Alfred
I adopted Alfred from Battersea, Old Windsor. All I saw was a very scared, very large, very sad face peering out from behind the window.
My initial memory is of him hiding in the end pen. He was a silver tabby cross with a handsome face - but I have to say that his sheer size was quite daunting, even for a cat lover like me! He was terrified and trembled constantly as my friend and I tried to gently coax him down from his shelf.
He was quite in demand, but luckily I was first in the queue and took him home. He sat on the windowsill straightaway and I thought that he would take weeks to warm to me. But he surprised me so much at how quickly he learnt to trust me and not be so afraid. Gradually he became less nervous and is now so rewarding.
Although he's no lap cat, he adores patrolling his garden, trying to steal roast beef from my plate on a Sunday and having his chin stroked and his shoulders massaged. In return he will repay you with the loudest buzzes you could ever wish for. He often makes me laugh as I actually am not sure he realises that he is a cat. Often he acts more like a dog - well he is big enough after all.
So thank you Battersea Old Windsor for giving me the opportunity to try to give Alfred a second shot at having an OK life. Hopefully I've made him contented - because he's certainly made me happy!
