Next Steps Cat Rescue Shropshire

06/09/2026

🌿 MEET BASIL: THE MIRACLE BOY WHO REFUSED TO GIVE UP 🌿

We are finally ready to introduce you to the very last emergency intake we took in last week. This is Basil, and his story is one of the most heartbreaking—but miraculous—survivals we have ever witnessed. 💔🩹

Finding the Unthinkable
Last week, one of our management team's mum spotted a cat lying outside completely motionless. She had never seen him around before. When she went outside to check on him, he still didn’t move, and to her absolute horror, he was covered in flies. 🪰😭

Terrified, she called us to ask what to do. Knowing every second counted, we told her to get him straight to the vets. Her amazing neighbour rushed out to help, bundled him into the car, and drove him directly to Blacks Vets in Dudley 🚗💨

The Fight for His Life
On arrival, Basil was completely unresponsive and in severe septic shock. The veterinary team immediately rushed him onto fluids, but the reality was grim—they honestly didn’t think he would survive the night. 🩺📉

He was suffering from a horrific case of flystrike, with a deep abscess on his neck that was filled with maggots, and he was absolutely crawling with fleas. He was immediately flea treated and wormed, but his tiny body was failing.

But Basil had other plans. Against all the odds, he made it through the night. 🌅✨

A couple of days later, he actually started eating, and we thought he was finally on the up. But the rollercoaster wasn't over. He suddenly took a drastic turn downhill and had to be rushed back onto a drip. After further investigations, the vets uncovered another deeply infected wound on his leg. 🩹⛓️

With intensive antibiotics and daily painful bandage changes, this fighter perked right back up and started eating again! Best of all, his FIV/FELV tests came back completely NEGATIVE! 🎉🙌

The Sweetest Boy with a Bright Future
Looking at his teeth, the vets believe Basil is just a young boy, around 2 years old. He has been through absolute hell, yet he is the most incredibly lovely, friendly, and gentle soul. He didn't deserve a single second of the suffering he endured. 🥺❤️

Basil is finally out of the hospital and is now with an amazing foster mum who is giving him plenty of love and endless food! 🍗🏡 He is doing well, but the poor boy is still so, so skinny. We need to give him a little longer in his wonderful foster home to build him up and get some meat on his bones before we can safely get him neutered. We are going to do absolutely everything we can to get Basil nice and healthy again.

A Village of Heroes
We owe his life to three incredible forces:

🏆 Our Management Team's Mum: For noticing him, caring enough to check, and acting instantly. You saved his life!

🚗 Her Neighbour: For dropping everything to transport him to the vet when every minute mattered.

🏥 Blacks Vets in Dudley: For their world-class care, compassion, and for refusing to give up on this boy when it looked completely hopeless.

Welcome to the Next Steps family, Basil. Your nightmare is officially over. 💖🌿

05/09/2026

💖 THANK YOU, OUR INCREDIBLE NEXT STEPS FAMILY! 💖

We are honestly at a loss for words and so incredibly moved. Look what you did! 😭💖🙏

When we posted yesterday about our crushing £3,351.35 vet bill and having to freeze our intake, our hearts were in our throats. But our lovely Next Steps family stepped up in the most magical way imaginable, and we can officially announce that our 50p Friday raised a staggering £1,433.16! 🎉💸

We wanted to share this update with a picture of our handsome boy Stitch, who is currently undergoing vital veterinary care. Stitch arrived with uncomfortable sores on his face and on his leg, and he wanted to pop up and say a massive personal thank you to every single one of you for directly paying for his treatments and vet visits! 🐾🥰

To everyone who clicked our links, transferred your loose change, or hit share on our emergency appeal: THANK YOU! ✨

Because of your small change, and some big donations, nearly half of that terrifying first bill is completely wiped out. You have built a literal safety net for Stitch, all our long term fosters, and every single cat we have in rescue right now. From our fragile underweight babies and recovering surgical superstars to our permanent residents, your generosity protects them all. 🩹🍼

We still have a long hill to climb with our second bill on the horizon, but today, we can breathe a massive sigh of relief because we aren't standing alone. You proved that 50p coins can move mountains. We love you all so much! 👑🏡

05/09/2026

"Excuse me, I think my fort has a design flaw..." 🏰🤫

I am trying my absolute best to pull my favorite things into my secret hideout, but the hole keeps shrinking! Or maybe the toys are growing? Either way, I'm not giving up. 📦🧸

04/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who has stepped up for our babies today; please keep sharing our main post because it’s not too late to donate if you’d still like to help us out! 🥰👇

04/09/2026

🎒 z50p FRIDAY: OUR CLASSROOM DOORS ARE CLOSED 🛑💔

It is Back to School season everywhere else, but today, we have the most heartbreaking, desperate announcement to make: Our rescue can no longer afford to take any new "students" in. Our intake at Next Steps Cat Rescue is officially closed. ❌🎒

⚠️ WE DESPERATELY NEED YOUR HELP TO REOPEN. PLEASE DROP 50p RIGHT NOW: ⚠️

🏦 Bank Transfer:
Name: Teresa Spanton
Sort Code: 08-90-66
Account Number: 16198524

📱 PayPal Pool: https://www.paypal.com/pool/9slrNrGLuW?sr=ancr

📞 Direct-to-Vet Option: You can call up and put a payment straight onto our bills!
Just call 01952 309306 (Southwater Vets) or 01743 816288 (The Market Town Vet) and quote "Next Steps Cat Rescue".

