June is the owner of The Ginger Cat House Rescue, an independent animal rescue based in Worcester Park, London.
After receiving her first ginger cat from her father at the age of 2, things only snowballed from there once she decided she wanted to make a difference; following her work at Stepping Stones, the Ginger Cat House was born, a rescue with a variety of cats, only you just have to be careful where you step!
June’s success means that she and her team of volunteers and workers, have been able to care for and rehome around 1,750 cats over 7 years.
One of her admirable traits is her willingness to take in any cat, despite whether it may be abused, stray, pregnant, or enduring serious health problems.
As a no-kill shelter who always tries to help the cat, only using euthanasia as a last resort, comes with it an abundance of vet bills, which this year weighed in at a whopping £160,000.
However, this is all funded by the donations that the rescue receives, which June largely credits to the social media presence of the rescue.
Through their Facebook account which shares the name of the rescue and has amassed close to 36,000 followers, June claimed
“I think the personal touch where we put the cat’s stories and the pictures, I mean Nelson went global, Nelson had followers in Barbados, Canada, America, all over the world, messaging support, it brings people together”
Nelson is this year’s cat whose health story went viral; he had crashed on the operating table and yet they managed to bring him back.
Regarding the losses she has experienced, June was not afraid to admit the tears that have been shed, but she has persevered through all the grief, for the sake of helping more cats.
It feels appropriate that June was awarded the British Citzenship Award, where all her work was fittingly acknowledged.
Penning cats can be controversial, yet as I was sat on the sofa, surrounded by cats of all shapes and sizes, I saw only a few in pens, which June explained was simply for the safety of any vulnerable cats, and agreed it would be unjust to restrict a cat to a pen 24/7.
The constant and reoccurring thing that I noticed, was the care provided.
This is also why she has kept her rescue small, to ensure that the quality of care does not slip, as that is the priority.
When I asked June what would be the message she wishes people would take away, apart from the obvious ‘adopt, don’t shop,’ June had 0 hesitation in saying,
“Neuter and chip.”
