Our campaign helped Angelica, Noel, Ruby, Mandy, Molly, Chloe, Oscar and tiny kitten Flash find a place to live

Life is purr-fect for these feisty felines!
BLACKPOOL  - CAT OF THE DAY   06-01-17
Ruby, a ten-year-old cat, is happy in her new home, with new owner Maureen Lightowler from Blackpool.BLACKPOOL  - CAT OF THE DAY   06-01-17
Ruby, a ten-year-old cat, is happy in her new home, with new owner Maureen Lightowler from Blackpool.
BLACKPOOL - CAT OF THE DAY 06-01-17 Ruby, a ten-year-old cat, is happy in her new home, with new owner Maureen Lightowler from Blackpool.

The Gazette took on a challenge to rehome as many needy cats as possible in the run-up to the new year. Teaming up with local cat shelter Blackpool Nine Lives, we advertised one furry feline in need of a new home every day throughout December. Now we are proud to reveal that eight cats featured in our Cat of the Day campaign are settled down in new loving homes, with all the toys and kitty treats they could dream of.

Angelica, Noel, Ruby, Mandy, Molly, Chloe, Oscar, and tiny kitten Flash have all found happiness with a new owner after their previous owners either gave them up, died, or simply dumped them on the streets.

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For one man, a new furry friend provided a much-needed lifeline after the death of the love of his life.

BLACKPOOL  06-01-17  CAT OF THE DAY
Cat Mandy is settling into her new surroundings as retired bus driver Trevor Duffield from Thornton-Cleveleys has rehomed her from Nine Lives Cat Rescue.BLACKPOOL  06-01-17  CAT OF THE DAY
Cat Mandy is settling into her new surroundings as retired bus driver Trevor Duffield from Thornton-Cleveleys has rehomed her from Nine Lives Cat Rescue.
BLACKPOOL 06-01-17 CAT OF THE DAY Cat Mandy is settling into her new surroundings as retired bus driver Trevor Duffield from Thornton-Cleveleys has rehomed her from Nine Lives Cat Rescue.

Retired bus driver Trevor Duffield, 72, from Thornton, adopted three-year-old tortoiseshell Mandy two months after losing his wife, Susan, to heart failure.

He said: “Mandy is giving me a bit of company now. I’ve never had a cat before but for five years I’ve looked after my son’s while he was on holiday.

“I didn’t want a dog because I didn’t want to do all the walking around in the rain.

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“It gives me someone to talk to. The worst part of living alone is when you come home and there’s nobody there. Now I have someone to come back to.”

Angelica and Noel have found a new home. Pictured is Noel.Angelica and Noel have found a new home. Pictured is Noel.
Angelica and Noel have found a new home. Pictured is Noel.

The grandad-of-two added: “As soon as I saw her I thought ‘that’s the cat for me’. She’s a quiet cat; you’ve got to be patient with her and let her come to you but she’s got a great temperament.

“Tortoiseshells can be a bit temperamental but Mandy is very good and calm.”

Elderly tortoiseshell Ruby is now enjoying cat naps on a comfy bed in her new home with Maureen Lightowler, 63, and her husband John, 69, on Haig Road, Blackpool.

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The retired shop worker said: “I lost my old cat around six months ago to old age and said I was never getting another cat. But then one day I saw Ruby in The Gazette and I thought she was so pretty. I rang the charity and they said I could meet her straight away.

Angelica and Noel have found a new home. Pictured is Angelica.Angelica and Noel have found a new home. Pictured is Angelica.
Angelica and Noel have found a new home. Pictured is Angelica.

“She was timid at first but eventually came around. She looks so gentle and we wanted an older cat, not a kitten that would be jumping all over the place. I liked her straight away.

“She settled in immediately and was sleeping at the end of my settee. We have got her a little bed that she wants nothing to do with - she just wants to go on our bed instead.”

Meanwhile, a South Shore couple took on two cats from the Nine Lives shelter.

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Warehouse manager Peter Harris and his wife Valerie, both 74, adopted lifelong friends Angelica and Noel.

BLACKPOOL  06-01-17  CAT OF THE DAY
Cat Mandy is settling into her new surroundings as retired bus driver Trevor Duffield from Thornton-Cleveleys has rehomed her from Nine Lives Cat Rescue.BLACKPOOL  06-01-17  CAT OF THE DAY
Cat Mandy is settling into her new surroundings as retired bus driver Trevor Duffield from Thornton-Cleveleys has rehomed her from Nine Lives Cat Rescue.
BLACKPOOL 06-01-17 CAT OF THE DAY Cat Mandy is settling into her new surroundings as retired bus driver Trevor Duffield from Thornton-Cleveleys has rehomed her from Nine Lives Cat Rescue.

He said: “We have always had cats and lost one in November, so we thought it would be a good idea to adopt a couple more. We once had six cats in the house, so two cats is nothing. They have settled in fine. They sleep together during the day and at night and seem very contented. We’re cat people and we love them to bits.”

Cath Middleton, of Blackpool Nine Lives cat shelter, said: “Not everyone has internet access, especially older people, so some people don’t even know we exist. With the cats being put out there in the newspaper it helps get the word out. It has helped us tremendously. It’s great to see the cats go to good homes, especially when they have been here for so long and they get overlooked.

“We want to send our appreciation to The Gazette and everybody who rehomed the cats.”