Please, please, please donate your pocket change and hit SHARE immediately! 🙏🐾

We desperately want to celebrate that our brave school squad is trying to thrive—little El is practicing her playtime pounces, and sisters Sue and Mel have passed their big veterinary exams. Mel’s hernia is gone, and Sue braved her specialized chest X-rays and spay surgery today. Momma Elsa is undergoing specialized treatment to break her severe over-grooming cycle, and we have fragile little babies who are desperately struggling to put on weight with round-the-clock feeds.

Today, we took in one final boy who was in desperate, critical need. 😭🐾 We couldn't look away from his suffering, so we took him under our wing as our very last intake. We will introduce him to you all over the weekend, but his sudden arrival means our financial situation is officially a catastrophic emergency.

Caring for these fragile lives has completely bankrupted us. We just received our latest vet statement, and the tuition bill is a terrifying £3,351.35. To make matters worse, this is only part one. Our second invoice hasn’t even landed yet, but it is expected to be a similar, crushing amount. We are drowning under nearly £6,000+ of vet debt. 🩺📉

We have officially run out of funds. We cannot afford to enroll a single new cat or kitten until this mountain is cleared.

This 50p Friday, we aren't asking for massive donations. We just need everyone to sponsor our school fund with their loose pocket change. If every single follower drops just 50p into our rescue pot right now using the details at the top of this post, we can clear our name with the vets, secure the medical care our final boy and struggling weight babies need, and finally reopen our classroom doors to the vulnerable cats waiting outside.

Your 50p buys the vital supplies keeping our current students safe.

Your share costs zero pence, but it pushes this emergency siren to the people who can help us survive.

We cannot shoulder this crushing weight alone anymore. If you want to see our doors reopen, please stand by us today.

03/09/2026

A little update on our Stranger Things squad! 🐾❤️

We are so happy to report that all the Stranger Things babies are doing incredibly well now! They are growing, thriving, and turning into the most confident little characters.

Case in point: little El playing like absolute crazy today! ⚡🧸 There is nothing better than watching a rescue kitten feel safe enough to just let loose and have pure, chaotic fun. 🥹💖

03/09/2026

Let’s talk about Sue’s medical outcome! 🩺✨

Following her X-rays, we finally have a crystal-clear picture of what the future looks like for our lovely kitten with the dipped chest (Pectus Excavatum). We know medical terms can sound a bit scary, so we want to break down exactly what her outcome means:

The Reality: Because her breastbone dips inward, it physically takes up a little bit of the space where her lungs should expand. The X-rays confirmed that her lung capacity is slightly compromised.

The Good News (The True Outcome): This is not a progressive illness, and it is not life-limiting! Sue is not sick. There is absolutely no reason she cannot live a long, completely normal, and deeply happy life. 🥰

The Living Adjustment: Her outcome simply means she has lower physical stamina than a typical cat. Because of this, she must be an indoor-only cat. If she were outside and got startled or chased by a dog or another cat, her lungs wouldn't cope with the intense, sudden sprint to safety.

By keeping her strictly indoors with her sister Mel, we eliminate that risk entirely! Her outcome is incredibly positive: she gets to live a full life span, she just has to do it from the comfort of a safe indoor sofa. 🏡🛋️💕

Sue just needs a few days of quiet snoozing to get over her spay, and then the search for their perfect indoor kingdom begins! Keep your eyes peeled for their official adoption post very soon. 🏡👑

02/09/2026

** Is this your cat? **

Black cat with small white patch on the chest. Male. No microchip. Not neutered.

He has been straying in the Tollgate Industrial Estate area of Stafford.

Please contact us if you are the owner or think you know who may own him.

Please also share across local facebook groups across Stafford if you can to help us find his home.

Thank you.

01/09/2026

*Adopt Me*

Good evening, Norris here.

Is anyone looking for a friendly little chap......likes a load of fuss and treats?

I'm not too much of a bother, I promise.

I'm a lover, but I just haven't figured out how to "smile" for pictures ☺️

If you think I could be your forever partner in crime, please apply for me today.

https://forms.gle/nnLTPbekfNanfXaf8

Thanks Norris 😻

*Adopt Me*

Afternoon everyone, my name is Norris, and I am wondering if there is a special home out there that would be perfect for me?

I'm a very friendly boy and love getting lots of fuss, I don't mind being picked up, but I assume it would be because you want me on your lap so you can give me more attention?

I'm fine with other cats after a proper introduction, and I'm not offended by small children. They can play with me, and they probably have a very cosy bed for me to have a cheeky nap on?

I hope I will be very popular, so apply for me today!

https://forms.gle/nnLTPbekfNanfXaf8

Thanks
Norris 😻

01/09/2026

*Adopt Me*

OK, who wants to adopt a Queen? That's me, Ruby.

If you can see past my judging face and initial shyness and willing to serve me, then great.

That is exactly the type of family I am looking for. One where I'm treated as I absolutely should be.

Come on, you know you want to apply for me

https://forms.gle/nnLTPbekfNanfXaf8

Thanks Ruby 😻

*Adopt Me*

Hi, my name is Ruby, and aren't I just totally gorgeous!

I won't dress it up, I have requirements because I am literally a queen!

So yes, initially, I will be shy. Well, I am not sorry about wanting to get to know a person before giving them my heart.

Once I do know you, I am the most affectionate young lady. I do have a little soft spot for men, though. I'm a bit of a flirt deep down.

I like children but would prefer a home with ones who are a little older please.

Oh, and I need treats! This is 100% non-negotiable!

So, are you ready for me?

If so, apply today

https://forms.gle/nnLTPbekfNanfXaf8

Thanks
Ruby 😻