Suspect discovered

 This afternoon Irene mentioned that the rather chewed scratchy poles in the entry that I had thought were for sale on Wednesday, were in fact, for our cats. So I moved them out the back. And discovered a large lizard sheltering behind them. Lola was sitting on her favoured "for sale" scratchy pole a little further down the entry. She didn't move when the lizard wiggled. While I went for a box to catch it in to move it downstairs (I was worried that "lizard meat" might not be on her dietary approved list) it scurried into the Conference/Junk room. I would have Buckley's of catching it there. So if you notice her watching somewhere "catchable" do take the lizard down to the garden. Whatever does it have to eat in a cattery?

On Wednesday I moved Garry into Lola's old small stand alone. He has been moved back to Incoming because he is on meds. Silly me.  

Garry's one day of freedom

And today I took pity on Grayson, the three legged kitten of the "five kittens" now in Enclosure 2. He is always on the floor and his siblings hang out on the upper shelves and the hammocks. I decided to install a hammock at floor level for him. This freeked him out so much that he climbed, with 3 legs only, up to the top shelf. 

Grayson is the grey blob on the right

 I just hope that he can get down to the litter tray, water bowl and his low slung hammock.

Please remember to put the litter trays at the front of the enclosures. Otherwise the litter gets dug out at the back of the enclosures and can't be cleaned easily.

David brought a friend with him this afternoon who played with the kittens. Valentina's Danny was worn out. They had a lovely time.

Danny

And Mouse's Gerry (was Jerry until we discovered that she is short for Geraldine not Jerald) has amazing whiskers and furnishings (ear hairs.)

 

Something suspicious in the kitchen

Lola has her eye on it. 

Lola

 When I arrived I noticed that Ravyn's play place door was open. But she was curled up in her small box. When I turned to the feeding area, I found a bag of crunchies that had been chewed open. Ravyn was not as hungry today as usual. It was a good thing, perhaps, that she chose a bag of "light crunchies" (for fat cats) to overindulge in.

A little later I must have not closed the G kitten's enclosure door after giving them their breakfast. Because all, bar Grayson (the grey, three legged kitten), were running around in Welfare. I caught three of them but couldn't see the fourth one anywhere. I searched in Incoming, Isolation and the Junk room. No sign of the kitten. So I continued feeding breakfasts and soon out she came from under the food shelves beside me. Easy to pick up and carry back home. Thank goodness.

Mumma and Freya are to be desexed tomorrow as well as two of Nutmegs daughters. 

Mumma

Freya

Muffin was in a very friendly mood this afternoon. Pity the woman who rather fancied Paige didn't choose her. (Paige was adopted over the weekend, And so was Minnie). She will be back when one of Nutmeg's girls is desexed. But which one to choose?!

Muffin

It is Minty's birthday on Saturday. 

Minty

Diet time

 This morning I fed Aslan slightly less than usual (about 12 crunchies less) then put my breakfast bread into the cold toaster before going for an early walk. This is what greeted me on the kitchen bench when I got returned.

Not bad for a cat with no teeth

He was curled up on his morning sofa either playing the innocent bystander or ashamed of his cubby self.

Chubby Aslan

I would love to get PC to that degree of chubby-ness.

We had a couple of visitor pairs this afternoon. One mother and daughter who fell in love with multiple, not yet available kittens. They will return. And a pair of scantily clad girls (on their way home from the beach) who did the same. They will come back with mum to make the final decision. 

 Mike still is not feeling very well. He might have a gigantic fur ball in his tummy as he is a hairy fellow and perhaps in his former life he got brushed regularly.

Mike

 

I had to take Svarte to the Collaroy Vets (as arranged last night during dinner but delayed due to dual organizations). She has a swollen hysterectomy site. The vet (who did the op) prescribed antibiotics. Svarte didn't make a peep on the way, in the clinic or on the way home. 

Valentina has settled well into a stand alone all by herself. Her wobbly kittens seem to be coping well without her.

 

Grayson, one of the G kittens on Better Row went to the vet today. And came back whole and hearty but without one back leg. . . . just the same as when he went. It seems to be a congenital fault. Our first three-legged kitten.

 Perhaps we should change his name to Jake. And change the rest of the G names we made up on Wednesday to J names.

Maggot season

 Is upon us. It doesn't help that the balcony was piled higher than I have ever seen it. There was not enough space in the bins for the maggoty bags. Some of the younger bags had to be left on the balcony because all the bins were all full.

Comes of all the boarders going home and 7 adoptions this past weekend. There have been 50 adoptions already this year. Well done us all.

