out in the garden once she’s fully healed (and the weather gets a bit warmer:-)
She’s an absolute delight and has settled in incredibly well – as you can see from the attached pics! Thanks too to Roz for looking after her until we adopted her:-)
Please keep up your fantastic work!
Sam, Jamie and Kitten Bobo Bella x
Sidney update
Sidney became a bit of a celebrity on the HAWS website a couple of years ago, due to an appeal to raise money for two knee operations which would allow him the possibility of a normal life. Thanks to the generosity of you, our supporters, the money was raised and Sidney had the operations while living with his foster family.
Once recovered, Sidney went on to the website to find him his forever home. That day came back in January 2015 when he went to live with Cheryl, Greg and the rest of the family of cats and dogs. His fosterers were a little concerned as to how he would settle in a busy household with other animals. So they kept in touch on his progress and visited him to see how he was getting on. Luckily for Sidney, his new mum Cheryl has a qualification in Animal Behaviour, as well as plenty of experience introducing cats and dogs to each other so he was in the best hands.
Greg and Cheryl feel that Sidney has fitted into their home perfectly and have seen him progress with the recovery of his knees. He is now able to jump up to high surfaces and go about life as normal thanks to his operations.
Right from the beginning, Sidney found a great friend and companion in the household… Patch the spaniel. Patch has a laid back approach to cats and was happy to adopt Sidney as a new friend, allowing him to use his tail as a toy to play with. Sidney does like to hang out with the other cats and dogs too but Patch is definitely his best buddy.
Clever boy Sidney has learnt some new skills from his canine friends such as ringing bells outside the back door to be let in. The bells are for training the dogs to ask to come in but Sidney decided that being a cat shouldn’t stop him learning too.
Sidney has firmly made his place within the family of three dogs, five cats, and two bunnies. Since his arrival two kittens came to join the family, and he adopted the role of mentor teaching them how to use the litter tray, where to chill out and how to get the best treats.
Recently Sidney and his family left London in search of quieter life in the Scottish countryside. They are all enjoying their new home, have a nice big garden to play in, as well as more space inside to have cat towers in every room and to be able to run around.
Sidney’s fosterers are happy that they were able to be a small part of getting Sidney’s life on track. They are very grateful to all the HAWS supporters who have made this story have a happy ending. Sidney would like to say a big thank you to everyone for allowing him the chance of a happy, healthy life, where he is loved and cared for, has friends to play with, and has lots of fun. His forever family are very happy they adopted him and in their words say “Sidney is such a sweet loving, gentle and funny boy who we are grateful to have in our lives every day”.
Cheryl van Dyk
An update on the boys – Peanut & Pretzel
Peanut & Pretzel have been with us for a week now and each day are growing in confidence. We had read and been told to expect the kittens to hide and that this could be for up to a week. Within an hour of arriving, Pretzel went exploring and eventually Peanut followed. They have a very strong bond as brothers and it is very evident that Pretzel encourages and supports Peanut. On the first day, Pretzel encouraged Peanut out from the sofa with a firm push with his paw!
Over the week, they have got used to our routines and when we get home from work, they come to find us in the kitchen for their evening food. Having spent a lot of time playing with balls at Richmond vets, we ensured they had a good supply of balls. However, they love chasing and trying to catch the feathers on the fishing lines the most.
During the week pretzel has started to sit on the sofa with us and on our bed. Today Peanut took the jump and sat near us on the bed. It is clear he wants to join Pretzel but is not confident enough yet.
As I type this update, Pretzel has come to help type and is sitting on my lap.
Catherine & Andy
SUE/BELLA – September 2015
We adopted Little Sue – now called Bella – nearly a year ago. She is a wonderful addition to the family and has settled in well. I thought you might like to see a photo of her now. As you can see she’s quite vocal and likes to tell us what she thinks we should do! Thank you again.
Doreen
EMILY – April 2015
Emily has settled in well and has “taken over” I now live with her! She has such a sweet nature and has many funny little ways, she is a joy. Some photos here of her waiting patiently in the kitchen for her supper.
Pat Morgan
OLGA DA POLGA and COCO make themselves at home – August 2015
We just wanted to update you on how Olga da Polga and Coco the guinea pigs we adopted in June 2014 are.
They are both very healthy and happy and enjoy their 2 storey hutch and outdoor run. We have a lot of fox locks on everything and even have an electronic fox deterrent as there are quite a lot of foxes around. The girls are very friendly and have become more and more vocal the longer they have lived with us. They are not afraid of humans anymore and will happily sit on our laps and eat cucumber and carrots!
They are a real part of our family. Thank you for allowing us to adopt them.
