THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO NETWORKING | IN COLLABORATION WITH TYNESIDE CATS PROTECTION | SUMMER OPEN DAY 2025

“Social networking is playing a huge role in creating awareness and mobilizing support for all kinds of common interests. What better way to use this remarkable tool than to change the world?”

Natalie Portman

You may remember a few weeks ago, I published a blog post titled: ‘The Importance of Peer Support in Mental Health’ (you can read it here) as pre-event content in the run-up to the Summer Open Day of my local Cat Protection’s Adoption Centre (Tyneside). Well, I promised you all another collaboration piece after the event so that you could see the photos and videos from the afternoon and read more some of the cats that the charity said myself and my two best-friends (Jack and Spencer) could visit. In this piece, I realised that – according to my search in my content archives – I’ve actually never done a blog post completely about networking (it’s typically just been mentioned in other posts) and I thought it was a great angle to use that would also work in introducing you to the three cats we actually networked(!) with too… Ps. There’s a YouTube video at the end of the piece too!

THE IMPORTANCE OF PEER SUPPORT IN MENTAL HEALTH | PRE-EVENT BLOG POST | IN COLLABORATION WITH TYNESIDE CATS PROTECTION

Lean on me,

When you’re not strong,

And I’ll be your friend,

I’ll help you carry on

Bill Withers: Lean On Me

Not too long ago, I spotted an event on Facebook advertising Tyneside Cats Protection’s Summer Open Day at their Adoption Centre (you can check out the event here). After not only collaborating with them – and the charity on a national basis – many times over the past few years (with our most recent one being: DAY THREE MHAW | A COMMUNITY-THEMED Q&A WITH A CAT CARE VOLUNTEER | MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2025 WITH CATS PROTECTION | I'm NOT Disordered), but having also attended previous Open Days at the Centre, I was eager to attend. With one of my best-friends and his partner also planning to attend, I contacted the Centre and asked whether we could all meet a few of the cats (as I have done previously in this post: ABANDONMENT & HOW TO COPE WITH IT | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION | I'm NOT Disordered) and with the answer being “yes, of course!” we ended up deciding to make the entire thing into a collaboration. I found however, that I had two ideas for themes or angles that the collaboration could take, and so I agreed to publish this piece – which was inspired by Cats Protection’s Volunteer Assistance Programme (more info and their poster are at the end of this blog post – prior to the event and then another on the day/just after it…

A QUICK, BUT HUGE, THANK YOU TO CATS PROTECTION’S CELEBRITY & INFLUENCER RELATIONSHIP MANAGER: ALICE, BEFORE LEAVING THE CHARITY…

“Don’t let the sun go down without saying thank you to someone, and without admitting to yourself that absolutely no one gets this far alone.”

Stephen King

Dear Alice,

Thank you!

Thank you for being one of the first, most Senior staff from Cats Protection to have faith in my ability to create content, faith in I’m NOT Disordered’s potential, and faith in the very real chance of success our collaborations could have.

One of my most favourite memories of our online relationship though, wasn’t about ‘work’ and collaborations… I remember contacting you in April 2021 after the loss of my first bunny; Pixie about the impact her death was having on my first rescue calico kitten; Emmy. There are not many people I would turn to in that situation – and especially not to ask for advice – but you were the one. I think this speaks volumes for our working relationship and for your passion and interest in the entirety of Cats Protection’s cause and the very reason you’re all here. Not a lot of charity staff have such a dedication and investment in both their career and responsibilities and the cause and work of the actual charity they’re working for too. It’s a rarity and something which really helps you to stand out as both incredibly special and incredibly important in Cats Protection and actually, in my blog’s entire journey too!

