Kim’s Gang
Welcome to ‘Kim’s Gang’ Page!
I have had the greatest pleasure of owning some of the most wonderful animals over the years. From very lively (and sometimes quite smelly!) dogs, to the most spirited of cats. All the animals were so very different, but one thing that they did have in common – they all shared their wonderful hearts with me. I have had the most amazing journey with my animals, sharing some lovely and very special times, but also endured some sad and difficult spells. Throughout the good and the bad, these wonderful animals have always brought to biggest smile to my face and have loved me unconditionally.
Please take a short while to take a look through my menagerie, past and present – I hope they bring a little smile to your face!
Alice!!
Meet our latest addition, Alice! Alice is a gorgeous 11-month-old Russian Blue. She is funny, energetic, and supremely clever for her 11 months. She has me wrapped around her little paw already. When she came to live with us, she immediately struck a close friendship with Villanelle. Alice follows Villanelle’s lead, which usually means trouble!! The two of them are often seen together plotting their next escapade. It’s so lovely to have another Russian Blue in our kitty family. However, we also adopted Alice’s brother, Fred (see below), so we have the pleasure of having two of these wonderful cats in our home.
Fred!!
Meet Fred – Alice’s big strapping brother. Fred is such a beautiful boy, inside and out. He is much bigger than wee Alice, in fact he is ginormous for 11 months old! Despite his size, he is such a gentle boy. He is often seen snuggled up to his sister and has formed a lovely friendship with Rory (see below). His favourite things are food, food, and more food! I have never known a cat to eat quite so much. He also loves watching the chickens, playing with his toys, and sleeping. It is such a pleasure to have Fred in our home.
Rory!!
We were extremely lucky to welcome this stunning boy into our home. Sadly, Rory was not coping too well in his previous home and had developed several behavioural issues as a result. So, we welcomed him into our kitty family, and gave him time to recover from his behavioural problems and grow in confidence. The cat we have today, is totally a different cat. Rory is full of confidence, and huge in personality. He has developed a lovely close friendship with Fred, as well as many of the other cats. He is an integral part of our family, and simply couldn’t imagine life without this boy.
Villanelle!!
Villanelle is a very cheeky and extremely lively little girl. We rescued her when she was 12-weeks of age, and introduced her to the rest of our furry gang. She settled in immediately, and is phased by absolutely nothing. She is best friends with Ralph, and they can often be heard at the crack of dawn (!!!) chasing each other around the house. She seems to have two switches – on or off!! When she is awake, boy she is awake, and when she’s sleeping, nothing will wake her. She has brought us so so many smiles and we are hoping that this continues for years to come.
Ralph!!
Meet one of our very cheeky Persian, Ralph!! This handsome little boy has it all …. looks, personality, and heaps of cheekiness!!! He just loves everything that life has to offer, and there is never a dull moment with him in the house. He loves being around the other cats, but his best friend is Brodie. They are often seen playing and sleeping together. He is simply the life and soul of everything!
Brodie!!
Meet the the very handsome and extremely gorgeous Brodie. We were extremely lucky to adopt this lovely boy. Sadly he was not coping too well in his previous home, and with a heavy heart the owners thought that he would fair much better here with our kitty family. Initially Brodie was a little shy, but over the months this has all changed – he’s now such a chatty and friendly wee soul. He settled in immediately and he and Ralph have become partners in crime! They are always up to fun and games …… and causing mischief!!
Grace!!
Here we have our gorgeous Grace. She is a truly beautiful girl, and definitely the mother figure of the kitty family. Grace has the other kitties wrapped around her big furry paws. Although she came into our kitty family relatively late, she certainly took charge from day one. If Grace wants to sit in front of the log burner, then she will. With her human family, she is the most adorable and cuddly girl that you could wish to meet. We are extremely lucky to also have Grace’s brother Hewey, and they can often been seen grooming each other, and cuddling in by the log burner.
Hewey!!
