cats

Words by Jobe Baker Sullivan / Pics supplied by Jo Baldwin

Erdington’s very own “cyborg cat” is the new poster boy of a local charity which rehomes abandoned moggies.

Emre, aged four, was adopted by musician Jo Baldwin in 2016 after he was left for dead on the side of a road in Marmais, Turkey.

Prior to this he experienced neutering, the loss of his right eye, and was rapidly using up his nine lives.

Currently recovering well from his latest operation to his humerus, which was restored with a metal rod, Emre is now a marvel of modern science and due to amount of metal in his head has been dubbed a “cyborg cat”.

Jo said: “Although I may have saved his life, it’s fair to say he saved mine; he is boisterous cat, and very popular with the female cats of his neighbourhood.”

Emre has also found a new best friend in Josie, Jo’s black Labrador. Lockdown has been a pleasure for the two.

Jo said: “They both receive lots of attention from their mum, as she’s not out gigging as much anymore – Covid’s meant I’ve had to stay at home.”

You don’t need to go to Turkey to adopt a cat like Emre, however. Team Cat Rescue (TCR) is a Birmingham-based charity that works on “neutering, rescuing, and re-homing abandoned and needy cats and kittens.”

Coordinator, Lynne Buffery, told Erdington Local: “We work closely with local vets to ensure that all the cats in our care are given the best possible start.

“The charity has rehomed around 140 cats since April 2019. The TCR van, or the ‘catmobile’, has clocked-up hundreds of miles more in 2020 than in 2019. No wonder I’m appealing for more support with driving.”

Lynne added: “Covid-19 lockdowns have meant more people had time on their hands and more were working from home.

“But this has been a real positive for TCR, resulting in new volunteers coming on board – joining the various arms of the already 20 plus strong team – fostering, fundraising, publicity, and admin.”

For the purr-fect way to support Team Cat Rescue, or if you would like to rehome a cat yourself, contact: 0121 373 4596 or visit www.teamcatrescue-bham.weebly.com

Words by Keat Moore / Pics by Keat Moore and Ed King

Erdington Pet Centre has been catering to the needs of Erdington’s pet lovers for the past 10 years and has continued to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Erdington Local went to find out more about the store and what affect the lockdown has had on their business.

“We’ve actually got busier,” says owner Paul Beresford, “when it started, we had lots of people panic buying and we were really busy. But after a little while it quietened down, and we’ve managed to keep that busier pace.”

On the list businesses exempt from lockdown restrictions, pet stores have been kept open across the UK – providing the food, medicine, and exercise essentials for thousands of furry friends. But at Erdington Pet Centre, the stay at home message has some seen some unexpected increases in sales.

“We’ve sold an awful lot of fish tanks and we’ve seen an upturn in wild birdseed as well,” explains Mr Beresford, “which I think is due to people looking for new hobbies whilst at home and spending more time in their gardens.”

Compared to most of the shops on the High Street, Erdington Pet Centre is one of the few without a queue – which Mr Beresford says has helped bring in new customers: “We’re seeing a lot of new faces, sometimes from out of the area, so we’ve got no complaints.”

He has also found the Government’s support for small businesses to be especially useful during the lockdown, “the Government has helped us tremendously, especially the reduction in business rates and the small business grants – they’ve been a big help.”

But Mr Beresford says he’s been surprised at just how many people are still out shopping: “I have another shop in Wolverhampton, which I’ve actually closed as it was the opposite to here – there’s no one around in Wolves town centre, it’s dead.”

The busyness of Erdington High Street has been an area of concern for both the police and the community; Birmingham City Council recently implemented new road markings and erected barriers to widen the footpaths and help enforce physical distancing guidelines.

But at Erdington Pet Centre, Mr Beresford doesn’t see it being too much of a problem, “I think there’s possibly more people about in Erdington than needs to be. But on the whole, I think they’re being sensible and respecting social distancing.”

Erdington Pet Centre can be found at 117 High Street, Erdington. Its trading hours, including during lockdown, are between 9.00 am to 5.00 pm – Monday to Saturday. To contact Erdington Pet Centre, telephone: (0121) 373 1323

Tag: cats

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