Chicken fingers

I took some BBQ chicken to do my cat behaviour routine this afternoon. Give me chicken, was Dolly's reaction.

But she says that to any food on offer. Other more circumspect cats were lured into more friendly behaviour by my chicken fingers. Even Windsor came out of his cave. (He had heard the fuss that Buddy and Petey were making: Buddy even let me pat him with my chicken fingers).

Silky was interested to eat chicken but not to make friends. She wears white stockings.

And Marmelade let me pat him. And Billy shut up while I tossed chicken at him. Gracie yelled for her share and Mimi and Macey fought over every piece. Macey got most of them because Mimi is a push over. The cat who REALLY LOVES CHICKEN is the new mum with four grey kittens. She still doesn't have a name. But, she is wearing a rather frayed collar. Her "rescuers" put the collar with a bell on her to stop her catching birds (to feed her kittens). She still doesn't have a name. I think we should call her Ruth, or RBG, or Rubygee because of the lace(y) collar. She was not going to give any of her chicken to her kittens . . . . she laid down the law. Then she followed me with her eyes as I distributed my inadequate stash to those other worthless cats.

Patchy and co have finished their ringworm treatment. To celebrate, I redecorated their wheely cage with new hammocks. And I swung it around to face the action. Tim is worried that they are not yet desexed so should not be on show. But I said that visitors won't see them until they are leaving and by then it will be too late. They have names. Meet Spotty, named for the spot on her nose/the end of her nose is black.

Tippy because she has a white tip on her tail.

And PJ who is the tortie.

They should be desexed and ready to go next week. Irene said that she would share photos of our cats who now live with other servants who take photos of them too.

Weight lifting

When I arrive in the morning I leave all the doors open so that the pong de chat can dissapate. Imagine my horror when I went through to the feeding station to see Buddy and Petey's door wide open, again. I rushed back to close the doors and then approached their condo. They were sitting together in their carry cage. Petey has learned to jump up to the higher level. My heart beat went back to normal.

Later when I was bathing the face of the dark tabby kitten (to the right of the desk) I heard Peggy hiss. I looked over my shoulder to see Macy stopped in her tracks on the gutter outside Peggy's condo. Perhaps Macy wanted to visit Rara. Mimi was watching from the open door of their condo with a worried expression on her face. I just turned Macy around with one hand (the other was holding the above kitten) and she walked back home. But it may be the eyebrow marking that makes Mimi look worried. Because later when I was washing the gummy eyes of some of Gracie's kittens, she watched with concern. I went to take a photo and my camera said "Charge the battery". Sue had three new volunteers to train this morning and Robyn is still nursing a very sore arm so took it gently. There were plenty of helpers. And then the men's shed arrived. They call themselves a community shed these days because there are women as well as men involved. They wanted to attach the brackets that will support the walls and top of the play place. And they the brought bits to fit.

We thought that they would be able to work around the stack of litter bags. But no, they had to be moved from where I put them yesterday. Luckily the community shedders did the moving, not me. I did it yesterday. And we had to move Hera, Diamond and Octavia because the litter bags are now behind Octavia where the scratchy poles used to be. They have been moved to the foyer beside the ones for sale. Really Octavia and Lily should change wheely cages. Octavia's only has three wheels and a peg leg. Lily's has 4 wheels. Maybe tomorrow. The community shedders will be back tomorrow or Friday to finish the job. By the way, I think Hera and Diamond are happier in separate areas rather that bunking in together. Patchy and her crew were happy when I rotated them so that I could mop their area.

We have a new, nameless, label-less mum with four grey kittens. She is a frightened, hissy mum. But she has a collar on. So she must just be really pissed off to be with us rather than a wild child. Later when It was quiet I noticed Star's tail hanging out of her condo. And when I looked at the photo there are two kitten tails hanging out as well. . . . cute.

Its raining kittens

There were four more this afternoon" two sets of pairs. I think they are to go to foster homes. Below the hissy pair:

Are is pair of tiny's"

And next to them below the crazy quartet are another pair who will be picked up by Sara:

Gracie's five are coming on quickly. The fluffy dark tabby had only one eye open until we bathed the stuck eye.

Elona was out with her two. I still don't know if they are a boy and a girl so that they can be named after the Keoride buses called Emma and Eamon I saw on my drive home after they were born.

I tried to get a good photo of Mia's Bella but they were focused on getting pats and treats and I couldn't get a good shot of Bella's super long, thin tail which has a curl on the end like a monkey's tail.

Flash and kittens. . . . poof

Dolly's kittens didn't even make it onto the website last weekend. When I arrived this morning there was only one left with Dolly. He was the one that was too snuffly to be desexed. (I thought it was a ginger but the microchip never lies).

And Flash was adopted by a woman who already has two cats. Lily was desexed yesterday. Her leg was though her collar this afternoon.

We have a Lucky cat who was handed in by a Good Samaritan. Her collar has slipped over her shoulders which is quite appropriate as she has stitches on her side (lateral desex). (She is where Belle was).

Other movements: Octavia is now in the big room. Lily is where she was. Diamond and Hera are in separate wheely cages where Lily was. Confused?

We had plenty of vollies this morning. Rod is back. He feels safe to venture out from his retirement village (or can get back in safely after venturing out). There were no cats that he recognised from when he came last. Last week's learner vollie came and was very efficient. But next time she will tie her hair back. And a Qantas hostie came because she is still not working. The last job of the day was to try to remove some of the tangles on Star's tummy. Her kittens have been kneading her mammaries and felting her soft, fine fur. The nipples are clear because the hair falls away from them when the cat gets pregnant. I think Star enjoyed the attention.