Here we have Hewey, our handsome Persian. He’s the loving brother to Grace. When we first brought him home, he had not seen Grace for three years, but they soon rekindled their lovely relationship, Hewey absolutely adores Grace and follows her everywhere. He is a very big and solid boy, but with the softest heart. He wants nothing more than to sit on your knee and have a big cuddles. He’s such a lovely addition to our family.
Isa, Siobhan & Morag!!
‘Meet Isa (Brown Speckled), Morag (Grey Speckled) and Siobhan (White Sussex). These three gorgeous girls are our original three hens. They are full of personality ….. and boy do they make you smile. They spend their days
basking in the sunshine, eating strawberries & raspberries, and scratching around the garden in search of food. Morag is the boss, but closely followed by Isa. Siobhan is very laid back, a friend to all, with a beautiful cluck!
Betty, Joyce, and Cordelia!!
Meet our gorgeous ex-battery hens – Betty, Joyce, and
Cordelia. Can you believe that these beauties were on their way to be
slaughtered before we rescued them? They were in such a sorry state – lots of missing feathers, injuries, and bald patches. They had never seen any daylight, let alone have sunshine on their feathers. Well ….. that all changed when they arrived here, to their forever home! As soon as we let them out of their box, they lay down and spread their wings in the glorious sunshine.
Gone are the days of cramped cages, and one food type. It took a while, but their feathers returned, and injuries healed, and they now look beautiful. It goes without saying that they too are enjoying good quality foods, dirt baths, and wandering freely around the garden.
Lulu, Beyonce, Kylie, Mariah, Dolly, Sade and Celine!!
“Rainbow Bridge”
For those of you that have endured the heartache following the loss of a beloved pet, the thought of Rainbow Bridge might lighten some of those darker days. I have sadly lost countless pets to old age and illness, and it never gets any easier. Rainbow Bridge is on this page not to make you sad, but to hopefully make you smile when remembering your fur baby that is sadly departed. This is also a tribute to some of my beautiful, gorgeous, and spirited little un’s that are no longer here ….. but will always be with me ……
GiGi
5th April 2012 – 13 March 2021
On 13th March 2021, I lost a piece of me ….. my gorgeous Gigi suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. All was fine on that Saturday morning, just another usual day in the Houston household. Then, without warning, my Gigi suddenly collapsed, and despite our best-efforts performing CPR in an attempt to revive her, and getting her to the vets within 5 mins, she was pronounced dead. She was only 8 years of age, never been ill, and only attended the vets for a couple of routine appointments.
My Gigi was such a beautiful and special little girl who had been a huge part of my life ever since she was a wee kitten. We shared so many wonderful times together – she was like my partner in crime – she never left my side. To lose her in such a sudden and cruel way is so unjust and something she so did not deserve. I miss her beyond belief, and she will be in my heart forever.
RIP my gorgeous Gigi and run free at Rainbow Bridge xxxxx
Harry
We sadly lost Harry when he was almost 16-years-old. He had a long, but very brave battle with cancer. Right through until the end, he retained his handsome good looks. Harry had it all really …. he was sweet and affectionate, with the most wonderful and loving nature. He was liked by everybody he met, including the five other cats in the family. Harry was deaf as a post and suffering some mild dementia, which resulted in some very noisy night time chats!! We would give anything back to hear his noisy commotion in the early hours. Rest in peace handsome boy and run free at Rainbow Bridge with your sister Darcey X
Mavis
Losing our beautiful Mavis was one of the most difficult things to experience. She was cruely taken away from us at just one year of age – a time when she should have been running around, climbing curtains, and getting herself into a whole lot of mischief. Although she was a poorly little girl from being a kitten, there was always hope that she would thrive, and grow into a healthy and strong cat. Sadly this was not to be. I had such a special bond with this little girl ….. her nickname being ‘Wee Mavis’. She may have been wee in body, but boy she was enormous in spirit. This girl had such a zest for life. It still breaks my heart to remember how excited she looked when I walked through the door in the evening – a bond I’ve never experienced with any pet. Your spirit, and your gorgeous heart, will remain within me forever xxx
Olivia
