A volunteer recently honoured for her 43-year dedication to caring for cats has revisited an unbelievable encounter with a wildcat kitten.
Janet Rogers, who lives near Huntly, was made an MBE in the 2025 New Year’s Honours List.
Janet Rogers MBE has dedicated 43 years to Cats Protection…Picture: Becky Saunderson
Her nomination praised her efforts rescuing cats as part of Huntly, Keith and Turriff Cats Protection, which she helped to found and continues to serve as branch coordinator.
However, Janet’s honour also mentions her contribution to conserving the Scottish Wildcat across the north east.
This journey began in 2012, when the group received a feral tabby kitten, later named Zak.
However, when the four-week-old cat was taken to the Strathbogie Veterinary Centre to be neutered, his behaviour caused a vet to question whether there might be “something a little bit different” going on.
Feral kittens normally stay at the back of their cage when the door is opened, Janet said, whereas Zak “came right out at the vet”.
Wildcat kitten Zak was discovered in 2012…Picture: Highland Tiger/RZSS
The volunteer – who has urged the public not to seek out or disturb wildcats – added: “He was quite a fearsome thing, I can tell you.”
The vet convinced Janet to delay neutering and have samples taken, which were sent to researchers at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) looking for wildcat DNA.
When the results came back, the long-time cat carer was shocked to discover Zak had “the highest reading they had ever had”.
“That was such a privilege,” she added.
“I would say that is the highlight of my life.
“You are very lucky if you ever even see them.”
“I have got his photo on the wall.
“And I feel very proud to think that I have been involved so closely with wildcats.
“You are very lucky if you ever even see them.”
On the back of the results, the kitten was sent to the Highland Wildlife Park at Kingussie as part of a major wildcat breeding programme.
Zak went on to father several litters of wildcat kittens.
“…from the strongest gene pool they had ever encountered.”
Janet’s “wonderful memory” of Zak drove her to pledge her time to another volunteering role – trapping and neutering hybrid cats that threaten native wildcat populations.
The 73-year-old still goes out trapping in locations across the north east.
A 2014 blog post about Zak, from wildcat charity Highland Tiger, said: “The results were astounding and they discovered that he was from the strongest gene pool they had ever encountered.
“Nothing in captivity could match him.”
A 2018 RZSS study, looking at wildcat genetics, also confirmed that Zak is a true wildcat.
“I couldn’t believe that somebody had been watching me and what I was doing.”
After “quite a few years” living in Kingussie, the now-12-year-old wildcat was moved to a different rescue centre where he lives to this day, Janet added.
During her time with Cats Protection, the dedicated volunteer has rehomed “thousands, absolutely thousands” of cats.
However, she said the news she was in the running for an MBE came as a shock.
In the wake of the announcement, dozens of local people paid online tributes to her decades of hard work.
“I couldn’t believe that somebody had been watching me and what I was doing,” she said.
“That somebody thought I had put in a lot of hours into what I do.
“I hate having a fuss made of me but, like I say, it’s a team effort.
“It is a very proud honour to get, but it’s not me on my own.
“It’s good to think of the ones that work with me.”
Caring for cats spread across nine pens while running the branch can be challenging, she said, but her passion for the animals makes it a rewarding lifestyle.
“The nicest thing is, at times like Christmas, you might get a card with a photo of a cat from us where it says how happy they are,” she said.
“Which makes it all worthwhile.”
Over the years, Janet has established lasting bonds with members of the public who have adopted cats from her branch.
“The other afternoon, a lady who got a cat from me 21 years ago phoned me because the cat had recently died,” she said.
“And now she was looking to take on another one – that is very, very important.”
Janet said she currently has no plans to step back from her volunteering.
“We are got a very small branch, but they are really good girls and gentlemen that work with me,” she said.
“I would like there to be somebody coming through behind me, so I could train them up.
“But, in this climate, it’s very, very difficult to give up your time like I have done without being paid.”
Janet encouraged anybody interested in supporting the group’s work to phone the branch on: 01466 760311 or to email: coordinator@huntly.cats.org.uk
Volunteering roles include caring for the cats and their pens, along with working at pop-up shop events raising cash for the group’s work.