Some of the most memorable cats re-homed by the Cat Protection Society in the Sydney suburb of Newtown have been immortalised in a series of brooches being sold in a fundraising drive.
Bella, Jaffa, Johnny and Zac are among the felines featuring on nine brooches created for the fundraiser called ‘Nine Lives’ and hashtagged #NineLivesNewtown on social media.
The society has also launched a one-minute video clip to promote the project, featuring Paul Capsis as the voice of Jitu the cat.
Each of the nine brooches in Nine Lives represents a cat or pair of cats that came to Cat Protection as ‘special needs’ felines.
“Every year we take in about 1,000 cats and kittens, but some really stand out,” Cat Protection CEO Kristina Vesk said.
“The stories of the cats featured on the brooches all end well because the cats have been adopted by loving people, but these cats have all had difficult times.
“Jaffa had a leg amputated, Husky had arthritis and Bella’s eye disease was so severe that both her eyes had to be surgically removed. But Bella bounced back and now shares her life on Facebook and Instagram.
“She and the other cats have all recovered from their challenges and gone on to enjoy full and happy lives.”
The Nine Lives project was developed by the society’s feline services manager, Nerida Atkin, who thought people who wore jewellery featuring cats might like brooches with real stories behind them.
Each brooch retails at $39 over the counter at the Cat Protection Society at 103 Enmore Road, Newtown, or for $50 online including postage.
