In May 2024, tabby and white Bella was discovered caring for five newborn kittens in the boiler room of a railway station.  At that time, she was estimated to be around two years' old. Efforts were made by staff to establish whether Bella had an owner, but this was sadly without success.

To ensure that Bella and her kittens were well cared for, a team of willing station staff and a care rota were set up to look out for and feed the family and this has remained in place for over two years! Bella was initially nervous around people, so her Carers would check through the window of the boiler room before entering and leave food for her and the kittens in her absence.

Keen to check their wellbeing and avoid a cycle of pregnancies for the young family, the Station Care Team contacted HFC to ask for help with a health check, microchipping and neutering and we arranged an appointment with our Shelter Vet once the kittens were large enough. However, sensing change on the horizon, Bella swiftly removed her kittens from the boiler room prior to the appointment. It is believed that she took them trackside and the plan had to be postponed.  Some time later, Bella returned to the boiler room, this time with a second litter of kittens, and a further appointment was arranged for Bella and her latest family to be neutered in October 2024. When Bella and her kittens were neutered they each had one ear “tipped”.  This is a slight shaping of an ear that enables welfare teams to identify by sight cats who have already been neutered and to leave them undisturbed in their outdoor homes. One kitten remained living close to Bella and Whiskers' story will follow in the coming weeks.

Now approximately 3 years, 5 months’ old, Bella has learned to trust the regular members of the Station Care Team who are now able to enter the boiler room without her being frightened and she is happy to accept a stroke from them. She understands her Carers’ shift patterns and arrives to eat a wet food pouch at 1:00 PM and 1:30 AM. Additional dry food and water is available to her from a dispenser in the boiler room.

Residential building works have started at the farthest point at a site next to the Station and, for safety reasons, the management are keen for a permanent solution to be found for Bella. This lovely girl had a space in the garden/home, and in the heart of, one of her Carers, but sadly the house move chain broke and there is no longer a suitable home available to her.

Bella has lived the majority of her life outside and is nervous when she meets new people, so we would ideally like to find her an “outside to inside” home that will offer her a choice of lifestyle. We are looking for a home for Bella in an outbuilding that her adopters could make comfortable for her. The idea is for Bella to initially continue living as an outdoor cat with the outbuilding as her base.  Once she has built confidence in the new environment, we are keen that Bella has the opportunity to choose whether to spend some time inside her adopter's rural home. This may lead to her deciding to move inside the home when she feels confident and ready but the outdoor home should remain available in case this feels like a step too far for her. This style of re-homing will first require HFC set up of a large pen in the outbuilding for a short time to allow Bella to adjust to her new location.

Whilst she does not eat her prey, Bella is a good hunter and is willing to offer a reciprocal arrangement for her care! Whilst she is content to be around some cats, she will hiss at those she does not like but this has never progressed to aggression. Due to her nervous personality, she would prefer to live with adults or a family with older children able to read her.

Bella has been health checked by our Shelter Vet and is regularly treated for fleas and worms by the Station Care Team. She is happy travelling in a cat carrier.

If you have a special home that you would like to offer Bella and are happy for HFC to offer light support during her transition, please complete an application form and we will contact you.  Thank you