DAY THREE MHAW | A COMMUNITY-THEMED Q&A WITH A CAT CARE VOLUNTEER | MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2025 WITH CATS PROTECTION

Cats Protection | UK’s Largest Cat Welfare Charity

Twitter: @catsprotection

Facebook: Cats Protection

Instagram: @catsprotection

More info on Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW):

Mental Health Awareness Week | Mental Health Foundation

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

Margaret J. Wheatley

This year, to celebrate MHAW, I chatted with the lovely Keira Wood; a Cat Care Volunteer from Cats Protection Tyneside, about everything this year’s theme of ‘community’ means to the UK’s largest feline welfare charity and their essential Volunteers…

ABANDONMENT & HOW TO COPE WITH IT | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION

“When you feel abandoned, don't let painful feelings fester. Instead, use them as a catalyst to grow and to become more compassionate.”

Amy Morin

So, collaboration number two with the wonderful Cats Protection – this time, however, the post is in partnership with the charity on a national level rather than with my local Tyneside Adoption Centre (the collaboration with which, you can read here). So, as I mentioned in that piece, the Winter Campaign theme for Cats Protection this year is ‘abandonment’ and the reason for this (which I don’t think I mentioned in the other post) is that cases of abandonment of cats have massively risen by over 30%! Additionally, Cats Protection have found that those cats spend on average, around 39 days in the care of the Charity before finding a ‘furever’ home. With donations of as little as £5 feeding a cat – and last year, they helped around 500 cats per day! – in the Charity’s care for 25 days (other funding equivalents are that £15 would cover worming treatment for three cats, and £20 would fund ten blankets to keep the cats warm and safe); this Winter Campaign is aimed at raising funds as well as awareness of this hugely important issue. Now, to bring this Campaign into relevance for the typical content of I’m NOT Disordered, I thought I’d use this post to write about how to cope with the largest instance of abandonment that I think a psychiatric service user can experience, feeling abandoned by mental health services…

FEELING WANTED IN MY JOURNEY WITH CATS PROTECTION | CATS PROTECTION’S CHRISTMAS FAYRE | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION TYNESIDE ADOPTION CENTRE

“We all choose to receive love and joy at the level of our self-love and self-esteem. So, love yourself a little harder and life will get a lot better.”

Karen Salmansohn

Having collaborated with Cats Protection (and sometimes the Tyneside Adoption Centre specifically), I’m an avid follower of their social media (all links at the end of the post) so when I spotted their Christmas Fayre poster, I spoke with their lovely Community Fundraising Officer, and we began planning this collaboration. I pitched the idea of writing about feeling wanted due to the obvious nature and goal of the Adoption Centre in finding cats their ‘furever’ homes. Then the Fundraising Officer told me the Winter Appeal is actually about abandonment, and I loved the realisation that we’re totally on the same page! In creating that post, I came across seventeen collaboration posts I’ve done with Cats Protection since 2018 and so I wanted to also incorporate my journey with Cats Protection.  So, here it is – a behind-the-scenes of all our collaborations and how my work with Cats Protection has always left me feeling wanted – as well as some super special photos from the Christmas Fayre…

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO MENTAL HEALTH & TRAVELLING | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION’S BIG WINTER ROAM CAMPAIGN | NATIONAL HAT DAY 2024

 Join Cats Protection this February for…

Big Winter Roam | Events | Cats Protection

Toward the end of 2023, I was asked by Cats Protection’s lovely Celebrity and Influencer Relationship Manager if I could create some content to publicise their brand-new upcoming campaign, the Big Winter Roam. In this campaign, Cats Protection are setting the challenge of walking, wheeling, or wandering 15-, 50-, or 100-miles during February 2024 in a bid to raise funds for the charity’s admirable and valuable work in continuing to be the UK’s largest feline welfare charity. To take part, you need to register here before February 10^th at a cost of £20 – which will also go toward the charity’s work in helping and supporting in-need cats and kittens. Then you’ll receive one of their exclusive beanie hats (hence why this post comes to you on National Hat Day!) to help you to stay warm on your walk! If you have any questions regarding the Big Winter Roam, there’s an FAQ page that should answer them all here! Obviously, I jumped at the chance of another collaboration (and a beanie!) with Cats Protection, but I was then faced with the challenge to make this campaign relevant to my mental health blog and almost instantly I thought I’d utilise the general theme of travelling and focus on all the ways it can impact your mental health – or the other way around! So, I hope you like it, and please have a serious think about taking part in this extraordinary fundraising activity…