And PC is back. He is very thin and he has given up grooming his rear half. We will have to help him with that because he seems to be as sweet as he ever was. He has been in his foster home for a year. And was with us for a year before that.

Three of the spice girls are due to be desexed tomorrow. So they will all have a late breakfast. Nutmeg is looking forward to a rest. I think this tuxedo is a boy.

 Joy took photos and shared with me. She is enamored with Wolfgang in Incoming (despite his seriously boy smell).

Wolfgang

 Little Gary doesn't smell but he has something strange about the way his head moves.

Gary

 And Demi, the gorgeous one, is still in Isolation. Her kittens are almost as beautiful.

Demi

Demi's three 

But Valentines two will be sad tonight because Valentine has been moved to a stand alone. They will be all by themselves.

Dan

Phil

Why are they wearing collars if they are boys?
 

PC is coming

 on Sunday. So I looked back on the blog to find a photo of him. 

PC

 And here he was between his mates, Big Kahuna and Aslan

Let's hope he looks better when he arrives on Sunday. I fixed up his enclosure (used to be Aslan's) for him as well as I could but it needs a Phillip's screwdriver that we don't have for Geoff to fix the wobbly shelves (a memento of Dorian and Sterling).

No adoptions today but it was busy. Lots of cats have come back from the vet. Including Savannah who has had the lump on her cheek operated upon. She has a long list of meds to take and can't fit her collar over the food bowl.

sad Savannah

What a good thing that Sybie was adopted before she had to see her foster mum in such a state.

There were visitors this afternoon looking at Cooper, Flame and Goldie. 

Cooper, Flame and Goldie

 Goldie gets the short straw at mealtimes because of his cone. (He is the boy cat who had to have surgery for his undescended testicle).

Goldie

Even Minnie has a cone.. . . . which means she will soon be available for adoption.

Minnie

As do Pauline and Pippa (where did they come from?)

Pauline and Pippa

But, at last, Claire has had her collar removed (along with her tummy stitches).

Claire and me. . . . my last cuddle

 

Quick post

 Because Aslan wants to play after his dinner.

We have a gorgeous cat in Isolation who was only put there because she was "dumped" on us. She has 3 kittens who might not be so pure bred. No names so far because we don't know if we will keep them.

3 kittens and gorgous mum above

Andromeda's mate has been adopted. She is sad.

Andromeda

 Cooper, Flame and Goldie can all fit into one hammock as well as his Elizabethan collar.

 Goldie is wearing a collar because he has stitches after the vet had to search his one undescended testicle. 

 

No chook

 I didn't have time to hand out chicken to the cats this afternoon. (I brought it home and put it back into the freezer). I may as well tell you how I prepare it. 

I have a heavy, deep, cast iron pot with a lid which fits into the oven. 

I get a chook. . . bigger the better. Give it a good wash under the cold water tap.

Place it, breast side down, in the pot. 

Put on the lid and shove it in the oven (hot) for an hour. 

I turn off the oven and come back when it is cooled down (usually overnight.)

I debone the cooked chook and chop up all the meat and skin. Add the juice that has accumulated overnight. Then dole it out into bags for the freezer. (Never enough per bag according to the cats on Friday afternoon).

[These days with Aslan in residence, I have to lock myself into a bathroom to do this because the smell of all that DELICIOUS chicken flesh is intoxicating to a cat who is allergic to meat.]

The busy-ness wasn't because of a string of adopters though. Only one visitor who brought food from a friend's cat who has recently died. She travels out of the country from April to October each year so cannot own a cat. But I suggested that she could foster kittens. October to April is prime kitten fostering time. She agreed. Irene confirmed that. I hope she signs up.

I moved Nebula and Andromeda from Better Row to Welfare. Andromeda managed to catch the corner of my little finger nail with her claw. Lots of blood for a small scratch. Even Tim noticed the blood stained paper towel in the rubbish tin! But it is fine. I can still touch type. And they like their new digs.

Nebula above, Andromeda below

 

Next door to where they were on Better Row are five kittens that Irene brought in from a fosterer who said that they were "nervous". So she was wary about moving them from their large carrier to a double condo. But it was a typical case of miscommunication. They behaved themselves and later were all cowered into the litterbox.

No names yet: put on your thinking caps

Noir and Svart have settled down and were ready for pats this afternoon. I don't think those names (which both translate to black) will stick.

But their diagonal neighbour, Esther was looking relaxed in her condo at dinner time.

Esther

 She may have a bare patch on her face. Or it might be an area of grey hair rather than black or white.