The Tabuteau family
OLIVE/GEM – March 2015
Just wanted to give you an update on Olive, who we have now had for two months and have renamed Gem. I would have to say that she has settled in beautifully. She has found a variety of spots to sleep during the day and loves the new three tier scratching post we bought her. She is a lovely, affectionate cat and we really hope she is as happy here as we are to have her.
She now has full run of the cat flap and is in and out all day long. Although she has explored local gardens, she comes back when called, which is a relief all round.
Alison
PUMPKIN & CANDY – 6th December 2013
Just thought we should send you an update on the kittens – they have settled in so well – can’t believe it has only been 2 weeks!!
Pumpkin is definitely the braver of the 2, but wherever she goes Candy follows and she is now starting to “do her own thing”! They both love sitting on our laps, and it really makes us laugh as they push each other out of the way in order to get more attention! They are very curious about the big world outside; they like to sit and look out of the doors at the leaves falling off the trees and of course, the neighbourhood cats! Candy has had her 2nd vaccination and so hopefully over the xmas holidays we can venture outside!
Ellie and Oliver are delighted with their furry sisters and have had lots of their friends over to visit them – all of whom are now requesting kittens from their parents!!
Thank you so much for introducing us!
Katie, Daniel, Ellie, Oliver, Pumpkin and Candy x
ROLY – 10th May 2013
Roly is settling in beautifully. He seems to have a bold and cheerful nature – we were all prepared for days of nervousness and hiding, but he strolled out of his carrier as if he didn’t have a care in the world. After a careful inspection of the house, which took him about half an hour, he came and plumped down beside us on the futon. He really seems to have settled in, which is lovely – it was good to have a long weekend to get to know each other.
Ruth Ward
MAGGIE! 18th April 2013
It seems so long since I last emailed you, and Maggie has now been here for over a month and she just keeps growing up. She seems really big to me now, but I took to the vet last week for a check up (all good) and he said she is quite small for her age so will not be a big cat. She remains my big, beautiful tiger. She now happily wonders throughout the house even though she remains more comfortable upstairs than downstairs. She is currently sleeping on my bed in the sunshine. The last photo was taken about an hour ago. She only started coming into the kitchen this week so I expect her to keep progressing on that front.
She plays a lot and loves it when I play too. She stands on the stairs and looks at me to say “come on, throw the ball, Im waiting”. Then she runs up after the ball and down again. Ahhhh. And all the standard things like scrunched up bits of paper are good too. I consider us in training for when she goes outdoors, I want her to be fast and strong, both mentally and physically! 🙂 Especially as she is still very submissive, I want her confidence up as much as possible. And she seems to be on board with this. She also likes to wake up at 5:30am and plays on her own for a few hours and watches the birds out the window.
She now squeeks. No meows, just squeeks. So when I come home she is sitting at the top of stairs and she squeeks hello, and she squeeks with excitement when I throw the ball. And of course she is much more comfortable in my presence, she will sit on the windowsill next to me while I am working and is mostly happy with me walking around in whatever room she is in.
So yes, I am a mad cat lady, and I do love this little kitten. She is a little mad herself with all her lolling and rolling around.
I am so glad I went with my instinct and brought Maggie home with me.
Susan Kent
POPPY UPDATE 4th March 2013
Poppy has been with us for exactly a month and has quickly become a much-loved member of the household, after we saw her at Heather’s house and became smitten. She spent most of her first day with us hiding in terror (including we must admit a terrifying 45 minutes up the chimney, which we had wrongly thought was kitten-proof enough), but although still cautious is less jumpy every day. She is incredibly gentle with everyone, and has been perfect with the children, who love her to bits and are so good with her. She is not mad about being picked up, but is otherwise very social and above all loves to PLAY! In fact, she has a cute little mew that means quite definitely, “I want to play now”, and is simply irresistible. She was extremely eager to explore the rest of the house after a few days in her ‘kitten room’, and we think she is going to love going outside in the garden soon.
Poppy has some canine-like traits, for example, she likes to chew the newspaper, play catch and is rather into her routines. She just loves bedtime and bounds into our bathroom, joining us on the sink for teethbrushing. Then she makes a beeline for my second-best pillow against the headboard, which she has claimed for her own. She sleeps all night above my head until she hears the children get up in the morning, when she follows them to the kitchen. An unexpected benefit of getting Poppy was that our 9-year-old son (who was not too bothered about getting a kitten at first) is spending less time with his gadgets and more time working on her entertainment. Many thanks to Dee for her home visit and Heather for taking such good care of Poppy, and to all the HAWS volunteers for their good work.
