Blue Cross appoints UK's first Pet Poet Laureate

Blue Cross has appointed the UK's first ever Pet Poet Laureate to celebrate the impact that animals have on people's lives.

Russell Jones will pen a series of poems throughout the year and his first, A Tempest, describes the struggles of an abandoned cat called Ella and her homeless kittens.

The position of Pet Poet Laureate was filled following a nationwide search to find a poet that demonstrated outstanding creativity in their writing and shared Blue Cross’s passion for pets and their welfare. The judging panel included a representative from The Poetry Society.

Julia McKechnie-Burke, Fundraising, Marketing and Communications Director at Blue Cross, said: “We are very excited to present the nation’s first Pet Poet Laureate to champion the huge impact pets have on people’s lives. We wanted to tap into the wonderful world of poetry, which is undergoing an exciting renaissance and reaching increasingly diverse audience, to demonstrate our mission in a unique way that has never been done before.

"Over the next 12 months we will work with Russell to create a series of poems covering themes relating to pets and their people, from how pets impact children’s development to the enormous role pets played in the First World War. We can’t wait to reveal what surprises we have in store to celebrate the nation’s love for pets and help bring attention to the thousands of pets across the country that are still in need of our help.”

Russell commented: “Having been a pet owner for as long as I can remember I am absolutely delighted to have been chosen to take on the role of Pet Poet Laureate. I feel extremely grateful that the judges chose me as their winner and can’t wait to get started on writing more pet-themed poems to be released throughout the year.”

When asked about their involvement in the project and why they chose to appoint Russell, Ben Rogers, Marketing and Communications Manager at The Poetry Society said: “The Poetry Society is delighted to partner with national pet charity Blue Cross to judge the Pet Poet Laureate search.  

"Pets have already left a clear pawprint in bardic history from the pens of poetry greats including T S Eliot who marvelled at the ‘terpsichorean powers’ of cats and Elizabeth Barrett Browning who noted the ‘loyal cheer’ of dogs.  With pets so prominent in society and many households considering them part of the family, it is appropriate and exciting for a new poetic voice to step in and respond to how we see our furry friends today.
 
"In a field of strong contenders, we were charmed and moved by a wide variety of poems that regularly demonstrated a strong understanding and affinity for pets.  Russell’s winning poem offered striking imagery, clever leaps of language and voice, and powerful insights about pets and our relationships with them.  We very much look forward to seeing the work he creates during his year’s tenure in the post.”

Russell, who before being appointed his new role had already proven his expertise by publishing as many as five collections of poems, will be sharing his work commissioned under the role of Pet Poet Laureate on Blue Cross’s website and social channels, where details of public appearances and new material will be published throughout the year. 

Ella's story

Ella was abandoned by her family when she was pregnant and left in an empty flat to give birth and raise her kittens all alone.

Neighbours kept an eye on the struggling mum, but one day she failed to return to her young and so one of them brought the helpless kittens to our animal hospital in Victoria, central London.

We immediately made sure they had the milk they urgently needed to survive and gave them round-the-clock care. 

Amanda Marrington, Blue Cross Animal Welfare Officer, said: “We were desperately worried about the kittens because we didn’t know for how long they had gone without a meal. It was a race against time to make sure they had everything they needed to survive. Kittens need regular meals and care, so it could have been a very different outcome had they not got to Blue Cross when they did.”

Amazingly, the following day Ella returned to the spot where she had left her brood to find they were missing. We believe she may have been off searching for food further away from home than usual to give her the strength she needed to care for her newborns.

When we received the news that Ella was home, a volunteer collected the confused tabby and brought her to our animal hospital where her kittens were waiting. 

Both mum and kittens are now thriving and being looked after by a volunteer foster carer while they find forever homes.