Alarms and excursions

House guests this week have left me feeling muddled. I thought I had taken socks with me to tennis but couldn't find them when I got there, borrowed a pair, went to put on my new (purple) tennis shoes and found the ones I had brought after all. They had fallen between the seat and the car door.

When I got to Safe Haven, I discovered that the camera battery is still being charged, at home. So I pulled out my phone and took lots of photos. Now I can't figure how to get the photos from the phone to the computer. Never mind, they are just photos of new kittens after all. (I may be able to add some later.)

When I arrived the former owner of Blink and Gypsie was visiting. She tried to volunteer when they were still with us but was overcome by tears at the sight of them in condos. Now that they have both been adopted she is willing to try again. In the meantime she adopted a puppy who hasn't lost his milk teeth (so has two sets of teeth like a shark) and neither of his testicles has descended. So the dog will be "top and tailed" soon leaving her free to volunteer with us.

First I fed the boarders grass and Barb's catmint. There was a condo with two names but only one cat apparent. It gave me a fright. I wondered if it was a very flat cat asleep underneath the cat in the bed. But Tim told me that it was next door being groomed.

While "grassing" the boarders, I noticed Charlie trying to get into one of the clean beds in the linen storage area. He was easily enticed back to his condo with a handful of grass. The sliding catch on his door is misaligned. So he has often taken himself off for wanders. Once, he made it to the front door, which was open at the time. But, being a wary cat, he turned about and came back inside.

After telling him what a clever cat he was, Tim asked me to attend to Jimmy's teeth. The vet says that he has plaque and has provided beef flavoured toothpaste and a "toothbrush" that fits onto a person's finger. Said person is to put her/his finger into the mouth of the cat and brush! It might work if you had a vet nurse with bandages at the ready! Tim volunteered me to try it. Jimmy now has clean canines. He wasn't going to open his mouth for me. . . . and I don't blame him. I suggested some nice chicken necks. Tim said that it would be his next owner's problem.

Then I, as instructed, socialized the new kittens. Hard job but somebody has to do it.

There is a pair of ginger boys who have seen the vet and named (by the vet &/or nurse) Mango and Mandarin. Tim took them home last night because the smaller one (Mango) was cold and not interested in food. He was better this afternoon but had a very dirty face. So I wrapped him up in flannel and washed his face. Then I felt a lump at the base of his tail, investigated it and found that it was solid flea dirt.

The vet gave both of them the flea treatment yesterday. I think we should put the treatment in the water of the western suburbs. (These two and the other litter came from Blacktown pound).

Suddenly Jimmy appeared and was interested in what I was doing with that scrap of ginger. The work experience girls where back from lunch by then and perhaps he talked them into letting him stretch his legs. Jimmy behaved well. And jumped, in a spectacular fashion from the back of a guest chair to the top of the adjacent condos. We forgot about him, until suddenly we couldn't find him. We looked high and low until he jumped down from a scratchy pole, calmly. Such a cool cat.

I combed and combed a pile of shit from both of the ginter kittens who are too small to clean themselves properly. Tim tried to put them in with Candace. She was interested and willing but one of her kittens was jealous of the attention she gave to them.

So you have missed photos of piles of flea dirt.

Next I sorted through the other "litter" that came from Bankstown. The quotation marks are because these kittens are probably not from the same mother. Their weights are too widely spread. And their personalities vary more than you would expect from siblings. There is a grey and white boy (big) and five girls: three torties including one fluffy tortie who is a luv bug, a tabby and . . . . I was relying on my photos but I think I missed one or two. Told you I was muddled.

None of this "litter" had flea dirt. But all of them have eye grunge. So they probably have cat flu, the symptoms of which will appear in a day or two. With that in mind, I threw the rest of the grass and catmint at the other cats with gloved hands and took myself off.

(A thousand words for every picture?)

Made in China

Shivers

Shivers has a sticker on his tail that reads Made in China. We have a pair of Chinese work experience students this week. Coincidence?

We got a sweet girl, Caramel this morning whose owner has to go into care. She was a bit stunned.

Caramel

At the same time Narla was picked up by a very excited young man.

There is a new cat called Penny. Don't know her history.

Penny

And the mackerel kitten is definitely ginger behind the ears. Catsie and I installed a scratchy box with platforms so that they can climb up to their upper self and not have to launch themselves into space to get down to their toilet. What we need is a carpet covered ramp.

Bonnie still doesn't have any kittens or any signs of them despite the positive ultrasound a fortnight ago. Curious.

Bonnie

From the dog park, West Chatswood

There were hundreds of dogs of all shapes and sizes. About a third of them are some kind of poodle cross. There was one cat in a cage at the Cat Protection Society booth. Poor thing will need lots of quiet and love to recover.

But the real news is that Blink and Narla were adopted today. . . . separately.

Blink

Blink will be so happy to be master of everybody's domain again.

Narla

And Narla will forget about her stay with us and become a loving fluff ball.

Litter delivery

I did another run to Arundel Park after tennis this morning. I have changed my TomTom to avoid toll roads. It didn't take any longer to get there as it did last time when I went via all the toll roads possible. The little car doesn't go as fast on the way back with 20 bags on board.

But Tim and the work experience student did the heavy lifting to get the bags upstairs.

When I arrived Charlie and Shivers were having Time Out, ie a good time out of the condo. Charlie looks much more handsome (if that is possible) while being a gracious host to all visitors. Shivers just wants to play, or sit on the printer which is his safe place.