The Lovatts
Daisy & Snowflake
Thanks for everything you and Carole have done for me and Daisy and Snowflake. They are so beautiful and loving and have been exploring their new house and playing and scampering all over the place. They slept curled up beside me and they are so perfect i cant say how happy i am. Duchess Daisy has followed me about a bit and they both have the loudest purring I’ve ever heard !!
It has gone so well i thought you would like to know
Yours Hilary xxx
Tony (RIP Jan 2011)
It is with a heavy heart I write about my Tony who left us on Tuesday afternoon after a short battle with CRF and associated problems.
He was diagnosed FIV when I adopted him from HAWS back in July 2000, (along with a black & white male whom I called Hermie) but I decided that I would take him on (as I was told his future might not be too bright, otherwise). He was originally named Anton (I think from where he was found), but I felt “Tony ” was nicer!
Despite being FIV he always seemed well & happy and playful (when he was younger), and developed a “penchant” for take-away burgers & kebabs as well as other “strange” foods like noodles and mashed potato! I assume this may have been part of his diet while a stray on the streets where he was found and taken-in by the kind volunteers at H.A.W.S Food was his hobby – always quick to check-out what was in the shopping bag on my return from the supermarket! I rarely need an alarm clock as he would jump on the bed in the morning and patiently wait until I rose. If I was in the bathroom a bit longer than usual. I would hear a soft “tap” on the door!! Not one to roam the garden much, he was quite happy just to sit & watch TV on my lap, or snuggle-up and “help” me check emails or ebay bidding on my laptop (probably ‘cos of the warm air blowing out from the base!)
The first symptoms of his condition was blindness but to his credit, he adapted quickly, and after a few weeks he was living life pretty-much as normal – walking determinedly, but cautiously, out to his garden & back even in the recent snow.
“The -powers-that-be” fittingly arranged a quiet sunny afternoon (after weeks of grey rainy days), for his final hours and he was able to feel the fresh air and sun on his back and just sit & listen to the birds and backround familiar sounds before his trip to the vet.
I would like to thank all at HAWS for giving me Tony and the companionship he provided all these years. Keep up the good work!
John Cotter
Harry
Hi, I thought I’d update you on Harry, the cat we adopted from HAWS in March 2008.
I saw him on your website a few months before we were able to adopt him and I fell in love with him straight away. We’d only just moved and it wouldn’t have been fair to have adopted him straight away. Eventually we had our home check and were told that someone else was going to look at him as he was the only cat they were interested in. I was upset, but we were going to look again as we knew we could give a cat a good home, but you can imagine how happy I was when I got a phone call to say the other person had changed their mind and did we want to go and see Harry!
Harry was being fostered in Shepherds Bush so we went to see him on a really bad night – gale force winds, pouring rain etc. When we got there Harry rubbed around my legs and nipped my partner so we knew he was the one for us! He settled in pretty much as soon as he arrived in his new home, and now he really is lord and master of all he surveys! He’s not a lap cat, but in his own way he is one of the most affectionate cats I’ve ever met – he follows us around and sits with us in the evenings. He loves being groomed, and the wood flooring in the hall is a great race track to run up and down with his toys! We love him dearly and can’t imagine not having him around.
Tracey Reed
Jemima
Just thought I would take a few moments to let you know about Jemima, the gorgeous naughty tortie that arrived in our lives on the 9th March this year.
Jemima had been with wonderful foster parents for 6 months. They were very sad to see her leave them, but happy that we could give her the garden she longed for.
After 4 weeks of gazing out of the window and settling in, Jemima could not wait to get outside and check out her new territory! She loves nothing more than climbing the apple tree in our back garden, and is an affectionate, chatty lady who always dashes in the cat flap to say hi when we get home….then goes out again! She loves chilling out with us in the evening and adores playing with the piece of string she brought with her when she first came to live with us (over and above any other toys!)
Jemima has brought her feisty personality, inquisitive nature and zest for life into our home, and is loved by us and any visitors that pop by…as well as the people in the street that talk to her when she is sunbathing in the front window.
We are so happy that we could give her the life she deserves and are loving having her in our lives.
Debbie Harrington
Indiana Jones
I just wanted to update you on the kitten I adopted from you in November 2011. You had named him Indiana Jones due to his adventurous nature and he has proved well named since arriving home with me in Ealing. He seems completely fearless and will investigate anything and everything. Luckily he is still kept indoors as he is not due to be neutered until March, but once he gets outside I am sure I will be collecting him from up trees, down holes and from a host of other adventures.
