Two anxious moggies at RSPCA Stapeley Grange are hoping to be the chosen ones.

Luke (pictured right) and Leia (left) have come on in leaps and bounds after spending time with foster carers after a stay at the Cheshire centre’s cattery.

They were rescued after being found huddled together under floorboards after their former owner passed away at a property.

It was a harrowing experience for the two felines, who are aged around two to three, and they were very nervous and anxious on their arrival at the RSPCA centre near Nantwich.

The duo, named after the Star Wars characters Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, were wary of being approached and preferred to stay on the other side of their enclosure when staff were around. The cattery felt that placing the pair in foster care would get them used to living in a home and help build up trust in people.

In their new surroundings, they’ve learnt to socialise with their carer and are enjoying playing with their toys and cardboard scratching boxes and scratch posts. Such has been their progress that they are now ready to make their next move to a permanent forever home.

Their progress demonstrates the important role foster carers play in helping the RSPCA rehome animals. The charity urgently needs more carers to help free up spaces in its animal centres as shocking new statistics reveal 700 rescued animals are waiting for a space. 

The charity currently spends £26,000 a week on private boarding fees for the temporary care of hundreds of rescued animals as its 59 rehoming centres are “full to bursting”.

In response, the RSPCA has launched an urgent new drive to recruit more fosterers - who care for animals temporarily in their own home, while supported by the RSPCA - to help ease the pressure.

Anyone interested in becoming a foster carer can find more information on the RSPCA's online volunteering portal.

The drive for new fosterers is part of the charity’s Adoptober campaign, launched this month to raise awareness of some of the animals in its care who are desperately in need of a forever home and a chance for a new life.

RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery manager Lee Stewart said: “Fostering is a great way to give our cats the chance to settle into a more domestic environment.

“As our staff and volunteers can only spend a limited amount of time with each cat in the confines of their quarters, we thought we could best help Luke and Leia by placing them in foster care.

“They were clearly comfortable with each other’s company, but less so with us, especially when they needed examination or treatment. They would sometimes take treats from our hands, but they didn’t know how to interact with people - when they saw a big hand looming towards them they would back away.

“Now they’re both becoming more interactive. Although they are still wary, they have learnt to greet people with nose-pokes and they enjoy having their noses rubbed. 

“They are still quite nervous of sudden movement, so we think they’re best suited to a calm household without young children or other animals. They will take time to learn to trust people, but they have made tremendous progress since they arrived at Stapeley Grange.”

Their current foster carer, who lives in the Northwich area, said: “When Luke and Leia arrived at their foster home, they were extremely nervous and quickly found hidey holes to disappear into.

“Gradually they’ve spent more time out in the open, but they still like to know there is the safe space of a bed or a coffee table to retreat under. They’re not vocal cats, but sometimes the lovely sound of spontaneous purring is heard when they’re together.

“They like to play together with a stick toy and sometimes an outstretched hand hidden under an envelope – they love trying to discover what’s hidden underneath, especially when it crinkles and moves.”

Could you help write Luke and Leia’s next chapter by offering them a loving new home?

For further information on the cattery’s other animals go to Stapeley’s rehoming page.

Please visit Find A Pet to see all of the animals currently in RSPCA care who are looking for their paw-fect match. 

If you can’t offer a rescue pet a new home perhaps you could help in a different way?

Become a fosterer for a sick pet recovering from surgery or a youngster who needs to learn how to behave in a home;

To support the ongoing work of RSPCA Stapeley Grange’s cattery, and Luke and Leia, during this extremely difficult time, you can donate to the JustGiving site.