DAY TWENTY-THREE OF BLOGMAS UNBOXED 2023: CHRISTMAS MEMORIAL ITEMS FOR FOUR BELOVED PETS, A BIT ABOUT EACH OF THEM, & A REEL | IN COLLABORATION WITH PHOENIX COVE

PhoenixCove - Etsy UK

https://www.instagram.com/phoenixcove.co/

https://www.facebook.com/phoenixcove.co

https://www.tiktok.com/@phoenixcove.co

Welcome to Blogmas Unboxed!!

Today’s blog post is inspired by the four wooden decorative items I had made by Cleo at Phoenix Cove in memory of four pets I have lost; Saffy, Dolly, Pixie, and Emmy (you can customise – it doesn’t have to be a pet’s name – and purchase your own here). So, I thought I’d put together some little bits about each of them because I’m obviously aware that I have a significantly larger audience as the years have gone by and so, some people might not be aware of each of these pets, their stories, and their impact on my life – and on my mental health in particular…

DAY FOUR OF BLOGMAS UNBOXED 2023: AN ITEM FOR RUBY’S 1ST CHRISTMAS & A CHAT ABOUT HOW EACH CAT I’VE OWNED HAS HELPED MY MENTAL HEALTH | IN COLLABORATION WITH PHOENIX COVE

PhoenixCove - Etsy UK

https://www.instagram.com/phoenixcove.co/

https://www.facebook.com/phoenixcove.co

https://www.tiktok.com/@phoenixcove.co

Welcome to Blogmas Unboxed!!

So, the second item from the popular Etsy store; Phoenix Cove that I’ll be sharing, is the same lovely little wooden decoration, but for this one, I had it personalised to mark the first Christmas for my kitten; Ruby. Inspired by this item, I thought I’d talk a bit about Ruby, why I got her, her incredible personality, and her lovely quirks; and then a bigger chat on all the cats I’ve had in my life and how they’ve all helped my mental health in such a hugely important and meaningful variety of ways…

ADVICE FOR THE MOTHERS OF CATS | HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!! | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION

 

I’d like to think that even short-term readers will know by now that I try to keep things original and creative on, I’m NOT Disordered. So rather than do a stereotypical/predictable post about how fantastic my Mum is (which she obviously is!); I thought I’d team up with Cats Protection again and bring you a post about advice I – as a cat Mum – would give to others…

Where does advice come from and why does it matter?

I think that advice can come from a mixture of reasons; it can be about something you failed to do and wish you had, or something you did, and feel was wrong, or something you’ve just learnt along the way… This piece of advice that doing research and bettering your knowledge and understanding of what having a cat will entail, comes from the fact that I definitely didn’t do it and that I wish I had.

At first, I wondered whether the importance I put upon the research before getting a cat was more of a quality of my mental health and thought processes and feelings around that. I mean, I really don’t like the element of surprise with the massive things in my life and I think that really does stem from both the number of times that I was told I wouldn’t be hospitalised and then was, and the general unpredictable nature of my hallucinations and suicidal thoughts. It was like I couldn’t keep up. It was frustrating because how could I possibly win if I wasn’t aware when the war was starting?! I didn’t even stand a chance.

BUDGET BLOGMAS | DAY SIXTEEN: BUDGET GIFT GUIDE: PETS | IN COLLABORATION WITH PRETTY PERFECT PRODUCTS | AD

Hello and welcome to I’m NOT Disordered’s Budget Blogmas!

