I became a sponsor of Ingrid's Haven a few years ago after my elderly cat Buffy had died. I'd especially wanted to support a no-kill shelter in honour of Buffy as she had literally wandered into my life after being abandoned at an old age. I knew there were other cats out there with the same horrible background -abandoned for no apparent reason. So for me, finding a place that protected abandoned cats as opposed to euthanizing them was very important to me.

One day I visited Ingrid, primarily to help out with the cleaning, and somehow I came home with a cat. The roundest, fluffiest bundle of tortoiseshell joy you could ever hope for. I named her Olive and she has now been the queen of my house for two years. Olive chose me that day…I didn't really have a say in it at all.

I've since adopted one more furry friend from Ingrid – a little grey tabby boy who idolises Olive and who constantly makes me smile.

Ingrid does an absolutely amazing job of looking after all the cats under her care. She works full time to fund the Haven (desexing, microchipping, vaccinations, food, litter…the list is never ending of the costs associated with running such an operation). Sponsorships and donations are clearly a blessing when they come so even if you can't adopt a cat consider a donation to help Ingrid and the cats.

I cannot recommend Ingrid's Haven highly enough. To anyone wanting to adopt a cat please consider the Haven as your number one choice. The tireless work that Ingrid does to make sure these cats find good homes after their shaky start in life is inspirational.

Adopt a cat – Save a life