Two cats go to the UK - Rollo & Tilly’s story
Part One
It was April 2019 and I was staying with my wonderful friend Gill in Dahab. She was already fostering several street cats and had her own posse of cats and dogs when Rollo turned up - a small scared little bundle, who was approximately 4 to 5 weeks old. I fell in love with him and he shared my bedroom for the three weeks I was there. He demanded attention and loved a cuddle.
During the stay, several other orphaned babies arrived, were cared for by Gill and in some cases found homes. A tiny female whose ears weren’t even up (so only 2 or 3 weeks old) also arrived. We nicknamed her China.
All too soon my holiday was over and it was time to return to England. I hadn’t expected to come to Dahab and lose my heart but Rollo was very special. He’d purred and cuddled his way into my heart and I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him behind. I’d never thought about adopting a cat from overseas. Wasn’t it too complicated? Too expensive?
Gill and I talked about it late into the night. Could I take Rollo back to the UK? Would he be happy there? How would we get him there? After a lot of thought and to-ing and fro-ing, my heart won over my head. I knew I would regret leaving Rollo behind. There was no doubt in my mind, he had to come to live in England.
Of course, this wasn’t as simple as packing him up at the end of the holiday. It would be several months before all the paperwork was complete, vaccinations and tests done and he could travel. Gill would take care of all of that for me.
It was heart wrenching leaving Rollo behind but I knew it was only a temporary separation and the months would fly by.
Part Two
A lovely lady called Sally agreed to foster Rollo until he had all of his inoculations, been neutered and was ready to travel to the UK.
Amongst other kittens she also fostered China. China and Rollo quickly became close: they played and slept together and were inseparable. It seemed very unfair to separate them, so it wasn’t a hard decision to adopt both of them. Not only would they be company for each other, they would also help each other settle in to their new lives.
By October 2019 - six months after my holiday - they were both finally cleared to travel. Sally started getting them used to wearing a harness & lead and their travel cases. There was a chance that they would have to be taken out of their carriers at the airport and we didn’t want to take any chances. We wanted them to be comfortable wearing a harness and see their carriers as a place of safety and refuge rather than something to be feared. Thankfully both cats adapted fairly quickly. I don’t know - maybe they knew it was for their own good?
I was very lucky that Sally & Gill agreed to accompany the cats on their journey as they both had UK holidays planned in winter 2019. Rather than fly directly into the UK, they flew with them to Brussels. I drove to Belgium to collect all of them (humans as well). I’ll never forget that trip to meet them - a mix of worry and excitement. I was excited that the cats would soon be home but worried. How had they coped with the journey? Were they okay? Were they afraid? As soon as I saw them all, any concerns I had melted away. The cats were totally fine. Everything had gone well with the journey and they had been as good as gold throughout. It was emotional!
Part Three
Home at last! We decided to rename China, and she is now called Tilly. Apart from their huge ears with tufts on the top they look like any other moggy you might meet in the UK, but looks can be deceiving. These two definitely have inbuilt survival traits and adapt to any changes quickly. They also appear more accepting of other animals which meant my 18 year old female cat was reasonably happy to have them in the house. They love being together, as you can see in these photos, but are so different. Tilly is like a puppy, loves everyone and asks for a belly rub, purring profusely. She steals odd items, often pens which seem to get lost under fridges, cupboard doors etc. She sometimes makes mistakes, miscalculates jumps and gets stuck occasionally. Hence her nickname ‘Silly Tilly’.
Rollo is more wiley but he always needs Tilly’s cuddles. He has a penchant for scourers and dish cloths. He loves nothing more than a game of throw and retrieve, bringing his smelly scourer to you wherever you are, in bed, in the bath ... so you can throw it for him. At times it is like having two naughty toddlers in the house but I don’t think I have laughed so much in a long time. They have kept me sane during lockdown.
If anyone reading this is thinking about adopting a cat from Dahab, I’d say go for it. You won’t regret it and Gill and her team will be there every step of the way to guide you through the process. You can see the latest cats looking for their furever homes on the Adoption page of this website.