I’ve decided to use today to share another little gift guide with you, this time it’s for the furry friends and family members in your life! I’ve chosen to take all the items from Amazon as I felt it best catered to a range of budgets. I also chose to do a few guides so there’s one for cats, rabbits, and dogs (apologies if this misses out your pet!)…

 

Cat Tree Light Grey: £56.99

Short Hair Grooming Kit: £25.00

Ten Crinkle Balls: £7.99

Cactus Cat Scratching Post: £33.23

Radiator Bed: £13.99

 

HOW I MADE KITTENS RELEVANT TO MENTAL HEALTH!! | THE LAUNCH OF THE EIGHT PRECIOUS WEEKS CAMPAIGN | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION | AD

Of course when the Cats Protection media team contacted me asking me to tweet some content for their new Eight Precious Weeks Campaign, I immediately considered how I could create a blog post from the subject! I mean, it’s no great secret that I have a lot more followers on I’m NOT Disordered than my public Twitter account, and it’s a campaign I’m passionate about, so I think it’s deserving of so much more publicity and attention! So here’s a piece about my experiences with kittens, peppered with a few photos, links, and mental health tips…

The first kitten I had was when I was at Middle School and I’d finally managed to convince my Mum to agree to getting a cat! Having spent the majority of my childhood having Hamsters – and on one occasion a Gerbil – my Mum explained that owning a cat would be a much larger commitment and far more high maintenance. 

Things to consider before getting a kitten:

1.     Financial implications e.g. cost of maintenance, vet bills etc. 

2.     Spacial awareness e.g. having a safe haven for the kitten and for the litter tray etc.

3.     Other family members – making introductions with small children and other pets etc. 

4.     Determining where to get the kitten from e.g. breeder or adoption centre

5.     Researching the needs and qualities where the kitten is a specific breed

WHY I’M NOW A COLUMNIST FOR CATS PROTECTION | CALICO CATCH-UP | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION TYNESIDE ADOPTION CENTRE | AD

https://cptynesideac.business.blog/blog/calico-catch-up-2/

Now that Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) has finished (for links to all my posts and to watch my vlog of the entire week visit here) I’m free to commit to other projects, pieces of work, and collaborations! Don’t get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s MHAW and producing all the posts for it, but I also missed being able to dedicate time to creating more varied content. 



The planning for the MHAW content actually began a while in advance to the week itself so this is the first chance I’ve had to talk about Calico Catch-Up (which launched May 1^st!). The brand new monthly column on Cats Protection Tyneside Adoption Centre’s blog; The Daily Mews, was a genius idea brainstormed with myself and the Centre’s staff. The original plan was to write a one-off guest piece for their blog about how huge an impacts cats have had on my mental health; but I was really interested in the idea of making the opportunity into a bigger commitment. Being unable to work in a fulltime role right now because of my mental (and in parts physical) health means that I obviously have a lot of time outside of my support sessions that needs filling. As it was, my only real long-term, regular commitments were to my blog and to the support group that I Chair; LEAPS, and I felt as though I could manage an addition to those. At the same time though, I stayed reasonable and practical and knew that I wouldn’t have the time to be able to commit to writing a weekly column, so we agreed upon Calico Catch-Up publishing monthly. 

#ILoveMyCatMoreThan | HAPPY VALENTINES | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION | AD

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

― Lao Tzu

So, I was looking to do something special for Valentines this year because I noticed that even though I haven’t posted on Valentines every year since the start of I’m NOT Disordered (only 2015, 2016, and 2019), I do see the day as quite important! And I’d like to think that as the years go by, my blog and my content only improves and that my ideas for posts become more and more original and unique. This is what led to me messaging the Cats Protection Media Team and asking if they’d like to collaborate on a Valentines project. I won’t lie, I think I was hoping the reply would be ‘yes, we’re working on one would you like to be on board?!’ But no, it was more ‘yes, definitely. What did you have in mind?’ And I was instantly stuck with thinking of an idea for a collaboration! I honestly don’t know where the whole #ILoveMyCatMoreThan thing came from; I literally just pulled it out of my ass! And that’s not me being modest and looking for some compliments and flattery – I honestly didn’t have any idea until I had the idea!

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST TEN : CATS PROTECTION TYNESIDE ADOPTION CENTRE CHRISTMAS EVENT | CATS PROTECTION | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December! 