Aside from his boundless curiosity, Trunki (renamed by my son after his favourite suitcase), is also the most sociable and tolerant cat I have ever known. He made immediate friends with my persian Oscar – the two have become inseparable – and he puts up with constant cuddles and carries from my son when he gets home from school. He has firmly established his sleeping position at the foot of my bed at night and whenever he can he comes to snuggle up under my chin if I am sitting on the sofa trying to read the paper, watch television or work on my laptop. I am getting used to doing whatever I want to do by looking round the side of black fluffy bundle right sat in front of my nose!
I adopted Trunki as a companion cat to Oscar, who from his behavour I thought was getting lonely and bored. Seeing Oscar now this has been a complete success. Oscar seems happier, is eating more and isn’t leaving me fragrant messages outside the litter tray any more. The pair of them play together every day and I am sure once Trunki has the run of our garden they will find even more to do together.
I attach a picture of the two of them. You can see how well the relationship has developed in only a few short weeks and I recommend anyone else with a lonely cat also consider adopting a little playmate for them from HAWS.
Thank you all for making it possible.
Louise Kettle
Mimi & Mischief
I just wanted to let you know that my 2 kittens have settled in very well and are absolutely adorable! I adopted Mimi and Mischief (now called Sabrina and Salem!) on Monday and they settled in surprisingly quickly.
We confined them to 1 room on that Monday and by the afternoon they both fell asleep in my lap and purr like 2 motorbikes! As they seemed so happy we let them explore of the downstairs on Tuesday and they LOVED running around, we cannot believe how high they can jump! They are incredibly playful – chasing each other, chasing a feather toy and batting the ball on their scratching post. They continue to be very affectionate, not just to me but to my friends who have come to dote on them too! They have found their way into every nook and cranny and have provided us with much amusement – Salem climbed onto my head and Sabrina leapt on top of the bin in the kitchen and fell inside! We haven’t had any accidents either, they used their litter tray straight away and are feeding well.
Just wanted to say thank you very very much, we are all completely smitten with the two of them! They are the cutest little kittens ever and so friendly – so to anyone who turns up their nose at black cats tell them that personality is far more important!
Thanks again,
Jenni
Hoggy
I just thought I’d drop you a note to let you know how one of your ex-cats is getting on. We adopted Hoggy in December 2008 – he was/is FIV+, aged about 8 or 9 years old, was REALLY big and was, well, not the prettiest cat! We don’t know his past, but he’d clearly been through some tough times. For the first week, he wouldn’t come out of his carry basket. For the first month he wouldn’t leave the bedroom. He shied away from us and would startle at the slightest sound or movement.
But slowly, slowly, he started to come out of his shell. He started to come into the living room, and then on to the sofa. He slept on our bed at night. We gave him lots of love and he got bolder and bolder. We would leave toys around but he never seemed interested in playing until one day, about a year later, he suddenly batted one of the mice! It takes him a while to catch on to things! Now he plays every day. And just recently, 3 and a half years after he arrived, he has started meowing! He never used to chat to us at all, so it’s lovely. We guess he is around 11 years old now.
We absolutely love him to bits and he is king of our house. He is still scared around strangers but with us he is very friendly and loving. He has even learned to tap us politely on the shoulder if he wants strokes! He has brought us endless laughs and we are happy every day that we adopted him. So thank you very much for putting him in our lives.
Francesca & Alex
Harriet & Truffle
This email is just to say thank you to all involved in helping me to adopt two tortie kittens a few weeks ago. The kittens had been fostered by Roz in Chiswick and were part of a litter of four, along with their mum, Nora. I’d be grateful if you could pass on my thanks to Roz and also Juliette (the home-checker) for their help with the adoption and let them know that the kittens are settling in beautifully.
We’ve called them Harriet and Truffle. Truffle was very shy at first but she’s turned into a sweet, purry little thing who flops in my arms when I pick her up, like a beanie baby, with no inclination to get down. Harriet is more of a wriggler and a leg-climber, but she’s a lovely friendly kitten and purrs like an engine whenever she is stroked. The two of them are generally inseparable and spend most of their time charging around the house together, chasing balls and bits of string and climbing anything in sight. A typical pair of naughty torties 🙂
Sue
Selina
I thought I would give you some feedback on the cat we adopted on the 1st October. Selina is a little black and white female of about 18 months at the time and was living with her foster mum, Sheila, in Brentford.
My 7 year old daughter renamed her “Purdy” (because she purrs all the time). Purdy has settled in well and is truly a family cat. She settled in very quickly and is adored by my daughter. She has no problems with young children, even going up to my 18 month old baby son for strokes! She loves being around people and is very playful. She started exploring the garden after a month, but doesn’t go very far.
Belinda