Ruby was passionate about animal welfare & loved cats above all else; the four that we rehomed from Celia Hammond Animal Trust (CHAT), the stray who pitched up at our back door one winter’s night, & the Mum & five tiny kittens we fostered on behalf of CHAT while Ruby was revising for her GCSEs.
When Ruby died, we asked people to donate to CHAT in her memory and instead of sending us flowers. Over £5,000 was raised, which would have made Ruby very happy. And a month after she died, we fostered a stray mum and her three kittens on behalf of CHAT. We named them after Ruby's favourite foods; Sushi, Cucumber, Katsu and Buttercup (after Reece's peanut butter cups!) After a couple of months with us, they went off to their forever homes, with two of them going to live with one of Ruby's dearest friends.
Ruby was really worried about how we'd cope after she died. She told us we should get a puppy to help us with our grief. so a couple of months after the foster kittens headed off to their new homes, we welcomed a rescue puppy into our lives. Halloumi, a beagle-cross rescue from Cyprus (named after Ruby's favourite cheese, which is also from Cyprus) landed in the UK two days after what would have been Ruby's 19th birthday. She is always happy and always pleased to see us. The cats are taking some persuading, but they are learning to tolerate her. Ruby would have absolutely adored her. Huge thanks to the wonderful charity Freedom Angels Animal Rescue who rescued Halloumi, fostered her and arranged her journey to the UK.