So welcome to December 10th…

You know me, so focused on mental health content that once again, I won’t be doing a typical blog post about the event!

At the event, they had a table of cat toys and stockings for 8 cats so that people could buy toys and choose a cat to give them to. Obviously; me being me(!), I decided to buy a toy for each cat and then asked if I could give them their presents personally! In doing so, I fell in love with one of the cats; Sheba. She was fourteen, all black, and very very fluffy! When I gave her a cuddle she started purring and when I loosened by hold on her to let her jump down, she just stayed there in my arms. I was saying to one of the staff that whenever I visit the Centre (and it’s been quite a few times now) I always say ‘I wish I could take them all home’ but I’ve never been so eager to actually do so! So, they put a reserve on her! The one thing holding me back from taking her home right there and then was that she has a thyroid condition and so there was going to be monthly vet bills that I wasn’t sure I could afford. Anyway, it’s because of Sheba that I’m going to take this opportunity to talk about impulsivity.

CATS PROTECTION’S CHRISTMAS ANIMATION ADVANCED SCREENING | ALSO IN COLLABORATION WITH LNER | AD

https://www.cats.org.uk/support-us/events/christmas

Since my Christmas collaboration with the charity Cats Protection in December 2018, I’ve had the honour of working on a few more projects with them over the last year; including, two visits to their Tyneside Adoption Centre which you can read here & here, Tyneside’s Easter Event which you can read here & their Summer fayre, which you can read here and two posts for their More Than Just A Cat campaign which you can read here & here!

I’ve talked before about how important it is to stay loyal to the organizations, companies and charities that you collaborate with in blogging and Cats Protection make it really easy to do this. Obviously it helps that the cause is about something I’m passionate about (cats and the benefits pets can have on your mental health) but the Tyneside Adoption Centre staff and the team at the Cats Protection Media Office are so kind and passionate about what they do that it really helps me to invest in the collaborations.


I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but collaborations are actually really hard work and can be really important to the reputation of you and your blog. I’m so passionate about blogging and very proud of my little I’m NOT Disordered and all that it’s achieved, so I’m very wary about trusting other organizations with its name. It might not seem like it from the outside looking in but I put a lot of thought and research into organizations before I collaborate with them to ensure that myself and my blog are in line with their motivation, aims, beliefs, and general ethics, morals and decisions. So, it meant a lot to me when the Cats Protection team said that they’d support the idea of illustrating a pet’s importance to your mental health and that they agreed me and my little blog could be trusted to get that message across to readers and followers; I was honoured. Then, to be invited to the Advanced Screening of their Christmas animation?!! Such a privilege! 

EMMY’S CHRISTMAS WISHLIST BY EMMY | IN COLLABORATION WITH PETS AT HOME | AD

This post is in collaboration with my ultimate favourite shop for goodies – Pets At Home!

My Mum did a Christmas Wishlist first (which you can read here) and then my bunny sister Pixie (who’s from Pets At Home) wrote her Wishlist (which you can read here); and now it’s my turn! And because this is a special post with Pets At Home, I’ve wrote down all of my reasons for wanting these special, Christmassy items in the hope that someone will buy them all for me!


Also, wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone at Willows Cat Adoption Centre; who are the reason I’m able to celebrate Christmas this year after saving my life from being found wandering the streets at only a few weeks old!

Mum says this present is too big for Santa’s sleigh and that I don’t need it because I have a scratch post that isn’t very old but I told her that this is a WISHlist and that means I can put all of the items I could only wish for! The gifts I dream about finding under our 6ft Christmas tree that I constantly attempt to dismantle!

