Update: 29 August 2026

Poppy

D.O.B: September 2021. Breed: Common European Shorthair tortoiseshell Died: December 2024

Poppy’s story is a very sad one for me, and one I still find incredibly difficult to think about.

I first heard about Poppy and her siblings after being advised that a mother cat was repeatedly having kittens in a dirty alley beside a garden centre. I went there to try to help. I managed to trap a male kitten, and found another female kitten that was already too far gone to save. She died in my arms just a few minutes after I found her. A friend later returned to trap the remaining kitten and his mother, whom I had been unable to catch.

That was how Poppy and her brother came into my care. They spent a short time in foster with me while they recovered, as both were in terrible condition. They had severe eye infections, awful diarrhoea, were covered in fleas and worms, filthy, and malnourished.

Poppy’s brother was adopted quite quickly because he proved to be very easy to socialise. Poppy, however, was brought back to me more feral than when she had left, and she was already almost six months old. Sadly, tortoiseshell cats are often overlooked by adopters, and Poppy’s lack of socialisation made finding her a home even more difficult. I knew she would probably be staying with me for a long time.

Eventually, I integrated her into the general population with my other cats and I decided to formally adopt her. Very gradually, over the course of the next year or so, Poppy began to trust me. She would sleep on my bed and, sometimes, even sit on me. She allowed me to stroke her and loved affection — but always on her terms.

Poppy was an incredibly shy little cat. Visitors to my home would rarely, if ever, see her, but underneath that shyness was the sweetest girl. She was quiet, gentle and loving in her own way.

Sadly, at just three years old, Poppy began losing weight. When I took her to the vet, she was found to be severely anaemic with no immediately obvious cause. Further testing revealed that she had FeLV (feline leukaemia virus).

Poppy had been snap-tested as a kitten, but FeLV testing can be complicated and early testing can be inccurate. By the time we discovered the disease, it was sadly too late. Even a blood transfusion would not have been enough to save her.

I was on my way to the vet to have Poppy peacefully put to sleep when she died.

I am still incredibly upset about the way Poppy died. I also struggle with the thought that, had we known about her FeLV earlier, her infection might have remained inactive for many years and we may have had more time together.

Poppy was such a quiet, sweet little girl who took so long to learn that she was safe and loved. She never asked for much, and she trusted me in her own time. I am so grateful that she got to experience a home, a warm bed, affection and the safety she had never known as a kitten.

I miss her terribly. ❤️

Page Maintained by Carol's Dad