Spartan's December Shoelace Challenge
Spartan's December Shoelace Challenge
Meet Spartan (blind cat) and his beloved shoelace!
I met Spartan in a rescue shelter in July 2022, he'd been abandoned in a carrier next to bins with a horrendous eye injury. After weeks of medication he needed routine surgery to remove his injured eye. Sadly, the procedure damaged Spartan's optical nerve, leaving him completely blind! He was 3 years old.
It would be easy to dwell on how many times Spartan was let down during the first 3 years of his life but that would distract me significantly from how AMAZING he is and how he INSPIRES me and lots of other people, every single day!
Being responsible for the care of a blind cat was new to me, but we've learned together and our home is truly enriched by Spartan's presence.
Spartan's resilience is simply incredible... he is just as curious, brave, playful and energetic as any other cat and he lives life to THE MAX!
Spartan relies on me for interactive play and uses his superb non- visual cat senses (hearing, smell, whiskers) to engage in fast, accurate and rewarding play!
So what's with the shoelace?
Well... it became apparent that Spartan loved carrying things that he'd 'caught' (as he would if he'd hunted - an innate cat behaviour). For months we'd played using feathers on a long string... me dragging them along the floor (which he hears), him catching them and carrying them back to the start...
After a while, the feathers were so chewed up they were almost non existent and I needed a temporary replacement. Rummaging around the house one evening (Spartan in tow) I found an unused shoelace... I tied a knot in the end, to create something he could pick up easily with his mouth and off we went... that was about 6 months ago but HE STILL LOVES THE SHOELACE!
We go up and down the garden everyday day (and night!) and round the house (up on chairs and back down) in and out of boxes, all to retrieve the shoelace!
When I'm at work, the shoelace goes in the cupboard (only safe for supervised play) and he asks for it straight after his breakfast/dinner!
This December, we are both committed to raising funds for 2 of our favourite charities...
1. International Cat Care, whose valuable work in professional education, research and campaigning, improves the lives of cats - worldwide!
2. BSAVA PetSavers, who fund clinical research which leads to advancements in veterinary treatments and medicine - helping our pets live longer and happier lives.
Playing with cats is hugely advantageous for their emotional wellbeing and was at the heart of this year's International Cat Day campaign, by International Cat Care.
This December Spartan and I are striving for a whopping 800 shoelace retrievals to raise money for these purrfectly deserving charities. This is approximately double what we already do, so I need to be prepared to up my game after December too if Spartan wishes to continue with the increased exercise!
Each retrieval consists of a chase, a catch and Spartan carrying the lace back to the starting point!
As the saying goes
"Time with cats is never wasted"
and this boy deserves every minute 💙
Follow our progress on Facebook @MorePurrs
Thank you for reading 😁🐈⬛
Nadia & Spartan x
£500.00
+£68.75 Gift Aid
by 38 supporters
