Riding high on the momentum of officially crossing the 100-cat milestone at the end of 2023, the new year started off with a fantastic mix of professional cafe cats, scenic encounters, and a very important figure in the local feline family tree.
January 2024: Romsey and the Seaside Kitties
To kick off 2024, I relied on the tried-and-true method of visiting a cat cafe. A trip to the Paws for Thought Cat Cafe in Romsey provided a highly efficient 8 cats to start the year’s tally. There is no better way to beat the January blues than surrounding yourself with coffee and a room full of professional loungers. The cat cafe itself is very relaxed and their resident cats are wonderful.
But the cafe wasn’t the only highlight of January. While visiting Hayling Island, I had the pleasure of meeting two beach kitties! You don’t often associate cats with the seaside – they aren’t exactly known for their love of water or wind – but these two were braving the coastal breeze and happily contributed to the mission.
February 2024: Meeting the Patriarch
February was a quiet month, bringing in exactly one cat. But what it lacked in volume, it more than made up for in sheer narrative importance.
That single cat was Pepe.
Pepe (not his real name, we named him that after Pepe le Pew because he is black and white likes the ladies) is a local cat, but more importantly, he is the father of Sparkles’ kittens. Given how many times Sparkles’ litters have single-handedly saved this mission during dry spells, Pepe is practically the founding father of my spreadsheet. Meeting the patriarch himself felt like a VIP encounter. I owe this tomcat a massive debt of gratitude for his indirect contribution to the 1,000 Cat Mission.
The Tally So Far:
- Previous Total: 100
- January 2024: 10 cats
- February 2024: 1 cat
- New Total: 111 / 1,000
We are officially at 111!