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OUR NEW PATRON
We are delighted to announce that we have a new Patron, Miss Kyra Vayne. Miss Vayne was born in Russia in 1916. When Stalin came to power in 1924, she and her White Russian parents fled to London. She became a singer, working in various venues and sharing the stage with such well-known performers as Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt, but her true vocal successes were in the world of opera, singing throughout Europe and Scandinavia with the likes of Gigli, Gobbi, Bergonzi, Boris Christoff and the young Janet Baker. When her agent, who was negligent in never obtaining a major recording contract for her, committed suicide, she was left alone and penniless. At the peak of her vocal powers, she abandoned the struggle of maintaining her career, and became a secretary.
For many years Miss Vayne's voice was forgotten, but through an amazing series of events she was "rediscovered" in the early 1990s. She has since appeared on many radio programmes, including Desert Island Discs, Kaleidoscope, Woman's Hour, and Loose Ends, while numerous major newspaper articles have been written about her, including the Sunday Times Magazine's "A Life in the Day of", and a large article in the Arts Section of the Sunday Telegraph. Her reunion with Russian relatives, was featured in the New Year's Eve 2000 coverage on BBC1, culminating with her performance at the Bolshoi Theatre, which many of you may have seen. Three CDs, containing virtually all of the recordings remaining from her operatic career, have been issued, prompting record reviewers to hail her as "one of the great voices of this century" and outselling both the Three Tenors and Maria Callas, and in 1998 she recorded a new CD entitled Nostalgia. Miss Vayne has a website on http://www.dcpskent.org/kyravayne with her story, pictures and soundbites, and she has published her autobiography, Kyra Vayne: A Voice Reborn, which tells the story of her amazing life, its highs and lows, and is sprinkled with references to cats. Over the years Miss Vayne has been blessed with 15 wonderful cats, all homeless or unwanted before they found her; Nicholas and Dmitri, two very fine moggies, currently share her West Kensington home, and Miss Vayne hopes to write a book about all the extraordinary cats she has known and loved. We look forward to September, when this witty and lively entertainer will be the guest speaker at our AGM!
FERDIE
AND PARRY HAD A WONDERFUL LIFE: remembering our "Leap Forward" cats
In the early '80s neutering of colonies was a comparatively new approach to solving the feral cat problem, one which had been pioneered by our charity since 1977. Hospitals, industrial estates, firms etc, as well as private individuals feeding feral cats in their gardens, all had to be convinced that it was the only long-term and humane method of control, far preferable to extermination, the method used previously. Our leaflet A Great Leap Forward: From Pest Control to Birth Control was our most important means of advertising the new approach. Cat-lovers were delighted and became more willing to seek help for their feral cats, rather than letting them breed for fear they would be put down if attention was drawn to them.
Our branches distributed the leaflet to company directors and committees in the effort to change people's attitudes and save feral cats. We are sure that the photo of our beautiful pair, Ferdie and Parry, helped to turn minds and hearts around.
Parry and Ferdie were found under the rubble of a derelict building in the East End of London, behind Bloom's kosher restaurant, when they were only 4 weeks old. They were reared until they were old enough to be adopted by the Green family as a unique tenth-birthday present for their daughter Becky. Both lived a long life as treasured cats with all the love and attention they could possibly need, in a house with a sheltered garden in the middle of London.
Five years ago Ferdie was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. After the initial shock and distress the family adopted a positive attitude and decided to celebrate his remaining life. He was treated with steroids and given chemotherapy using a drug (vincristine) derived from the Madagascan periwinkle which had no adverse or unpleasant side effects, and to everybody's - not least the vet's - surprise lived for nearly five more years. After this time his general condition suddenly deteriorated. He was examined immediately and it was found that although he had overcome lymphatic cancer he now had liver tumours; he had to be put to sleep.
Despite Ferdie's death Parry remained surprisingly happy; although they usually acted as a pair, Ferdie had been a bit of a bully. As Parry was elderly and definitely not pining, it was decided not to give her another companion. A few months later Parry's legs suddenly failed, and despite many tests and intensive treatment she lost her will to fight and the decision was made not to persevere. Becky, now 25 years old, hurried home to hold her for her final moments.
Parry's death seems like the end of an era for the Green family, but the influence of these two beautiful cats will continue. Although the leaflet is rarely needed now, it is always available from our address.