Former stray cat Lenny lends a helping paw  '“ to a dog charity in Northamptonshire

Five-year-old Lenny was adopted from Cats Protection by the owner of the warehouse in Sywell, Northamptonshire, which is used by the Retired Greyhound Trust to run its online store.

Having settled into his new home, the black puss now spends his days meeting and greeting visitors, entertaining staff with his mischievous antics – and curling up in the boss’s chair.

Tracey Dyett, fosterer at Cats Protection’s Northampton Branch, said she was thrilled the Retired Greyhound Trust had been able to offer Lenny a home.

She said: “Having been a stray, Lenny isn’t very domesticated, and while he will enjoy a fuss or a stroke, it’s very much on his terms. We knew he needed a home with plenty of space and freedom so we’re thrilled he could go and live at the Retired Greyhound Trust’s warehouse.

“We’ve been enjoying hearing how Lenny has settled in. He is clearly a team player and we suspect he believes he’s management material, as he already has a reputation for pinching the boss’s chair.”

Tracey added that Cats Protection frequently finds homes in working environments for cats in its care.

She said: “For some cats, a traditional home is not suitable and they may need more space and freedom. Other cats may struggle being in close contact with people, normally because they weren’t properly socialised as kittens.

“We’ve homed cats to all sorts of places such as garden centres, farms and pubs, along with other charities such as The Donkey Sanctuary.”

The Retired Greyhound Trust homes nearly half of the 8,000 greyhounds that retire each year. The Trust has around 60 volunteer-led branches across the UK, all dedicated to finding homes for the dogs in their area.

Rachel Poole, merchandising officer at the Retired Greyhound Trust, said staff at the warehouse were smitten with their new feline colleague.

She said: “We find loving homes for hounds every single day and we realise that a pet can feel at home in any space, large or small. Similarly, we feel that there is a greyhound for the vast majority of home settings, with and without other dogs and cats. We would urge people to consider a greyhound as their next canine companion.”

Cats Protection is the UK’s largest cat charity, helping around 500 cats a day – or 200,000 a year – through a national network of over 250 volunteer-run branches and 32 centres.

To find out more about adopting a cat from the Northampton Branch of Cats Protection, please visit www.cats.org.uk/northampton, email [email protected] or call its helpline on 0344 700 3251. Alternatively, please visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CatsProtectionNorthampton

To find out more about The Retired Greyhound Trust, please visit www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk