Animals

Meet the paramedic who lives with 28 rescue cats


Natalie started to foster cats when her pet died and now has 28 of them (Picture: Mercury Press)

Natalie Procter, 38, admits she didn’t like cats as a child – but now she loves with 28 of them.

The paramedic from Otley, West Yorks, and partner, Al Firth, 40, have rescued over 150 cats in need across the world and many have stayed with them long term.

Each of Natalie’s 28 cats are special needs or have a traumatic past with some rescued from the streets, some blind or struggle to walk.

Natalie said: ‘Most of them have a disability and would be difficult to rehome.

‘There’s Suzie who is deaf and blind and wasn’t expected to survive when she was found but now she’s thriving.

‘Jake was attacked by a dog as a kitten and had to have a leg amputated and Arnold was found on a farm when he was a kitten. His back legs are twisted.

Natalie has a busy job as a paramedic (Picture: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)

‘They’re all living a happy life now.

‘Most people are shocked when we tell them we have 28 cats but then they realise that my house is a sanctuary for them.

‘People do judge but we don’t have any children so instead of spending money on children we spend it on our cats.’

Although she has a busy job as a paramedic, she says it’s easy to care for them all as they’re pretty self-sufficient.

The cats have a room to herself in the four-bedroom house and Natalie spends around £5,000 per year on food and litter.

Natalie Procter, 38, with her rescued cats (Picture: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)

She said: ‘I subconsciously know if I haven’t seen one in a while. They’ll usually just be hiding somewhere.

‘Cats are very independent.

‘I don’t really know how I fit taking care of them around my job. I just manage it because they are self-sufficient.

Some of Natalie’s rescued cats (Picture: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)

‘I just feed them and clean up after them. They can come in and out when they want.’

Natalie started fostering cats when her beloved pet Gadget died.

She said: ‘I didn’t really like cats as a child but my ex-partner bought a kitten, then we adopted two strays then my gran died and we adopted her cat.

‘Then when Gadget died, I went to the rescue centre to adopt another and they asked if we’d be interested in fostering and it just went from there.

‘I don’t have a favourite, they all have their own personalities. Some are more loving than others.

‘Some like being stroked and some don’t really like being around people because they have a traumatic past.’

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