We sadly lost our beloved Olivia in January 2016. She became extremely poorly, suddenly and very unexpectedly, and was subsequently diagnosed with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). Unfortunately this disease is usual incurable and fatal, and after such a brave and courageous fight, she passed away a week later at four years of age. Olivia was such a spirited little girl from the first day we brought her home from rescue. She made her presence known from the outset, and slept at my side every night from day one, until the day she was cruelly taken from us. She was a huge part of our family, and one of the nicest (and most playful!) Persians that we’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. We are left totally heartbroken of the loss of this gorgeous girl. RIP Olivia, run free and without pain at Rainbow Bridge. You will be in our hearts forever X
Darcey
08/12/2001 – 19/10/2016
Sadly we lost our little girl Darcey on 19th October 2016. She had a short, but brave battle with cancer. We had the pleasure of having her in our lives from the age of 8 weeks old. She was the most loving and affectionate ever – she would do anything for a cuddle! Despite being a super affectionate kitty, she was certainly top cat in the family home! She stood no nonsense and the other kitties respected her greatly. Occasionally they would try to knock her from the top spot, but she was far too smart and assertive to let this happen ….. even in her final weeks with us! We miss her everyday, and she will always have a huge place in our hearts. RIP ‘Little One’ xxx
Clicquot
We very sadly lost our gorgeous Clicquot on 21st December 2015. Clicquot was the most adorable little lady that we have ever had the pleasure to meet. Her early life was really very sad, having spent her early years in and out of rescue – she’s had six different homes through no fault of her own. When we rescued her, I knew she had found her forever home, and she knew that she had landed on her little paws! We have spent the past few years together, and I am sure she could tell you a tale or two! Clicquot was the most spirited cat that I’ve ever met, and her determination to battle through adversity was heartwarming and admirable. RIP gorgeous girl …. see you at Rainbow Bridge X
Gertie
20/06/2002 – 04/09/2013
Here’s my gorgeous Gertie. We shared a wonderful 11 years together. What a beautiful and spirited little girl. My, she knew how to live life to the full! We literally walked hundreds of miles together, and travelled the length and breadth of the UK on our adventures. She had a great nose for … water (!) …. and could even find the muddiest puddle in the middle of a drought! And swim …… she was amazing ….. just like a little otter. I don’t think that one day ever passed where her tail didn’t stop wagging – it never stopped. She brought the biggest smiles to my face and never failed to make me laugh. Although she is no longer here, her spirit and zest for life remains in my heart forever.
Gucci
Gucci was really one of a kind, and very handsome with it. He had a miserable start to life and found himself in rescue at an early age ….. with the name of Dave! He was totally matted, underfed, and looking miserable. He certainly deserved a second chance! So he was rescue, de-matted (well totally shaved), and renamed Gucci. After all, such a handsome cat couldn’t go through life with the name of Dave! *nothing wrong with the name of Dave may I add, it just didn’t suit him*. Initially he had some behaviour issues, but these were resolved, and he turned into a very happy and very chatty, handsome young man.
Lucky
Lucky by name and Lucky by nature. Lucky found herself in rescue through no fault of her own. She was such a special and sweet little girl. Initially she was the only cat in the house, until the other six turned up! She was an older girl, and extremely wise with it. She ruled the roost and wouldn’t take any nonsense from the rest of the gang. She had the most sleekest fur and slender body, and was quite an athlete for her age. I learn’t a lot from Lucky, and there was a huge void when she sadly went to Rainbow Bridge.
Pegasus
Pegasus will always have a huge place in my heart – what a cat! Again, he did not have the best start to life, and was sadly left behind at the cattery by his owners. I guess it was one of those questions ….. ‘what’s one more cat when you’ve already got 5’?! So Pegasus joined the family and the rest is history! He had a lot of behaviour issues, and was misunderstood by many. With quite a lot of work (and patience!) he turned out to be a very loyal and loving young man. I will never forget the day that he walked into the living room, jumped on the sofa, got on to my knee, and rested his chin on my chest; something which I thought he would never do. He was a very special, handsome, and spirited cat.
