Hi, we are Norton and Froggy.
We are a pair of best friends looking for a home together!
More About Me
Breed - Domestic Shorthair
Sex - Male
Age - 2 years
Colour - Tabby/ white (Norton- mainly white)
Neutered - Yes
Vaccinated - Yes
Microchipped - Yes
FIV/FeLV blood tested - Yes, both tested negative
Live with children - Older children 14+ only
Live with other cats - Potentially other calm, placid cats
Live with dogs - Potentially dogs who have lived with cats before
Temperament - Wary of new people, very friendly and loving once they know you
Indoor/Outdoor - Norton and Froggy would enjoy a home where they can go outside safely to explore. They will however need to be kept STRICTLY INDOORS for at least 3/4 months while settling in, potentially longer for Froggy if he is still quite timid after this time.
Our story so far…
Froggy
Hi, my name is Froggy and I am the more nervous one of the two of us. I came to the sanctuary with my mom and 4 sisters. We were around 12 months old when we arrived, our mom was pregnant again and my sisters were all pregnant too (which I was the father of). We were being looked after by a kind man who had found us in his shed shed when we were kittens with our mommy. He kept us safe in the shed whilst we grew up and while he tried to find a rescue space for us, however unfortunately we hadn’t been neutered so that’s why all of my sisters ended up pregnant at such a young age too. I didn’t know any different but I did feel bad as they then had to go through a lot of trauma and stress whilst pregnant, giving birth and whilst bringing up the babies. Some of the babies didn’t survive due to being inbred, however lots of them did really well and are now happy in their forever homes. And most importantly, we were all neutered so no more babies for any of us!
My mommy, sisters and all the babies (my own and my younger brothers and sisters from my mom’s next litter) have all gone off to their forever homes now and I am the only member of the family left waiting for a home. Our mom was very friendly and had obviously had an owner at some point in her life, whereas me and my sisters were quite wary of people. Two of them were very friendly and soon went to a home together when their babies were old enough, the other two though were very scared of the humans here and it took the carers a long while to win them around, this was easier once they had finished raising their babies as they no longer felt they had to be protective of them!
I was also very scared of the humans and didn’t realise for a while that they wanted to help me, so I stayed at the sanctuary a little longer whilst I got used to human contact. It was obvious after some time that I did want to be friends, I was just very scared of all these new surroundings and people! Soon enough though, I eventually began to become familiar with the people who looked after me and showed that I am the most loving boy. I now LOVE my favourite people and get so excited when I see them! I am very vocal and love to follow them around and be involved in whatever it is they are doing, I have also turned into a lapcat! I never imagined how good it would feel to sit on the lap of a human who loves you , whilst asking for all the cuddles and tickles in the world and not have to be scared! But I am so glad I now know that humans aren't so bad after all!
Maybe you could be my forever human(s) and give me and new brother Norton a home?
Norton
Hi, I’m Norton. I came to the sanctuary after some of the sanctuary staff went on a bit of a rescue mission to save me! My main carer had heard about me being seen hiding in a bush by a stream in a park near to some really busy roads! I had been spotted there over the period of a couple of days and had not moved. As soon as she found out about this, she came over to where I had been spotted and started searching. It took her a while, but she soon discovered me hiding deep in the overgrown bushes. I was so scared and had hidden myself really well but she couldn’t get to me where I was, she even tried getting into the water to get closer to me but then it started raining so I hid deeper into the bush. I’m so thankful that my carer did not give up, later on in the evening when it was quieter, she came back with some other humans to help. They tried for a long while to catch me but I just kept moving up and down along the side of the stream in the bushes and brambles. I was so so scared and began to get nasty when they got near me, I just didn’t know they were trying to help! Eventually, when they were about to give up for the night (of course they would have been back the next day!), it was getting very dark and they could barely see me, but they managed to catch me and get me quickly into a carrier.
That was the beginning of my new life, and I haven’t looked back since! The humans think I was abandoned where I was hiding, I was right next to a car park and was very reluctant to leave, even when I was so scared and trying to get away from them, I always stayed in the same small area of stream/ undergrowth. I was a little growly and hissy for a few days while settling in here at the sanctuary, but then soon came right out of my shell! It was obvious that I had previously had owners who looked after me as I was quickly very trusting of the humans and wanted lots of love and affection.