Later Peanuts came out. He and Shivers are about the same size but Peanuts is probably younger but the vets don't agree on how much younger. They don't get on particularly well. They parallel play: just like toddlers.

Peanuts

Then Jimmy had a turn. He is a charmer with his riveting gaze. He loved to be brushed and let me know how much.

Jimmy

It seems that we have another foster fail. The folk who volunteered to foster the pug want to adopt. Sigh.

Stellar weekend

Eight cats were adopted this weekend. Plus the dog, Ella.

Ming went to a family who already has a cat. So he will be happy rumbling with his new buddy. (Shivers has been upgraded to his condo. Tim tried to add Peanuts but they didn't like sharing digs).

A family came for a pair of kittens but took Tortie and Kitty instead. . . sensible people.

But, all three of Jewel's son's were adopted. So little Jilly is left by herself. . . . not for long: she is so cute.

Next door to her are four new kittens not yet ready to desex. They are all tabbies. Three are spotted and the fourth is a mackerel tabby with ginger fur. She must be a tortie and will be a dramatically gorgeous adult. Perhaps we should auction her to the highest bidder! This is a lousy photo but kittens will not stand still to be photographed, even if they look fabulous. Perhaps Joy will get an appropriate shot.

On the other side of Jilly is Bonnie who hasn't had her kittens yet! But she has had an ultrasound to prove that she is pregnant. Evidently, a queen can be pregnant from between 7.5 and 10 weeks. She is somewhere in there and holding on.

 Bonnie

Her sister, Candace hardly looks bigger than her kittens who are getting bold and playful.

Candace

Tilly was also chosen! And her condo has an new shy occupant, Olivia.

 Olivia

We have a new 6 year old, JImmy in Kimmy's condo. 

 Jimmy

And Jack, a disgruntled ragdoll who will accept pats, in Torties' condo. Where do they all come from?

 Jack

Four kittens came and went

I am not sure where they came from but when I arrived this afternoon to a wonderfully cleaned Safe Haven (thank you morning crew) there were two tiny kittens and two slightly bigger kittens looking for a mama. They had been to the vet earlier in the day and given subcutaneous fluids. The two tinyest ones may not make it. They are "mouth breathing". The bigger ones were trying their best to keep their little sibs warm.
 I tried to give them some formula but most of it ended up on their chest rather than in their tummies. Three out of four were successfully toileted. .. . so I haven't lost that knack.

Tim took them to a fosterer in Dee Why who has a mother cat whose kittens have been recently weaned in the hope that she would take to this little family. And she did. . . immediately. Such a relief. Even if the tiny ones don't make it, at least their last days will be under the loving tongue of a mama cat. This fosterer has families of kittens in almost every room of her house.

The SH cats know that I bring grass on Friday afternoon and set up a feeding frenzy noise as soon as they see me. I have to throw grass into their condos quickly to quieten them down. I then go back later to each condo to help them eat it. They prefer their grass to point upwards rather than to lie flat. I am happy to hold it for them while telling them how beautiful they are.

Tilly

Tilly has worn an Elizabethan collar this week. So I stuck her grass in her spiral toy. When I came back to "help" her eat it, I expected her to hiss at me. But she almost threw herself at me with purrs and wiggles. What a change of personality! Eventually I felt sorry that she couldn't eat easily (food left in bowl) or drink with that great collar on, so I took it off. And she reverted, somewhat, to her usual hissy personality. But she was more interested in cleaning herself. So when she had done that and her tongue (and teeth) arrived to her stitched tummy, I put the collar back on her. And she became smoochy again. Go figure!

Samantha has become a smoochie cat too. Tim says that her eyes aren't as mucky since he started to pat her. Is it the power of touch or coincidence? She was more interested in having me pat her than eating her grass upright or lying down. (Her sister, Elsa, was so horrified when Tim took her, in her square bed to the vet earlier in the week, that she has reverted to hiding on her upper, inaccessible shelf).

Tortie

Tortie has always been a SMOOCHER. It is such a pity that she caught the flu. Her vocalisations are "varied", to say the least. Whereas, Pepi just hisses, still.

Pepi

Photos curtesy of Joy because I forgot my camera today.

Royal Visit

Tim visited Prince and Rajah. He reports that they are happy and more comfortable. They were in the same area as the rather wild kittens that Tim went to pick up. While the kittens were being chased and caught they ran right over Prince and Rajah in their bed. The regal oldies were not disturbed.

I didn't see the new kittens as we were three to clean up this morning. I took advantage of the extra time to give Kimmy, Kitty and Scarlet a thorough brushing. They loved it. And were much calmer after the extra attention. Perhaps all that loose hair itches or wriggles.

Kitty and her ex coat

We have a new three year old. Narla is very like my Puffin but is completely black. Puffin was grey near her skin.. . . not that I got close enough to part Narla's coat.

Narla

Shivers has his collar off and seems much brighter. The vet is happy to leave his lumpy tummy alone for the moment. Another, wait and see what happens case. Just like Peanuts. The vet can't decide whether he has been desexed but not microchipped (unlikely) or has two undescended testicles (very unlikely). So we will wait and see. Peanuts also enjoyed the extra attention I gave him. So much so that I trimmed his nails because lots of loving is never enough and he tends to hold on tight if you try to move away from him. (No photo because he doesn't look any less cream and black rather than white and black. He still needs a bath).

Shivers