onionbagblog

It all started with a rather innocent post over on the Wivenhoe Forum (whaddya mean, blah blah blah… Oh - JUST JOIN!)

The appropriately named forum member fatcat started a thread, stating:

“We have a station cat.

I first noticed her about three years ago as she crossed the line, soon after she worked her way into the booking office and since then has become a permanent fixture with chair / blanket / scratching post / food / water. My enquires tell me that her owners have moved on and left her to her own devices.”

The conversation developed, as online dialogue often does; we have now come to the stage where Wendy Aid is in action; a fund has been set up by the very, very lovely Pet Shop Girls (TM) down at Wivenhoe Pets in the Business Centre, to make sure that our local station cat receives the correct medical attention.

The whole social history of everyone’s favourite station cat has now been re-told online. I was always aware of Wendy, if not in name, then certainly in presence. She personally greeted @AnnaJCowen and I during our many reckie’s into Wivenhoe, ahead of the Great Escape.

Wendy’s legendary welcomes have even stretched out across the Atlantic, with the wonderful “Wivenhoe vacation” couple from Rochester also pointing out the pleasure in being personally welcomed into the town with a purrr…

I always assumed (never assume!) that Wendy was owned by Network Rail, although probably not as some preposterous PPI initiative. It turns out that Wendy is no feline fiscal experiment in poxy Third Way politics.

Food, water, bedding and a scratch pole have all been provided by the decent #NXEA folk at Wivenhoe Station. But as I’m starting to find out back on the home front, a bowl of Whiskas a day doesn’t quite tell the story when it comes to the complexities of kitty cat love.

The Pet Shop Girls very kindly contributed the following to the Wivenhoe Forum:

“We were so sorry to hear about Wendy, we have had many a cuddle with her and she’s a truly gorgeous cat!

We would be more than happy to help Wendy, by having a collection pot for her at Wivenhoe Pets, I’m sure our customers would be more than happy to help her!”

Awww…

@tinysketchbook added a photo; Marika suggested some online adoption. fatcat had the cheek to suggest that Wendy could do with losing some weight.

Meowww!

The Colne Valley Veterinary Practice was consulted [cheers, fatcat] and a plan of action was put into place. A collection tin is now in place with the Pet Shop Girls.

Wivenhoe Pets also runs a rather wonderful loyalty scheme, where continued purchases receive a discount. I’ve got a £5 voucher, having bough a pussy palace for little Murphie. My £5 voucher is about to be cashed in to help our station cat.

Purrrfect (yeah, yeah, yeah…)

But cat collecting it seems is not enough for Wivenhoe’s very own cat celebre. Forum member charmaine added that Wendy is about to be immortalised in art:

“Her image is to be worked into a community rag rug picture to embellish our station. Would anybody like to learn to rag rug or contribute to this rag rug project?”

Blimey.

charmaine adds:

“By the way, Wendy was like a social worker down at the station during the snowy weather. I saw her climbing into the laps of freezing and hopeless travellers waiting for ghost trains, when so many were cancelled or late. She brought a purrr and smile to some very frozen worried faces.”

And so ends our tale of how a rather innocent post on the Wivenhoe Forum has resulted in #bigsociety (steady) plan to take care of a community cat. Being Wivenhoe and it is of course entirely appropriate that an artistic element has been added.

Meanwhile, @murphie_kitten is fast becoming not a charity case, but a bit of a head case.

Meowww…