Climb & Perch Cat Scratch Post £75

A YEAR WITH EMMY | MY EXCLUSIVE DESIGN FOR BANDANA BOWTIQUE & A DISCOUNT CODE | AD

When all the tears are rolling down your face

And it feels like yours was the only heart to break

When you come back home and all the lights are out, ooh

And you're getting used to no one else being around

Oh, oh, I'll be there

When you need a little love, I got a little love to share

Yeah, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna come through

You'll never be alone, I'll be there for you

Jess Glynne - I'll Be There

To celebrate Emmy's very first Adoptaversary I'm honoured to say that Bandana Bowtique gave me the opportunity to design a bandana for pets that will be sold on their Etsy shop! Having discovered how good it feels to have adopted a pet; I thought that this little slogan (Adopt Don't Shop) would be perfect!
You can also get 15% off any of their products with the code IMNOTDISORDERED at the checkout! 

Dear Emmy,


Happy First Adoptaversary!


I’m so sorry for the start you had in life - I wish I knew who had dumped you on the streets when you were only a few weeks old because I would kick their ass from here to next week! I’m so grateful that Willows Cat Adoption Center found you and helped you get to the point where I could adopt you! I think that being dumped made you a little fighter though! You’re strong-willed and unafraid (even of the Vets!). I’d like to think that makes you a little like me; you’ve had your courage and fight tested by hardships in life and you’ve come out the other side, the winner.

TOP TIPS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND PETS | IN COLLABORATION WITH CATS PROTECTION’S ‘MORE THAN JUST A CAT’ CAMPAIGN | AD

You’d think that by now, I’d have exhausted the topic of mental health and pets but when there’s something that you’re passionate about, you often can’t shut up about it! So, I’ve found room on my blog for more info and tips on all things mental health and pets! 


This post is in collaboration with Cats Protection and their new campaign: ‘More Than Just A Cat’ which talks a lot about how huge an impact cats can have on your life to illustrate to those who don’t understand, just how important our pets are. Being a mental health Blogger, I guess it’s obvious that I want to concentrate on the mental impact animals can have; because yes, they make good company but what does that company mean to you? Does it fight off feelings of loneliness? Does it keep you grounded? Does that stop you from self-harming? Does it encourage you to be more open with your support workers? 


For this reason, here’s five tips for all thing’s mental health and pets:



Before you get a pet, make sure your mental health is stable enough for you to be responsible for another life

Once upon a time, I wanted to work with Children, but I realized that if I couldn’t care for myself then how could I look after someone else?! It’s the same with pets. Having one, you’re becoming responsible for another life and if you can’t take care of your own then is it fair to attempt to care for another. Although, I do appreciate that you might hold the belief that getting a pet will help stabilize your mental health it’s important to stay realistic and be prepared to take such a risk. I think that it’s reasonable to be in the right place to get a pet and then find yourself struggling later on, but don’t go into it with that frame of mind.

MANAGING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH WHEN YOUR PET IS POORLY | IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CATS PROTECTION ‘MORE THAN JUST A CAT’ CAMPAIGN | AD

I’d have thought that even if you’re a ‘new’ reader to I’m NOT Disordered, you can easily see that I’m a cat person! I mean, I regularly talk about the cats that have – and continue to – play a huge part in my life; the cat I grew up with for twelve years – Saffy, the cat that was my recovery goal - Dolly, and the latest addition to the home – Emmy! Each cat has meant something different to me and has subsequently had a different impact on my life.


To fit in with Cats Protection’s new campaign; More Than Just A Cat, I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk about what an impact your pet’s ill health can have on your own mental health. There’s so many people out there who begin sentences with ‘I know it sounds silly but…’ and I think having your pet’s health impact your own is one of those things whether individuals are afraid to talk about it because they worry that it sounds ‘silly.’ But if everyone just spoke up about it then maybe we’d all realize that there’s a lot of us out there feeling this way. 

The first cat we had, Saffy, ended up being such good company during the abuse. Being threatened and developing the belief and conviction that no one would believe me and that even if they did, they’d think I’d deserved it, meant that Saffy was the only one I could talk to. The only one I could be my true self around. I could cry and I could panic at the thought that it was never going to end. I could tell her what he was doing, what he was saying and that I was considering that the only way of putting a stop to the abuse would be if I committed suicide. I honestly think that if I hadn’t had that small release, that outlet – regardless that it was a cat – I might not have made it.