Jimmy update

My cousin adopted Jimmy in January mainly to be a companion for her husband who had a terminal illness. They got on very well together and Jimmy got fat because he spent his time sitting beside “his” man. In May her husband died and Jimmy was sad. A friend came to stay with Jimmy whenever she had to go to her holiday house on the Hawkesbury River which is only accessible by boat. She loves him and he loves her so they kept each other company. The realisation, when we saw the real Jimmy, he is very adventurous and exceedingly loving. He can open most doors and tears outside for an adventure as soon as he sees an opportunity. Another friend had just had a long lived cat die. She has two others so Jimmy has gone to live with her. He is now never lonely. He hated being left for more than half a day. He now has two other cats to hang around with. He has been there for a bit over two weeks. My cousin misses him so much. He was wonderful company. But he is happy now being King of the roost in a house set up for cats. He is a gorgeous cat, albeit quite eccentric. He has lost weight!

Where is the box?

The kittens in condos are cute enough to be on a chocolate box. The pair happily played in an empty box until if fell off their upper shelf. They are a bit hissy but will soon associate folk with food.

Sue has worked hard to price all the new/good-as-new donated items for visitors and vollies. I bought Cody a tall scratchy pole because the one that Catsie gave me is getting a bit scruffy and it perhaps too short for him. His first reaction was "where is the box?"

[Notice the grass in pots being revived in the rain on the table outside. Tim says that they just need to be sprayed with water to keep them watered in the condo. But some cats, eg Felix, don't like the sound of a spray bottle even when used across the aisle.] His second reaction was "This one is just the perfect size for me."

His third reaction was "What new scratchy pole?"

Some of Dolly's kittens may be ready for adoption this weekend. Tell your friends. While I sewed a patch on the mesh of the condo below Rara's he came down from his upper shelf to keep me company and play paws. His boofy, big boy head is too big for his body which is still a teenager's undernourished, fast growing, leggy, thin tailed cat-astrophy.

PS: I spoke to the lady in Mona Vale who adopted Taylor (of Buffy and Taylor fame). She says that Tutu (aka Taylor) is the love of their life and is exceptionally affectionate to her and her husband. But if anybody visits their home, Tutu vanishes. She will not come out until they disappear. If you remember, when I visited them shortly after I delivered Taylor, she hissed at me and dove into a closet. Now I feel better knowing that she treats everybody apart from her beloved parents in exactly the same way.

Surprise at lunchtime

It was a busy day. The paper towels and gloves arrived yesterday, late. A couple of blokes came from a men's shed (that has some women builders as well) to measure up for new cages, two new vollies were trained by Sue, visitors came. I hung a cat themed wind chime on the door when I was the only person around. It worked once when I was out back in the morning but didn't work at 5 to 4 when I was handing out dinners. Better than nothing. It is on the stracthy near the buy-stuff=bookshelf just inside the second door. Tim had warned me that a quartet of kittens came in from a fosterer and that one had an eye infection that needed cream. It was hard to tell, in the morning, which kitten had the gummy eye. But eventually we worked it out and treated it. (The second photo includes the face of the white kitten).

But it wasn't until Sue was sitting with a cup of coffee at lunch time that she noticed a kitten in the next condo! Poor babies had not had any breakfast. After their lunch, Sue burritoed one to give it a good cuddle. Within five minutes the second kitten was crying for it's sibling. So I had to give it a cuddle. Hard job.

Neither of these condos had any sign. They do now. There is a new adult in Abbie's condo called Mixa. But she doesn't want to mix, thank you. By the time I left she had not touched her breakfast.

But Mia and Bella have come out of their shell/igloo.

Joy on Sunday

Lily quite enjoyed being photographed!

Also little Macy actually let me stroke her, maybe now she’s been desexed she’ll be less skittish.

Mimi decided to stay in her igloo.

Beautiful Rita still enjoying being a new Mum, her kittens look quite large considering they were born on Tuesday. She loves them.

Marmalade came and took a biscuit! Made Billy ‘bigmouth’ even more vocal.

Flash just enjoys company.

I ended up with the kittens again so quite familiar now and Cass came and helped after the welfare since there was enough of us. Lastly Luna's 3 tuxedo kittens.

Meet Sam

He is a lovely, friendly, 3 year old ginger boy who was brought in on Wednesday. He has settled into his condo above Ashleigh very well. Let's hope his cool vibe washes over her.

And next door to Ashleigh. . . . . tragedy. Buddy has lost his one white whisker.

I took Dolly's five kittens to be desexed today. One came back not desexed (Dobby the tuxedo who snuffled a few weeks ago). And another got worse snuffles after his op (a ginger and white). It is not a good idea for us not to know kittens names before they are ready to go home. Sue has priced all the stuff that we don't need. So there are bargains for kitty Christmas presents.

Rita deflated

She has had five kittens so is much slimmer now. And looks a bit shocked.

Mimi's kitten has been named Macy.

Mia has a grown up kitten, Bella, a dark tortie, added to her condo. She is more confident than Mia who stays in her igloo (except when chicken necks are offered. She pockes her head out then!)

Elona's kittens are getting big but she keeps them very close.

Gracie's five are doing well. Last week they were in two clumps now they are all together.

Joy got a photo of Silky with her five.

Another cat arrived whom I didn't meet. And Lizzie was adopted today. Just Laurie, the last of Lily's litter, waits to be picked up on Friday. I gave him a small toy to play with because he had lost his sister and he crowed as though he had just killed it.

Lily's lads last 1 day: Liz reports

They were listed on the website as available for adoption on Monday morning and were adopted by today, Tuesday. Larry and Loredo have gone together.

Laurie will be picked up on Friday.