Gina Pike (retired) alongside two other ladies, runs a Cat’s Protection League shelter from her home on Coniston Road, Barnehurst. The Bexley branches are just 3 of 250 nationwide volunteer shelters of which over 90 years of operation have cared and rehomed over 1.5 million cats and their litters.

The Cat’s Protection League’s vision is as follows: “A world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs.”

I paid a visit to Gina Pike to gain a glimpse into the life of solely operating one single branch and to get a true insight into what really goes on within the charity and see if this vision is carried forward and orchestrated at a local level.

Gina has been a volunteer of the charity since 2005; her love of cats and the satisfaction of seeing a cat going to a “lovely home” is what drives and motivates her each day to continue the work she does. Gina takes in stray cats found in random gardens or cats whose owners are now unable to care for them. However, the unfortunate part of the story is that there is a waiting list, therefore strays simply must remain in host gardens until a pen becomes available and only then can they be handed over into Gina’s loving hands.

The 3 Bexley branches are reliant on funding through donations and heavy contributions from pecuniary legacies. A significant moment highlighting the importance of donations to the charity occurred last Christmas. An owner of two cats adopted from the charity who recently passed away sponsored the new pen which now allows Gina to care for an extra 3 cats and their kittens; here we see the vision of the charity being carried further into the future.

In 2016 alone Gina cared for and rehomed over 150 cats. Currently she has 8 pens each home to a cat, 2 of which also bear a litter of recently new-born kittens. The length of one cat’s stay at Gina’s shelter ultimately depends on the cat’s age, personality and breed. Most cats reside in the pens for approximately 3 weeks but the most important thing to note is that “there is never an empty pen.”

Gina’s morning begins with tending to the cats at 07:00. Her duties consist of cleaning the litter trays, giving the cats food, fresh water and most importantly - smothering each cat with T.L.C. Between 18:00 and 19:00, it is time for the second and final meal of the day; the cats are fed another ‘wet sachet’ as an “extra treat” for their dinner. Gina’s duties also include two weekly visits to the vets taking between 2 to 8 cats at one given time simply for routine checks and vital vaccinations.

Gina recalls her happiest memory during all 12 years of volunteering to be the rehoming of ‘Suzie’ last year. Suzie the stray was discovered in a local garden; she was brought to Gina utterly distressed and petrified. “Suzie was kept in my care for a couple of months, spending all her time hiding in the box beneath her scratching post, until a potential owner finally came along wishing to offer her a new home. This has to be my happiest memory because it shows just how much cats despise being stuck in a pen, but being showed a little extra love in a loving home they are happy as Larry.”

I wanted to find out if Gina had her own ‘motto’ and vision to see how it compared with that of the charity itself. With a tender tone in her voice Gina warmly replied, “My ideal is for every cat to find a forever loving home.” The cats may not endure Gina’s care for very long but one thing they do overwhelmingly receive for the duration of their stay is love. In my opinion, Gina wholly fulfills her vision both through her own care and the thorough checks ensuring upon adoption, the cats will be content; suited to their new environment and devotedly cared for into the future.

If you are interested in adpoting a cat you can contact the Cat's Protection League Bexley on 01322554775 or visit their website: https://www.cats.org.uk/bexley