I really hope me and my new best friend/ brother Froggy can find some humans as kind as the ones who came to save me that day! We both have had a rough start in life and really deserve a home where we will be spoilt and not have to worry about anything ever again!
Home we are looking for…
Once we were both here and safe, the humans began to start to get to know us. Of course, I (Froggy) took a lot longer to start to feel safe around the humans, but it was very evident early on that we would both benefit from having a kitty friend to help us relax and just to have someone for company. We were introduced to each other and hit it off straight away! We have spent the last few months getting to know each other and are now the best of friends! Our carers say we have a very brotherly relationship as we do get fed up with each other sometimes and have little arguments, but we also really enjoy playing together and cuddling up in bed together (although it is impossible to get photo evidence of this one!) Our carer has been trying to decide whether to rehome us as a pair for a while as the sanctuary had been really struggling to find people who wanted to take on a pair of cats recently, everyone wanted just one! She said she knows that us looking for a home together might mean that we are waiting for a little longer, but there is no way she can split us up now. She says we are just too cute together! Even if we won’t let her get a photo of us cuddling haha!
So, as mentioned above, we are definitely looking for a home together. However, we do need to find humans who are willing to put in the effort, time and patience to get to know us and allow us in our own time to trust you. Norton will soon come around to new people in no time, sometimes after putting up a bit of a front and pretending to be a tough guy but soon mellowing back into his cuddly, playful self. Whilst I Froggy will take a bit longer and will most likely be scared when going to a new home. I will have to get used to whole new humans and whole new surroundings which is very scary for me, but I am confident that the home we go to will be our final and forever home, so hopefully I will never have to get to know brand new humans again. And of course, I will have Norton being the confident one who I can watch making friends with our new people, and then he can let me know it’s safe! He’s definitely just like my big brother, even though we are a similar age.
We would not like to live with young children, so can only go to a home with older children 14+ years old or an adult only home. I (Froggy) love other cats, however Norton can be a bit grumpy with some. We could potentially live with quiet, laid-back cats who won’t get on his nerves, but then again we might get on their nerves when we are playing together like maniacs! We have met a friendly dog here at the sanctuary and surprisingly were not too bothered by her, so we could potentially live with a calm dog who has previously lived with cats and isn’t too boisterous around them. Please remember though that slow and steady introductions will need to be made when introducing us to any other pets in the home.
We would like to be able to have safe access to outside in our new home. However, you will need to understand that it may take us a while to settle in completely and that we will need to be kept STRICTLY INDOORS until we are comfortable and happy for our own safety. Our carer advises we are kept indoors for at least 3/4 months, however I (Froggy) may need to be kept indoors longer if I am still settling after this time, to avoid me going outside and getting spooked or scared. My carer thinks I will be well and truly settled by this point though so fingers crossed!
Medical history…
Both boys are very healthy and have no major health concerns. The only thing we will mention though is that when Froggy finally began to settle with us and was moving about more, we noticed that he walked differently to other cats and had a slightly strange gait. He had x-rays taken of his back legs and hips to check for any abnormalities or problems, but everything looked perfectly fine. So, the conclusion is that Froggy just has his own walking style!
We would, of course, advise his new owners to monitor this throughout his life and is there are ever any worries or concerns regarding his walking or back legs, then to get him checked over by a vet as you would any other cat.
Norton does have a grade 2 heart murmur which was picked up at the vets when he had his neuter surgery. He had a heart scan to make sure his heart is working as it should and the vet had no further concerns regarding this. Heart murmurs can be common in cats, and this should be monitored each year when he goes for his yearly health check and booster vaccinations which will ensure any changes are picked up and can be treated accordingly. He has recently had this rechecked at the vets and it is still the same grade, meaning it hasn’t worsened over the past year. Most cats will live a perfectly normal and happy life with a heart murmur, so please don’t let this put you off giving these gorgeous boys a home!
If you think you could offer us the home we need, please fill out an Adoption Enquiry Form with as much information as possible. Please make sure you have read about all of our needs and our adoption policies before applying.
Forms lacking in detail or with questions unanswered may not be considered, we need to ensure we are matching our cats to the right home for them.
